Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
17 And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican. 18 Verily I say unto you, What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
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This is a very high standard and requirement. If you are going to "quarantine" or "discipline" or "excommunicate" a brother it must be done officially, publicly, and to this standard. Our example in this matter is the Apostle Paul in 1Corinthians.
Very often people are afraid to "convict" based on innuendo, allegations, speculation, because that would bring liability to the church. If that is the case then you don't excommunicate. The standard is that what you bind on Earth is bound in heaven. If you can't meet that standard then you have no business binding.
When you "tell it to the church" the church is not deciding based on the fact that this is a "spiritual brother" making these claims, or "the apostle", etc. They should base it on verifiable facts. If the claims cannot be verified then you should not excommunicate. The standard of the kingdom should not be lower than the standard of the secular courts.
The excommunication of the "sister's rebellion" did not meet this standard. I observed other excommunications in Houston that also did not meet this standard. One brother, R, was excommunicated because he talked to another brother who was "quarantined" even though no one in the church was told why he was quarantined. Likewise, no one was officially told why R was quarantined (I learned of this because I was his roommate and was questioned by the elders). In both cases the church was informed not to talk to these brothers without any further explanation other than the elders were "disciplining them". That is not the standard in Matt 18. If an adult is convicted in a court it is always a matter of public record.