And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. Acts 5:14
The two youth leaders agreed that something had to be done about Billy, whose disruptive behaviour was causing nothing but trouble for their group. Most of the other boys in the group liked Billy, but some had been offended by his pranks and by his sometimes inappropriate language. A couple of the boys had already left the group in disgust. Reprimands and time-outs had not worked to correct Billy’s bad behaviour. So the leaders had to do something. David argued for working harder to keep Billy in line. But John disagreed, saying that none of the others in the group would receive any attention if all their efforts were directed at curbing Billy. His answer was to banish Billy from the group. But David declared that such a harsh move would cause other group members to quit. Reluctantly, he finally agreed with John, and Billy was told to go home and stay there. To John’s delight and David’s surprise, the rest of the boys became much more enthusiastic about the group, and brought other boys along to join. The group became much larger, stronger, and happier. They discovered that properly administered discipline always achieves positive results, even when it seems harsh.
The Assembly in Jerusalem had seen harsh discipline against Ananias and Sapphira, who had lied to the Holy Spirit. Many of the Christians were no doubt shaken by the experience. And many of the unbelievers were no doubt shocked and frightened. But something happened that nobody expected – the numbers of those joining the fellowship increased dramatically. Instead of turning people away, the discipline actually attracted those who agreed with the Word of God. This is a lesson that our Assemblies have learned as they experience times of discipline. Sadly, there are occasions when someone in Assembly fellowship must be excommunicated because of sin. Assemblies that follow the Word of God carefully must experience the pain of discipline. But when they do, they also experience the comfort of knowing that they are maintaining the integrity of the Lord’s Name. Although discipline may seem harsh to those in the wrong, it is a comfort to those who do well.
Although no Assembly wants to experience discipline, no Assembly should fear it. Properly administered discipline often releases tensions and clears up struggles within the Assembly, and reminds all believers of the supremacy of the Word of God as our Guide and Authority. As the Assembly is brought into harmony with the truths of Scripture, its members are brought into harmony with each other. And God can work through us.
Blessing is often a result of Godly discipline. Let us not be surprised at this. – Jim MacIntosh