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00:00:01 Well, let’s talk 00:00:01 about the disfellowshipping arrangement. 00:00:04 To begin, it would be good to read 00:00:06 the Scriptural basis for disfellowshipping. 00:00:08 It is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, 00:00:11 so if you would like to open 00:00:12 your Bibles there, 00:00:14 we will start reading with verse 9 00:00:16 of 1 Corinthians 5. 00:00:20 It says (and this is the apostle Paul writing under inspiration): 00:00:24 “In my letter I wrote you to stop keeping company 00:00:27 “with sexually immoral people, 00:00:30 “not meaning entirely 00:00:31 “with the sexually immoral people of this world 00:00:34 “or the greedy people or extortioners or idolaters. 00:00:38 Otherwise, you would actually have to get out of the world.” 00:00:42 Well, Christians do not hold themselves aloof from non-Witnesses. 00:00:46 We have normal contacts with neighbors, 00:00:48 workmates, schoolmates, and others, and we witness to them. 00:00:51 Even if some of them are living immoral lives, 00:00:54 we cannot avoid them completely. 00:00:57 It is different, though, with a brother who lives like that. 00:01:00 Verse 11 continues: 00:01:02 “But now I am writing you to stop keeping company 00:01:05 “with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral 00:01:08 “or a greedy person or an idolater 00:01:11 “or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, 00:01:14 not even eating with such a man.” 00:01:17 And so at the end of verse 13, 00:01:19 he adds: “Remove the wicked person 00:01:22 from among yourselves.” 00:01:25 Notice that this inspired instruction 00:01:27 is worded as a command, not a suggestion. 00:01:32 This matter was nicely explained in the article 00:01:34 “Why Disfellowshipping Is a Loving Provision” 00:01:37 in the April 15, 2015, issue of The Watchtower. 00:01:42 It said: “Although Jehovah does not demand perfection from us, 00:01:45 “he does have a standard of holiness that he expects his servants to meet. 00:01:49 “For example, Jehovah insists that we avoid such serious sins 00:01:53 “as sexual immorality, idolatry, thievery, 00:01:56 “extortion, murder, and spiritism. 00:01:59 “Would you not agree that Jehovah’s clean standards 00:02:02 “are reasonable and that they serve to protect us? 00:02:05 “Who does not prefer to live among peaceful, decent people who can be trusted? 00:02:10 “We find such an environment among our spiritual brothers and sisters, 00:02:14 “thanks to the promise we make at the time of our dedication to God 00:02:17 to live in harmony with the guidelines found in his Word.” 00:02:22 But now, what if a baptized Christian 00:02:25 commits a serious sin? 00:02:28 Does the congregation 00:02:30 disfellowship people because they commit sexual immorality, 00:02:33 idolatry, thievery, extortion, 00:02:36 murder, spiritism, or something else? 00:02:39 Well, there’s more to it than that. 00:02:42 And the same article explains 00:02:44 that two factors must coincide 00:02:47 that result in the disfellowshipping of one of Jehovah’s Witnesses: 00:02:51 “First, a baptized Witness commits a serious sin. 00:02:55 Second, he does not repent of his sin.” 00:03:00 So individuals are disfellowshipped 00:03:02 only when they are unrepentant of the sins they have committed, 00:03:06 and they cannot be reinstated into the congregation 00:03:09 until the elders are convinced 00:03:11 that they are genuinely repentant. 00:03:15 Well, this presents a challenge to each of us 00:03:17 when it is a beloved friend or relative who is disfellowshipped. 00:03:21 Will we be submissive and yield 00:03:23 to the judgment of the elders who handle the matter? 00:03:27 We should accept the fact that they are in a position 00:03:29 to be more objective than we are. 00:03:32 The elders pray hard about these decisions, 00:03:34 knowing that “they will render an account” to God, 00:03:37 and that’s why they make every effort to recover the erring one if possible. 00:03:41 But if that fails, 00:03:43 they must protect the congregation and keep it morally clean. 00:03:47 But even then, they kindly and clearly explain 00:03:50 the steps needed to be reinstated. 00:03:53 And they may periodically visit the disfellowshipped person 00:03:56 to remind him or her of the way back to Jehovah. 00:04:00 Now, if we yield to and support the elders’ judgment, 00:04:05 we will actually be helping a wrongdoer to benefit 00:04:09 from the discipline as coming from Jehovah. 00:04:11 And that’s so important for them to realize. 00:04:13 Look at Hebrews chapter 12. 00:04:16 Hebrews 12 starting with verse 5 00:04:22 —it says: “And you have entirely forgotten 00:04:24 “the exhortation that addresses you as sons: 00:04:27 “‘My son, do not belittle the discipline from Jehovah, 00:04:31 “‘nor give up when you are corrected by him; 00:04:34 “‘for those whom Jehovah loves he disciplines, 00:04:36 in fact, he scourges everyone whom he receives as a son.’” 00:04:41 And then verse 11: 00:04:43 “True, no discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but it is painful; 00:04:48 “yet afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness 00:04:52 to those who have been trained by it.” 00:04:55 So for disfellowshipped ones who have been trained by the discipline, 00:04:59 it has helped them to become spiritually restored. 00:05:04 So, what is the very best thing we can do for those who are disfellowshipped? 00:05:08 We already read it at 1 Corinthians 5:11: 00:05:12 “Stop keeping company with [them] . . . , 00:05:15 not even eating with [them].” 00:05:18 And speaking of the same sort of person, 00:05:20 the apostle John wrote at 2 John 10: 00:05:23 “Do not receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him.” 00:05:28 Now, our loyalty is on the line, 00:05:30 not to the disfellowshipped person, but to God, 00:05:34 who is watching to see whether we will abide by his command 00:05:38 not to have contact with those who are disfellowshipped. 00:05:42 Some of Jehovah’s people may think this is too drastic 00:05:46 and that their keeping in contact 00:05:48 with the disfellowshipped friend or relative is a kindness. 00:05:53 But they could not be more wrong about that. 00:05:57 You see, it may salve their own feelings, 00:06:00 but they would be doing the worst possible thing 00:06:03 for the disfellowshipped person. 00:06:06 And Jesus did point out at Matthew 11:19: 00:06:09 “Wisdom is proved righteous by its results.” 00:06:12 We can share with you many fine examples 00:06:14 of the good that has resulted when a family firmly and loyally 00:06:19 upholds Jehovah’s decree not to associate 00:06:22 with disfellowshipped ones. 00:06:25 One father said that when his son began behaving 00:06:28 in a way that was unacceptable, 00:06:30 his lifestyle had put up a barrier between them. 00:06:34 Now, note that the father recognized that it was his son 00:06:37 who had created the barrier, not Jehovah. 00:06:41 After some ten years, the young man cleaned up his life 00:06:44 and returned to the congregation, and he admitted: 00:06:48 “Being disfellowshipped brought me face-to-face 00:06:50 “with the consequences of my lifestyle. 00:06:53 I needed that sort of discipline.” 00:06:56 His father added: “Disfellowshipping is an arrangement that we need, 00:07:01 “one that helps us live according to Jehovah’s standards. 00:07:04 “In the long run, despite the pain, it brings good results. 00:07:08 Had I been tolerant of my son’s bad conduct, he would never have recovered.” 00:07:13 In another case, a sister admitted: “Cutting ourselves off completely 00:07:17 “from all association with [my disfellowshipped sister] . . . 00:07:20 “tested our loyalty to [God’s] arrangement. 00:07:22 “It gave [us] opportunity to show 00:07:24 that we really believe that Jehovah’s way is best.” 00:07:28 And her reinstated sister later told her: 00:07:31 “If you had viewed the disfellowshipping lightly, 00:07:33 “I know that I would not have taken steps 00:07:36 “toward reinstatement as soon as I did. 00:07:39 “Being totally cut off from loved ones and from close contact with the congregation 00:07:44 “created a strong desire to repent. 00:07:46 “I realized just how wrong my course was 00:07:49 and how serious it was to turn my back on Jehovah.” 00:07:54 We should think of these comments 00:07:56 if ever we are tempted to violate God’s command 00:07:59 not to associate with disfellowshipped friends or relatives. 00:08:03 The article I have quoted from also says: 00:08:06 “Disfellowshipped ones who are no longer members of the . . . congregation . . . 00:08:09 “may come to realize what they have lost. 00:08:12 “The bitter fruits of their sinful course, 00:08:14 “together with the memories of happier days 00:08:16 “when they enjoyed a good relationship with Jehovah and his people, 00:08:20 could bring them to their senses.” 00:08:23 Well, Jehovah knew what he was doing 00:08:26 when he inspired the anointed apostles to write what they did 00:08:30 about not having any contact 00:08:32 with disfellowshipped wrongdoers. 00:08:35 Let’s always believe that.
00:00:01 Well, let’s talk 00:00:01 about the disfellowshipping arrangement. 00:00:04 To begin, it would be good to read 00:00:06 the Scriptural basis for disfellowshipping. 00:00:08 It is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, 00:00:11 so if you would like to open 00:00:12 your Bibles there, 00:00:14 we will start reading with verse 9 00:00:16 of 1 Corinthians 5. 00:00:20 It says (and this is the apostle Paul writing under inspiration): 00:00:24 “In my letter I wrote you to stop keeping company 00:00:27 “with sexually immoral people, 00:00:30 “not meaning entirely 00:00:31 “with the sexually immoral people of this world 00:00:34 “or the greedy people or extortioners or idolaters. 00:00:38 Otherwise, you would actually have to get out of the world.” 00:00:42 Well, Christians do not hold themselves aloof from non-Witnesses. 00:00:46 We have normal contacts with neighbors, 00:00:48 workmates, schoolmates, and others, and we witness to them. 00:00:51 Even if some of them are living immoral lives, 00:00:54 we cannot avoid them completely. 00:00:57 It is different, though, with a brother who lives like that. 00:01:00 Verse 11 continues: 00:01:02 “But now I am writing you to stop keeping company 00:01:05 “with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral 00:01:08 “or a greedy person or an idolater 00:01:11 “or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, 00:01:14 not even eating with such a man.” 00:01:17 And so at the end of verse 13, 00:01:19 he adds: “Remove the wicked person 00:01:22 from among yourselves.” 00:01:25 Notice that this inspired instruction 00:01:27 is worded as a command, not a suggestion. 00:01:32 This matter was nicely explained in the article 00:01:34 “Why Disfellowshipping Is a Loving Provision” 00:01:37 in the April 15, 2015, issue of The Watchtower. 00:01:42 It said: “Although Jehovah does not demand perfection from us, 00:01:45 “he does have a standard of holiness that he expects his servants to meet. 00:01:49 “For example, Jehovah insists that we avoid such serious sins 00:01:53 “as sexual immorality, idolatry, thievery, 00:01:56 “extortion, murder, and spiritism. 00:01:59 “Would you not agree that Jehovah’s clean standards 00:02:02 “are reasonable and that they serve to protect us? 00:02:05 “Who does not prefer to live among peaceful, decent people who can be trusted? 00:02:10 “We find such an environment among our spiritual brothers and sisters, 00:02:14 “thanks to the promise we make at the time of our dedication to God 00:02:17 to live in harmony with the guidelines found in his Word.” 00:02:22 But now, what if a baptized Christian 00:02:25 commits a serious sin? 00:02:28 Does the congregation 00:02:30 disfellowship people because they commit sexual immorality, 00:02:33 idolatry, thievery, extortion, 00:02:36 murder, spiritism, or something else? 00:02:39 Well, there’s more to it than that. 00:02:42 And the same article explains 00:02:44 that two factors must coincide 00:02:47 that result in the disfellowshipping of one of Jehovah’s Witnesses: 00:02:51 “First, a baptized Witness commits a serious sin. 00:02:55 Second, he does not repent of his sin.” 00:03:00 So individuals are disfellowshipped 00:03:02 only when they are unrepentant of the sins they have committed, 00:03:06 and they cannot be reinstated into the congregation 00:03:09 until the elders are convinced 00:03:11 that they are genuinely repentant. 00:03:15 Well, this presents a challenge to each of us 00:03:17 when it is a beloved friend or relative who is disfellowshipped. 00:03:21 Will we be submissive and yield 00:03:23 to the judgment of the elders who handle the matter? 00:03:27 We should accept the fact that they are in a position 00:03:29 to be more objective than we are. 00:03:32 The elders pray hard about these decisions, 00:03:34 knowing that “they will render an account” to God, 00:03:37 and that’s why they make every effort to recover the erring one if possible. 00:03:41 But if that fails, 00:03:43 they must protect the congregation and keep it morally clean. 00:03:47 But even then, they kindly and clearly explain 00:03:50 the steps needed to be reinstated. 00:03:53 And they may periodically visit the disfellowshipped person 00:03:56 to remind him or her of the way back to Jehovah. 00:04:00 Now, if we yield to and support the elders’ judgment, 00:04:05 we will actually be helping a wrongdoer to benefit 00:04:09 from the discipline as coming from Jehovah. 00:04:11 And that’s so important for them to realize. 00:04:13 Look at Hebrews chapter 12. 00:04:16 Hebrews 12 starting with verse 5 00:04:22 —it says: “And you have entirely forgotten 00:04:24 “the exhortation that addresses you as sons: 00:04:27 “‘My son, do not belittle the discipline from Jehovah, 00:04:31 “‘nor give up when you are corrected by him; 00:04:34 “‘for those whom Jehovah loves he disciplines, 00:04:36 in fact, he scourges everyone whom he receives as a son.’” 00:04:41 And then verse 11: 00:04:43 “True, no discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but it is painful; 00:04:48 “yet afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness 00:04:52 to those who have been trained by it.” 00:04:55 So for disfellowshipped ones who have been trained by the discipline, 00:04:59 it has helped them to become spiritually restored. 00:05:04 So, what is the very best thing we can do for those who are disfellowshipped? 00:05:08 We already read it at 1 Corinthians 5:11: 00:05:12 “Stop keeping company with [them] . . . , 00:05:15 not even eating with [them].” 00:05:18 And speaking of the same sort of person, 00:05:20 the apostle John wrote at 2 John 10: 00:05:23 “Do not receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him.” 00:05:28 Now, our loyalty is on the line, 00:05:30 not to the disfellowshipped person, but to God, 00:05:34 who is watching to see whether we will abide by his command 00:05:38 not to have contact with those who are disfellowshipped. 00:05:42 Some of Jehovah’s people may think this is too drastic 00:05:46 and that their keeping in contact 00:05:48 with the disfellowshipped friend or relative is a kindness. 00:05:53 But they could not be more wrong about that. 00:05:57 You see, it may salve their own feelings, 00:06:00 but they would be doing the worst possible thing 00:06:03 for the disfellowshipped person. 00:06:06 And Jesus did point out at Matthew 11:19: 00:06:09 “Wisdom is proved righteous by its results.” 00:06:12 We can share with you many fine examples 00:06:14 of the good that has resulted when a family firmly and loyally 00:06:19 upholds Jehovah’s decree not to associate 00:06:22 with disfellowshipped ones. 00:06:25 One father said that when his son began behaving 00:06:28 in a way that was unacceptable, 00:06:30 his lifestyle had put up a barrier between them. 00:06:34 Now, note that the father recognized that it was his son 00:06:37 who had created the barrier, not Jehovah. 00:06:41 After some ten years, the young man cleaned up his life 00:06:44 and returned to the congregation, and he admitted: 00:06:48 “Being disfellowshipped brought me face-to-face 00:06:50 “with the consequences of my lifestyle. 00:06:53 I needed that sort of discipline.” 00:06:56 His father added: “Disfellowshipping is an arrangement that we need, 00:07:01 “one that helps us live according to Jehovah’s standards. 00:07:04 “In the long run, despite the pain, it brings good results. 00:07:08 Had I been tolerant of my son’s bad conduct, he would never have recovered.” 00:07:13 In another case, a sister admitted: “Cutting ourselves off completely 00:07:17 “from all association with [my disfellowshipped sister] . . . 00:07:20 “tested our loyalty to [God’s] arrangement. 00:07:22 “It gave [us] opportunity to show 00:07:24 that we really believe that Jehovah’s way is best.” 00:07:28 And her reinstated sister later told her: 00:07:31 “If you had viewed the disfellowshipping lightly, 00:07:33 “I know that I would not have taken steps 00:07:36 “toward reinstatement as soon as I did. 00:07:39 “Being totally cut off from loved ones and from close contact with the congregation 00:07:44 “created a strong desire to repent. 00:07:46 “I realized just how wrong my course was 00:07:49 and how serious it was to turn my back on Jehovah.” 00:07:54 We should think of these comments 00:07:56 if ever we are tempted to violate God’s command 00:07:59 not to associate with disfellowshipped friends or relatives. 00:08:03 The article I have quoted from also says: 00:08:06 “Disfellowshipped ones who are no longer members of the . . . congregation . . . 00:08:09 “may come to realize what they have lost. 00:08:12 “The bitter fruits of their sinful course, 00:08:14 “together with the memories of happier days 00:08:16 “when they enjoyed a good relationship with Jehovah and his people, 00:08:20 could bring them to their senses.” 00:08:23 Well, Jehovah knew what he was doing 00:08:26 when he inspired the anointed apostles to write what they did 00:08:30 about not having any contact 00:08:32 with disfellowshipped wrongdoers. 00:08:35 Let’s always believe that.
