How much of purity and peace would have been maintained in the church of Christ and will be maintained if elders are sensitive to the first steps of delinquency on the part of the people and bring the word of tender admonition and reproof to bear upon them before they reach the by-paths of open and censurable sin! A shepherd when he sees a sheep wandering does not wait until it reaches the well-nigh inaccessible precipices (John Murray).

Most of us who have been in church leadership for some time understand the frustration of failed efforts in church discipline. Here’s how it goes. We learn that a member has left his wife. We reach out to him to see what the circumstances are.

We are rebuffed. Then we send him a letter asking him to come to a Session meeting to explain himself. Does he show up? Not a chance. We send him a letter accusing him of being “contumacious.” Sadly, we never see him again. Wouldn’t it have been much better to have been in a position where were aware of difficulties in his marriage early on?

This, dear friends, is another wonderful benefit of having a proactive shepherding ministry among your flock. Just a reminder that Matthew 18 instructs us what to do when someone sins against us. We are to: 1) speak to him personally (18:15); 2) take one or two along with us as witnesses (18:16); tell it to the church (18:17). In simple terms the objective is to bring the sinner the repentance. But did you notice what precedes these verses in Matthew 18?

It is the parable of the good shepherd and the lost sheep (18:12-14). Do you remember? The shepherd has 100 sheep. How many have to stray before he notices? Twenty? Ten? Five? No, just one. The good shepherd is in a position to notice when one sheep has strayed. Are you?

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