HOME GROUP DISCUSSION

- Kyle described formative discipline, which is teaching someone the things they need to know, and corrective discipline, which is rebuking someone for doing wrong. Which kind of discipline is Jesus talking about in Matthew 18:15-20? How is this related to Matthew 18:12?

- Why do you think it is important to actually GO to the person who has sinned against you, as Jesus asks us to do in verse 15? How can objectivity and the person's obvious unrepentance help us understand when to go?

- The process moves from private to plural if the sinning person won't listen to the one trying to gently correct him or her. Where does the idea of two or three witnesses in verse 16 come from? (look up Deuteronomy 19:15, 2 Corinthians 13:1 and 1 Timothy 5:19) How does bringing the one or two additional people into the matter help?

- The process moves from plural to public in Matthew 18:17. Why is it good for the entire church to get involved if the two or three aren't heeded? How is the church to respond if it is also goes unheeded? Kyle pointed out that the "you" Jesus uses in verse 17 is singular, not plural. What implications does that have to each individual in the church? What implications does it have for you?