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In Matthew 28:18-20 Christ says the mission of the church is to go to all people groups and 1) baptize or submerge the people in relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and 2) teach the people to do the things Jesus wants them to do.
The focus of this sermon is on the responsibility of immersing fellow believers in the presence of fellow believers, especially of believers admonishing one another. The story in Acts 18:24-28 of Aquila and Priscilla taking Apollos aside and explaining “to him the way of God more accurately” is an example of discipling a fellow believer.
According to Romans 15:14, ordinary believers are qualified to admonish. To admonish means to warn based on instruction.
According to Galatians 6:1-5, admonition requires meekness and willingness to bear another’s burden and address “a man overtaken in any trespass.” A trespass is a fault or misstep. A person who is spiritual can restore someone who has committed a trespass.
According to I Thess. 5:14-15, different needs require different kinds of admonition. The unruly (insubordinate, undisciplined) should be warned, the fainthearted (timid) should be encouraged, and the weak should be supported.
Matthew 18:15-22 says that those who do not receive admonition or discipline after being approached three times should be excommunicated. I Cor. 5 and II Cor. 2 also speak about excommunication and restoration.
How can we best approach our responsibility to admonish and receive admonishment?
I have observed that in general people do not like to be admonished, and neither do people like to admonish others, which results in the ordained doing most of the admonishing.
Amidst these challenges it is important to remember that the level of love, humility, and secure belonging and attachment present in our relationships determines to a large extent how we share and receive admonishment.