The world cannot regulate within the congregation and church. For two reasons: you do not need to join the church. We have freedom of religion: this was a compromise to stop the religious wars of the seventeenth century.
Secondly, those who are not of faith have no place in the regulation of the church. Lawsuits and entryists regardless.
For there is a duty here. If your leaders are immoral, or greedy, or deceive, shun them. If your brother will not repent, shun him. Do not associate, in case you are dragged into their errors.
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
(1 Corinthians 5:9-6:8 ESV)
This is indeed a time to avoid lawsuits. The courts are against us, and the rules around employment are such that people are demanding a right to a living as a minister of the gospel, or suing for wrongful dismissal if church discipline process goes against them.
As if any man has a right to make a living from the gospel. Yes, we should support our leaders and ministers. But many apostles, from Paul to the quiet evangelization of the Middle East, work to support themselves and preach after hours.
Here the old-established churches have difficulties: the English Church in particular, for Parliament considers the English Church as its creature. But we must resist. We discipline within the church, and the way we primarily do this is non association of the non repentant.
Knowing that we all need to repent and reform.
And let the lawyers (unless they repent), that evil which is the family court, and the tyranny of parliament have no place in our congregation. We can discipline ourselves. Let not this world regulate us.
