Accountability is every bit a part of a strong church body.

The church is a called out assembly of believers, but also the pillar & ground of truth. Therefore, we must 1) Practice solid doctrine. (2 Tim. 1:13)”Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me...” Why? Because men will try to turn the truth of God’s Word, into fables. The church must be careful not to stray from the truth. “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” 2) Practice “discipleship.” The gospel message is more than just getting people saved. It’s also a command to teach others what we have been taught about Christ. (1Ti 1:16) “Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” 3) Practice “discipline” “that thou… mightest war a good warfare, Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:” Accountability is every bit a part of a strong church body. Sin within must not be tolerated, or it will corrupt and defile the whole body. Therefore we must practice the purging of sin to maintain a healthy church.

How important is good behavior in the Church of God?

“…that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. How important is good behavior in the Church of God? According to the above verse, very! Why? 1) Because it is God’s house, and therefore God has ordained its order, organization, authority, and intended reverence. 2) It’s the Church of the living God. We are the “called out assembly.” Living testimonies of His grace, called out of the world to serve a living God by being living sacrifices. We are the bride of Christ, His body,   and active participants, whereby we are to strive to be constantly growing, and constantly reproducing Christ in ourselves and others. 3) It’s the pillar of truth.  The Church is to be a support system holding up the truth of God’s Word in a world that is constantly trying to tear it down. We the church are to elevate it by our  love and obedience to it. We may not be the most popular people in town, but we ought to be the most honest, the hardest working, and the most godly. 4) It’s the ground of truth. A place of refuge, fellowship,   and nurture, where by all who come to Christ are nourished by the fruit of God’s vineyard.

So what happened to them ?

 (Gal. 1:6) “ I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:” It’s interesting that when Paul penned these words concerning apostasy in his day,  little did he realize how  accurately he would describe the future state of the church in America. History has shown us that once a church or a school’s leadership compromises the fundamental doctrines of the faith, there is little or no chance of it ever righting itself. Eighty-eight of the first 100 colleges founded in America were organized to train men for the purpose of the gospel ministry. So what happened to them ? Harvard who previously graduated about 52% ministry students, began to allow a freedom of theology policy for its faculty. Yale decided to emphasize academics over theology, Dartmouth and Columbia repealed their strong statement of faith due to denominational pressure, and Princeton dropped its strict policy of insisting on only a saved faculty. Columbia University opened in 1754  with this news advertisement,  “The chief thing that is aimed at in this college, is to teach and engage children to know God in Jesus Christ.” Harvard also emphasized “Christ and The Church.”  So how needful today is it for us to earnestly contend for the faith?    Very!