Were Christians to have sexual practices that simply mirrored the world in general, their witnessing could easily be dismissed as just one more form of sexual manipulation. But by enforcing a zero-tolerance policy, the work of the evangelist would be able to flower in a climate completely free of such a misunderstanding. Returning to 1 Thess. Modern Churches Statistics show that the modern institutional church is not at all differentiating itself from the general population with regard to the sexual behavior of its members. Even pastors and youth workers are often caught using the church for private, perverse ends.
Church discipline can, and often is, challenged in the courts or in the media.
Indeed, the only way an institutional church can properly enforce sexual morality among its members is to be circumspect in treating every complaint promptly and equally. Yet that may not be enough. The house church, on the other hand, is much less likely to be the object of legal attack or a media campaign. Any suspicion of sexual sin can be quickly dealt with according to the biblical guidelines of Mt. 18. If an individual refuses to repent, he or she can be simply disinvited from attending future gatherings.