Action, not Just Words
Opening Prayer
Ask God to help you get beyond your blind spots, so that you can see your sin and its consequences.
Read 1 Corinthians 5:1-13
[1] It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. [2] And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? [3] For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. [4] So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, [5] hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. [6] Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? [7] Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch-as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. [8] Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. [9] I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people- [10] not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. [11] But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. [12] What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? [13] God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What problems does Paul see in a church's response to sin?Through technology, today we have incredible access to the lives of millions of people in real time. Facebook alone now reaches over 1 in 6 of the world’s population, and with a few keystrokes we can read the intimate details of people’s lives. At times the information is harrowing, at times funny, and at times humiliating. Just imagine if your life were laid bare in every detail before your friends. How would you feel? In today’s reading Paul opens up an immoral brother’s (11) life to very public gaze (1). In fact, it wasn’t just his life being laid bare but that of the church members as well. For not only did they know about his misconduct (2) but also they were tolerating it (12). For Paul, this personal sin was damaging the whole church, in its fellowship and in its witness. Sin does that sort of thing. It has the habit of affecting others. Surely we don’t need a letter from an apostle to make us reflect on our lives and the effect our sin has on others.
Apply
Take stock of how your sin might be affecting your family, friends, local church, and others.
Closing prayer
Lord, help me to look into my heart and, through Your Spirit, make me clean again.
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