Good morning and hello rainy Monday. What’s up with the rain? Man, has it really been raining lately! It would rain in Maui but nothing like this, at least not on the West side of Maui. In fact, it was kinda funny, the West side of Maui was very dry, only 15” of rain annually, but if you drove over to the other side of the island, the rainforests above Hana got around 400” per year! What a difference. That’s why all the waterfalls are on that side of the island. So naturally I’m still getting used to all this rain. We didn’t even use an umbrella on Maui so I just bought me a super duper 62” heavy duty golf umbrella on Amazon. Looks like I’m gonna need it! (of course you know that the day it delivers the rain will stop, ha!)
Yesterday our church had it’s Mission Fair and what an unbelievable time! We had over 18 missions and community service organizations in attendance to share what they do and how everyone can help serve in that mission. We had an international food fair where you could taste authentic home cooked foods from Taiwan, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Japan, Central and South America and China. It’s always fun to see and taste how different the food is from around the world! We had a middle eastern band as well as an African choir entertain and had several foreign missionaries Skype in to report how God is moving throughout the world. We had a members of the International Missions Board share and had a guest pastor that has greatly impacted missions in China over the last 20 years share a message. What a great event to constantly remind us of the great commission, that we are all responsible in some fashion to help take the gospel to the ends of the Earth, to the next state, or even just across the street. All believers have beautiful feet! (Romans 10:15)
This morning we are in 1 Corinthians 5 and Paul is dealing head on with church discipline. This is an interesting topic and one that I think most church members are completely unaware of. I mean how do you discipline someone in the body of Christ? Surely no one within the church ever does anything bad that requires discipline, right?
Paul mentions the sin requiring discipline specifically in 1 Corinthians 5:1, a man within the church has taken his father’s wife. This would be his own stepmother. Even in Corinth, the sin capital of the world, this was scandalous. Now, it’s important to note here, that sometimes a person with a very evil life starts to attend church because he wants to know God. That is a good thing, and the church members should encourage that person. But that was not the situation in Corinth. There, the man was already a church member when he began his evil behavior. So how do you handle such a situation? Well Paul is very specific and very forceful in how the church should handle him and the sin issue. “let him be removed from you” and “deliver him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh” and to “not even eat with such a one.” (1 Cor 5:2, 1 Cor 5:4, 1 Cor 5:11b)
What bold words from Paul. In our current day we justify all behavior by constantly spewing that God is love we have seen that result in tolerance overcoming truth. Society believes that people should be able to live and do just about anything they want and we should merely stand by and applaud their individualism and boldness to live in a way that fulfills themselves. So how do you make this distinction between worldly living, life within the church and church discipline? Let’s go back to God’s Word and see what Paul says about it.
“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.” 1 Cor. 5:12-13.
So Paul is making a distinction here. The world, those outside the church will live accordingly and God will judge them, that’s not our job. But those within the church are called to a higher standard of living and they are to be judged by those within the church. You see, Paul goes on to say why this discipline has to happen and happen quickly. When blatant, apparent and visible sin works its way into the church and a model of tolerance is adapted, it can destroy the church and do it quickly.
“Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump.” 1 Cor. 5:6a
Paul is saying that if the church body tolerates this sin that it will quickly spread into a church culture where all could see this behavior as acceptable. The matter has to be dealt with swiftly and according to God’s Word.
While out in Maui I went through the book 9 marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever with Pastor Jay. One of the ‘Marks’ is good church discipline. This is a lengthy process and must be done properly according to God’s Word. You cannot allow the church discipline process to become personal or turn into a witch hunt, it has to be done according to God’s Word, period. This is a topic all church members should be extremely well versed in, so please check out this fantastic article by 9 Marks contributor Geoff Chang.
I hope your rainy Monday has a few peeks of sunshine as you spend your personal time in God’s Word and His wisdom touches your heart.
God bless you.
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