SIN ACCOMODATING CHURCHES-VI—1Cor. 5:1-13
Attention:
Everglades City, FL is located in Collier County on the Gulf of Mexico in the ten-thousand-island region of southwestern peninsular Florida. The town was known as a way-point for the illegal drug trade, given its isolation & proximity to Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, etc.
Surely those who owned the marina(s) in town had to have at least suspected & probably had some knowledge about the illegal drug content of some of the boats arriving.
And so the drug trade blossomed.
*Dance around rather than approaching an object.
Many thousands(millions?) of people die every day. Many if not most of these die without Jesus. How many of them die in Franklin County without Jesus? How many of them die in Carrabelle without Jesus?
Have we made sure that they have heard the truth?...that truth is not muddled by the world & our apathy, inattention, distractions?
Similarly, The Church proper is populated by Christians, all of the same heritage...they are brothers & sisters by the blood of Jesus. None of them are Christian sympathizers, they are actual Christians!
However, the sympathizers are readily invited to witness & be involved with the true Christian work but only to a limited extent...
...Because...
1)The church works so closely with the world, & that...
2)We cannot ultimately determine the reality of anyone’s salvation(only God can per 1Cor. 4-5) & that...
3)We minister with those who consider themselves ‘saved,’ the church can inadvertently & ignorantly become party to worldliness.
4)Our hearts can deceive us so that we think we are doing God service when in fact we are undermining the Kingdom(Jer. 17:9-10; Jn. 16:2-3)!
Such a hodge-podge can invite a label of ‘hypocrisy’ upon the Church among outsiders, who lump all so-called ‘Christians’ together, assuming everyone who claims the name ‘Christian’ is the ‘real-deal’...
Such a hodge-podge can also invite a label of ‘hypocrisy’ upon the Church from insiders, who impose legalism upon the Church in order to ‘weed out’ sympathizers from the ‘real deal’!
Paul admonished(called out) the Corinthian church because they had allowed/accommodated heinous sin in their midst.
The church must not accommodate sin in their midst.
*How can the true church effectively act against sin in their midst?
When does a church accommodate sin?
9 deficiencies of sin accommodating churches.
We had previously visited the fact that,
Sin Accommodating Churches skirt/deny...
1. BASELINES(:1)
2. BROKENNESS(:2)
3. God’s PRESENCE(:3)
4. AVAILABLE ARSENAL/Weaponry(:4)
5. CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY(:5)—See #10 :13
6. DAMAGE POTENTIAL(:6)
7. RE-CREATION(:7-8)
8—Sin Accommodating churches skirt/deny...
INSTRUCTION(:9)
Explanation:(:9)apostolic authority
:9—“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.”
Paul had written in this or another letter. Here he references that authority employed to adjust behavior. The Christians at Corinth are “not to keep company with sexually immoral people.” This direction regards relationships within the church as :10 & :11 make plain. Such interrelationships encompassing the world are to be undertaken in a different light.
Those within the church who indulge “sexual immoralities” are to be considered unworthy of the church’s “company.” Therefore they are to be openly ‘shunned’ by the church.
“Wrote”—grafw—) To write, with reference to the form of the letters; 2) To write, with reference to the contents of the writing; 3) To fill with writing; 4) To draw up in writing, compose. Strong—a primary verb; To “grave”, especially--To write; figuratively--To describe.
“Epistle”—epistolh—1) A letter, epistle. Strong—A written message.
“Keep company with/Company with/Associate with”(See :11)—sunanamignumi—1) To mix up together; 2) To keep company with, be intimate with one. Strong—To mix up together, i.e. figuratively--Associate with. Used 3X.
From—sun—With or together—&—ana—properly--Up; but (by extension) used distributively--Severally, or locally--At(etc.)—&—mignumi—a primary verb; To mix. Thayer—Such a mixture as merely blending or intermingling of them promiscuously, as in a mechanical mixture.
“Sexually immoral people/Fornicators/Immoral people”(See :1—porneia; :10, 11)—pornov—Noun Masc.—1) A man who prostitutes his body to another's lust for hire; 2) A male prostitute; 3) A man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, a fornicator. Strong—from pernhmi(to sell; akin to the base of pipraskw[to traffic]); A (male)prostitute(as venal--susceptible to bribery), i.e. by analogy--A debauchee(libertine). Used 10X.
Argumentation:
**Ps. 1:1-6—“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day & night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
**Prov. 9:6-11—“Forsake foolishness & live, And go in the way of understanding. He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, & he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, & he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, & he will increase in learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me[wisdom] your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.”
**Eph. 5:1-13—“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us & given Himself for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication & all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ & God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, & truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
**Eph. 1:15-21—“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus & your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom & revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, & what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead & seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality & power & might & dominion, & every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.”
**Php. 3:7-14—“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, & count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ & be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him & the power of His resurrection, & the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind & reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
**2Pet. 1:2-8—“Grace & peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God & of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life & godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory & virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great & precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, & to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours & abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
**2Pet. 3:14-18—“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot & blameless; & consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught & unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace & knowledge of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now & forever. Amen.”
2Jn. 1:5-11—“And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver & an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses & does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father & the Son. If anyone comes to you & does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”
Talk about turning someone over to Satan, this gets personal! If you slip around & secretly meet with the one turned out from the fellowship, it is an encouragement to the person regarding their sin!
1Pet. 2:11—“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,”
Illustration:
Training a new employee/They must do as the owner-Manager says/Procedures must accomplish the goals of the business/A cashier must examine every $100 bill as potentially counterfeit, etc./The cashier must deposit approved $100 bills in the store safe under the register, etc./The new employee must be taught & use these procedures implicitly/INSTRUCTION
Suntrust Bank in Zephyrhills/Had been robbed numerous times/Go inside now & it is like Fort Knox/Bullet-resistant glass2 1/2” thick encases the clerks/They cannot do business as usual...They must be trained how to do their respective jobs as they encounter such barriers installed for protection of the money/INSTRUCTION
Choir presents a new song to the congregation/Can be a rough ride but if the choir sings it first, it is much easier/Some may complain & refuse to sing it...but that is their loss & to the loss of others around them/INSTRUCTION
Application:
?Your Church Skirt INSTRUCTION?
?Does Your Church Accommodate Sin?
9—Sin Accommodating churches skirt/deny...
FELLOWSHIP(:10-11)
Explanation:(:10-11)
:10—“Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.”
Interrelationships involving “this world” on a “sexual” level are to be approached differently than they are approached within the church. “The world”
Similar relationship distinctions/divergencies are carried through in other areas of concern for Christians as well. Thereby the Christian’s relationships regarding those who are “worldly” “covetous,” “extortioners,” & or “idolaters” are to be approached in a measurably distant manner. It is not as if the church is to be unconcerned about such behaviors, but that they are to be handled like difficulties are handled closely within a family versus those handled outside a family. There are personal aspects which are important.
Within the family, those who claim Christ while exhibiting & willingly indulging these traits(“covetous,” “extortioners,” & or “idolaters”), are to be approached with an urgency, borne of a recognition that these behaviors are detrimental to the very fabric of Christian life.
*These behaviors/traits obviously do not present an exhaustive list but rather comprise a representative list. Indeed :11 adds to the list.
Seeing that all such Christ-dishonoring behaviors are damaging to the church, they should be dealt with specifically as they relate to one’s relationship with Christ. Those who indulge said behaviors are to be confronted by the church as non-christian & as that which has intentionally infiltrated the ranks. Thereby the church & individuals within the church must be actively attentive to the protection of the church from such influence(s).
If influence within “the world” & the church were to be approached in the exact same manner, then the church would need to “go out of the world.” Of course such a scenario is ridiculous. What the church is to do is remain in “the world” while keeping from the evil one(Jn. 17:15). Such obedience is a testimony to “the world” of the uniquely saving fullness available to them in Christ Jesus.
Jn. 17:11, 14-15—“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, & I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.”.....“I have given them Your word; & the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”
“Yet”[TR & Byz](See :7—“Indeed”)—kai—Conjunction—1) And, also, even, indeed, but. Strong—a primary particle, having a copulative & sometimes also a cumulative force; And, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection(or composition) with other particles or small words.
“Certainly”—pantwv—Adverb—1) Altogether—1a) In any & every way, by all means, 1b) Doubtless, surely, certainly, 1c) In no wise, not at all. Strong—adverb from pav; Entirely; specifically--At all events, (with negative, following)--In no event. Used 9X.
“Sexually immoral people”(See :1—porneia; :9, 11)—pornov—
“World”2X—kosmov—1) An apt & harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government; 2) Ornament, decoration, adornment, i.e. the arrangement of the stars, 'the heavenly hosts', as the ornament of the heavens. 1Pe 3:3; 3) The world, the universe; 4) The circle of the earth, the earth; 5) The inhabitants of the earth, men, the human family; 6) The ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, & therefore hostile to the cause of Christ; 7) World affairs, the aggregate of things earthly; 8) Any aggregate or general collection of particulars of any sort. Kosmov has very frequently an unfavorable meaning, denoting the inhabitants of the world, mankind in general, as opposed to God. Strong—Orderly arrangement, i.e. Decoration; by implication--The world(in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively [morally]).
“Covetous/Greedy”(See :11)—pleonekthv—1) One eager to have more, especially what belongs to others; 2) Greedy of gain, covetous. Strong—Holding(desiring) more, i.e. Eager for gain (avaricious, hence--A defrauder). Used 4X.
From—pleiwn, pleion, or pleon—More in quantity, number, or quality; also(in plural)--The major portion—&—ecw, scew—a primary verb; To hold(used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possessions; ability, continuity, relation, or condition).
“Extortioners/Swindlers”(See :11)—arpax—Adj.—1) Rapacious, ravenous; 2) An extortioner, a robber.
From—arpazw—To seize. Used 5X.
“Idolater”(See :11)—eidwlolatrhv—1) A worshipper of false gods, a idolater; 2) A covetous man as a worshipper of Mammon. Strong—an image-(servant or) worshipper(literally or figuratively). Used 7X.
From—eidwlon—An image(i.e. for worship); by implication--A heathen god, or (plural)--The worship of such—& the base of—latreuw—from latriv(a hired menial); To minister (to God), i.e. Render, religious homage.
“Need to”—ofeilw—1) To owe; 2) metaph.--The goodwill due. Ofeilei indicates rather[ than a necessity in the nature of things(dei)] the personal obligation; it is that which is proper, something that ought to be done. Strong—To owe(pecuniarily); figuratively--To be under obligation(Ought, must, should); morally--To fail in duty.
“To Go”—exercomai—1) To go or come forth of; 2) metaph.--2a) To go out of an assembly, i.e. forsake it, 2b) To come forth from physically, arise from, to be born of, 2c) To go forth from one's power, escape from it in safety, 2d) To come forth (from privacy) into the world, before the public, (of those who by novelty of opinion attract attention), 2e) Of things. Strong—To issue(literally or figuratively).
From—ek or ex—a primary preposition denoting origin(the point whence action or motion proceeds), From, out(of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote)—&—ercomai—To come or go(in a great variety of applications, literally & figuratively).
“Out of”—ek—See above.
:11—“But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person.”
Paul had previously written(in another letter, cf. :9) that the Corinthian Christians were “not to keep company with” certain Christian “brothers”/sisters who exhibited characteristics &/or behaviors of the unsaved.
Thus the blood-bought of Christ Jesus will positively move away from “Sexual immorality,” “Covetousness,” “Idolatry,” “Reviling,” “Drunkenness,” & “Extortion.” They will recognize such actions as sourced outside of God’s desire & thereby personally & corporately detrimental.
Love does not parade itself or seek its own(1Cor. 13:4-7). These six examples attest to the lack of the love of God in one’s life.
1Cor. 13:4-7—“Love suffers long & is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
As unwilling witnesses to open aberrant behaviors by a hypocritical so-called Christian, true believers(& thereby the church) are granted proper justification for avoiding any sustained friendly contact with such perpetrator(s). God’s church is never to be associated with condoning sin. Sin is what Christ died for. How hypocritical it would be to say one thing & do another.
Therefore even a meal with an insider enemy of righteousness is an acceptance of their unchristian behavior. Our relationships with such a person are to be terminated. Such relationships within the church are to be terminated for the sake of the ultimate salvation of the erring one’s spirit(:5).
“Chrysostom noted that people in his day complained of the bad company given by Paul for revilers & drunkards as being men with more "respectable" vices!”—RWP
“Social contacts with such "a brother" are forbidden”—RWP
2Jn. :9-11—“Whoever transgresses & does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father & the Son. If anyone comes to you & does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”
“We cannot know who is & who is not a true believer, but discipline is to be administered to any who profess to be a Christian.”.....“Anyone who carries the name of Christ is subject to discipline.”—MNTC
“Now”—nuni—Adverb—1) Now, at this very moment. Strong—a prolonged form of nun[a primary particle of present time; “Now"(as adverb of date, a transition or emphasis); also as noun or adjective present or immediate] for emphasis; Just now.
“Keep company”(See :9)—sunanamignumi—
“Anyone”—tiv—Pronoun—1) A certain, a certain one; 2) Some, some time, a while. Strong—an enclitic indefinite pronoun; Some or any person or object.
“Named/Called/So-called”—onomazw—1) To name. Strong—To name, i.e. Assign an appellation; by extension--To utter, mention, profess. Used 10X.
“Brother”—adelfov—1) A brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother; 2) Having the same national ancestor, belonging to the same people, or countryman; 3) Any fellow or man; 4) A fellow believer, united to another by the bond of affection; 5) An associate in employment or office; 6) Brethren in Christ. Strong—from A(as a connective particle) & delfuv(the womb); A brother(literally or figuratively) near or remote [much like A].
“Sexually immoral”(See :1—porneia; :9, 10)—pornov—
“Covetous”(See :10)—pleonekthv—
“Idolater”(See :10)—eidwlolatrhv—
“Reviler”—loidorov—1) A railer, reviler. Strong—from loidov(mischief); Abusive, i.e. A blackguard. Used 2X
“Drunkard”—meyusov—1) Drunken, intoxicated. Strong—Tipsy, i.e. (as noun)--A sot. Used 2X.
“Extortioner”(See :10)—arpax—
“Eat”—sunesyiw—1) To eat with, take food together with. Strong—from sun & esyiw(including its alternate); To take food in company with. Used 5X.
From—sun—a primary preposition denoting union; With or Together(but much closer than meta[amid] or para[near, beside, at, in vicinity of, to proximity with]), i.e. By association, companionship, process, resemblance, possession, instrumentality, addition, etc.—&—esyiw—strengthened for a primary edw(to eat); used only in certain tenses, the rest being supplied by fagw[ a primary verb (used as an alternate of esyiw in certain tenses)]; To eat(usually literal).
“Such a person/Such an one”—toioutov—Adj.—1) Such as this, of this kind or sort. Strong—Truly this, i.e. Of this sort(to denote character or individuality).
Argumentation:
**Ps. 50:14-23—“Offer to God thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, & you shall glorify Me.” But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth, Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you? When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers. You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit. You sit & speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done, & I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes. Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, And there be none to deliver: Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”
**2Cor. 12:17-13:2—“Did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you? I urged Titus, & sent our brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps? Again, do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ. But we do all things, beloved, for your edification. For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, & that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, & I shall mourn for many who have sinned before & have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, & lewdness which they have practiced. This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” I have told you before, & foretell as if I were present the second time, & now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, & to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare--”
**2Thess. 3:10-15—“For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command & exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness & eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person & do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.”
**1Thess. 4:1-12—“Finally then, brethren, we urge & exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more & more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk & to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification & honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of & defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you & testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; & indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more & more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, & to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, & that you may lack nothing.”
**Eph. 5:1-7—“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us & given Himself for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication & all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ & God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.”
**1Cor. 10:19-24—“What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons & not to God, & I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord & the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table & of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.”
**1Tim. 6:3-5—“If anyone teaches otherwise & does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, & to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes & arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds & destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”
2Cor. 6:14-18—“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons & daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.”
Matt. 18:15-20—“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go & tell him his fault between you & him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ “And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen & a tax collector. Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, & whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Amos 3:3—“Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”
Christian Fellowship is built on & flows from a common spiritual interest. Together, & thru our diversity, we share our relationship with Christ Jesus.
A ‘fellowship’ can be planned but not every ‘official fellowship’ offers fellowship!
Illustration:
I was told about two large packs of dogs in Carrabelle/One pack consists of larger dogs & the other of smaller dogs/Each pack has(d) roughly 20 dogs in it!/There was something each pack had(s) in common(which only dogs have knowledge of) or they would not travel together/FELLOWSHIP
I saw a TV special on hummingbirds(Nova 2016)/In Costa Rica(?) a scientist has discovered that during mating season, the males of a certain species of hummingbird perch themselves in strategic locations within a ~400 ft2 circular area of rainforest/Each of them ‘peep’ right after their neighbor’s ‘peep’ ends, so that each one’s call is separate & recognizable by the females/Then if another male flies into the midst of the ‘fellowship’ that has already reached its limit-capacity of males... he will attack one of the perching hummingbirds in an attempt to dislodge him & force the original perch-er away, taking his place/FELLOWSHIP
The chickens in Zephyrhills/They peck around in groups
The disgruntled deacon who made a snide remark in a meeting, “We have too many fellowships.”/FELLOWSHIP
Application:
?Your Church Skirt FELLOWSHIP?
?Does Your Church Accommodate Sin?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Everglades City's former bad reputation.
Action:
Sin Accommodating churches skirt/deny...
8. INSTRUCTION(:9)
9. FELLOWSHIP(:10-11)
1. BASELINES(:1)
2. BROKENNESS(:2)
3. God’s PRESENCE(:3)
4. AVAILABLE ARSENAL/Weaponry(:4)
5. CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY(:5)
6. DAMAGE POTENTIAL(:6)
7. RE-CREATION(:7-8)
Pts. 8-9 Presented 10/16/2016pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave SE(Ave A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
