This week we continue our series called Chronos. A term which means time. We have decided to study the scriptures this year in the order they were published. It gives us a very unique insight into the early church and the struggles of a growing movement. This review of history is important because The Center’s leadership believes we are on the cuspid of a great awakening in America. An awakening that will challenge the status quo of the current Christian industrial complex. An institution more concerned with Attendance, Buildings and Cash than the Gospel, Grace and Growth of the kingdom.
This week we also continue in the book of the first Corinthians. It’s another book written by Paul around 25 years after Jesus' earthly ministry. Corinth is the original sin city. It was a transitional city and as such there was a lot of anonymity. As a Coastal town people were always coming and going. Some for vacation, most for business. The community was know for their worship of the goddess of sex. They had one of the largest temples devoted to her and the idea of fertility. You can see why when you called somebody a corinthian back then, you were saying they were living without morality. After his 1 ½ years planting the church, Paul left behind Apollos who was an amazing preacher/teacher and yet, we can see from this book the people still had questions. The immorality of the culture was so rampant that Paul had to address everything from why church potlucks should not turn into drunken frat parties and worship to the one true God like kids first birthday party at chuck e cheese restaurant.
Last Sunday, we dove head first into the book. Last week Paul encouraged us to remember A growing Christian life has no place for pride. A humble life is one of the best way to witness and acknowledge Jesus to the world we live in.
Paul continues this letter by emphasizing his love for and his hope for the early church in Corinth by addressing their unwillingness to address the tough issues.
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?
I can remember a number of years ago, I asked another pastor about a church on the edge of town. He replied, “Oh, The fighting church.” I said, “What?” He replied, “ The fighting church is the nickname the rest of the clergy in town have for that church. You see, they are known for their church infighting as well as their unhappiness. They have never had a pastor they liked for very long. A music director or even childrens director. The truth is there is one old time member who is sour and longs to be the center of attention so she starts the conflict with a rumor and innuendo on a regular basis so she can be the center of the church.” Flabbergasted, I asked, “If everyone outside the church knows the issue, why don’t the leaders inside do something?” He looked at me like a father to a naive son. “The leadership is not willing to address the obvious sin for fear of hurting the matriarch.”
The issue the small church at the edge of town was addressing as well as the church Paul founded is the same. People, who gather together in Christ’s name, can value harmony among the tribe more than the core principle they were founded upon. In these cases, it is no longer just the individual who is sinning but the entire group. The group sins by choosing to ignore the problem and therefore passively condoning it. They are complicit. It’s why Paul denies his approval in the next verses. Let’s take a listen.
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.
Recently, I had spoken with a friend who used to be a pastor of a congregation but life circumstances dictated he leave the full time ministry for a better paying secular job. He shared he liked his new role better as an iterate preacher. He liked meeting new people every week and he loved asking the current pastor what message needed to be delivered but due to church politics couldn’t. He felt dropping these truth bombs was his calling. He laughed. I smiled and wondered about the state of these churches.
Paul was delivering a truth bomb when he said, “hand this man over to satan”. A past 7th grade student of mine said these words sounded so harsh. Aren’t we supposed to be all loving and not judging?
While Christians are not to judge one another's motives, we are expected to be honest about one another's conduct. We are commanded in scripture to obey God above all else and put personal feelings aside. This public sin was not to be ignored but dealt with first personally and then corporately. The sin had obviously been discussed personally and corporately with no remorse or willingness to stop on the part of the offenders. So now it was time to separate the person from the tribe for a while in the hopes the separation would be enough the offender would “knock it off.” In a guilt and shame eastern culture where one’s identity was associated more with the group that you belonged to, this separation was a powerful tool. Hence, Paul’s suggestion and his public correction in this letter. Let’s listen a little more.
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.”
Verse 6 crystallizes the corrosive power of sin. Even a little bit can change the entire attitude of a group. My wife Diane and our nursery caretaker Lisa,did the three day breast cancer walk from Milwaukee to Chicago. It ain't no walk in the park, you walk 20 miles a day for three days, camp in tents at night and there are slight hills a-plenty. But hey, blisters don't need chemo. Hence one of the 3-Day's official rules: "no whining!" On the first day, the leadership taught everyone to remember that complaining about anything or anyone was like a virus. Once it started it could ruin the event so they encouraged everyone to correct those who started to complain with a single phrase: remember why we're here.
In much the same way, Paul was saying sin kills the mission.
the Verse 12 crystalizes the idea that as Christians we are called to be in relationship with one another to help one another strive towards being more like Christ. To encourage, share and gently correct one another to move towards the goal.
I was watching the Chicago Bears football game last week, when the commentators shared that the two running backs for the team shared their different strategies with each other on how to gain the most ground. They didn’t see each other as competitors for the same job but as partners in trying to achieve the greatest results for the team or the shared mission of winning games. Imagine if we as a Christians did the same. How much better would the church (big C) be and how would the world view us then?
Let’s be honest with one another for a moment. The Christian life is simple but not easy. We all fall short of the goal. We sin. We act selfishly. We forget who we represent. It might even be easier just to say “Forget it” and go native. Act like everyone else. Condone everything. Ignore the spiritual hole in our soul. Recant the truth of God that is evident in all creation, in favor of human knowledge. We could even try to believe the lie that we are all good people and there won’t be a time of justice and judgment when our heart stops ticking.
The problem is that you know the truth of our loving God, His Son’s action and the power available through the Holy Spirit.
Paul tells us in the next letter, 2 Corinthians 2, the man separated from the tribe and was restored. The hardship of being separated brought the man back. The love of Christ and the power of the fellowship was confirmed.
The desire for close interpersonal attachments is a basic and powerful human motivation, and social attachments form even when connection is brief, tenuous, or less than ideal (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Did you know a hug of 20 seconds or more creates a neuron pathway of connection equal to that of longer more intimate connections?
Many have said that since we have such great commentary bibles, tons of biblically based devotionals, religious podcasts and online services that we don’t really need to gather like before. Personally, I don’t believe that. I agree we have more resources and opportunities to gain knowledge than ever before. However, gathering together regularly in person with people who know you and can tell when you are “not right” is so incredibly important. If you are behind a video screen on zoom or anonymous in a room by yourself watching online, we fail to get the whole counsel of God that happens when we are in person. We will miss the truth bombs said to us privately. We will miss the love and concern of others. Gathering together provides a powerful connection we should never discount.
As I reflect on Paul’s message to the Corinthians I see his love and his hope for them. He wanted to be clear: sin is corrosive to the mission of Christ because it ruins the person, the fellowship and the movement from the inside out. Be vigilant in rooting it out.
Before we celebrate the table or communion, let's take a moment to be the church by going to someone and sharea little known fact about yourself or you are here today because life is really hard or ?..
Reference: Warren Wiersbe Commentary 586-587
https://cyberpsychology.eu/article/view/4285/3330
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