This meeting was very energetic, intimate, vibrant, and honest! We each delved into conversation under important topics going on in the church but not openly spoken about. To be honest, sadly, this conversation could’ve gone on for a while. And that’s the bad part about it. Why are certain topics being avoided when it’s sermon time in church? Problems such as:
Money, Abuse, and the more in-depth talk which was also on fornication. Notes on fornication:
Fornication
The Bible repeatedly instructs God’s people to “flee fornication.” For 2,000 years, the word translated “fornication” in Scripture has been understood to include the prohibition of sex prior to marriage. The dictionary definition is clear: “consensual sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other.”
A Privileged Experience
God designed the physical union of a man and a woman as a privileged experience within the bounds of marriage. The Lord intended marriage as a secure environment for raising children and a uniquely meaningful union that symbolises God’s committed relationship to us (Ephesians 5:32).
If there was nothing wrong with premarital sex, then why was Joseph determined to divorce Mary when he discovered she was expecting a child prior to marriage?
If there is nothing wrong with premarital sex, then one could conclude there is nothing wrong with having children out of wedlock.
Obviously, those who would suggest the liberalisation of the biblical standard are ignoring the clear teaching of Scripture, conforming to the values of the world, and yielding to the desires of the flesh. As Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
The Church’s Responsibility
The church has a responsibility to practice discipline in regard to flagrant, known sin.
This is especially true for those in leadership. We are to gently confront believers who are known to be living in sin and encourage them to repent.
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus cautioned us not to attempt to remove a speck from someone else’s eye without first examining ourselves to make sure there is not a log protruding from our own. Later, He explained that if the person living in sin doesn’t repent, then the believer is to take two or three others to confront again. If the backslider still refuses to change, the issue is to be taken to the church (Matthew 19:16-17).
The shepherds of the flock are then to confront in love and encourage restoration to Christ. If the offender still refuses to repent, he/she is to be treated as an unbeliever.
Removal Option
The Apostle Paul instructed the Corinthian church to remove from their fellowship a man who persisted in living in incest, warning, “With such a man do not even eat” (1 Corinthians 5:11).
This does sound quite harsh in the times that we are living in that seems to tolerate everything, but they work very effectively—often in the first stages.
God designed the church to consist of people who are “called out” from the world.
We are to live separate and holy lives.
Unless we practice some measure of church discipline, the church is in danger of simply reflecting its culture rather than transforming it.
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said if salt loses its saltiness, it is good for nothing except to be cast out and trodden under men’s feet. This is the present-day danger all church leaders face.
May we have courage to point others to the truth instead of settling for the path of least resistance. Amen!
Thank you for reading, God bless you.
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xoxo
