Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Scripture: Shared by body of Christ

Ephesians 4:1-2 ... I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 

Exhoration:  Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet


God once defined meekness for me.  To be meek, means to be submitted to the will of God to do HIS will.

If sin is in the congregation, in the church, we do not ignore it and go along with it.  We do not allow a "brother" in Christ to continue in sin against God.

Paul explains ... I Cor. 5 ... I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?  13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

So when we read Eph. 4 concerning living with lowliness and meekness and longsuffering and forbearing, it is not speaking of allowing those who sin in the church to continue.

To go along with sin in the church is to become a part of the sin and to deny the doctrine of Christ.

But when we see a "brother" with an annoying habit, we often put that aside in order to keep the unity of the faith.  He may wear clothing which is not complete clean.  We wouldn't destroy him for this.  But when his inner life is unclean and he is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, we put him away from us and no longer go along with him.  To go along with him would be to deny the truth of the word of God on the specific issue. (I Cor. 5)

Sin in the church acts as a leaven, working it's way through the entire church.  Paul explains this in I Cor. 5.  Are are not to allow that to happen.

You must not say, "He is a brother in Christ and I'm not to judge him."

Paul says the exact opposite.  Because he is a brother in Christ we are to judge him if he is doing these sins of fornication, drunkenness, railing, extortion, covetousness, or idolatry.  I Cor. 5

We are not to judge the world but we are supposed to judge the church.