“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
“For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 ESV
So, what’s the situation in the church in America today related to this subject? From what I have been able to ascertain via years of research and experience, and via many years of conversations with people and listening to them talk, and via listening to many sermons from multiple preachers across the USA, etc., sexual immorality is presently running rampant in the church at large, though not necessarily in every congregation. And from what I have been able to gather, not many are doing anything to stop it.
Yet, the church at large appears to not miss a beat. These modern market-driven “churches,” in particular, go on with their entertainment and with their feel-good messages, marketing the church to the ungodly of the world. And so they alter the whole meaning of “church,” and the divine character and will of God/Christ, and the gospel that Jesus and his NT apostles taught us. And so the gospel that many of them teach allows for people to continue living in deliberate and habitual sin, including in sexual immorality.
And rather than them removing the sexually immoral from their midst, they include them, they entertain them, sometimes they even allow them to participate in spiritual ministry. And if they do anything at all to help them out of their sexual addiction, it is usually by providing a support group for them where they can commiserate with others who are also addicted to sexual immorality. And most of these groups, from what I understand, do not permit confronting anyone with their sin nor the exercise of church discipline. So some of them may go on like this for many years.
And sexual immorality in the church and in “Christian” households is being “swept under the rug,” because it is the “elephant in the room” that hardly anyone wants to acknowledge. For many consider that a private matter between husband and wife and not something to be brought up and discussed as a matter for prayer and for the possibility of church discipline. And sometimes it is those who are being sinned against who become the enemy and the ones scorned and rebuked rather than the ones who are committing the sexual immorality, as a matter of practice.
For the common theme being pushed today in many gatherings of the church is that everything must be “positive” and “upbeat,” and so they don’t want to hear anything “negative” that they might have to deal with. And part of this is this drive to “draw in large crowds of people from the world,” and so they want the atmosphere to be friendly and non-threatening and comfortable and non-offensive and fun. But by doing so they have allowed sin to run rampant in the gatherings of the church, and it is infecting the body as a whole, in one way or another.
“Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 ESV
For do you see what this is saying here? Sexual immorality among the members of the body of Christ (or those professing to be Christians) is not a private matter. It is something that the body is to deal with collectively and biblically in the exercise of church discipline of those who continue on in their sexual sin, as a matter of life practice. For that is the loving thing to do for the one sinning, and for the ones being sinned against, and for the sake of the whole body. For all it takes is one person to start with and then it infects others who infect others which then can destroy the whole body.
But so many of them would rather tell the spouse being sinned against that he/she must leave the sinning spouse, as though that is the solution. It is not! For that doesn’t correct the problem. It could even make it much worse. And not everyone has the means to make such a move, and it may put much hardship on the one being sinned against and may even put that individual in a much worse environment. But that is often their counsel, making it the responsibility of the one being sinned against to deal with privately rather than the church taking her responsibility in the matter.
“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 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. ‘Purge the evil person from among you.’” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 ESV
Now these instructions are to the body as a whole. One person doing this is not going to have an impact on this situation. But there needs to be proof, and sometimes we don’t have proof. For most sexual immorality today is not blatant and open where everyone can see, as was the case in this situation, but much of it is hidden and secretive and covered up with lies, and so nothing can be done unless there is proof or unless the sexually immoral person confesses. But a confession isn’t always linked with repentance. Some will confess but go right back to business as usual.
But what we can do is we can speak the truth about this situation and about what the Scriptures teach on such subjects, and we can certainly call for prayer, for this is a HUGE problem in today’s church here in America. And we can make a call for repentance, and for the church to biblically address such situations as this and to not ignore this “elephant in the room.” And we can confront the lies which are being spread about the gospel message and we can speak the truth of the gospel and give the warnings that God gives to the sinfully addicted, that they will not inherit eternal life with God.
But all this sin running rampant in the gatherings of the church, which is not being biblically dealt with, is infecting the body, as a whole. And the church in America, overall, is on a massive spiritual decline. And I believe the church in America is under the judgment of God because of it. So, please join me in prayer for revival in the church, which may not come unless the church faces the divine discipline of God. And please pray for the deliverance of people’s lives out of addiction to sin and that they will turn to God and follow him in obedience before it is too late. Thank you!
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
Broken Cord
An Original Work / August 29, 2018
Your bond is broken with your Lord and Savior
And your testimony is separate from Him.
Your words not matching your actions today.
Repent of your sin and bow down and pray.
Live what you testify in truth always.
Purity’s lacking in your life and witness,
For you profess one thing, but other you do.
Not moral, spiritual. Still of the flesh.
Not living in truth to what you confess.
Lying about it puts you in a mess.
Living a lie is your practice, ‘tis true of you.
Masquerade righteousness – none of it true.
Your heart is not given to your Lord God.
Because of how you live, you are a fraud.
Turn from your sin and give your life to God.
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