NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

Day 363 – Messy Community

Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World

Scripture focus: I also received a report of scandalous sex within your church family, a kind that wouldn't be tolerated even outside the church: One of your men is sleeping with his stepmother. And you're so above it all that it doesn't even faze you! Shouldn't this break your hearts? Shouldn't it bring you to your knees in tears? Shouldn't this person and his conduct be confronted and dealt with? I'll tell you what I would do. Even though I'm not there in person, consider me right there with you, because I can fully see what's going on. I'm telling you that this is wrong. You must not simply look the other way and hope it goes away on its own. Bring it out in the open and deal with it in the authority of Jesus our Master. Assemble the community—I'll be present in spirit with you and our Master Jesus will be present in power. Hold this man's conduct up to public scrutiny. Let him defend it if he can! But if he can't, then out with him! It will be totally devastating to him, of course, and embarrassing to you. But better devastation and embarrassment than damnation. You want him on his feet and forgiven before the Master on the Day of Judgment. 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 The Message

Ouch! Paul packs a punch with some tough talk about unrepentant sin. I’m not a big fan of public scrutiny and humiliation, harsh interventions, blaming and shaming. But here are a few of Paul’s points that I believe all healthy communities can and should embrace:

* Relapse should break our heart.

* Losing our place in the story, trying to live life getting our own way all the time, results in poor decision making and dare I say it? Sinning. (Sin – living life independently of God.)

* It is unloving to ignore a person and their conduct when they stumble. We can discuss, even argue, about what it means to be an effective helper – but we should at least be wrestling with how to help!

* Hoping that it just goes away – is called denial; it doesn’t work.

* Communities need to respond when one among them is hurting. Secrets and hiding are bad. How to respond - that’s the question that we wrestle with in humility and prayer.

* Regardless of how a community chooses to respond – the goal is always restoration. Paul reminds us of this ultimate goal when he says, “You want him on his feet and forgiven before the Master on the Day of Judgment.” Keeping this goal in mind may help us decide our next right step.

Recommended reading: Zechariah 14 and Psalm 128 in the morning; Revelation 20 and Psalm 129 in the evening

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