praying effectively: Remove Immorality (1 Cor.5)

(1 Corinthians 15:1-13)  It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. 2 You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.

3 For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

Reminder:  "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will.  When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!

It is God's will:

- that we only judge the actions of believers (5:12-13)

- that we remove immorality from among ourselves and remove immoral so-called believers from our churches (5:6-7, 13)

- that we do not associate with immoral people who consider themselves believers (5:11)

- that we do not judge the immoral people of the world, but leave that to God (5:12)

- that we do not run away from the immoral people of the world, otherwise how will we share the gospel message with them (5:9-10)

- that we celebrate Christ with sincerity and truth, and not with malice or wickedness (5:8)

Today's prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for the newness of life that You provide.  May we be sincerely seeking after Your truth and Your will.  May we be open and willing to stay accountable to each other, without a mean or fearful spirit or without jumping all over every little mistake.   Help our love to be as patient and gracious as Yours.

And when and if a fellow believer backslides in defiant behavior, give us wisdom and guidance in knowing how to deal with that, first giving them a gracious chance to reconcile with You and to change their ways.  If they refuse, give us the wisdom and guidance in knowing how to remove them from our midst.  

When and if we do have to judge fellow believers in their defiant actions, help us to do that fairly and in Your love.  Help the fellowship of believers to be understanding, realizing that this is not an easy thing to do, but it does have to be done.  And if the wayward believer reconciles and changes, help the fellowship of believers to be forgiving and graciously encouraging.

Help us not to judge the unbelievers of the world;  but give us opportunities to show them Your love and saving grace.  Amen.