1 Corinthians 5

I was listening to 1 Corinthians the other night while walking home from the church and some things stuck out to me and got me to thinking.  Thinking for me usually requires an outlet for me and to spare my wife of more of my ramblings and thoughts than need be necessary, I bring them here.  (By the way, I was listening to Jason Nightingale recite the book from memory.  If you haven't heard him speak, check out http://www.wordsower.org/store to download his stuff.  It's really good.)

So anyways, I was thinking about 1 Corinthians 5 and pondering verses 9-13.  In it, Paul is writing to the Corinthians telling them to not associate with those guilty of "sexual immorality, greed, idolaters, drunkards, or swindlers."  He is not telling the readers to avoid people who are not believers who fit those categories, but rather those in the church (professing Christians).  He even says that to avoid those who fit that bill outside the church would require leaving this world!  While it isn't the primary emphasis of what Paul is saying, we can realize and apply the concept of being around those who are not believers who fit those descriptions.

How many times in the last year have you intentionally gone to a place that you don't feel comfortable with the intention of reaching people with the Gospel?  Have you gone to a marketplace or restaurant to share Jesus with someone?  Have you gone to a bar or a pub to try to meet people to share Christ?  Have you gone to the gay/lesbian community and tried to involve yourself with the intention of lovingly sharing the eternally transforming Gospel?  Why not?

One of the areas that I really believe the church (worldwide, not just locally, although locally as well) has failed is to enter the world to not be of the world, but to engage the world with the intention of sharing Christ.  Jesus never commanded his disciples to leave culture and hide away from all things evil so that they wouldn't risk being influenced or 'led astray'.  Rather he went to the outcasts, the drunks, the prostitutes, and those in greatest need of a complete transformation of their lives.  Paul further writes how he 'became all things to all people so as to win as many as possible with the love of Christ.'  Are you doing this?

If you want to really start living the Gospel then get out in the world.  Engage culture with a mission-minded intention to show Jesus.  Use a guerrilla warfare mindset.  Slip into culture, engage culture, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, and start showing the transformational aspects of Jesus.

Additionally, are there those in your life who fit that bill listed above who are professing believers?  If so, lovingly restore them.  Talk to them.  Encourage them.  Show them that they need to give that over to Jesus.  It is your job as a believer to show them what restoration looks like.