I want to take a quick look at what God has recently spoke to me
through my daily reading.
1Co 5:6-8 ESV Your boasting is not good. Do you not know
that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
(7)
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. (8) 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.
This whole chapter Paul is talking about sexual immorality. There
is some pretty strong teaching in there. I would encourage you to read the
whole chapter. It is only 13 verses :)... To keep the light on sexual immorality
and these few verses, I want to look at two things. 1. The lie that we can have
just a little of whatever we "like", will not hurt us. 2. That we
play a part in walking in purity. I don’t know how many times I have preached
on Luk_9:23 but these verses solidify this
teaching (as if Jesus needed solidifying...) It is so easy for us to become
complacent in our purity walk that we can easily get side lined with desire,
leading to temptations, and ending in sin. So what’s the catch? how do we stay
pure? We remove all of the "old leaven", we remove the flesh! We make
no provisions for the flesh to fulfill its lust Rom_13:14! We die to the flesh daily! We do
this that we may be new in Christ Jesus! For He was/is the Passover lamb for
our sin/flesh! We do this because we love Him more then we even love our self!
So what does this mean for us, the mentors/ministers of the
gospel? Paul also addresses this a few chapters over:
1Co 9:24-27 ESV Do you not know that in a race all the
runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain
it. (25) Every athlete exercises self-control in all
things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. (26) So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as
one beating the air. (27) But I
discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I
myself should be disqualified.
I am sure that we have all read, and heard teachings on this
before. Though what is very interesting about this is verse 27. look at it
again:
(27) But I
discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I
myself should be disqualified.
We as ministers even more than those who do not preach the gospel
of Christ, should work to keep the flesh dead, by daily dying, and removal of
the old life. James said this:
Jas 3:1 ESV Not many of you should become teachers, my
brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater
strictness.
So what are we to do? Begin each day new! There are many ways
where I still allow my flesh room to live. This word was for me more than it
was for any of you! Seeing that any area of my life in which I allow my flesh
to feast, is an open door for the enemy to rule! I have seen how things that
are innocent and "good" have caught my desire, lead me in
temptations, ending in sin Jas_1:14-15. God is giving grace to me, and to you. That we may apply His
word to our lives, in order to continually purge the flesh from us, that we may
live in Him, in Spirit and in truth!
I say all of this to bring about a reminder for us in our ministry
to remain pure. Yes we know this. And yes we preach this... But if Paul (and
others) preached on this many times, it is worth looking at again...
Question 1. In what ways have you (do you still) allow life to
your flesh?
These may not all
be sexual things... It can be anything that allows your flesh to feast.
Question 2. How can we as a group pray for you?
Your Brother in Christ
Grace and Peace be with you
Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member
And Jesus said to me:
Eze 3:10b-11a "...Receive into your heart
all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."
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