On Immorality

On Immorality
The churches in the book of Revelations as I have said in previous blogs can be taken as relating to individual church congregations and denominations today and throughout history as well as relating to the individual.
Here the church at Thyatira
“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.  
I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 
Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.  
I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.  
So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.  
I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.  
Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. 
To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’— 
just as I have received authority from my Father.  
I will also give him the morning star.  
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelations 2:18-29
The church at Thyatira is commended for their love, faith, service and perseverance in the faith. That they were even doing more that when they first believed in Christ.
That being said, Jesus states,
“...I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality...” 
This church is tolerating a woman named Jezebel. Some say that may be a real name or a nickname equating her to Jezebel in first and second Kings in the Old Testament. Either way it doesn’t matter what this person is doing is teaching leading people into sexual immorality.
As believers in Christ Jesus we cannot tolerate sexual morality in any form.
Sadly for many years churches and denominations have covered up sexual immorality in their ranks. This should not be so.
Our church congregations, denominations, our pastors, evangelist and teachers should as far as is humanly possible be examples of good moral behavior.
The apostle Paul tells us,
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15.
The apostle Paul also makes it clear,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  
God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” James 1:21.
The reward for following the moral path and keeping our faith strongly rooted in Christ Jesus is that we will rule with him. Jesus saying the Church at Thyatira
“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations” Revelations 2:26.
Thus I would ask this question.
Do you tolerate immorality in any form?
Please think about it.

Christian Standards

Christian Standards

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.  
And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?  
Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.  
When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.” 
1Corinthians 5:1-5
Paul here notes that there are people within the church at Corinth that are sexually immoral. That they are doing things that even the pagans don’t do. Not only that they are proud of it instead of being filled with grief.
This person was apparently committing incest with his stepmother.
According to Cicero the Roman orator, incest was virtually unheard of in Roman society yet here was a person calling themselves a Christian that was doing so.
Apparently he was doing it with a distorted idea of grace. That grace gave him freedom to sin with impunity.
In Romans Paul warns against such thing writing,
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  
By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” 
                                                                       Romans 6:1,2 
Paul although not present has already passed judgment on the person and urges the Corinthians to do so. Not only that he tell them to hand the man over to Satan.
Interpreters disagree some say it meant he should be cast out of the congregation of believers that no one should have anything to do with him. That in ostracising him in such away he will repent.
An other interpretation is that he would be cast out and Satan allowed to bring physical affliction on the man.
Either way he is to be cast out.
This is what we should be doing in our churches today. We should be holding people up to the highest standards.
People looking at the church should be seeing a pure spotless church that holds its members accountable.
One of the things I’ve always heard through the years is “why should I come to your Church. I know those people and they are no better than me. In fact I’m better than most of them.”
This shouldn’t be happening. We should live up to a moral standard that exceeds that of the world around us.
Think about it.