Who Are Your Dinner Guests?
by py thomas
© November 18, 2013
by py thomas
© November 18, 2013
Who do we
break bread with? Just who are our
dining guests? If you’re a Follower of
Yeshua (Jesus), we need to consider this – not leaning to our own
understanding, but acknowledging ADONAI in ALL of our ways – including those
who we eat with.
The challenge
for the Beloved (those sons and daughters in the blood covenant of salvation
through Yeshua (Jesus)) is our willingness to obey the commandment of YHVH that
the Apostle Paul directs us to that comes from Deuteronomy 13:6(5); 17:7,12; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21, 24; 24:7. We say the Law (Torah) no longer applies except in those
instances when it’s self-serving (for example in tithes and offerings, calling
our children and/or spouses to obedience, or when someone has stolen from us,
etc.). However, those who have truly
studied the full counsel of YHVH’s Word, know this is not so. (But that’s a discussion for another
day).
The purpose of this post is to draw our
attention to that uncomfortable topic of sexual
immorality, greedy people, thieves, people who like to get drunk, abusive
people, and idol worshippers (people who worship people, carved images, money,
fame, success, sports, hobbies, etc.).
Why is it so uncomfortable? Well,
it’s because so many of us (and I’m only addressing the Followers of Yeshua
(Jesus)) have either been involved in sexual immorality, or we’re currently
involved in some type of sexual immorality, or any of the other aforementioned
sins. Yes, sins. (Sins by the way is the real 4-letter word we should
all take time to examine in ourselves.
Selah.)
In the Body of Messiah, we are supposed
to discern right from wrong based on the sovereign authority of Adonai Elohim
from His Word. We like to quote 2 Timothy 3:16-18:
16 All
Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for teaching the truth, convicting of
sin, correcting faults and training in right living; 17 thus anyone who belongs to God may be fully equipped
for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-18)
Thus if t ALL scripture is given by the
Spirit of ADONAI (G-D), then all means we’re on the hook for obeying ALL of
it.
Further, folks (especially the
convicted and/or guilty Followers of Yeshua (Jesus)), are quick to say “you can’t
judge me.” However, clearly the Apostle Paul
calls us to consider that we are indeed to discern/judge sin amongst each other
within the Body of the Messiah.
12
For what business is it of mine to
judge outsiders? Isn’t it those who are part of the community that you should
be judging? 13 God will judge those who are outside. Just expel
the evildoer from among yourselves. (1
Corinthians 5:12-13)
It is Adonai Elohim who will deal with those on the
outside – those who have not come to faith in Yeshua and/or have rejected
Yeshua. (Remember we too were once
numbered among that crowd until we heard and believed the Good News of
Yeshua.). But in our judging of the
Beloved, we should be mindful that it is NOT our job to sentence and
punish, but to turn them over to the Righteous Judge ELOHIM and allow Him to
deal with them. Our job is to stand
apart from the sexual immoral, the thieves, the greedy, the drunks, the idol worshippers, and the abusive ones. As a matter of fact, we’re told not to even
eat with those that do these things (sackcloth & ashes – how we ALL need to
repent).
9 In my earlier letter
I wrote you not to associate with people who engage in sexual immorality. 10
I didn’t mean the sexually immoral people outside your community, or the
greedy, or the thieves or the idol-worshippers — for then you would have to
leave the world altogether! 11 No, what I wrote you was not to
associate with anyone who is supposedly a brother but who also engages in
sexual immorality, is greedy, worships idols, is abusive, gets drunk or steals.
With such a person you shouldn’t even eat! (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)
I recognize that obeying this will mean we suddenly
find ourselves in a small group of friends and acquaintances, of those who are
like-minded. We are told however to live
a consecrated life – to “come out from among them, and be separate.” The other good news is that when we stand apart
from our brothers or sisters in Yeshua bound up in sin and PRAY for them, the
Holy Spirit is more than able to deal with them and restore them. Yeshua reminds of us this truth in (John 16:5-10).
Our job is NOT TO BEAT THEM UP, but to tell them what YHVH’s Word
says, and leave them in His capable hands.
Godly sorrow will yield repentance if we’re willing to step away and
allow the Holy Spirit to deal with the brother or sister in error.
5 “But now I
go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you,
sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to
your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not
come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father
and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment,
because the ruler of this world is judged. (John
16:5-10)
1
Corinthians 5:1-13:
5 It is actually being reported that
there is sexual sin among you, and it is sexual sin of a kind that is condemned
even by pagans — a man is living with his stepmother! 2 And you stay
proud? Shouldn’t you rather have felt some sadness that would have led you to
remove from your company the man who has done this thing? 3 For I
myself, even though I am absent physically, am with you spiritually; and I have
already judged the man who has done this as if I were present. 4 In
the name of the Lord Yeshua, when you are assembled, with me present
spiritually and the power of our Lord Yeshua among us, 5 hand over
such a person to the Adversary for his old nature to be destroyed, so that his
spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord.
6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know the saying, “It
takes only a little hametz (leaven )to leaven a whole batch of
dough?” 7 Get rid of the old hametz (leaven), so that you can
be a new batch of dough, because in reality you are unleavened. For our Pesach
(Passover) lamb, the Messiah, has
been sacrificed. 8 So let us celebrate the Seder (feast) not with leftover hametz (leaven),
the hametz (leaven) of wickedness and evil, but with the matzah (bread) of purity and truth.
9 In my earlier letter I wrote you not to associate with
people who engage in sexual immorality. 10 I didn’t mean the sexually
immoral people outside your community, or the greedy, or the thieves or the
idol-worshippers — for then you would have to leave the world altogether! 11
No, what I wrote you was not to associate with anyone who is supposedly a
brother but who also engages in sexual immorality, is greedy, worships idols,
is abusive, gets drunk or steals. With such a person you shouldn’t even eat! 12
For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Isn’t it those who
are part of the community that you should be judging? 13 God will
judge those who are outside. Just expel the evildoer from among yourselves.[a]
Footnotes:
- 1 Corinthians
5:13 Deuteronomy 13:6(5); 17:7,12; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21, 24;
24:7
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