A Different Perspective

First of all let me say that I have proof that the Apostle's were Baptist preachers, the fact that it took them 20 verses, and a page and a half to say what I can say in one or two sentences, proves it. So I am going to do a lot a paraphrasing today, I wanted you to tell you that now, so it was just understood, when what I write doesn't match word for word with the Bible. However, I will be saying the exact same thing.
Let's start out this morning in Romans ch. 12, a very familiar passage, but I want to take a different perspective on it, than most of the sermons I hear preached. In vs. 1-2 Paul says, "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to the world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God". I can't count the number of sermons on these verses about the evil's of smoking, drinking, fornication, and other sins against the body. Of course this interpretation of these verses is correct. However, Paul was discussing something different, he was talking about our service to God.
We as Christians are to present our bodies, to Christ, as a sacrifice of ourselves to be used in His service, which is our reasonable service. He goes on in the next six verses to explain the gifts that God gives us. Those gifts are; prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling, and showing mercy. We all have one or more of these gifts, and we are to use them. God did not give us these gifts, just so we can sit at home doing nothing. What gift did you get, if you don't know pray about it, let me know and I'll pray with you, God will let you know.
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you"? 1 Cor 3:16. Paul is telling the Corinthians the same thing he told the Romans. He goes on to explain how the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. Then in ch 4 he continues, that we are the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God, and that it is required of a steward to be found faithful. Paul then spends thirteen verses describing what it is like to be an apostle, the hardships they faced, the rejection they suffered, and the glory of God they witnessed. In direct comparison though he spends four verses, explaining that despite the apostles humility, they do have authority over the church, and this authority is given by God.
This is where the problems start, apparently in the Corinthian church there was a major case of fornication, a man was sleeping with his mother. But as bad as this was, it's not what had Paul upset. What Paul was upset about was the fact that the church had not done anything about the situation. He says, they should have already made this man leave their company, but they were turning a blind eye to the situation. He repeats a theme from the Old Testament, that a little leaven ruins the whole lump of dough. It would be like adding garlic to your cornbread, just a little and that pan of cornbread would be uneatable.
Paul tells them, I have told you not to associate with fornicators, and yes I meant the fornicators, and idolators of the world. However, my statement covered those within the church also. He says it's not our job to judge the world, but our own members, God will judge the world.
I know, you are thinking well this started out about us doing the job God wants us to do, and ended up being about fornication. Not exactly, look back up a few verses, where Paul was talking about the leaven, he says a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump making it unusuable. Let's scale this up, a little fornication in our church makes the whole church unuseable. When there are "Christians", that are involved in drugs, drinking, fornication, and other sins within our church, the world looks at us and says "they are no better than I am", why would I want to join them, it's just something else I have to get out of bed early for. Of course we know this is true for the "big" sins, but what about the "little" sins? What about not being faithful, disbelief, anger, malice, not reading our Bible, spreading rumors under the guise of "finding the truth"? One Saturday recently I told someone I was going to visit their church the next day. Later that night I got a call from another church member, telling me not to visit, matter of fact they were leaving the church, and before I could realize what they were about to say, and stop them, they told me they found out that a particular event happened at the church, who it involved and what was done to cover it up. I went ahead and visited the church a couple of weeks, then I went to the pastor one day, and sat down in his office with the door closed, and I said this, "without going into details, I heard a rumor that a couple of months back there was some very bad activity discovered to be going on here at the church. I was told that you know about it, whether it happened or not, will probably not affect if I come to this church or not. However, if this is true there is a possibility that it could have a major impact on the church, and before I commit myself I want to be aware that this may have to be dealt with. I will not have a problem standing behind the church and dealing with the situation, if God leads me here, but I am not going into something blindly, I guess my question is this, do you know of any kind of event that was covered up, and hidden from the rest of the church taking place recently?" Even though he asked for a few minor details, all I could say is, if I said that one thing I would also be spreading rumors, and I won't do that. Another time, a few years back, one Sunday morning Dawn and I were leaving the Sunday School room talking to a friend, and we asked her how her husband was doing, she said they were getting a divorce. That night my dad also asked her how her husband was doing, she could not believe that we had not told him about the divorce, it was not our place to do so. I don't spread rumors, or tell other people's secrets. I am proud of this, however I look at my life, and see areas that I am not so faithful. Sometimes I just fall, sometimes I just don't care. I realize then that I am the leaven that destroys the church. I have to get on my knees and ask God to forgive me, to strengthen me, to convict me before I sin, not afterwards, and to help me overcome that sin. Yes, I want to be convicted before I sin, so that I can ask God for help in avoiding that sin.
Look at your life, do you see any leaven in it? God will give you strength to overcome, it may be a daily struggle, buy you can overcome if you want to. We are commanded to, are we doing it?