Is This Church Discipline Stuff Relevant Today?

# 45 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 1Ti 1:20 - “of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. (1 Tim 1:20) Hymenaeus and Alexander were kicked out of their local congregation (delivered to Satan) so they would learn not to blaspheme. The man who was kicked out of the church at Corinth was turned out for the “destruction of his flesh.” We read about it in 1Co 5:5, “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” The purpose of this “turning out,” or turning over to Satan, was the hope that they would be saved on Judgment Day. The man in Corinth needed to have his flesh destroyed in the sense that it was ruling his life rather than the Jesus as evidenced by his very public sexual and damnable sin! (Fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God! (1 Cor 6:9-11) Hymenaeus and Alexander needed to have their tongues tamed because they were spewing false blasphemous, doctrine, that was capable of shipwrecking faith and sending themselves and others to hell. . So how does this stuff relate to today's church? It's kind of impractical isn't it? I mean if we were to excommunicate someone from a fellowship, the word gets out that the church is uncaring and judgmental, and besides, the offender can just scoot down the street and join congregation B, where they tolerate such things as sexual sin, and blasphemous teachings. What to do? Prayerfully read the Bible! Follow the guidelines of confronting sin as laid out in Mt 18 and in 1 Cor 5, and here in 1 Timothy. What does God's Word tell you to do? Then do it! He doesn't tell you to worry about what others think or do. He just asks for you and I to be faithful to His Word and to speak His truth in love! It may seem difficult but it is His prescribed method of dealing sin in the local body of Christ. Also, understand the gravity of the situation! Unless corrected, eternal souls are at stake! And finally, be willing to submit yourself to the discipline of a congregation. Stop trying to win the battle against sin on your own or flitting about like a moth moving from one church family to the next. We are not cured of our sin problem by running from it, we are cured by running to the cross and confessing it! Find yourself a good Bible believing church and get connected. A place where the people care enough to correct any hell-bound waywardness on your part.