Spiritual War Bible Studies

Spiritual War Bible Studies => First Corinthians 5-7 => Study #5 => Topic started by: Hidden In Him on December 30, 2022, 10:35:57 PM

Title: 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:11
Post by: Hidden In Him on December 30, 2022, 10:35:57 PM
Discernment: The Key To Making Accurate Judgements In Christ

     We're now going to talk about something very important to the welfare of the early church, and that was their ability to operate in supernatural discernment. As will be shown, there were clear instances where the Spirit of God was protecting the church from spiritual harm by exposing religious charlatans for what they truly were. In the case of the Corinthians, however, they were currently being duped and exploited by a man among them who was swindling them out of money, property, and/or possessions, something the apostle Paul would now begin chastising them over for allowing it to continue. As we shall see, the Lord was laying all things bare during New Testament times, and bringing to light the hidden thoughts and intentions of the heart. And because the Corinthians were in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit they had recourse to the supernatural discernment of God that would have enabled them to know the man's motives and accurately pass sentence on him, thus removing him from their midst. Instead, however, they had now fallen victim, and were taking the matter before a secular court as if only the world could solve their problems.
     This now brought a rebuke from Paul, for it essentially insinuated that unbelievers could do a better job of judging the matter than the God they worshipped operating through the church. Even worse, before the eyes of the world they now appeared incapable of making even the slightest judgments themselves, whether it meant excommunicating a very sexually immoral man among them or a swindler who was now financially exploiting them. As Paul would now state, they should have already dealt with the man themselves, and shouldn't even be eating with him by now:

     I wrote to you in the epistle not to associate with fornicators, but not altogether with fornicators of the world, or with the covetous and with swindlers, or with idolaters, since then you would have to go out of the world. But now I wrote to you not to associate if anyone is named a brother and is either a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler. With such an man do not even eat. For what is it to me to judge those outside? Do you not judge those within? But God judges those outside, and you shall remove from amongst yourselves the wicked person. (1 Corinthians 5:9-13)

     In defense of his argument that they ought to have already passing judgment on it themselves, Paul now argued that if they were destined to judge the world and even pass sentence on angels who sinned against God in the great day of judgment (Jude 1:6, 2 Peter 2:4), why was it that they were incapable of passing sentence on the smallest of matters set before them in this life?

     Having a matter against another, does anyone of you dare to be judged before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Do you not know the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you yet unworthy of the smallest judgments? Don't you know that we shall judge angels? Perhaps, then, even the things of this life? If then you have judgments regarding the things of this life, appoint those who have been least esteemed in the church to judge. I speak shame to you, for is it so that there is not even one wise man among you who will be able to decide amongst his brethren? But brother is being judged together with brother, and this before the world. (1 Corinthians 6:1-6)

     That a swindler was specifically being addressing in these passages is made clear by how Paul next went on to reprimand them for not simply allowing themselves to be financially defrauded. Certainly they needed to walk in forgiveness, but they did not have to continue letting themselves get taken, for anyone deliberately swindling the faithful would have no part in the coming kingdom of God, and therefore should not be allowed to have a continued presence within the church either. With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a true brother in Christ would not be engaging in the deliberate financial exploitation of others:

     Indeed there is already a failure among you, that you have lawsuits amongst yourselves. Why not rather suffer the wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you do wrong and defraud, and this to brethren. Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be misled, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, not the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, and you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:7-11)
     
     What then should have happened? The apostle Paul will spell it out for them several Chapters later. Instead of speaking in tongues, they should have been seeking the Lord for the greater gifts, and especially the ability to prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1). If they had, the Spirit of the Living God would have publicly exposed this man's sins before the entire congregation, and caused him to come under conviction before everyone present. Thus, falling on his face, the man would have declared that it was true, and that he had been deliberately deceiving them all along:   

     If therefore the whole church comes together in the same place and all should speak in tongues and unbelievers or the uninstructed come in, will they not say you are mad? But if all prophesy and some unbeliever or uninstructed person comes in, he is being convicted by all; he is being examined by all. The secrets of his heart become manifest, and thus, having fallen on his face he will worship God, declaring that God is truly among you. (1 Corinthians 14:23-25)

     It appears from passages like this that supernatural discernment was not supposed to be some rare occurrence in the church but rather the norm, and a powerful way to protect the church from religious and financial exploitation. Other passages suggest it was a regular occurrence, such as in Hebrews 4, where Paul likewise mentioned how Divine utterance was laying bare the thoughts and motives of men's hearts, and bringing the disobedient under judgment:

     We should be diligent therefore to enter into that rest, so that no one falls after the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is alive and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Neither is there any creature unmanifest before Him, but all things are naked, having been laid bare before the eyes of Him unto whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:11-13)

     This was stated in the context of comparing the New Testament church with the Israelites whom God delivered out of Egypt, the understanding being that many of the Israelites committed grave sins in the wilderness, some of which resulted in their deaths as the Lord pronounced and executed judgments upon them (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-12, where the same theme was expanded upon). Paul's overriding point was that just as the words being spoken through Moses were bringing judgments upon sinners in the wilderness, so too were they now bringing judgments upon sinners in the church age as well. And to be certain, in the case of things like swindling, the Holy Spirit's power to expose the inner motives of men's hearts was vital to making accurate decisions. Swindlers play on confusion, knowing their victims will ask themselves, "Does he truly intended to pay the money back, or did he deliberately deceive me and never had any intention of doing so from the start?," thereby lulling their victim into indecision and inaction. They know the average Christian may worry about judging someone too harshly if they don't know with absolute certainty he was guilty, which is why supernatural discernment played such an indispensable role in resolving circumstances like these. A wise man tasked with judging such a matter would have known to seek the Lord first, beseeching Him to reveal whether the man was engaging in deliberate deception or not.         


Examples Of Supernatural Discernment In New Testament Times

     More than once we see instances of supernatural discernment taking place in the New Testament church. The first is when Ananias and Sapphira chose to lie about a donation they were making to the Lord in the Book of Acts. The motives behind why they deliberately chose to test the Spirit of God are never explicitly stated in the text, but the subsequent sequence of events and the fact that Satan had filled their hearts to do it suggests they were actually enemies of the gospel and secretly trying to to discredit it. Whatever the case, the Lord took them to be a serious threat to the church, and decided to not only put an end to whatever scheme they had concocted but make an example of them to future enemies as well:

    Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
     When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
     About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
     At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. (Acts 5:1-11)

     Another instance was when the Spirit revealed to Peter that Simon the Magician was not truly born again, but was in fact still subject to the same demonic spirits that had enabled him to convince the Samaritans he was a god. In this case, the language suggests that Peter's supernatural discernment may have actually come to him through a prophetic vision or a dream, as I will explain in a moment:

     Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
     When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
     But Simon, having seen that the Holy Spirit was given by the laying on of the apostles’ hands, offered them riches, saying, “Give me this authority as well, so that on whomsoever I may lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your riches come to ruin with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be obtained by riches. There is no part nor share for you in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this your wickedness, and ask the Lord God if [this] thought of your heart may truly be forgiven you. For I perceive that you are subject to the poison of bitterness and the bond of iniquity." And having answered, Simon said, “Pray to the Lord on my behalf, so that nothing which you have spoken may come upon me.” (Acts 8:9–24)

     Early church tradition claims that Simon the Magician never truly got saved to begin with, and was merely faking becoming a Christian. His fascination was simply with the supernatural power being manifested through the apostles, which he himself lusted after and assumed to be another form of magic. As Ireneaus stated:

     This Simon, then — who feigned faith, supposing that the apostles themselves performed their cures by the art of magic and not by the power of God; and with respect to their filling with the Holy Ghost, through the imposition of hands, those that believed in God through Him who was preached by them, namely, Christ Jesus — suspecting that even this was done through a kind of greater knowledge of magic and offering money to the apostles, thought that he too might receive this power of bestowing the Holy Spirit on whomsoever he would... [But after being rebuked by Peter], not putting faith in God a whit the more, Simon set himself eagerly to contend against the apostles in order that he himself might seem to be a wonderful being, and applied himself with still greater zeal to the study of the whole magic art that he might the better bewilder and overpower multitudes of men. Such was his procedure in the reign of Claudius Cæsar, by whom also he is said to have been honored with a statue, on account of his magical power. This man, then, was glorified by many as if he were a god, and taught that it was himself who appeared among the Jews as the Son, but descended in Samaria as the Father, while he came to other nations in the character of the Holy Spirit. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, XXIII:1)

     What is interesting here is that when Peter said to him, "I perceive you are subject to the venom of bitterness and the bondage of iniquity," the picture these words paint suggests he may have been given a vision of Simon being bound up and entwined by serpents (corresponding to his demons), with the snakes biting into his flesh and filling him with poison. One of the Greek words used here translated into Hebrew with a word that described the poison of snakes. But however he came by it, the apostle Peter was granted supernatural discernment which informed him that Simon was not truly saved, but in reality still remained bound by the demonic spirits which had enslaved him to sexual immorality and bitterness towards God and man.
     It should also be noted here in passing that the hallmark of the end-time church will be that they will move in dreams and visions (Joel 2:28-31). Granted, dreams should only be accepted if they come from trustworthy sources, such as a mature leader in Christ or a believer with a proven track record of receiving dreams from God. But in the name of "playing it safe," any church which fears trusting in dreams and visions as a means of receiving Divine revelation from God may do so to their own harm. The enemy is constantly at work trying to deceive the faithful and has been since the beginning, and closing oneself off to the operations of the Spirit will only make churches that much more vulnerable to the enemy's deceptions, both in regard to finances and spirituality.


Do They Still Say God Is Truly Among Us Today?

     Is it still being said that God is truly among us today, or have we now completely reverted back to the flesh and to relying on fleshly means to handle the kind of situations the Corinthians were facing? There are numerous web pages today dedicated to the question of should a Christian sue another Christian. Most are connected to law firms, and these sites usually end up justifying the practice, with the argument being that Paul didn't want them going to courts simply because most legal disputes can better be handled through financial settlements. In the words of one such source, "When Christian brothers and sisters have a disagreement, the first place to head is not the Areopagus. Instead, the loving fellowship of the family of God should be able to assist them in coming to suitable terms."
     This is not, however, what Paul was talking about in First Corinthians. "Lovingly coming to terms" was not even in view here. Rather, he stated without equivocation that "no swindler will have any part in the kingdom of God" to emphasize clearly that if the Holy Spirit exposed someone as deliberately defrauding the saints, they were to be unceremoniously excommunicated, not settled with. Paul's driving point in this teaching was that if the Corinthians had been operating in the Spirit as they should have, they would have known what this swindler was up to and he would have already been removed from their midst by now, just as the man committing adultery with his father's wife would have as well.
     But it appears most churches have simply abandoned themselves to the courts now. The following are just a few examples, taken from the last two to three years alone, that demonstrate how financial fraud has been going on undiscovered in a surprising number of churches for years now, and how they are simply falling back on the courts to resolve matters once it is finally discovered:

     ONA, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — "We are heartbroken," said Reverend Nathan Jude, Senior Pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Cabell County. Church members are in disbelief, after finding out the church's former treasurer is accused of taking nearly a half a million dollars from the church. Robert Dale Adkins is charged with federal mail fraud. Court records say Adkins wrote checks from the church's bank account to himself for personal benefit and the benefit of others from 2012 to 2018. One of those checks was his car payment... A guilty plea hearing for Adkins has been scheduled for Feb. 10 in federal court in Huntington. (Former Church Treasurer Accused Of Stealing Half A Million Dollars, wchstv.com)

     Patricia Ann Radich, 62, is charged in Olmsted County District Court with 12 felony counts of theft. She allegedly stole more than $400,000 from a Rochester church. The church treasurer is charged with 12 felonies after she reportedly admitted to church leadership that she had stolen money to fund her gambling addiction... A criminal complaint charging Radich with eight counts of theft by swindle and four counts of theft was filed in Olmsted County District Court on April 12, 2021. She made her first appearance in court on the charges Wednesday morning where Judge Pamela King set unconditional bail at $5,000. Radich's next court appearance is scheduled for July 20. (Rochester Accountant Church Treasurer Charged With Theft Of More Than 400,000 From Church, Postbulletin.com)

     51 year-old Sandra Arreola pleaded not guilty last Friday to charges that she borrowed $2.1 million from church tithes and offerings and used the money for properties, bills, vacations and clothing. Pastor Mike Robertson of Visalia First Assembly of God Church says the church noticed about two years ago that something was fishy with Arreola’s accounting. “A few irregularities began to surface while testing the payroll system. Additional discrepancies in the handling of contributions came to light as a result of a further internal investigation in conjunction with a forensic audit...” Robertson says the church’s insurance policy will recover some of that money but that’s not the point. The church has since installed security cameras “to prevent fraud.” (California Church Accountant Who May Have Stolen 2 Million Pleads Not Guilty. GoingConcern.com)

     I remember reading about a similar incident here in my city some 10-15 years ago, where an accountant at a larger Faith church was caught embezzling something like $600,000 from them over the course of several years. Thus, when I read the following the other day, I was of a mind to believe that what the writer states in the article is true. Because we have long since abandoned seeking the Lord for supernatural discernment and protection, we are now in the midst of an epidemic of sorts where church fraud is concerned, and theft on a large scale is now going on right under the noses of many church staffs:

     Many churchgoers may find it difficult to believe that churches are often the victims of embezzlement and fraud. One study from Brotherhood Mutual Insurance found that financial fraud in Christian churches was expected to reach the $100 billion mark by 2025. This means that the amount of money lost to fraud exceeds the amount that churches donate to charitable causes. Christian churches are not the only targets of thieves... Fraud and embezzlement schemes in churches have involved religious school cooks, pastors, people entrusted with counting the money collected in offering plates, priests and others in positions of responsibility, and a study that was reported by Forbes magazine found that 95 percent of the incidents of church fraud go unreported to authorities. (Church Fraud, Bentoforbusiness.com)

     Last but not least, it should be pointed out that churches are NOT the only ones who suffer when theft is allowed to go on indefinitely. The perpetrator himself is harmed as well, not realizing that the Lord does indeed see it all even if the church does not, and will repay him in eternity if he should never repent of it. As the following account demonstrates, there are pastors and leaders who thought they could get away with fraud and deception forever only to find out otherwise after death. It is why the apostle Paul argued for the excommunication of sinners "for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the Day of our Lord." Churches would do well to take that same position today, for while we are commanded to hate sin we must still love the sinner, and those underestimating the power of the Living God need to know they are making a terrible mistake while they still have time to repent.
     The following is from Kathryn Baxter's A Divine Revelation Of Hell, and records Jesus' words regarding corrupt ministers who currently think the Lord does not see what they are doing, and will not reward them accordingly unless they turn back to Him:

     "Listen to Me," said Jesus. "Take heed you ministers of the gospel, for these are faithful and true sayings. Awake, evangelists, preachers, and teachers of My Word, all of you who are called to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are sinning, repent or you will likewise perish." We walked up to within fifteen feet of this activity. I saw small dark-clothed figures marching around a boxlike object. Upon closer examination, I saw that the box was a coffin and the figures marching around it were demons. It was a real coffin, and there were twelve demons marching around it. As they marched, they were chanting and laughing. Each one had a sharp spear in his hand, which he kept thrusting into the coffin through small openings that lined the outside. There was a feeling of great fear in the air, and I trembled at the sight before me.
    Jesus knew my thoughts, for He said, "Child, there are many souls in torment here, and there are many different types of torment for these souls. There is greater punishment for those who once preached the gospel and went back into sin, or for those who would not obey the call of God for their lives." I heard a cry so desperate that it filled my heart with despair. "No hope, no hope!" he called. The hopeless cry came from the coffin. It was an endless wail of regret. "Come," said Jesus, "let's go closer." With that, He walked up to the coffin and looked inside. A dirty-gray mist filled the inside of the coffin. It was the soul of a man. As I watched, the demons pushed their spears into the soul of the man in the coffin. I will never forget the suffering of this soul. I cried to Jesus, "Let him out, Lord. Let him out." The torment of his soul was such a terrible sight. If only he could get free. I pulled at Jesus' hand and begged Him to let the man out of the coffin.
     Jesus said, "My child, peace, be still." As Jesus spoke, the man saw us. He said, "Lord, Lord, let me out. Have mercy." I looked down and saw a bloody mess. Before my eyes was a soul. Inside the soul was a human heart, and blood spurted from it. The thrusting of the spears were literally piercing his heart. "I will serve You now, Lord." He begged, "Please let me out." I knew that this man felt every spear that pierced his heart. "Day and night, he is tormented," the Lord said. "He was put here by Satan, and it is Satan who torments him." The man cried, "Lord, I will now preach the true gospel. I will tell about sin and Hell. But please help me out of here." Jesus said, "This man was a preacher of the Word of God. There was a time when he served Me with all his heart and led many people to salvation. Some of his converts are still serving Me today, many years later. The lust of the flesh and the deceitfulness of riches led him astray. He let Satan gain the rule over him. He had a big church, a fine car, a large income. He began to steal from the church offerings. He began to teach lies. He spoke mostly half-lies and half-truths. He would not let Me correct him. I sent My messengers to him to tell him to repent and preach the truth, but he loved the pleasures of this life more than the life of God. He knew not to teach or preach any other doctrine except the truth as revealed in the Bible. But before he died, he said the Holy Ghost baptism was a lie and that those who claimed to have the Holy Ghost were hypocrites. He said you could be a drunkard and get to heaven, even without repentance. He said God would not send anyone to Hell - that God was too good to do that. He caused many good people to fall from the grace of the Lord. He even said that he did not need Me, for he was like a god. He went so far as to hold seminars to teach this false doctrine. He trampled My Holy Word under his feet. Yet, I continued to love him... But he loved the easy life. I called and called him to repentance, but he would not come back to Me. One day he was killed and came immediately here. Now Satan torments him for having once preached My Word and saved souls for My kingdom. This is his torment." (A Divine Revelation Of Hell, Chapter 6, P.69-74, Baxter)



Links to sources:
https://wchstv.com/news/local/former-church-treasurer-accused-of-stealing-half-a-million-dollars-from-the-church (https://wchstv.com/news/local/former-church-treasurer-accused-of-stealing-half-a-million-dollars-from-the-church)
https://www.postbulletin.com/news/rochester-accountant-church-treasurer-charged-with-theft-of-more-than-400-000-from-church (https://www.postbulletin.com/news/rochester-accountant-church-treasurer-charged-with-theft-of-more-than-400-000-from-church)
https://www.goingconcern.com/california-church-accountant-who-may-have-stolen-2-mil-pleads-not-guilty/ (https://www.goingconcern.com/california-church-accountant-who-may-have-stolen-2-mil-pleads-not-guilty/)
https://bentoforbusiness.com/nonprofit/church-fraud/ (https://bentoforbusiness.com/nonprofit/church-fraud/)
http://64.71.77.248/baxter/mkb_hell.pdf (http://64.71.77.248/baxter/mkb_hell.pdf)