April 2, 2023
John Harris

A Church for the World

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” —1 Corinthians 5:6-13

The church that Christ

We become a better church for the world when we …
1. Take our

1. Pick one and share it with the group–something concerning, something exciting, something disappointing.
   

2. Read 1 Corinthians 5:6-7. What is Paul’s point in bringing up the metaphor of leaven?

3. What is the relationship between the indicative (“you are unleavened”) and the imperative (“Cleanse out the old leaven”)? How does Paul intend for the indicative to precede the imperative? Why is this important for you and the church?
   

4. What are some of the reasons that churches today do not apply Paul’s teaching on church discipline? In your mind, what would be difficult for you for the church to exercise this responsibility?
   

5. What does it mean to “celebrate the festival” of Christ’s passover? What is your level of celebration of the Christ’s sacrifice for your sins? If not much, then why not?

6. What does Paul say about sincerity and truth in verse 8? Why are these two qualities important for a church?
   

7. Read John 17:14-18. What does Christ’s prayer say about followers of Jesus and the world?
   

8. Read 1 Corinthians 5:9-13. Discuss this statement: “The tragedy of so much modern Christianity—and, incidentally, the basic reason for so much ineffective evangelization—is that the Christian community is both remote from unbelievers and lax with fellow believers who persist in sin of one kind or another.” Agree or not?
   

9. Close by reading and discussing the similarities between Paul’s word to the Corinthians church and Peter’s words in 1 Peter 2:9-12.
   

Close in prayer.