Reflect
Have you ever had to hand out strong discipline to someone? Have you been on the receiving end of some strong discipline? How did it make you feel? In today’s passage Paul is looping back to a situation he addressed back in 1 Corinthians 5. The believers have taken Paul’s advice and discipline/punishment has been handed out. The offender has repented and Paul is now writing to remind the believers to forgive the offender and to restore him back into the community. Forgiveness is an important component in our faith journey. Without forgiveness, we wouldn’t have a relationship with Jesus. Paul’s reminder to the Corinthian church to forgive and restore is a great reminder for us today as we interact with one another.
Apply
As you reflect on this passage is there anyone you need to forgive and/or restore to community? Ask God to show you how.
Pastor Terry
Pray
- Pray for all our small group leaders.
- Pray for our Pastoral Care Pastors, Sharon Harewood and Christine Okken.
- Pray for the NAB missionaries of the week, Jeff and Sonya Kilmartin, NAB Missionaries, Cameroon. For the past eight years, the Kilmartins have fostered a connection with the Fulbe people, a nomadic group in West Africa. They are now planning to return to West Africa to work at the seminary in Ndu, Cameroon, though they will also travel and minister among the Fulbe in Cameroon and Nigeria. Pray for the ongoing process of learning the Fulfulde language so they will more easily be able to communicate directly with the Fulbe people they interact with. Ask God to provide the financial support they need to leave for Cameroon.