Faith in Focus #9
A reflection from Connection Church and other spiritual events from the week
Faith in Focus is a weekly reflection on what God has been teaching me throughout the week regarding my faith. Whether it’s personal interactions, reading, or the Sunday sermon, God speaks through it all, and I hope this helps you focus on His mission.
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Sermon Reflection:
Based on Joe Obermueller’s sermon at Connection Church Sioux Falls, Dec 28, 2025.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 5, Paul confronts an unthinkable sin in Corinth, not to shame, but to save. In one of Scripture’s hardest passages, we discover why discipline, rightly practiced, is an act of mercy and a safeguard for the gospel community as a whole.
This week at Connection Church, one of our elders, Joe Obermueller, stepped onto the stage to introduce Paul’s next subject in 1 Corinthians, sexual immorality. Few topics make a modern congregation shift in their seats faster. Yet Paul does not hedge, soften, or delay. He confronts the issue head-on because the integrity of the church, and the salvation of a man’s soul, are at stake.
The situation Paul addresses is shocking even by Corinthian standards. A man in the church is sleeping with his father’s wife (1 Cor. 5:1). Paul’s phrasing makes clear this is likely a stepmother, not a biological parent, but the distinction offers no relief. Paul says the behavior is so grievous that even pagan Corinthians refuse to tolerate it.
What troubles Paul most is not only the sin, but the church’s response, or lack of response. They are silent. Passive. Unwilling to act.
So Paul introduces a theme that feels foreign, and even offensive, to many churches today, discipline and accountability.
The World Behind the Text
First-century Corinth was not prudish. Sexual license was woven into the city’s religious and social life. Temples doubled as brothels. Moral boundaries were fluid at best. For Paul to say that something occurring inside the church exceeded even pagan norms is a stunning indictment.
Yet this is not merely about sexual ethics. Paul’s deeper concern is theological. The Corinthian church had begun to confuse grace with permissiveness. Their pride suggested that tolerance itself was a mark of spiritual maturity.
Paul dismantles that assumption.
Using the metaphor of leaven, he warns that sin left unaddressed does not remain isolated. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Cor. 5:6, ESV). In other words: what the church excuses today will shape the church tomorrow.
This isn’t about moral superiority. It’s about identity. God’s people are called to be distinct, not insulated from sinners, but uncompromising about sin within the covenant community.
Walking the Passage
Paul’s instruction is severe, “deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:5, ESV).
At first glance, it sounds brutal. Excommunication. Removal. Separation.
But Paul is not inventing something new. His instruction mirrors Jesus’ own teaching in Matthew 18:15–17, where progressive steps are taken to confront sin. The Corinthian situation has reached the final stage. The man refuses repentance, and the church must acknowledge reality.
Joe made an essential clarification. This is mercy, not vengeance.
Church discipline is not punishment. It is intervention. It is a loving refusal to affirm what God condemns. Like a surgeon cutting to heal, discipline wounds in order to restore.
Joe summarized it memorably.
Discipline is discipleship.
Without discipleship, discipline becomes cruel moralism.
Without discipline, discipleship dissolves into sentimentalism.
You cannot have one without the other.
A Fair Counter-Reading
Some argue that passages like this are culturally bound or dangerously outdated, that exclusion harms more than it helps. Others fear abuse, recalling times when discipline was weaponized to control rather than restore.
These concerns are not imaginary. Scripture itself condemns harsh, self-righteous leadership. Discipline divorced from humility, patience, and love is a distortion of the gospel.
But Paul’s aim is neither control nor shame. His stated purpose is explicit: “that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” The goal is redemption.
Ignoring sin does not protect people from harm, it leaves them in it.
The Turn
Paul is clear about what discipline is not. He is not telling the church to erase this man from memory. He is not canceling him. He is not denying the possibility of restoration.
Quite the opposite.
The discipline is temporary, purposeful, and hopeful. The church is to pray, to wait, and to prepare for reconciliation. When repentance comes, and Paul assumes it can, the church must be ready to welcome him back.
Grace does not eliminate boundaries.
Grace creates them.
Song of the week: Gratitude - Brandon Lake
As the calendar turns, reflection often follows. For many, the close of the year invites an assessment not only of achievements and setbacks, but of faith. Looking back on the past year, the prevailing theme is gratitude, an acknowledgment of how much God has done, even when events unfolded differently than expected.
That tension is captured well in the lyric, “How could I express all my gratitude,” a line that gives voice to the challenge of putting thankfulness into words. Not everything went according to plan, but with hindsight comes a clearer perspective: plans that fall short of expectations do not fall outside of God’s purpose or plan. In many cases, they reveal it.
Viewing life through that lens reshapes how circumstances are understood. Moments of disappointment or uncertainty begin to make more sense over time, even if clarity is absent in the moment. As 2026 begins, the invitation is simple but demanding, to approach the year ahead with gratitude in all things and a renewed commitment to follow God’s plan, trusting that it is ultimately better than our own.
Carry It Into the Week
Joe transitioned from discipline to accountability, because the two belong together. Following Jesus is not a solo project. Sanctification happens in community, not isolation.
Left alone, we all develop blind spots. In a healthy church, those blind spots are lovingly exposed, not to embarrass us, but to redirect us.
Joe noted that the most practical way this happens is through belonging to a local church.
And I couldn’t agree more.
My own life has been reshaped through membership at Connection, through serving, joining a small-group Bible study, and being a part of a men’s group that meets every Friday. The accountability I experience isn’t oppressive, it’s a gift. Sometimes uncomfortable, yes, but always corrective, always aimed at helping me walk more faithfully with Jesus.
Accountability isn’t about surveillance.
It’s about shared pursuit.
And in the end, it is for the better to turn people back to the proper path; following Jesus.
Week in Reflection
A new year brings a familiar mix of emotions, the anxiety of returning to work after Christmas vacation, the mental reset that comes with a new calendar, and a renewed focus on Jesus. For many, the start of January serves as a natural checkpoint for evaluating spiritual habits, especially time spent in Scripture.
The Bible offers no prescribed schedule for how quickly or slowly it must be read, nor does it mandate a “read it in a year” approach. Still, the new year provides an opportunity to be more intentional. Even a modest commitment, 15 minutes a day, can be enough to read through the entire Bible over the course of a year. Digital tools such as the Bible App offer a wide range of reading plans to help guide that process.
Whether following a structured plan or simply reading a chapter a day, the underlying principle remains the same. Time in God’s Word matters. As the saying goes, when you open the Bible, it often opens you. While commentaries and reflections, including this weekly post, can provide helpful insight and explanations, they are no substitute for engaging directly with Scripture.
As 2026 begins, the hope and prayer is that anyone who finds this post would be filled with a renewed desire to spend time in God’s Word, allowing it to shape not only their spiritual routines, but their daily lives.
And remember, God loves you, and so do I.
