Politically Incorrect

Nehemiah 13:1-3 ESV
(1) On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God,
(2) for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them--yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.
(3) As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.

Nehemiah was quite a reformer. He took the dilapidated city walls of Jerusalem and rebuilt them. He also restored proper worship in the temple. This passage really struck me this morning as it pertains to our church today.

I do not think that it should be taken to mean that we must separate ourselves from people who are different than us. I think today's application is that we need to be serious about the Word of God. The New Testament gives some lists of sins that God takes pretty seriously. For example:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV
(9) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
(10) nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
(11) And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

It can't be any clearer, can it? Now this is not to say that we should kick out anyone who practices these things. They need to hear the gospel. However, if they are going to profess Christ then they (we) need to be working on this. It seems clear to me that these people certainly should not be in leadership in a church. How can it be more obvious?

Yet we have things like the Episcopal church making an openly gay man a bishop. We have greedy televangelists who lead so many astray with their "ministries."

What can be done about this? Let's take God's Word seriously, amen?