And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
(2 Cor. 12:21)
We have already seen that we are to travail in birth again when necessary in order for Christ to be formed in believers.
Paul here said that he would “bewail” many who have sinned and have not repented. We need to make intercession for those who have sinned and not repented.
Corinth was one of the most licentious and immoral cities in that part of the world. The same spirits that prevailed in the city got into the church. When Paul named uncleanness, fornication, and lasciviousness, he was talking about sexual impurities. People in the church had done these things and had not repented.
The Greek word translated “bewail” means to grieve—it is the feeling or the act of grieving. Here to bewail includes both the feeling and the act of grieving. The act of grieving is a response in intercessory prayer.
Worrell’s translation sheds light on Paul’s meaning:
Lest, when I come again, my God should humble me before you, and I should mourn for many of those who have heretofore sinned, and repented not of the uncleanness, and fornication and lasciviousness which they practiced.
(2 Cor. 12:21 Worrell)
We live in a world and an age of permissiveness and immorality. Many things such as homosexuality, living together without marriage, and all uncleanness along these lines have come out of hiding.
The Church seems to have winked at some of these things. But we are to feel toward sin just like God does.
Sin is a violation of the will of God. God is perpetually at war with sin. We use sin in its broad form that includes iniquity and transgression (1 John 3:4; 5:17).
Sin leads to death (James 1:13-15). Death is separation from God. We are not talking of physical death. We are talking of spiritual sin and an eternal separation from God.
Sin is a hideous thing. Some men of God have expressed their feelings about it in strong language. Chrysostom (347-407 A.D.) said, “I preach and think it is more bitter to sin against Christ than to suffer the torments of hell.”
Anselm (11th century) said, “If hell were on one side, and sin on the other, I would rather leap into hell than willingly sin against my God.”
Where are the heroes, “Who resist unto blood, striving against sin?” (Heb. 12:4)
“We only know God’s estimate of sin by the magnitude of the sacrifice He has provided to atone for it, His Son!” —Reidt
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
(2 Cor. 5:10-11)
God is love. I preach faith—and faith works by love – so I have to preach love. But if we are not careful, we preach in such a manner that people forget God is also a God of judgment. He is also a God of justice. Sin has a penalty.
Paul grieved over the Corinthian Christians who had sinned and had not repented. No wonder. We should be grieved for those among us who are in the same situation.
Wilford Reidt said, “The awfulness of sin and its consequences should cause us to intercede for men.”
Then, too, in the category of sin, God supplied a list in Revelation 21:8. He listed fear and unbelief at the top of the list – even before murder.
Seeing our brethren caught up in these snares of fear, unbelief, doubt, unforgiveness, worry, and so forth should compel us to intercede for them.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications
Rev. Hagin served in Christian ministry for nearly 70 years and was known as the "father of the modern faith movement." His teachings and books are filled with vivid stories that show God's power and truth working in his life and the lives of others.
Rev. Hagin was born on Aug. 20, 1917, in McKinney, Texas, a son of the late Lillie Viola Drake Hagin and Jess Hagin.
Rev. Hagin was sickly as a child, suffering from a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease. He was not expected to live and became bedfast at age 15. In April 1933 during a dramatic conversion experience, he reported dying three times in 10 minutes, each time seeing the horrors of hell and then returning to life.
In August of 1934, Rev. Hagin was miraculously healed, raised off a deathbed by the power of God and the revelation of faith in God's Word. Two years later, he preached his first sermon as pastor of a small community church in Roland, Texas.
In 1937, Rev. Hagin was baptized in the Holy Spirit and began ministering in Pentecostal churches. During the next 12 years he pastored five churches in Texas: in the cities of Tom Bean, Farmersville (twice), Talco, Greggton, and Van. In 1949, he began an itinerant ministry as a Bible teacher and evangelist.
During the next 14 years, Jesus appeared to Rev. Hagin eight times in visions that changed the course of his ministry. In 1966, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he opened a ministry office. That same year, he taught for the first time on radio—on KSKY in Dallas. In 1967, he began a regular radio broadcast that continues today as Faith Seminar of the Air. Teaching by his son, Rev. Kenneth W. Hagin, is also heard on the program.
In 1968, Rev. Hagin published the first issues of The Word of Faith magazine, which now has a monthly circulation of more than 250,000. The publishing outreach he founded, Faith Library Publications, has circulated more than 65 million copies of books by Rev. Hagin, Rev. Hagin Jr., and several other authors worldwide. Faith Library Publications also has produced more than 9 million audio teaching tapes and CDs.
Other outreaches of Kenneth Hagin Ministries include RHEMA Praise, a weekly television broadcast hosted by Rev. and Mrs. Kenneth W. Hagin; RHEMA Correspondence Bible School; RHEMA Alumni Association; RHEMA Ministerial Association International; RHEMA Supportive Ministries Association; the RHEMA Prayer and Healing Center; and a prison ministry.
In 1974, Rev. Hagin founded RHEMA Bible Training Center USA and in 1976 moved the school and ministry offices to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, where they remain. To date, RHEMA Bible Training Center USA has 23,000 alumni, and RHEMA Bible Training Centers have opened in 13 other nations: Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa, and Thailand. Together, the 14 schools have more than 28,000 graduates worldwide.
RHEMA Bible Church, pastored by Rev. Hagin Jr., began holding services in October of 1985 on the RHEMA campus in Broken Arrow and has since grown to become a thriving congregation with more than 8,000 members.
Rev. Hagin's daughter and son-in-law, Pat Harrison and the late Doyle "Buddy" Harrison, founded Harrison House Publishers in 1975 and Faith Christian Fellowship International Church in 1977. Both organizations are based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Until shortly before his death in September 2003, Rev. Hagin continued to travel and teach throughout the United States and into Canada conducting All Faiths' Crusades and other special meetings.