1 & 2 Corinthians Focus

Special Offerings & A Few Encouraging Words 1 Corinthians 16

2009-09-27T10:59:00.001-07:00

A few words before the message:

Psalm 18
ESV Psalm 18:4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; 5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. (Psa 18:4 ESV)

Today is the day of Atonement
ESV Leviticus 23:27 "Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the LORD. 28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God.

ESV Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Message Starts here:
ESV 1 Corinthians 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.

Reveals some principles that are helpful:
1) Planned giving
2) Discipline for giving
3) Authorization shows accountability process

John Wesley: Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.
Mike Bickle: Simple living that enables extravagant giving to the poor.

The poor & Jerusalem
ESV Acts 4:32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

I believe there was a famine in Jerusalem and the surrounding region for about 4 years in the 40's.

ESV Acts 11:27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Remembering the poor may have been a term that referred to the believing Jews in Jerusalem specifically. Paul had a multi-year project to minister to the Jews.

Primary importance of ministering to the poor.

ESV Galatians 2:7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Paul did this with the Romans.
ESV Romans 15:25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you.

Paul had the unity of the Church in mind. He challenged Gentile Christians to support impoverished Jewish Christians for theological reasons as well as practical love.

The Jews had brought the law of Moses...the Bible...the Messiah to the world. So because they had been bearers of spiritual treasures, the Gentile Believers should bless them physically with financial blessing.

ESV 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.

Be watchful
ESV Nehemiah 7:3 And I said to them, "Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes."

Stand: Pillars holding the house Samson brought down
ESV Judges 16:26 And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them."

Act like men
ESV Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." 7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.

Strengthened
ESV Judges 3:9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 10 The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.

How the resurrection changes your life!

2009-09-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

Introduction: KP story about Thomas Matthews.

1 Corinthians 15

How is it that a resurrection from the dead could really happen in our day? Is it possible? And further, did Jesus really rise from the dead? Is it a hoax?

Preaching & The Gospel 1-11
ESV 1 Corinthians 15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Preaching is the divinely ordained method of spreading the gospel. Let's seek to embrace preaching rather than try to put it down because we think we have superior methods. God uses the humble paths to reach people because God is humble.
1) Paul is not explaining the complete doctrine of the gospel here. He is reminding them of key points in order to establish a position in their minds that he can use to change their minds.
2) Paul knows that the Corinthians were sure of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead.
3) Some Corinthians apparently did not believe in the resurrection from the dead in general.
4) Some Corinthians may have believed that the resurrection already happened...spiritually...and that there was no physical resurrection from the dead. A triumphalistic over realized eschatology that failed to see the not yet aspect of the Kingdom of God.
5) Christ's resurrection proves that all in Christ will one day be raised from the dead.
6) Graveyards remind us of the brevity of life. The resurrection ensures the brevity of death. (David Garland)

We must realize that the resurrection from the dead by Jesus Christ is a first fruit of what is coming to us in the end! This fact is overwhelming.

What if the resurrection is not real? 12-19
ESV 1 Corinthians 15:12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
If it is not real,
1) Our preaching is in vain
2) Your faith is in vain
3) We misrepresent God
4) You are still in your sins
5) Those 'asleep' have perished
6) We are to be most pitied among all men

What if the resurrection is real? 20-28
ESV 1 Corinthians 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "all things are put in subjection," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
Firstfruit was the practice of taking all of the increase of a crop the very first year it came in and giving it all to the Lord. The firstborn male child's dedication to full time service
for the Lord in Moses' law is akin to this. It is not a tithe in the sense of 10% (that's what tithe means). It is a full and complete offering. This is what Jesus is. He is the firstfruit
from the dead...therefore the rest of us who are to rise from the dead are blessed by His complete and acceptable firstfruit offering.
Death's destruction is promised in the fact that Christ rose from the dead. Every time someone like Thomas Matthews raises someone from the dead on this earth, it is a prophetic
sign pointing to the future demise of death. It is a sign and a wonder showing us that Christ is alive. But it is not the final resurrection. That resurrection is of a different nature
as we will see.

Paul highlights the order of things here. The future event of our resurrection is assured by Christ's resurrection.

What if the resurrection is not real? 29-34
ESV 1 Corinthians 15:29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." 33 Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals." 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

Baptism for the dead? 2 Macc 12 practice of sacrificing for dead soldiers with amulets found on their bodies. Some Corinthians apparently did offer baptism for the dead.
Or it might mean baptism of a dying person...because the tense of the verb matches with those for whom the baptism is for...3rd person. Another way to say this would
be to say 'those who are being baptized on their deathbed'
A third option...'those who are being baptized' so that they could be with their already deceased loved ones.
We just don't know for sure. I think he means those on their deathbeds, and this is what most or all early Church leaders thought also from what we can tell.
The Mormons try to teach that baptism for the dead is a rite that drives their genealogical services. However, we should not make doctrine on a highly disputable verse.
Our doctrine should be established by multiple verses for it to be solid. The key point here is that the dead will be raised because Jesus was raised.
Failing to believe in the resurrection has these consequences:
1) Paul's suffering for the gospel is in vain?!
2) Opens the door for poor morality, bad character! Which was actually happening in Corinth.

What is the nature of the resurrection? 35-49
ESV 1 Corinthians 15:35 But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" 36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. 42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
The resurrection is not like the earthly.
People resurrected in earthly bodies have not received their incorruptible bodies.
Jesus did receive his incorruptible body.
So resurrections like the one Thomas Matthews had in India are different from the resurrection that is coming.
Paul's points here are clear. Drawing analogy from botanical & Celestial examples.

Who is affected by the resurrection? 50-58
ESV 1 Corinthians 15:50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Conclusion

The resurrection is real and it is coming.
Peel off the mark of ignorance and unbelief that causes us to sin because we do not believe there is a future in our hearts. Life with eternity in mind is true life, so let's live with the reality of the coming resurrection firmly rooted in the facts of the resurrection.

Finding Your Ministry Through Experiencing God's Spirit

2009-08-30T10:52:00.001-07:00

Dispensationalism teaches that during the transition from Old Testament to New Testament God used supernatural phenomena like prophesy and tongues to confirm the revelation of the gospel. But now that the gospel is completely delivered via the New Testament, we no longer need these things. Since Gordon Fee's work on 1 Corinthians and other Charismatic scholars have essentially demolished these views of Dispensationalism it has become much rarer for Evangelicals to try to dismiss the 'gifts of the Spirit' among our movements.

What we have instead is a remnant of Dispensationalism of bad Orthopraxy. So instead of saying that we reject the gifts of the Spirit...what many Evangelicals have done is to simply say that we don't think these things are central to Church life...yes they are for today, but we don't want them or make room for them in our church service. Some audaciously identify the gifts of the Spirit as minor, unimportant things...claiming their church majors in the majors and relegates the minor things to outside the church service.

The passage we are studying today contradicts all of these sorts of arguments.

The doctrine that you don't need to seek God if you are a Christian because you have all you need in Christ. This doctrine, taught in our community by some well meaning Evangelicals actually has a lot of truth in it. Essentially it says "You have all you need in Christ. So if you are in Christ by faith, you don't need anything else". This is absolutely true. However, they then go on and say...so you don't need to ask for God to visit you...you are already in Christ. Just realize what you have in Christ. That's where they err. The scriptures affirm we have all we need in Christ. We don't need anything else. BUT the scriptures also urge us to seek Christ with all our hearts! We mustn't try to apply logic to doctrines that seem to be polarizing. We must instead in humility say yes to both.

This passage has a similar background to it.

The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is everywhere. The Holy Spirit knows everything. The Holy Spirit is all powerful The Holy Spirit is God.

ESV Psalm 139:1 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night," 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. 13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Yet even though the Holy Spirit is everywhere, He can come with power. He can manifest Himself in a personal way. This manifestation of the Spirit is kind of like the 'presence of the Lord'. It is a felt revelation of God.

ESV Psalm 72:6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth!

This is a prayer for the presence of God to come on people like showers that come on the earth. Rain is a biblical analogy for the coming of God's presence.

What does rain do?

Refreshes. Washes. Nourishes. Brings new growth.

So does the presence of the Holy Spirit.

So this is kind of what the gifts of the Spirit are meant to do. We are told that everyone in the Church has been given a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. NOT for your personal enjoyment, but to bless everyone else in the church.

ESV 1 Corinthians 12:7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

to cause something to be fully known by revealing clearly and in some detail - 'to make known, to make plain, to reveal, to bring to the light, to disclose,

8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another afaith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually bas he wills. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and call were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.

We are called to be a people who constantly experience the presence of the Lord AND who are bearers of the Lord. We are called to be a people who manifest His presence with spiritual gifts.

What are your gifts? How do we share them with others?

3 means
1) Small Groups
2) Ministry time on Sunday Worship Service
3) OUtreaches

Why We Celebrate Communion 1 Cor 11:18-34 by David Bielby

2009-08-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Why we celebrate communion! 1 Corinthians 11

ESV 1 Corinthians 11:18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another-- 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home--so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

Communion points to Israel's slavery in Egypt. It points to their supernatural deliverance from slavery by the hand of the Lord! Israel was spared when the Angel of Death passed over the land. It was the blood of the sacrifice on their doors that spared them. Just as it's the blood of Christ on our lives that spares us from the just doom for the consequences of our evil behavior.

ESV Exodus 12:27 you shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of the LORD's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.'" And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. 28 Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. 29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.

It points to Israel's escape out of Egypt as they passed through on dry land, crossing the Red Sea where Pharoah's army drowned. Just as Christ crossed over into death on our behalf...He opened a way for us to cross over from death to life...so communion symbolizes this for us.

ESV 1 Corinthians 10:1 For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

ESV Matthew 3:11 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

ESV Matthew 13:24 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' 28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

APE Didache 9:1 Now concerning the Thanksgiving (Eucharist), thus give thanks. 2 First, concerning the cup: We thank thee, our Father, for the holy vine of David Thy servant, which Thou madest known to us through Jesus Thy Servant; to Thee be the glory for ever. 3 And concerning the broken bread: We thank Thee, our Father, for the life and knowledge which Thou modest known to us through Jesus Thy Servant; to Thee be the glory for ever. 4 Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let Thy Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Thy kingdom; for Thine is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ for ever. 5 But let no one eat or drink of your Thanksgiving (Eucharist), but they who have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord hath said, Give not that which is holy to the dogs.

Running Well 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Scripture References

2009-08-16T10:43:00.003-07:00

ESV 1 Corinthians 9:20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Paradox in the scriptures...
ESV Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Rom 9:16 ESV)

Paul's run
ESV Galatians 2:2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. (Gal 2:2 ESV)

ESV Galatians 5:7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? (Gal 5:7 ESV)

ESV Philippians 2:16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Phi 2:16 ESV)

ESV Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (Heb 12:1 ESV)

ESV Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phi 3:14 ESV)

ESV 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
ESV 2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
(2Ti 4:8 ESV)

ESV 2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (2Pe 1:5 ESV)

ESV 2 Timothy 2:4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
(2Ti 2:4 ESV)

ESV 1 Peter 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (1Pe 5:1 ESV)

ESV James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. (Jam 1:12 ESV)

Smyrna ESV Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Rev 2:10 ESV)

Philadelphia
ESV Revelation 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. (Rev 3:11 ESV)

Celibacy in Christ 1 Corinthians 7:6 ff

2009-08-09T10:42:00.001-07:00

Celibacy In Christ: The Biblical Value of a Single Person
A message from select portions of 1 Corinthians 7:6-40
by David Bielby

ESV 1 Corinthians 7:6 Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. 7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. 8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

What was Paul like? Paul was single. He was completely dedicated to his calling in the Lord.

17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 21 Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

Contentment with godliness is great gain!

ESV 1 Timothy 6:6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Love of money (not money, but the love of money) is a root of all kinds of evils. (Not the root of all evils, but a root of all kinds of evils).
Craving money leads to destruction

Comparing Everything To Christ Leads To Consecration

ESV Philippians 3:7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. 17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

Consider Paul's life: 25 years of preaching gospel of the Kingdom of Christ all around the Mediterranean basin, healing the sick, even raising the dead, Paul planted Churches. The call to imitate Paul includes a few crucial elements. Christ focused. Kingdom of Christ is the domain we operate within. Doing what we see the Father doing as Jesus did. Participating in Christ's pledge to build the church by making disciples who will go to all nations!

Consecration to the Lord with a spiritual contentment leads to sharp discernment!

Anna the prophetess
ESV Luke 2:36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

1 Cor 7
25 Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. 32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. 36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry--it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. 39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

Considering Your Call In Christ Transforms Your Entire Mode Of Christian Living

ESV 1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

What are you giving your time to? What holds you back? Discovering the 'aim' of your life is Paul's active ingredient in these things! The active ingredient is that Paul had a singular aim. His aim was on Christ!

ESV Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

ESV Ephesians 4:20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!-- 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

The Kingdom of God & Your Marriage 1 Cor 7:1-5

2009-08-02T10:53:00.001-07:00

Notes on Cynics pasted from Wikipedia article. Some notes from Craig Keener's commentary on 1 & 2 Corinthians (New Cambridge Bible Commentary Series)

Cynics
Did you know that we have some evidence that in the first century AD there were a number of different philosophies competing for the popular view of people. One of the views taught in those days was that prostitution, which was very common in Corinth, was a valid way to release physical urges and passions. This same school of teachers, called Cynics, also taught that marriage was a distraction. They taught that it was a noble thing for a man to focus his life, ignoring the obligations of fatherhood and husbandry. The same people who taught that prostitution was a necessary option for people who had to find an occasional release from their sexual tension and passion, also taught that it was a big life long distraction to get married.

The Cynics (Greek: Κυνικοί, Latin: Cynici) were an influential group of philosophers from the ancient school of Cynicism. Their philosophy was that the purpose of life was to live a life of Virtue in agreement with Nature. This meant rejecting all conventional desires for wealth, power, health, andfame, and by living a life free from all possessions. As reasoning creatures, people could gain happiness by rigorous training and by living in a way which was natural for humans. They believed that the world belonged equally to everyone, and that suffering was caused by false judgments of what was valuable and by the worthless customs and conventions which surrounded society. Many of these thoughts were later absorbed into Stoicism.
The first philosopher to outline these themes was Antisthenes, who had been a pupil of Socrates in the late 5th century BCE. He was followed byDiogenes of Sinope, who lived in a tub on the streets of Athens. He took Cynicism to its logical extremes, and came to be seen as the archetypal Cynic philosopher. He was followed by Crates of Thebes who gave away a large fortune so he could live a life of Cynic poverty in Athens. Cynicism spread with the rise of Imperial Rome in the 1st century, and Cynics could be found begging and preaching throughout the cities of the Empire. It finally disappeared in the late 5th century, although many of its ascetic and rhetorical ideas were adopted by early Christians.

Cynic influences on early Christianity

Many of the ascetic practices of Cynicism were undoubtably adopted by early Christians, and Christians often employed the same rhetorical methods as the Cynics.[66] Some Cynics were actually martyred for speaking out against the authorities.[67] One Cynic, Peregrinus Proteus, lived for a time as a Christian before converting to Cynicism,[68] whereas in the 4th century,Maximus of Alexandria, although a Christian, was also called a Cynic because of his ascetic lifestyle. Christian writers would often praise Cynic poverty,[69] although they scorned Cynic shamelessness: Augustine stating that they had, "in violation of the modest instincts of men, boastfully proclaimed their unclean and shameless opinion, worthy indeed of dogs."[70] The ascetic orders of Christianity also had direct connection with the Cynics,[71] as can be seen in the wandering mendicant monks of the early church who in outward appearance, and in many of their practices were little different from the Cynics of an earlier age.

Demetrius (Greek: Δημήτριος; 1st century), a Cynic philosopher from Corinth, who lived in Rome during the reigns of Caligula, Nero and Vespasian (37-71 AD).
He was the intimate friend of Seneca, who wrote about him often,[1] and who describes him as the perfect man:
Demetrius, who seems to have been placed by nature in our times that he might prove that we could neither corrupt him nor be corrected by him; a man of consummate wisdom, though he himself disclaimed it, constant to the principles which he professed, of an eloquence worthy to deal with the mightiest subjects, scorning mere prettinesses and verbal niceties, but expressing with infinite spirit, the ideas which inspired it. I doubt not that he was endowed by divine providence with so pure a life and such power of speech in order that our age might neither be without a model nor a reproach.[2]
His contempt for worldly riches is shown by his reply to Caligula who, wishing to corrupt him, offered him two hundred thousand sesterces. Demetrius replied, "If he meant to tempt me, he ought to have tried to do so by offering his entire kingdom."[3]
He was also a friend of Thrasea Paetus and was with him when Thrasea was condemned to death (66 AD).[4] We hear of him again in the reign of Vespasian (c. 70 AD), when, curiously, he defended Publius Egnatius Celer against the charges brought against him by Musonius Rufus.[5] He was exiled from Rome in 71 AD, by Vespasian, along with all other philosophers.[6]

Variations in translations indicate a problem in translating the original language

ESV 1 Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman."

KJV 1 Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

NIV 1 Corinthians 7:1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. "An interpretive option...some license here"

NLT 1 Corinthians 7:1 Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to live a celibate life. "Boo on the NLT...way too much liberty!"

BGT 1 Corinthians 7:1 Περὶ δὲ ὧν ἐγράψατε, καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι·

ESV 1 Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." 2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

KJV 1 Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

NIV 1 Corinthians 7:1 Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. 2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

NLT 1 Corinthians 7:1 Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to live a celibate life. 2 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his wife's sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband's needs. 4 The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Is marriage a good thing?

ESV Genesis 2:18 Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

God made marriage. God made sex. Sex is not bad. It's a God thing! The context of sex is carefully defined in scripture. This is where we have problems.

What is it all about anyhow? Ephesians 5 contains a segment where Paul is explaining how the fulness of the Holy Spirit works in our lives. And he applies the filling of the Holy Spirit to marriages in this section...ESV Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit...
ESV Ephesians 5:20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Marriage is a physical reference or symbol of Christ Jesus and the church of Jesus. See our series on Christ in Genesis (Gen 2:24 from Oct 2008) online.

Overcoming Temptation
ESV Job 31:1 "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?

ESV Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

ESV Romans 6:10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Cultivate the Art of Loving Your Spouse: Enjoy Who You Have
Enjoying the presence of your spouse. It's about his or her presence. It's about ownership. It's not a transactional relationship. It's not prostitution. It's about being owned!!

Ownership & Art of Marriage
ESV Song of Solomon 2:7 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.

ESV Song of Solomon 8:6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. 7 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.

Living in the light of our final exam

2009-07-19T10:40:00.001-07:00

These are the raw notes.

ESV 1 Corinthians 3:1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers.

Spiritual maturity vs spiritual immaturity

What are the signs of maturity or immaturity that Paul focuses on in this passage?

Why does Paul define factions as a sign of spiritual infancy?

Evie Hull

How does our spiritual condition affect our ability to discern spiritual truths?

Where does spiritual growth come from?

Can we develop programs that produce growth?

Spiritual growth is from God
Spiritual growth is a by product a relationship with God.

Principle underlying this passage: God's Kingdom grows when it is spiritual.
God's kingdom is marked by love in action.

Does love drive envy between Christians?

Spiritual growth is attacked when spirits of darkness attack our relationships.
Divided Christians are a mark of people who are under assault by demonic powers.
Divided Christians fail to obey the commands of Christ in relationships. If you have a problem with your brother go to him and show him his fault. If he listens to you you have won your brother back.
Divided Christians often fail to embrace one another because of personal offenses or a failure to walk in love.

United Christians can only truly unite if we are spiritual. This means renunciation of the sins of this world.
United Christians will have fellowship with one another IF we walk in the light. This is the revelation of Christ.

Therefore we must fight for unity among true believers by praying in the Spirit and wrestling with spiritual forces of darkness in high places.
We must fight for unity among the brothers and sisters in Christ by putting on the armor and light.

ESV Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

ESV Isaiah 59:17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. 18 According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment. 19 So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives.

ESV Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

You are God's field, God's building. 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.

We are alive. We are a structure. Structure provides for more growth of life. A skeleton is an example. Formation of the skeleton.
The mixed metaphor of a field...organic and the building...or temple...inorganic is bonded together into one ironic metaphor by the Apostle Peter.

ESV 1 Peter 2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-- 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,"

You are living stones...

The early church father, Hermes wrote in his visions this about Peter's living stones description

APE Hermas Vision 3 2:4 And then she again took hold of me by the hand, and raised me, and made me sit on the seat to the left; and lifting up a splendid rod, she said to me, "Do you see something great?" And I say, "Lady, I see nothing." She said to me, "Lo! do you not see opposite to you a great tower, built upon the waters, of splendid square stones?" 5 For the tower was built square by those six young men who had come with her. But myriads of men were carrying stones to it, some dragging them from the depths, others removing them from the land, and they handed them to these six young men. 6 They were taking them and building; and those of the stones that were dragged out of the depths, they placed in the building just as they were: for they were polished and fitted exactly into the other stones, and became so united one with another that the lines of juncture could not be perceived. 7 And in this way the building of the tower looked as if it were made out of one stone. Those stones, however, which were taken from the earth suffered a different fate; for the young men rejected some of them, some they fitted into the building, and some they cut down, and cast far away from the tower. 8 Many other stones, however, lay around the tower, and the young men did not use them in building; for some of them were rough, others had cracks in them, others had been made too short, and others were white and round, but did not fit into the building of the tower. 9 Moreover, I saw other stones thrown far away from the tower, and falling into the public road; yet they did not remain on the road, but were rolled into a pathless place. And I saw others falling into the fire and burning, others falling close to the water, and yet not capable of being rolled into the water, though they wished to be rolled down, and to enter the water.

In this way the idea of spiritual immaturity and a failure to be useful for the Kingdom of God in the construction of a living temple was commonly read and understood in the ancient church.

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. 18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," 20 and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." 21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours, 23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
4:1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

God's Folly Trumps The Smartest of People

2009-07-12T10:58:00.001-07:00

God's Folly Trumps Really Smart People
1 Corinthians 1:18 to 2:16

ESV 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
2:1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"-- 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

What is God's 'folly'? It is actually His wisdom, but it seems like folly to people who are living in their natural state.

Part 1 God's Folly

ESV 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

A) In their own wisdom, people cannot find God
B) God decided to make it this way
C) God delights in preaching Christ crucified
1) Preaching is God's idea
2) Christ is God's Only way
3) Crucified means God removed all sin and all pride

Why? What does this do?
It opens the way for the potential of Kingdom agape to be deeply rooted in a totally new life inside you. It opens the way for Kingdom agape to power you up to become a victorious runner. This themes come up later in 1 Corinthians. See 9:24-27 and chapter 13

Part 2 God's Wisdom Pick

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

God's wisdom pick
A) Looking at the Corinthians we see God picks 'ordinary Joe's' to do great acts of faith and love for His Kingdom's expansion.
B) God specifically blocks out pride by who He tends to use the most. God hates arrogance.
C) Because of Jesus, we all get four things (Each word has definition and sources in matching color backgrounds/text for ease of skipping down to the next
one if you run out of time or need to accelerate forward to the next point)
1) Divine Wisdom

Three kinds of SOPHIA means simply 'wisdom'. It was translated three ways.

28.8 σοφία, ας f: knowledge which makes possible skillful activity or performance - 'specialized knowledge, skill.' ἀπέστειλέν με Χριστός ... εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ λόγου 'Christ sent me ... to preach the good news not with skillful speech' 1 Cor 1.17. It is also possible to interpret σοφία in 1 Cor 1.17 as wisdom which makes possible correct understanding (see 32.32).

32.37 σοφία, ας f: the content of what is known by those regarded as wise - 'wisdom, insight, understanding.' ἐπαιδεύθη Μωϋσῆς ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ Αἰγυπτίων 'Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians' Ac 7.22; σοφίαν δὲ λαλοῦμεν ἐν τοῖς τελείοις 'yet, we have wisdom to tell those who are spiritually mature' 1 Cor 2.6.

32.32 σοφία, ας f: the capacity to understand and, as a result, to act wisely - 'to be prudent, wisdom.' ἐν σοφίᾳ περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω 'act with wisdom toward those who are not believers' Col 4.5.

In the Old Testament the term meant skill or special knowledge in some cases

ESV Exodus 31:3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship,
ESV Exodus 35:26 All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats' hair.

But the bottom line is that sophia was simply wisdom! In Proverbs 8 Wisdom is personified!

2) Righteousness

This term righteousness could be translated justice as well. In Greek the concept of righteousness and justice are merged into this word.

It first appears in the Old Testament when Abraham responds to God with faith. God accounts righteousness to him as a result
ESV Genesis 15:6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Pointing out the extremely important point this makes in Genesis, Paul comments on this in Romans 4.

ESV Romans 4:1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

This is a direct link back to our current passage because Paul talks in 1 Corinthians 1 also about boasting there too.

3) Sanctification...the word holy, and saint are derived from this same word.

The original word here meant complete dedication. See Judges 17 for an Old Testament story of a man (not the minor prophet author Micah-but a different Micah)
who stole money from his mother, was cursed, and then confessed and ended up making an idol which was later stolen. The dedication of his returned silver
to make an idol was the process of 'sanctification'. Something is dedicated completely to the use of the one who is worshiped.

Sanctification is therefore the 'state of being that one is in as a result of being completely dedicated to the Lord by faith in the crucifixion of Christ. It this state one is not only forgiven from sinful acts, but is completely free from the desire of the sinful nature. It is a state of being where Kingdom agape functions in a completed manner. Freedom from lust, greed, immoral thoughts and the distemper of a carnal soul flow like a sweet river within one.

4) Redemption

ESV Daniel 4:34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

Redemption deals with God's eternal Kingdom

ESV Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Redemption points to the transformation that happens when Christ returns for us all!

ESV Romans 3:24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Redemption is in Christ Jesus only!

ESV Romans 8:23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Our redemption is NOT just for our spirits, but includes the final receipt of our eternal bodies!

ESV Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, acording to the riches of his grace,

Our redemption is secured because Christ's blood has already been shed once for all of us! And we receive it by the incredible wealth of God's unlimited favor towards us!

ESV Ephesians 1:14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

It is sometimes translated 'inheritance' and points to the final goal of our salvation which we have, and recieving and are waiting for at Christ's return!

ESV Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

There is what Paul calls the 'day of redemption' which is the day Christ returns and we receive our eternal bodies!

ESV Colossians 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Redemption is in Christ...and includes the forgiveness of our sins! It is already ours...and it is not yet here! In other words, we are talking about Kingdom redemption!

ESV Hebrews 11:35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.

Some women during the intertestamental period refused to be released from their captors by refusing to eat unauthorized food according to Moses' covenant. They were tormented to death. The word accept release is a translation of the same word we have translated as redemption in other places!

Part 3 God's Wisdom Path

2:1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

A) By looking at Paul's approach to Corinth we see what God's wisdom path is NOT.
Not by the best humanly known methods available
Paul rejected Greek & Jewish oratory and poetic techniques of the day.

B) The Tigger Factor
Paul relied on a simple, naturally ridikilous (say it like Tigger does in the Winnie the Pooh cartoons), and offensive message! Smart people naturally want to
say 'no, no, no, that will never work!'

C) Paul risked everything on a blatant strategy that God Himself was going to actually touch people and bring them into His Kingdom in partnership with Paul's ridikilous
message!

Paul did this intentionally so that people's faith in Christ would not rest on some Oratorical strategy or a poetic expression, but instead their faith would rest
specifically on the power of God transforming their lives from the inside out.

D) Natural minds cannot grasp the revelation of the Holy Spirit that ignites in a heart to believe that Christ crucified is the ONLY way!

To the world we seem as ridikilous as Tigger. Yet the irony is that this is intentionally done by God because His wisdom is deeper and far superior to the wisdom of the smartest of human beings! This is the Kingdom of God Entrance Tripwire. It is designed to stumble certain people. Specifically the proud and arrogant. Those who think they are really something.
God does this so that only in humility, the humility of a child, can anyone enter into the Kingdom of God. Only a childlike faith can receive the Kingdom of God.

Mark 10:15 (New King James Version)
15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."
Luke 18:17 (New King James Version)
17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

And in this very state of humility we find the richest of soils for the growth of Kingdom agape. Which we will find out later in this 13 week series through First Corinthians is the most excellent aspect or way of all!

Priority of the Gospel 1 Corinthians 1

2009-07-05T10:52:00.001-07:00

1 Corinthians Introduction

The Supreme priority of the gospel

An attractive girl from my high school we will call Denise. Denise attended the local Church of Christ. As I got to know her I found that they had differences in beliefs from ours. For example, they believed that because the New Testament did not mention musical instruments in a church service, that it was wrong to play musical instruments in church (you could play them outside of church). But their hot potato was water baptism. Denise believed that water baptism saved a person. So she brought her Dad in to talk to me and one of my friends. I remember he sat us down and showed us one verse after another, in his very sincere effort to convince me that water baptism was the point of salvation. (Looking back on the situation, I wonder if Denise might have had ulterior motives, and if her Dad was attempting to qualify us as potential 'dating material for his daughter'). Whatever the case, he quoted verses like ESV 1 Peter 3:21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you,
or

ESV Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death,

Denise's Dad was very convincing. I almost switched beliefs. Plus she was very attractive (of course I had not yet met Amy who instantly captured my attention once I met her).
But there was one verse that almost single handedly stopped me from switching over to Denise's view of Baptism and salvation. It was in 1 Corinthians 1 where Paul says point blank that he did not come to baptize, but to preach the gospel! That sharp distinction is an expression of the mind of one who is not using a 'litotes' (a literary device to emphasize the following point) but it is the expression of the mind that clearly grasps the point where sin was separated from us. It was on the cross. Our sin was in Christ's body as he hung on the tree dying. Drivers license illustration. Look at your drivers license. Who is that on the DL? Actually it is not you, it is a plastic image of you. So water baptism is a point of identification that shows you died with Christ on the cross 2000 years ago. It is your evidence in the Kingdom of God that you believe in Christ. Your public ID with Christ!

ESV 1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-- 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you-- 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Unity for the sake of Christ and His gospel!
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ."

Two Mormons came to my doorstep. I told them that the Lord had visited me and called me to preach the gospel. They said that only someone who had been prayed over and had received apostolic succession from Joseph Smith was legitimate. Got into a debate with a few Mormons (which I do not consider to be a Christian group), who teach that Joseph Smith was a prophet from God and that only people preaching in his doctrine are truly from God. And only through the apostolic succession of the laying on of hands that trace back to Joseph Smith can anyone be sent out by God. This is similar to the Catholic idea that apostolic succession is borne by their church tracing back to Peter. We reject both of these doctrines, both the Mormon doctrine and the Catholic doctrine as un-biblical. First, Jesus himself rejected the idea in the gospel of Mark! They did not believe it, but when I showed them that even Jesus Christ did not insist on apostolic succession, they were left with nothing to say.

ESV Mark 9:38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us.
So unity does not mean that we must all remain in the same organization. Unity means that we are all working with the same mindset and under the leading of the same Holy Spirit!
There is nothing wrong with having different churches, but there is something wrong with divisiveness. There is something wrong with emphasizing our own special brand of Christianity to the point that no one can really walk with us in unity unless they are in our organization. Jesus never did that! He rebuked that sort of thinking! Paul is not telling the Corinthians that they all must be in one single house church. He is telling them to have the same mind and judgment. He is not talking about the institutions of church, he is talking about the thinking and evaluations!

Focusing on the Cross Brings One Mindset & One Judgment Among Christians
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

Preaching is Divine strategy

Preaching Christ is Divine strategy

Preaching Christ Crucified stumbles the religious and seems idiotic to the worldly-yet it releases God's unlimited power and immeasurable wisdom!

Why did it stumble the Jews? Because they thought the Messiah would sit on a throne and overthrow the Romans.
Why did it stumble the Gentiles? Because they expected great leaders to come speaking with fancy rhetoric or deep, convincing philosphy.
Christ came with neither. Paul chose the way of Christ. He did not depend on physical power or fancy talks or deep philosophy. He came with the presence of the Holy Spirit
announcing the Kingdom of God was at hand and that people needed to repent. How offensive! How ludicrous?! How powerful!

There was one single power point in Christ's coming which split history. This single event separated all of mankind from the power of sin. This single event opened the way for you and I to come to God through faith. This single event took all of our wrong doing and guilt and loaded it onto the holy, pure, blemish-free Lamb of God. He bore our iniquity in his physical body as he was nailed to the cross. It is the cross that the Logos died on for us. It is the Cross that the Word of God with a capital W expired on.

It is the cross that we find forgiveness.

Therefore, if water baptism is anything, it is a portrait of what happened for us. It is our identification card showing that we believe in the cross!
We must be Cross centric Christians!

First Corinthians Invitational

2009-06-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

For the months of July, August and September 2009 our congregation is going to look closely at the Bible book of First Corinthians. If you are interested in joining us for this study, you can join in by accessing my raw teaching notes (subscribe to that site if you like) at http://ntcorinthians.blogspot.com/ and also by listening to the free messages on First Corinthians as they are posted at http://audio.vcfbn.org/ To grow in your understanding of the Bible, I recommend that you use the English Standard Version of the Bible. It's a clear and accurate translation that was updated in January 2007 that has become my favorite English version of the Bible after closely comparing about 100 passages in the Greek text with other versions of the Bible in English. Check out Crossway Publishing for the latest editions available, or go to http://www.esv.org/ to listen to it or to read it for free online. First Corinthians has 16 chapters. So to get a good idea of the book as a whole, I am asking everyone to just read through or listen to the entire 16 chapters this week at least one time. If you work out, one good way to get this into your heart is to load mp3 audio files onto a digital player and listen to chunks of it while working out. It's also suggested that you read it through in other translations of the Bible, like the NIV, NLT, NKJV, or whatever else you have that is written in a clear readable translation. I will refer to a wide array of sources in my sermons on First Corinthians that are inside and outside the Bible. You will find some of my reviews of a few of these sources on Amazon.com where I publish them. Here are some of the modern authors of commentaries on First Corinthians that I am using in my research (search on Amazon for their name & First Corinthians/1 Corinthians to find the exact book information if you want to research more): Joseph Fitzmyer, Craig S. Keener, Life Application Bible Commentary 1 & 2 Corinthians, Gordon Fee, Craig Blomberg, David S. Garland, David Prior, Anthony C. Thiselton, Ben Witherington III, Simon Kistemaker. I also use a software product that is excellent for research called BibleWorks 8.0. Logos Gold is also good. For ancient background checks, I recommend either Cambridge or Oxford's (either one) Apocrypha. If you can get access to them, Apostolic Fathers (English-first three centuries of the church), Philo, Josephus, and Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. These works all help understand how words in the New Testament were used and applied in various contexts reflecting Jewish or Christian Greek writings from 200 BC through to the 3rd Century AD. Finally a copy of the English translation of the Septuagint (from the Greek Old Testament to English) is very helpful. If you don't care to dig into all that stuff, just read my notes. Sometimes I paste the text from these resources right into my raw unedited message notes and post them on my website. This is easy for me to do because all of it is digitally available to me in BibleWorks 8.0 and easily searched. The problem with my unedited notes is that they are note organized or laid out logically, and sometimes they have just a lot of raw data in them. BW 8.0 searching capability enables me to do broad word studies of ancient resources to confirm or reject or modify what some of the commentators write about. This is really helpful when they get into controversial issues. IF you are not interested in the scholarly side of studying First Corinthians, but want to dig deep for a devotional purpose, you might consider David Prior, and the Application Life Bible Commentary 1 & 2 Corinthians. Both in paperback, these are more practical with a 'so what do I do about this in my life today' sort of approach. If you are a Bible teacher or preacher and want just a few resources, I recommend Gordon Fee, Ben Witherington III and Craig Keener as the best ones for helping, but all of them are useful in their own way. Ok, so I've thrown this open to anyone I know who wants to join in. If you please, get a copy of the Bible in audio files, a printed copy of your favorite version (and the ESV), and join in with us if you can! The Bible promises that the unfolding of scripture brings eternal light into our innermost being. And for this alone the effort is well worth it! Will you join us?

Spiritual Gifts, Holiness & Love

2006-03-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

This site is for a future study on I & II Corinthians.