A Study in I Corinthians Week 11

I Corinthians 10:1-33

In the Bible, phrasing is important to understanding. For those of you who thought English grammar was not important, consider I Thessalonians 4:13 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren.” Move the comma and you have: “But I would not have you to be, ignorant brethren.”

The Verses

01. 1-5 Paul gives a quick synopsis of the history of Israel and her relationship to God. Verse 3 refers to the manna that was provided them and shows us that it was a physical representation of a spiritual truth. Verse 4 refers to Exodus 17:6 and tells us of the rock from which sprang water…here referencing the living water who is Christ.

02. 6-10 We are reminded that if we are in Christ we can do whatever we want, because we will want what He wants for us. If we are in Christ, we will not want to do any of the things enumerated here. If we want to do them, we had better examine our relationship to Christ.

03. 11-13 No matter who you are, you can fall. You cannot lose your salvation, but you can fall from the experiencing of God’s grace. Somebody has been tempted to do the same things you are tempted to do. When you are tempted, though, He gives you a way to run from the temptations of Satan.

04. 14-17 Paul reminds us that the subject is unity. He’s talking about our communion with God through Christ. The cup is the blood and the bread is the body and we, who are many, are one body…unified in Christ.

05. 18-22 He tells us that he is not contradicting himself, but is clarifying what he has said before: You cannot belong to Christ and to Satan at the same time. You belong to one or the other…not both.

06. 23-24 We are free in Christ. We are free to choose our actions. We are not free to choose the consequences of our actions. Some things are better left undone, even though they are lawful. Stop seeking only what is “good for you.” Seek the good of others.

07. 25-30 The point here is the freedom we have in Christ to make others comfortable. Verse 29 explains that he is talking about helping the other person avoid matters of conscience.

08. 31-33 What we do…all of what we do…from the moment we arise in the morning to the moment we retire at night…all of it should be to the glory of Christ. We should be constantly aware of how what we do, think or are reflects on Christ’s glory 24/7.

A Study in I Corinthians Week 10

I Corinthians 9:1-27

The Verses

1-3 This begins Paul’s explanation of the relationship of Christians to their liberty. He has a right to be an apostle. An apostle is someone who has had a face-to-face encounter with Jesus. When someone calls himself an apostle, he is claiming to have seen Jesus face-to-face, something that will not take place until after we die (I Corinthians 13:12ff).

4-6 There had been questions asked (apparently in the letters sent to him by the First Baptist Church of Corinth) about his authority and about how he made his living. Notice that Paul defends his right to take women with him on his missionary trips (Vs 5 – That would NEVER have happened under Jewish Law). Paul was reputed to have been a tent-maker, but here he is defending the right of church leaders to be compensated for their work.

7-10 The church staff members are generals and colonels in God’s army. Soldiers don’t pay their own way…the government pays them. In the same way, those who lead in church should not pay their own way, but should be compensated for their expertise and leadership. In fact, it is vile for a church to expect their leadership to work for free. If you call someone to a position, pay them!

This is not about non-professional positions. This is about professional positions. If you want professional Bible study teachers, pay them. If you want professional choir members, pay them. If you want professional music coordinators, pay them. If you want professional administration, pay an administrator. If you want professional children’s leaders, pay them. If you want professional youth leaders, pay them. Stop this business of leeching on volunteers and then expect professional results from them without compensation!)

“But we’re just a poor little church and we have trouble meeting our budget.” Well loose the small church mentality and start being what God wants us to be: a strong light in the community with a light so bright that people can’t miss us! There are 60,000 people living in Lehigh Acres and we surely should be able to reach 10% of them!

It will not happen by osmosis, magic or “when God wants it to happen.” He has already told us He wants it to happen NOW. “Now” is the only “when God wants it to happen” there is. Go out into the community and tell people about Jesus. Learn how to share, not your church, your FAITH.

You share Jesus with enough people and you will stop having budget problems. God guarantees it! You have HIS Word on it!

11-13 He continues the thought.

Vs 14 “Those who preach the gospel should earn their living from the gospel.” If you have ever thought, “Well those who work for the Lord should not be paid,” then you do not believe what God says about it.

15-18 A person called to a ministry by God feels continually compelled to perform that ministry. He cannot be satisfied doing something else. The reward is not the pay, the reward is the doing of the ministry. The pay is just a necessity (on the part of the minister as well as the church).

19-23 Paul had one advantage in being bi-vocational: he owed no obligation to anyone and could say what God wanted him to say without fear of being fired.

24-27 Once again Paul reveals one of his main doctrines: the doctrine of dying to self for the cause of Christ.

QUESTIONS FOR YOU: Have you made a conscious effort to die to your wants, desires, opinions and preferences? Is unity in the church more important than your perception of what should or should not be done?

A Study in I Corinthians-Week 09

I Corinthians 8:1-13

For the next 9 weeks we’ll be continuing our study of I Corinthians.

Because we could not finish the book of I Corinthians in the 10 allotted weeks, we are continuing, one chapter at a time since it has such important material. We don’t want to slight any of it.

The Church of Corinth had written Paul one or more letters asking his direction on certain issues. Paul’s reply is the book of I Corinthians. Its theme is unity in the Body of Christ, and to illustrate, Paul has used examples from immorality, the law and from marriage.

The Verses

1-3 Paul is about to use another illustration to demonstrate how to achieve unity in the church. There were some who would eat anything, any time and some who restricted themselves to the Old Testament Jewish legal diet. And there were all of those in between.

Have you ever watched one of those cooking shows where the host declares the benefits of eating only organic foods? Watch their attitudes and see whether they do not at least border on haughtiness.

Paul tells us not to depend on our sense of our own wisdom, but to depend on the wisdom of God.
Think about Peter’s vision recorded in Acts 10:9-16. God expressly told Peter to eat from the “sheet” things that were expressly forbidden by the law. What was God’s response to Peter’s reluctance to eat?

4-6 What do you think Paul was saying in the statement: “We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world?” Are there other “gods?” What are the “gods” and “lords” Paul refers to in verse 5?

Paul makes it clear that there is only one God, the Father and one Lord, Jesus. He reminds us that Jesus is the one through whom all things came into existence (John 1:1-4). He also reminds us that it is through Christ that we all “live” in the true sense of the word.

7-8 I don’t know how Paul could have made this any clearer. Different people have different approaches to food and that’s OK. We are not to sit in judgement on them, nor are we to try to change them. We ARE to understand them and accommodate them when necessary.

He clearly says that we are not closer to God based on our dietary choices, nor are we farther from Him based on those choices. (Vs 8)

9-13 We are free in Christ to do whatever we want that does not violate His moral law or bring spiritual harm to another. Read Galatians 4:1-7. So…why do we constantly think we are pleasing God by going back into restrictions and bondage?

What Paul wants to emphasize here is that we are to be spiritual helps to one another. If what I eat (or anything else I do) caused my brother to stumble, how does that promote unity in the Body of Christ? Answer: It does not.

Let’s not let our “self-aggrandizement” get in the way of our service to and our encouragement of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Financial counseling God's way

For thirty years as a banker, Mahlon Hetrick helped people get into debt, stay in debt, and to basically live the way the financial industry teaches...

Read More

Bible teacher, Jim Holbrook

Today, he is "just" a Sunday School Bible teacher. What Jim Holbrook has been involved in over the years can never be called...

Read More

A Study in I Corinthians-Week 07

I Corinthians 7:1-40

For the next 4 weeks we’ll be continuing our study of I Corinthians.

This section of Scripture has been used to confound and confuse many people, as taking any given section of it and trying to make a doctrine of it results in proof-texting of the worst kind. We often take these Scriptures and use them to “prove” this or that about marriage. Let’s remember, however, that earthly marriage is to be a picture of the relationship between Christ and His Bride…the marriage of Christ and His Bride.

Under what circumstances can you imagine Christ leaving His Bride?

Therefore, our marriages should reflect that same truth.

The Verses

01. 1-7 Is the emphasis of verse 1 equal or superior to the emphasis of verse 2? Verse 3 demonstrates the “two-wayness” of marriage. Verse 4 demonstrates the 100%/100% relationship of marriage, just like the 100%/100% relationship between Christ and His bride. Verese 5-7 demonstrates the giving of each to the other, with time for personal communion with God as well.

02. 8-9 Natural desires are to be overcome by spiritual desires. But Paul recognizes that we are human, with God-given drives.

03. 10-11 Once again, remember the picture that marriage is to portray: that of Christ to the Church. Would Christ divorce His Church?

04. 12-14 The main reason we are not to be “…unequally yoked, believer with unbeliever…” (2 Cor 6:14) is that it is impossible for the Genesis “…they shall become one flesh” to happen (Genesis 2:24).

05. 15-16 Unbelief on the part of one or the other spouse will cause division, just as unbelief in the Church will cause division (remember: this is about unity in the Church)

06. 17-24 Here Paul reiterates what he said in Romans: ceremony is irrelevant to our spiritual life. Don’t try to change your situation artificially to conform to some imagined spiritual cause.

07. 25-28 Earthly marriage is tough and should not be entered into lightly, just as having a relationship to God through Christ should not be taken lightly. Christianity is not a “spare part.” It is the sum of who we are in Christ.

08. 29-31 No matter what our station in life, we don’t have time to mess around. We need to be about the Lord’s business NOW.

09. 32-35 Our allegiance belongs to God and only to God.

10. 36-38 This is another picture of Christ’s relationship to His Church. We are to treat each other right. He always treats us right.

11. 39-40 There is freedom in Christ to follow Him and His example.

Veronica Barber, community asset

She's bright, she's personable, she's full of the best kind of self-confidence and she has a laugh that is highly infectious. This is Veronica...

Read More

Everybody expects to see the bell ringers standing at the entrance to stores, malls and other locations at.

Most people have seen and heard their bands play, too.

For most people, that's about all they know about the Salvation Army.

Meet Major Tom Louden, newly appointed Corps officer for Southwest Florida's Salvation Army Command, and pastor of the Salvation Army church.
Read More