A Few Last Words.

1 Corinthians 16

Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. – Vs -13 NLT

As Paul closes out this letter to the Corinthians believers, he gives them a few last words to encourage them in their faith until he should get to see them again. Verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 16 has become one of my favorites over the last few years. It has actually been one of the key verses I have used in our ministry to men at Christ Chapel for almost five years. In the New American Standard Version it reads this way, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." It is a powerful call to men that gives them four action items to consider. But the truth is, this verse is not just for men. It is for all of us as believers.

Be on guard

We must be ready at all times. Like sentries guarding the gate to a city, we must have our eyes open to the realities of the spiritual war in which we are engaged. We can't afford to act as if we live in peacetime. We can't fall asleep at our post and not expect the enemy to back off in his relentless attach against us. We are to remain alert, awake, vigilant – at all times. The Greek word means "to take heed lest through remission (lack of labor) and indolence (laziness) some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one." We've got to remain spiritually alert.

Stand true to what you believe

Stand firm. Hold your ground. Paul urges us to persevere and not give up. But we are to persevere based on the truth of what it is we say we believe. Do you believe God is in control? Then stand firm. Do you believe Jesus died for your sins? Then stand firm. Do you believe the Holy Spirit lives within you and provides the power you need to live the life you've been called to live? Then stand firm. We are to stand firm based on the faith we have in truth of the gospel. We are not to waver from it. Yet that is exactly what the enemy wants us to do. Which is why we must remain alert. He wants to get us off focus and off task. He wants us to waver in unbelief. We must stand true to what we believe.

Be courageous

Act like men. The actual Greek word means "to show yourself a man." Paul is saying we are to act like men, not boys. It is almost as if he is saying, "act your age!" We are to grow up and man up. We are soldiers in the army of God and we have a mission to accomplish. We must not cower in fear or run away from the battle. We must engage. Not in our own strength, but in the power of God. He is the Lord of Hosts – the Lord of armies. We fight for the winning side. So be courageous.

Be strong

This is not a call to become something we are not. It is a call to increase in what we already have. To grow in our strength. The Greek means "to increase in strength; to be strengthened." As we are alert, stand firm, and show courage, we will increase in strength. We will see our faith increased. We will see our patience increased. We will see our hope increased. As we fight alongside God, we will grow stronger. We will see His power revealed in and around our lives and our strength will increase.

Four powerful admonitions we all need to hear. But Paul doesn't stop there. He adds one more thing. In the next verse he adds to one little caveat: "And everything you do must be done with love" (Vs 14 NLT). Love must permeate all we do. Love is why I stay alert, show courage, act like a man, and grow in strength. I am to be motivated by love for others. I am alert so that I can protect and defend those around me. I am courageous so that I can encourage the faint-hearted. I act like a man because I have a job to do and I care for others. As I grow in strength I am able to love others even more. Everything I do is to be done with an attitude of selfless, sacrificial love.

We live in difficult days, but God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. He has given us one another. He has given us His Spirit. He has provided us with His power. He has showered us with His love. So, be on guard, stand true to what you believe, be courageous, be strong, and let everything you do be done with love.

Father, may these verses be a picture of my life.  Amen

The Gospel Gap.

1 Corinthians 15

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved… – Vs -12 NASB

Paul was writing to believers in the city of Corinth. These people already had a relationship with Jesus Christ. They had already placed their faith in His atoning work on the cross. But Paul finds it necessary to remind them about the gospel message that he had preached to them initially. He says it is the same message "by which also you are saved." He then goes on to explain once again what that message included:

•  Christ died for our sins (Vs 3)

•  He was buried (Vs 4)

•  He was raised on the third day (Vs 4)

•  We have eye-witness proof of His resurrection(Vs 5-7)

•  He also appeared to Paul (Vs 8)

This message is the basis of their salvation. The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is what we place our hope on for the future. His resurrection is central to our faith. Without it, "our preaching is in vain, your faith also is vain" (Vs 14 NASB). "And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for your sins" (Vs 17 NLT). The message of the resurrection of Christ is a non-negotiable element of the gospel story. There is no story without it.

But not only does the gospel save us, it continues to save us. This is not a one-time deal. We aren't just saved at the moment we place our faith in Christ. We are being saved daily. The gospel story goes on. The Good News is ongoing good news. It didn't stop at my conversion, but continues on through my transformation or sanctification into Christ-likeness, and will not stop until my ultimate glorification when the Lord returns. The gospel is more than just a ticket to heaven. It is the means by which I live the life I have been called to live. It is the story of redemption and restoration that is ongoing in my life every day. I must go back to the message that "Christ died for our sins" each and every day. When I sin today, and I will (in fact, I already have), I must go back to the cross and remind myself that He died for that sin as well. He has paid for that sin. I must confess it, repent of it (turn from it), and accept His forgiveness for it. I must daily take my sin back to the cross and be reminded of the price He paid there so that I would be free from slavery to sin in my life. The cross reminds me that I am free. I don't have to pay for my sin, because He already has.

Paul tells the Corinthians that not only are they saved by the gospel, they STAND on the gospel. "Now let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message" (Vs 1 NLT). We stand on the gospel message every day of our lives. It is our foundation for living in this world. The Greek word for "stand" is hestime and it has a range of meanings. But I think Paul has in mind the idea of "to cause a person or a thing to keep his or its place." The message of the gospel causes us to remain firm even in the midst of all the uncertainties of life. We go back to the gospel each and every day and find our hope, assurance, and comfort. He really did die for my sins. He really did pay the price I couldn't pay. He really did rise again. He really does sit at the right hand of the Father. He really is coming again some day.

But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, Adam, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man, Christ.  Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, the first man. But all who are related to Christ, the other man, will be given new life. – 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 NLT

We are saved by the gospel. We stand on the gospel. It is our hope from beginning to end. In his book Respectable Sins, Jerry bridges talks about preaching the gospel to himself daily. Here is how he describes it:

Since the gospel is only for sinners, I begin each day with the realization that despite my being a saint, I still sin every day in thought, word, deed, and motive. If I am aware of any subtle, or not so subtle, sins in my life, I acknowledge those to God. Even if my conscience is not indicting me for conscious sins, I still acknowledge to God that I have not even come close to loving Him with all my being or loving my neighbor as myself. I repent of those sins, and then I apply specific Scriptures that assure me of God’s forgiveness to those sins I have just confessed

I then generalize the Scripture’s promises of God’s forgiveness to all my life and say to God words to the effect that my only hope of a right standing with Him that day is Jesus’ blood shed for my sins, and His righteous life lived on my behalf. This reliance on the twofold work of Christ for me is beautifully captured by Edward Mote in his hymn “The Solid Rock” with his words, “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” Almost every day, I find myself going to those words in addition to reflecting on the promises of forgiveness in the Bible.

Stand on the gospel. It is a firm foundation, the solid rock, a reliable resource for life in this world.

Father, thank You for the gospel.Thank You that I can stand on it every day for what I face in this life. Let me preach it to myself daily. Let me never forget that through the gospel, You have given "everything we need for living a godly life" (2 Peter 1:3 NLT).  Amen

Body Building.

1 Corinthians 14

Since you're so eager to participate in what God is doing, why don't you concentrate on doing what helps everyone in the church? – Vs 12 MSG

If you're not careful, you could easily get hung up on all the talk about tongues and gifts in this chapter. Churches have split over interpretation of what Paul is saying. Arguments have been had. Friendships have been ended. But I think the real issue Paul is making has to do with the overall health of the body of Christ. Paul begins the chapter by commanding the Corinthians to "pursue love." That is what chapter 13 was all about. The supremacy of love in all things. Now he tellsthemto chase after it. And while you're loving one another, go ahead and pursue spiritual gifts, but always do it with love as the motivation. Even spiritual gifts can be used in unspiritual ways if we're not careful. But if they are done in the context of sacrificial love, spiritual gifts can be powerful tools in the life of the church.

So Paul says it's OK to be excited about your spiritual gift, but just remember that it's not for you. It is for the rest of the body of Christ. So use it to build up others. Use it to encourage others in their spiritual walk with Christ. The actual definition for the Greek word translated "edifies" is the act of one who promotes another's growth in Christian wisdom, piety, happiness, holiness. That's why the Holy Spirit gives us gifts. To promote one another's spiritual growth and maturity. To use your gift selfishly is to act like a child. It is to be self-centered and self-absorbed. That's why Paul says, "stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults" (Vs 20 NET). Quit thinking about your gifts with only your self in mind. Think of others.

When the church comes together, we are each to use our God-given gifts, but we are to remember to"Let all these things be done for the strengthening of the church" (Vs 26 NET). We are to build up the body, not ourselves. We are to love others more than we love the recognition of our gifts or any blessing we might receive from using them. It's as if Paul is telling us, "So here's what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all" (Vs 26 MSG).

Father, show us how to love one another, even in the use of our gifts. They are Yours and You are only sharing them with us. Help us to give them away selflessly so that the body of Christ might grow and mature together. Amen

All You Need Is Love!

1 Corinthians 13

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. – Vs 13 MSG

The Beatles were only partially right. There is coming a day when all you will need is love. It's that day when we stand before the Lord at the end of the age. His kingdom will have come in all its glory and we will have glorified bodies and sinless natures. At that time there will no longer be any need for faith, because all that we have been placing our faith in will have been fulfilled. Christ's kingdom will have come. Our redemption will have been completed. All of God's promises will have been kept. There will no longer be any need for hope. Why? Because our eager expectations will have been met. There will no longer be anything we need to hope for. We will have it all! But in that day, there will be a need for love, because God Himself is love. We will spend eternity loving and being loved. Love is eternal. Love lasts. Or as Paul puts it, "love never fails."

Love is the greatest investment we can make. It's the only thing that lasts. Right now we need faith and hope. We need to use our gifts. But all of those things are useless without love. Paul says that loveless words are useless words. If I have more gifts than anybody, but no love, I'm just a nobody. If I give everything away, including my life, but don't give love, it doesn't profit me anything in God's eyes. God measures everything by love. Love is how the world knows we are His disciples. Jesus Christ was the greatest expression of God's love to us. Everything else has its time and place. Gifts are temporary, but love is timeless. Love is the currency of heaven. It gives everything else its value. It is the gold-standard of life, both now and for eternity. If all our religious actions and activities are not backed by love, they are just empty acts. They have no value. They are meaningless and powerless to produce change.

But love isn't just some feeling. It expresses itself in actions and attitudes. "Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end" (Vs 3-8 MSG).

So in a way, the Beatles were right. All you need is love. Because with love, you will have everything you need to do all you need to do. Love gives meaning to our faith, confidence to our hope, purpose to our gifts, power to our actions, and value to our lives, both in this age and in the one to come.

Father, may I continue to learn the value of love. It isn't just a feeling, it is the essence of who You are and therefore it should be the expression of who I am and what I do. Thank You for loving me so much that You sent Your Son to die for me. May I learn to love others with the same intensity. Amen

One For All and All For One.

1 Corinthians 12

Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it. – Vs 27 NLT

Unity. Diversity. Giving. Receiving. Caring. Sharing. Together.

The body of Christ. What an incredibly unique organism – made up of a host of individuals, but unified by our faith in Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit within each of us. Gifted for service by the Holy Spirit, we are to minister to one another in a spirit of selfless service. "A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church" (Vs 7 NLT). Like the human body, where every single part has a function and a purpose, so each member of the body of Christ has a Spirit-given purpose. No one is more important than the other. No gift is more significant than the other. Each is needed and necessary. But how many of us know what our gift is? For those who do know, how many are actually using it for the benefit of the body of Christ?

We live in an individualized society where the emphasis is all on "me." The world exists for my benefit. Others are here to serve me. I have to look out for "number one." It's every man for himself. But Paul paints a completely different picture for us as believers. We are members of a body, an organism. We are interdependent, not independent. We are unique in many ways, including in our gifting, but it is for a purpose – the purpose of unity. I have something to bring to the body. So do you. Together we complement and complete one another. We are to be, like the Three Musketeers, one for all and all for one. We are not independent agents operating in a vacuum, but team members working toward a common goal and sharing a common purpose. There is a spirit of oneness that should permeate all we do. Paul puts it this way: "If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad" (Vs 26 NLT). We are to grow together.  We are to rejoice together. We are to suffer together. We are to celebrate together. We are to worship together. All for the common good. And all for the glory of God.

Father, thank You for placing in my in the body of Christ and equipping me with the gifts to serve. Thank You for all the other individuals who make up the body and who have gifts I don't have, but that I get to enjoy. What an incredible organism You have created. May we learn to live together in a spirit of unity and share our gifts willingly and regularly. So that Your name might be glorified here on earth. Amen

Eating to Remember, Not to Forget.

1 Corinthians 11

For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. – Vs 36 NLT

I have no idea how many times I have taken the Lord's Supper over the years, but it's been a lot. I became a Christ-follower at the age of seven and have faithfullytaken part in this ordinance of the church since then. But I have not always taken it with a right attitude or with a proper understanding of its significance for my life. I confess that, too often, it has just been another one of those things that you do in church that has little or no meaning at the moment. You just do it. It's like singing the words to a hymn and not really meaning what you're saying. The words just come out without your brain even processing what you are saying. The same can be true when taking communion. It can just become rote and repetitive, lacking in meaning and significance. But Paul says that it should be just the opposite. When we do it, we are proclaiming the Lord's death. We are declaring the reality of the Lord's substitutionary death every time we take the bread and the cup. These elements represent His body and blood, given for us, so that we might have forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Our celebration of the Lord's Supper is a public declaration of our belief in Christ's death on our behalf. We are telling everyone around us that our hope of new life is based on His death. But there is another element that Paul stresses: Jesus' future return. Paul says we are to celebrate communion until He comes again! His death was followed by a resurrection. His resurrection was followed by His glorification. His glorification will culminate with His second coming. The Lord's Supper is not just about His death. It is about His resurrection and His ultimate return. He is coming back! And we are counting on it.

So when we take part in the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, we are to do so with our eyes on the past, the present, and the future. We are to remember what He has done, what He is doing, and what He is going to do. He is going to finish what He started. He is going to complete the task He began. The redemption of man and the recreation of the world, restoring order to God's creation. So the Lord's Supper is less a memorial than it is a celebration. It is to be hope-filled and future-oriented. His death leads to life.

Father, thank You for reminding me that Your Son is returning and that every time I take the elements I am to remember that fact. Without Your Son's sacrificial death, there would be no hope for the future. There would be no salvation. But because He came and died, rose again, and is going to return again, we have hope for the future. Amen

When Man-Pleasing Is God-Pleasing!

1 Corinthians 10

I try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what I like or what is best for me, but what is best for them so they may be saved. – Vs 33 NLT

If you take this verse out of its context, you can end up taking it to extremes. You could come to all kinds of wrong and unbiblical conclusions that Paul never intended. Remember, he is talking about being sensitive to the weaker brothers around you. They are less knowledgeable about the things of God. They are not yet able to enjoy the new-found freedoms they have in Christ. They are still impacted by their past. In Paul's case, the people to whom he was writing were coming out of various pagan cults that worshiped idols. They were trying to make a clean break with their past. But more mature believers were causing them to stumble by buying and eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. They felt free to do so because they knew there were no such things as other gods. There was only one God. So in their minds, they were free to purchase high-grade meat at low prices. But in doing so, they were causing their weaker brothers to stumble. Why? Because their consciences were telling them that it was wrong. But if they followed their brothers example and ate meat sacrificed to idols like they did, then they would end up violating their consciences and live in guilt.

Paul continues this discussion in chapter 10. He talks about the need for us to live as examples to those around us, especially our weaker brothers and sisters. He wants the believers in Corinth to be wise in their behavior and think about the ramifications of what they are doing. While "everything is permissible"— not everything is beneficial. While "everything is permissible"— not everything is constructive (Vs 23 NASB). He says, "do not seek your own good, but the good of the other person" (Vs 24 NET). This is the central theme of this portion of his letter to the Corinthians. He wants them to glorify God by seeking the welfare of others.

We have to think about the consciences of others. We cannot allow our freedoms to trump their consciences. Paul makes that clear in verses 28-29. "But suppose someone warns you that this meat has been offered to an idol. Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person" (NLT). Just because you CAN eat it, doesn't mean you should. Just because you CAN have a glass of wine with your dinner, doesn't mean you always should. Just because you CAN go to an R-rated movie, doesn't mean you should. If our actions might cause a brother to struggle or stumble, we should be willing to give up our rights. We need to love them enough to say no to our desires. Now are we to live our entire lives according to the consciences of others? Paul answers that question. He says, "If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?" (Vs 30 NLT). We shouldn't be condemned. As long as we are doing it for the glory of God (Vs 31). But when Paul says, "Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God" (Vs 31 NLT), the "whatever you do" part includes not eating or drinking. Even the willful abstinence from certain things can be done for the glory of God if our motivation is the good of others. So if I choose to give up serving alcohol in my home because a weaker brother may struggle with Christians drinking, then I am glorifying God with my actions. Why? Because I have put the welfare of a brother in Christ above my own. I have shown God that His desire for unity is greater than my desire to have my own way. His will takes precedence over my rights. And He ends up being glorified.

Father, I want my life to glorify You. Forgive me for allowing my rights to become an idol in my life. Help me to die to self and live for the sake of others. Even if it means giving up those things that are rightfully mine to enjoy. I want to live my life so that all I do is done for Your glory and not mine. Amen

Run To Win!

! Corinthians 9

Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. – Vs 24 NLT

Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win! (MSG). Sounds like a no-brainer doesn't it? After all, doesn't everyone run to win? No, some just run for the fun of it. Others do it just to be a part of the competition. But not everyone who enters a race does so with the mindset that they have a legitimate, realistic chance to make it across the finish line first. But when it comes to our spiritual lives, Paul seems to believe that we need a winner-takes-all attitude. No second place finishes. This has less to do with the idea of winning or success than it does to our motivation and its impact on our effort. If I don't think I can win, I won't put my full effort behind it. If winning isn't a possibility, then losing becomes not only a reality, but an inevitability.

Paul wanted to end well, so he determined to run well. He embraced the idea of beginning withthe end in mind. He had a hard-and-fast goal or objective he was trying to reach. Paul was big on the idea of knowing where you're going. Compete like you want to get there – and ahead of the pack, not at the end of it. Paul says, "So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified" (Vs 26-27 NLT). Paul was willing to work at reaching his objective. He was willing to discipline himself for the purpose of reaching his goal: Godliness. He told Timothy to "discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness" (1 Timothy 4:8b (NASB). Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Have an aim. Have an objective. Paul had one. Do you?

In his book, Search & Rescue: Becoming A Disciple Who Makes A Difference, Neil Cole has this to say: "In writing his last words to his spiritual son, Paul was looking for something that would inspire Timothy to fight the good fight and finish the read as a hero, just as Paul had done. He knew that continuing on in life without transformation is not success but failure. Sometimes I fear that parents and pastors alike will be content if their children and parishioners just hold on and do not fall away. I can understand this fear, but simply holding on is not godly faith. Jesus didn't die and rise again so that we can stay the same, and for Paul this was abject failure. We are to more than mere survivors; we are to be victors in Christ." No running just to run. No mere surviving for us Christ followers. We are to run in such a way that we may win. Victory is the goal. Godliness is the objective. But finishing well requires that I run well. In other words, to win!

Father, I want my goal to be godliness. I want to run with my eye on the goal. I do not want to settle for just being in the race. I don't want the T-Shirt, I want the crown. Show me how to run the race before me with an attitude that says I am going to win in the end. Help me keep my eyes fixed on the finish line. Amen

When Rights Become Wrong.

1 Corinthians 8

But God [does] care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a Christian still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track. – Vs 9 MSG

"I'm free in Christ!"

That's a wonderful statement that any believer in Christ should be able to make. We are free. Free from slavery to sin. Free to live a new life. Free from having to try to earn favor with God through our own feeble attempts at keeping some impossible set of rules. Jesus Himself said, "So if the son sets you free, you will be really free" (John 8:36 NET). So we really are free. But with that freedom comes a degree of responsibility. Because of our faith in Christ, we have been made aware of certain truths we didn't know before. We have knowledge of certain realities we didn't know before. We know we can't earn our way into heaven. We know there is only one true God. We know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to God except through Him (John 14:6). We know we are saved by grace through faith any not according to our works so that none of us can take credit for it (Ephesians 2:8-9). We know we are not defiled by what we eat, but by what we say and do (Matthew 15:11). But Paul says that all this knowledge can end up making us arrogant and prideful. Especially when it comes to how we act around those brothers and sisters who don't know as much as we do. Knowledge puffs up. Love builds up.

Love trumps knowledge. Knowing all the things listed above is great, but is we allow that knowledge to get in the way of our love for our fellow believer, we have missed the point. Not everyone who attends church with us shares the same degree of knowledge or spiritual insight. There are new believers who bring to the table some immature beliefs and worldly viewpoints. They may bring inaccurate doctrine or teaching from a previous church relationship. They may bring a hodge-podge of religious and psychological input that is unbiblical, but in their mind it is real. We may have the desire to correct them, but Paul seems to be calling us to love them first. He is dealing with practical issues of faith. In his day it was the believers freedom to eat meat sacrificed to idols. The logic went like this: Since God is the only god,  idols are nothing more than man-made objects. Therefore the meat that was sacrificed to them was not polluted or unclean, because that god did not exist to begin with. So Christians were free to buy this meat from the priests who ran the temples to those gods. Their knowledge of the truth gave certain believers in the Corinthian church the freedom to eat this meat with a clear conscience.

But there were others in their fellowship who did not have the same level of knowledge. They had come to Christ out of a pagan background, having at one time worshiped those false gods. They had eaten that meat sacrificed to an idol. Now that they were Christians, they felt compelled to leave all that behind. They wanted nothing to do with their former way of life, including buying and eating meat sacrificed in the temple of their former god. Now they saw their fellow believers doing just that. They were confused. They were torn. And because of the actions of their more knowledgeable brothers, they were stumbling – falling back into their old habits and wrestling with their old beliefs. This is where Paul draws the line on our rights or freedoms. He says, "But you must be careful with this freedom of yours. Do not cause a brother or sister with a weaker conscience to stumble" (Vs 9 NLT). Sure, these more mature believers were free to eat that meat. That was not the point. The point was that their love for their weaker brother should outweigh their right to take advantage of low-priced, high-quality meat. Did they have a responsibility to share their knowledge of the truth with their weaker brothers? Yes. But until they did, they had a responsibility to love them in their ignorance. Otherwise, "… because of your superior knowledge, a weak Christian, for whom Christ died, will be destroyed" (Vs 11 NLT). Knowledge puffs up. Love builds up. Knowledge can lead to pride. Love leads to sacrifice. You can be right and oh so wrong. To stand for our rights and to cause a brother to fall at the same time is sin. Paul makes it clear. May we have the attitude that Paul had. "If what I eat is going to make another Christian sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live––for I don’t want to make another Christian stumble" (Vs 13 NLT).

Father, thank You for the freedoms I have in You. Thank You for the rights and privileges that are mine because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. But may I never allow my freedoms to become a stumbling-block to another brother in Christ. I want my love for them to far outweigh my love for my own rights. May I learn to give up everything in order that they might not fall into sin because of me. Open my eyes and help me see where my freedoms might be causing another believer to sin against his or her conscience. Amen

Undivided Attention.

1 Corinthians 7

Now I say this for your profit; not to make things hard for you, but because of what is right, and so that you may be able to give all your attention to the things of the Lord. – Vs 35 BBE

Distractions. We all have them. They're a normal part of life and they're all around us. Especially when it comes to pursuing a deeper relationship with God. I mean, have you ever sat down to spend some time reading your Bible, only to find that your mind wanders off in a thousand different directions? You can't concentrate on what you're reading. You keep thinking about things you need to do that day. Every little noise distracts you. Things in the room that would normally be of little or no interest to you suddenly seem to have some kind of gravitation pull that slowly pulls your mind away from what you're doing

Distractions come in all shapes and sizes – family, friends, work, entertainment, noise, worries, cares, bills, dreams, the newspaper, television, etc. Paul even seems to say that being married can be a distraction. That's a tough one to understand considering all that the Bible has to say about the God-ordained institution of marriage. I think Paul was for marriage, but he was more for the Corinthians each being sold-out followers of Jesus Christ. So he encouraged them that "whatever situation you were in when you became a believer, stay there in your new relationship with God" (Vs 25 NLT). If you were unmarried when you came to Christ, stay that way. Don't let getting married become your obsession. But if you find yourself lacking in self-control and overcome by sexual desire, then get married (Vs 9). If you were married when you came to Christ, stay that way. Don't seek to get out of it. Instead, honor each other and pursue Christ-likeness together.

Then Paul says something really interesting. It's in verse 29: "Now let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short, so husbands should not let marriage be their major concern" (NLT). It's as if Paul is saying that due to the nature of the times in which we live, we should prioritize our lives in such as a way that even being married does not become a distraction when it comes to our devotion to God. And let's face it, the cares and concerns of married life CAN become a distraction if we let them. Paul wants his readers to be free from concern. But that's not always easy.Why? Because "… a married man can’t do that so well. He has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife" (Vs 33NLT). But if his wife shares his passion for the things of God then he doesn't have to spend his time trying to please her. If he shares his wife's passion for spiritual growth and inner transformation, then she won't have to distract herself with trying to keep him pleased. That is why we are called to oneness in marriage. We are to be unified in our desire for God and our pursuit of spiritual things. In marriage, we can and should share a common love for the things of God and experience undistracted devotion to the Lord. Weshould encourage each other to put God first. If my wife is up having her time in the Word and I have to make my own breakfast, so be it. If I need to take care of the kids one night a week so she can attend a Bible study, I should be more than happy to do so. My greatest desire for her should be her spiritual maturity. And the same should be true of her for me.

Yet we find ourselves distracted by so many things: Work, kids, soccer and piano practice, volunteer opportunities, housework, yard work, paying the bills, watching TV, reading books, etc. And our interests become divided (Vs 34). We lose sight of what is really important. The things of God.

Father, I find myself so easily distracted. I feel like every little shiny thing that gets dangled in front of me distracts me and turns my attention away from You. I thank You that You have blessed me with a beautiful, godly wife and wonderful children. May we grow in our unity and common desire to put You first in all things. Forgive me for letting the things of this world draw me away from You. Show me how to lead my wife and kids into sharing a common devotion for You. Amen

Under New Management.

1 Corinthians 6

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? – Vs 20 NET

I'm a control freak. At least when it comes to controlling me. I want to control everything about me – what I do, where I go, what I think about, what I enjoy, what I classify as sin, and what I'm willing to give up. I want to control the hours in my day and how I use them. I want to control all my possessions and who I share them with. I want to control the present and the future. And if anyone tries to wrestle control away from me, they will be in for quite a fight. Sadly to say, I sometime even find myself fighting God for control of my life. Paul says that I am no longer the manager of my life. My life, my body, my soul … it all belongs to God. He purchased my life with the life of His own Son. Paul reminds me, "for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body" (Vs 20 NLT). I was purchased out of slavery to sin by God, and at a very high price. Peter puts it this way: "For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God" (1 Peter 1:18-19 NLT).

Not only did God purchase me, He filled me. He filled me with His own Spirit. I have the very Spirit of Christ living in me. So as Paul puts it, "Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for?" (Vs 20 MSG). My body is a sacred place. It is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. I am under new management and I have a new tenant. On top of that, I am under a constant state of renovation as God transforms me into the likeness of His Son. I am being sanctified daily…a process Paul explains in verse 11: "…now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you."

I am no longer in control. Sure, I try to take back control all the time. But the Holy Spirit gently reminds me that He lives in me so that He might direct my life. He knows the will of God and wants to direct me life into that will each and every day. He wants to use my body and my life to glorify God. That is what it means to be set apart or sanctified. I have been set apart by God for His use. I belong to Him. I am not to be used for anything else. My hands, feet, mind, eyes, heart, emotions…they all belong to Him. And I am not to take what is holy and use them for unholy purposes. "The person who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him" (Vs 17 NLT). I am His and He is mine. I am under new management.

Father, may my life increasingly reflect the fact that I am under new management. May I show with my actions that it is You who are is control of my life and not me. Amen

Bad Company Corrupts Good Morals.

1 Corinthians 5

What I meant was that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a Christian yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Don’t even eat with such people. – Vs 11 NLT

Whoa! In a world that worship at the altar of inclusivity, Paul sounds like some kind of stone-age, moralistic, authoritarian figure. He's delivering people over to Satan, commanding people to "clean out the old leaven," and not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. It all sounds rather harsh and condemning. But we have to keep in mind that Paul is writing to believers, to members of the church at Corinth. He is talking about the family of God, the church, the organism that he described to Timothy as the pillar and foundation of the truth. The health of the church is vital to the spread of the truth about Jesus Christ. If the church is morally weak and indistinct from the rest of the world, the truth will appear to have no power and the Gospel message will have no attraction to it.

So Paul says to, in essence, clean house. In their case, the Corinthians had a man in their midst who was having sexual relations with his own mother. And rather than the church doing anything about it, their lack of action came across as arrogant and indifferent. They would rather tolerate this man's sinful behavior in their midst than stand up for the truth of God's Word and the integrity of the Gospel. But Paul would not tolerate it. He was going to do something about it. And so should we.

We wrestle with the idea of judging someone else, lest we be judged. But Paul makes it clear. We have every right and responsibility to judge those who claim to be Christ followers but who are dragging His name in the mud through their persistent acts of sinfulness. Listen to what Paul says:

"It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your job to judge those inside the church who are sinning in these ways. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, You must remove the evil person from among you." – Vs 12-13 NLT

Why are we so willing to tolerate blatant sin in the church? Why are we so afraid to speak up and confront someone who we know is living a lie? Maybe it's because we fear someone discovering the hidden parts of our lives and pointing the finger at us. But we are called to live lives of distinctiveness. We are called to be salt and light. We are called to confront the sin in our own lives and the lives of those around us. We need to take our faith seriously. Paul did. Later on in this letter to the Corinthian believers he makes the often quoted statement that "bad company corrupts good morals." He tells them to "come back to your senses as you should, and stop sinning! For some of you – I say this to your shame – don't fully know God" (1 Corinthians 15:34 ISV). Paul was calling for them to live according to their new identity. Stop putting up with sin. Stop tolerating the hypocrisy that spreads through the body like a cancer. The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. We exist to uphold the integrity of the Gospel message by the purity of our lives. Willful, continual, unrepentant sin in our midst cannot be tolerated. Paul wouldn't put up with it. So why do we?

Father, give me a boldness to speak truth even when it might hurt those who hear it. Give me the strength to stand up for what I know to be right. Forgive me for tolerating sin in my own life and in the body of Christ. May we be willing to clean house if necessary in order to restore the integrity and distinctiveness of Christ's body, the church. Amen

All Talk, No Action.

1 Corinthians 4

For the Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk; it is living by God’s power. – Vs 20 NLT

James put it this way: "I can’t see your faith if you don’t have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds" (James 2:18 NLT). In The Message, Eugene Peterson puts the thoughts of James into words we can all understand: "You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove." In other words, we can't just talk about our faith, we have to live it out. It has to become concrete and real. Yet, too much of what we call faith is "just fancy talk," We say one thing and do another. We express in words our belief, but the words never seem to impact our behavior.

Because the Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk; it is living by God's power. It's an empowered life that radically reflects the reality of the truth – the Gospel message of Christ's redemptive work on the cross. The Kingdom of God isn't just about a kingdom to come, but it's about a kingdom that has come. Jesus came that we might have life and have it to the full, not just in the future, but right now. In his letter to Timothy, Paul put it this way: "godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:8 NIV). The life of godliness or life in the Kingdom of God holds promise for the here-and-now as well as the hereafter. It is powerful and life-transforming right now, not just in the future. It holds promise for today!

But is all our talk about the Kingdom just talk? Do we talk a good game, but fail to live it out on game day? Paul encouraged the believers in Thessalonica with these words: "We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you into his Kingdom to share his glory" (1 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT). Live your lives in a way…behave in a way…conduct yourselves in a way…that God would consider worthy. Don't just give lip service to your faith, put shoe leather to it. "Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity" (1 Timothy 4:12 MSG).

Father, I want my life to be characterized by Your power, not my persuasive words. I don't want to live a life that is all talk and no action. At least, not any more! I want to live as a citizen of the Kingdom of God who is backed by the full power and authority of God. I want my life to be an example of what it means to believe – in my words, my actions, my love, my faith, and my moral purity. Thank You that I can because You have given me the power to do so. Amen

God Doesn't Need Men of the World.

1 Corinthians 3

"Are you not acting like mere men?" – Vs 3b NIV

The first few verses of chapter three are very sobering. Whenever I read them they speak volumes to me. They are a reminder that I have been called to something far greater than the status quo. God didn't save me through the sacrificial death of His Son so that my life would blend in with the woodwork of this world. No, I have been chosen by God for a life of holiness. I have been set apart. I am called to a life that is to be distinctively different than the rest of the world. I have a wisdom they don't have. I have access to a power they don't possess. I have a peace they can't experience. I have an inheritance that makes their possessions look paltry in comparison. I am a child of the living God.

But I am struck by what Paul says to the Corinthians, "I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but instead as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ" (Vs 1 NET). There was a time when Paul had to talk to the Corinthian believers as spiritual babies. They were immature and weak. They lacked spiritual wisdom and understanding. He had to give them spiritual milk to drink because they couldn't handle the "solid food" of God's Word. That was normal and expected. But then Paul says something that really hits home: "…even now you are not yet able" (Vs 2 NASB). You can almost hear the disappointment in Paul's voice as he writes these words – even now. Instead of growing in their faith and maturing in their knowledge of the ways of God, they had remained just as they were. They were still spiritual babies. Paul describes them as fleshly or carnal (sarkikos). The Greek word means "having the nature of flesh, i.e. under the control of the animal appetites." It is to be governed by mere human nature instead of by the Spirit of God. Their lives look no different than the lives of the lost. They have no distinctiveness. How does Paul know this? Because their lives are marked by jealousy and quarreling. They can't seem to get along. And the sad thing is, they are fighting over spiritual matters. They have taken up sides in the church. One group has sided with Paul and another with Apollos. They had become followers of men instead of followers of Christ. They were debating over which leader was the most important for crying out loud!

Paul was looking for spiritual maturity, but what he found was spiritual immaturity. These people had been saved long enough to grow up. But they were still being controlled by their sensual appetites. They were living according to their flesh instead of the Spirit within them. Paul describes the outcome of this kind of life in Galatians 5:

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits;the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on" – Galatians 5:19-21 MSG

Whenever we see these characteristics in our life, we know that we are walking like mere men. We are acting as if we are not saved. We are exhibiting the characteristics of the lost and not the redeemed. But Paul goes on to remind us that we belong to Christ. We are His. We have His Spirit within us. We are to be growing, maturing, changing, and becoming more and more like Him every day. Yes, we will still struggle with our old fleshly desires. When we do, it should remind us just how much we need His Spirit to lead and guide us. It should make us more dependent on Him than ever. Our sinfulness should lead us to repentance. We should desire change from the inside out. We should long for maturity. We are not mere men, but sons of God.

Father, I don't want to live my life like a mere man. I want to see Your power revealed in my life each and every day, transforming me from infancy to maturity. I want to see my childish habits fade away with time. I want to see my life characterized by the fruit of the spirit, not the deeds of the flesh. I want these things because that is what You desire for me. That is why Your Son died for me. May I continue to grow in Christ-likeness so that every day I become less and less like a mere man. Amen

It's No Longer A Mystery to Me.

1 Corinthians 2

And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. – Vs 12 NLT

Having the Holy Spirit is like having that secret decoder ring that came in the serial box, except the Holy Spirit really works. He has the ability to decode the mysteries of God that had been hidden for generations, and He reveals them to us. How else would we ever be able to understand what God is doing? According to Paul, without the Spirit, no man would be able to understand the mysteries of God. "But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God’s deep secrets" (Vs 10 NLT). Paul goes on to say that "…no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit" (Vs 11b NLT). So God has given us His Spirit so that we might know hidden things of God.

Think about it. Without the Spirit within us, we would be totally unable to understand what God is doing in the world and in our lives. Nothing would make sense to us. Those who do not have the Spirit of God within them, in other words, those who are unsaved, can't see God at work around them. They are incapable of understanding or comprehending God's work in the world. Paul says, "people who aren’t Christians can’t understand these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means" (Vs 14 NLT). They're like a radio receiver that is tuned to the wrong frequency. The signal is being sent, but they can't pick it up. Like an AM radio trying to pick up an FM signal, it will never happen. But we can understand the things of God. In fact, "we who have the Spirit understand these things, but others can’t understand us at all" (Vs 15 NLT). We become a mystery to those around us because we have the capacity to see, hear, and understand the things of God. We see the world from a different perspective. We can see God at work in the everyday affairs of life. We can see God working in the trials and sufferings of life. We can hear God speaking to us when we read His Word. But our lost friends and family members can't quite understand where we're coming from. Because they lack what we have: the Holy Spirit who lives within us. They operate out of a worldly wisdom. They don't have the capacity to understand God or us. "How could they? For, "Who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who can give him counsel?" But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ" (Vs 16 NLT).

We have the mind of Christ. Thanks to the Holy Spirit who lives within us, we can know the things of God. The mystery has been explained. We understand what God is doing in the world and in our lives. It all has begun to make sense. And now, "…we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us." – Vs 12 NLT

Father, thank You that You chose to reveal the mystery of your kingdom to me. Your Holy Spirit opened my eyes so that I could understand the gospel message and accept it. I could see that I was a sinner in need of a Savior and that You had prepared a way for me to have a right relationship with You. There are still so many things about You and Your Word that I don't understand, but Your Spirit is speaking to me every day as I read Your Word and listen to what He has to say to me. Help me to remain sensitive to His leading and obedient to His promptings. Amen

You'd Have To Be A Fool To Believe This.

1 Corinthians 1

I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God. – Vs 18 NLT

Have you ever stopped to think just how foolish this thing called the gospel sounds to someone who's lost? Paul says the message of the cross is foolishness to them. It's silly, absurd, ridiculous. It just doesn't make any sense. In spite of the fact that they are facing eternal destruction and the gospel message offers them salvation, they can't accept it because it just sounds too far fetched to even be believable. Christ, the Messiah, was crucified on a cross in their place in order to pay for the penalty God demanded for their sins. Christpaid a debt they owed and that they could never pay in order that they might be reconciled or made right with God. To the world this whole thing sounds like some kind of ancient myth created by men and perpetrated by the weak-minded and the ignorant. Nobody with an ounce of intelligence would believe a story like this. Or would they?

Paul says that same message about the cross and Christ crucified makes perfect sense to those of us who are being saved because of it. The cross represents the power of God. It is a symbol of His defeat of death and our ultimate victory over sin. This message of salvation made possible by the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross sounds completely idiotic to the lost. They're too smart, too clever to buy into something so silly. But Paul says, "where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense?" (Vs 20 MSG). Their wisdom is no match for God's wisdom. They can't explain or explain away the message. So they simply try to ignore it.

But to those of us who have placed our faith in the reality of the cross and it's representation of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, we not only embrace the message, we live by it and hope in it. And we acknowledge that even we are examples of God's power. Because we couldn't save ourselves, He did it for us.

God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom. – 1 Corinthians 1:30 NLT

Paul says, "God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful" (Vs 27). God's ways are inexplicable and incomprehensible. We can't explain or understand them. But we accept them. God's ways are not our ways. He doesn't do things the way we would do things. He chose to use a Roman instrument of torture and death to bring about salvation and eternal life. God chose to send His Son as a sinless, sacrificial substitute to satisfy His own demands for justice and to pay the debt incurred by men for their sins.

The foolishness of the cross. I don't know about you, but this fool loves it. I would be lost without it. I don't fully understand it, but I most certainly accept and appreciate it. It is the wisdom of God and the power of God. It is hope of man and the key to eternal life. And this fool is eternally grateful.

Father, thank You that Your ways are not my ways. Thank You for coming up with a plan that on the surface looks completely ridiculous and sounds completely far-fetched, but it is a demonstration of Your incredible wisdom and power. Your plan leaves us completely dependent on You and allows no one to boast in their own self-effort. We are weak, ignorant, foolish, and shameful. Yet You chose to save us. Thank You! Amen