1 Corinthians Chapter 8

This is a very interesting passage to me because of its focus on the importance of understanding people’s backgrounds for people God has put in our lives.  In the time this book was written the issue was about eating food that was offered to idols.  For those that had firmly placed their foundation in Jesus Christ as their Savior, God says eating or not eating each such food by itself does not change our standing with God since we understand it as just food.  However, for those that might be new to the faith and have had a background of worshipping other gods or idols, it may be thought of as an act of worship to that god or idol.  So if a strong believer now leads that act of sharing a meal of food offered to an idol, we are now sinning because we are leading a new believer astray.

I think this passage also ties in well with what we have been discussing as a church body about reaching out by building relationships with others first.  God is requiring us to be sensitive to other people’s backgrounds so that we can be an encouragement to them and help build them up.  Pray for wisdom and discernment to understand in our relationships for what things need to be said and what things need to be done to encourage people and what things not to say and things not to be done to avoid being a stumbling block for them. 

1 Corinthians Chapter 7

This is kind of a thorny chapter, with lots to say on marriage and sexual purity. I think of various friends and their challenging relationships and singleness, but for the most part, nothing really jumped out at me as being a timely word for me right now. 

Then I got to verse 23: “God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.” 

That one brings tears to my eyes. At times I feel so stuck, so very mired in my negative self-perception—perception that is not biblically based upon what God says about me, but about what I think I look like from the world’s point of view. 

I just turned 50, and that was hard for me. It’s discouraging to not be able to do what I used to be able to do and to know that I’m just going to continue to feel and show my age more and more.

My kids are now young adults, with so much opportunity and possibility in front of them. I hate admitting that mixed in with my pride, joy, and excitement to see what their futures hold, there is envy.  

To be even more painfully transparent, I hate all the weight I’ve gained, and I constantly see myself through that lens, as if it were the only thing that mattered. God and I are working on that, and this verse is a key nugget of truth—Jesus has freed me from bondage. 

I am a new, beautiful creation and beloved daughter. Jesus didn’t do what he did to free me from the bondage to sin and death only to have me keep carrying around the shackles of this world. So this is a great verse for me to memorize and repeat often. And it’s a short one, which is good, because, you know—with age, memory is the second thing to go.

1 Corinthians Chapter 6

It probably comes at no surprise to students of the Bible that people from Adam and Eve on, liked to play God and rationalize their behaviors.

Today we hear of individuals talking about philosophies of unlimited personal freedom. Women say they have a right to do as they wish with their bodies, regarding abortion.  Some claim no one has the right to tell them that same sex relationships are wrong or promiscuity is a problem. Drug users say they should be allowed to use drugs as part of their personal freedom. Professing Christians may even believe that they can live with some of these views.

This philosophy of it’s my life and I’ll do what I want is no different than what existed within the Corinthian church during the life of Paul. 

Paul uses sexual immortality to make his point about not being a slave to anything.  He includes idol worshipers, adulterers, homosexuals, male prostitues, thieves, greedy people, drunkard or those who are abusive and cheaters.  All of these behaviors he would say would get into the way of a right relationship with the Lord.  

God gives us the freedom to choose, “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. And even though I am allowed to do anything I must not become a slave to anything.” 1 Cor. 6:12. 

Are the choices we made today like what we read or watched building us up or tearing us down?  Are the messages of those programs glorifying our God and sending a good message? Did we set standards for ourselves or do we accept the Hollywood storylines?

 We need to free our enslaved bodies and minds so that we hear God’s calling. Can you hear Him?

1 Corinthians Chapter 5

As is often the case, I go through a passage/chapter in the bible and back away a little confused about the message being presented there.  It took me a few repeated readings and looking at a couple of different bible translations to reach more clarity about the chapter.

Paul is obviously upset over something that had been going on in the church at Corinth.  He was upset at what was happening and, I believe, more upset that the Corinthian Christians were not taking action to resolve the transgression.  In verse 5, Paul says to hand the sinner over to Satan (whoa, there), but goes on to say that his sinful nature can be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.  I realized, with the help of my bible commentary, that the intent was to exclude the man from the fellowship of believers and, without the support of fellow Christians the man might realize his emptiness and turn to Christ for forgiveness.  Now that makes sense.

Paul is calling on the Corinthians (and us) to not ignore sin in our midst but to address the sin and sinner, not condemning but to constructively and lovingly help guide them back to a God-honoring life.

At first glance in this chapter Paul appeared to dealing with just sexual immorality, but he really paints with a much wider brush in verse 11 “…sexually immoral or greedy, idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler”.  So, he is calling for us as Christians to recognize these actions in fellow Christians and help to get them back on track and following the Lord’s guidance. 

 We should also realize when our Christian brothers and sisters initiate the same corrective actions towards us.  Now that’s where the rubber meets the road, to recognize when that effort is directed toward us that it is not criticism but loving guidance. Easy to say, not easy to do, but that’s all part of the walk.

1 Corinthians Chapter 4

In this chapter Paul is lovingly yet firmly addressing judgment. He is an effective teacher as he not only instructs yet includes himself in this instruction. He humbly asks us to regard him as a servant of God and not someone who is preaching out of his own desires. He goes on to teach a very valuable lesson of keeping it real. in other words, realizing that all we bring to the table to honor God has been given to us and did not occur of our own power. How much more sincere are our attempts to go out everyday not all puffed up with self pride, yet to go out with the expressed honor that all we have to give today is from our Lord. Paul has also let it be known that he cares not how he is judged by mere man but that his own judgment comes straight from the Lord. I find extreme comfort in his peace in this. Mother Teresa once said "If you judge others, you have no time to love them." As I look over my struggles along my own faith journey I reflect the times I judged. (Way too many) It was a struggle and a burden. As Paul says leave it for the right time and the only Judge that matters, the Lord. Judging is hard work and I am glad to work towards relieving myself of the judgment and loving more and trusting that the Lord will do all the work.

1 Corinthians Chapter 3

Growing up as an active and athletic kid, I was on a number of sports teams.  I swam competitively and won many races and one state wide championship in my age class. I skied competitively (slalom and moguls) and was good, but really just ruined my knees after years of pounding abuse and playing tennis in the off winter months didn't help those knees either!  Now these  sporting activities were individual  sports and although I was part of a team, my success was based on my individual efforts for the most part.  But then as I got older, I began to play team sports where our collective cooperation as a team was instrumental in achieving "THE WIN".    I played softball, volleyball and basketball all through High School , but it was our basketball team in my Senior Year that was unstoppable!  

So you are probably wondering why I'm sharing this with you.   Because as I read this Chapter in 1st Corinthians 3,  versus 5-9 touched me and reminded me of how GOD wants us on his team.   The apostles Paul and Apollos were just messengers, or instruments  used by the God of all grace.    Paul was tasked with planting the seed & Apollos was tasked with watering the seed but they didn't really make the plant grow. The miracle of life does that.  But they had to work together - They provided the right environment for growth and trusted in the miracle of life.  They each had a role on GOD's team, as I did playing point guard on my High School Basketball team.  Paul and Apollos worked together to get the plant to grow, but it was GOD  who was very intentional in tasking them to each of their roles but it was GOD who gave the increase.  

My High School team won the State Championship in 1977 and it was a big deal!  Watching the Warriors win the NBA Championship in June was also a big deal and what struck me when reading this chapter and these verses about the tasks and gifts that GOD gives us, what matters most is how we use these gifts.  Being on a team, listening to your coach and working together with your teammates  by doing what you are tasked to do within the team,  is exactly what GOD wants from us.   Some people are frustrated because they want to water when God has called them to plant or they want to plant when GOD has called them to water.  Others are frustrated because they want to make the increase happen, when only GOD can do that.  Real fruitfulness in ministry happens when we are peacefully content with what GOD has called us to do and if being on his team means ministering Jesus to other people, then we should do just that and when we do......we all win!

1 Corinthians Chapter 2

How can finite human beings communicate and have a relationship with an infinite being?

For me, I Corinthians 2 is a chapter about rich communication to establish a personal relationship—how God, who is not bounded by time or space or a human brain, can communicate with each one of us in a personal, profound and spiritual way through the Holy Spirit who is part of God’s being.  

When we accept Christ’s love and forgiveness, we receive God’s Spirit in us.  The communication can begin between our spirit that knows our thoughts and the Spirit of God that knows God’s thoughts.  God set up this communication between Him and us to be personal and unique for each of us without the need for an interpreter.  

To put this in perspective and allow this profound truth the impact it deserves, I think about how limited and frustrating human communication can be.  For example, in conversations with others in the English language, I recall many miscommunications because I did not hear or understand each spoken word or understand the intended communications.  As the listener, I drew conclusions about the speaker’s thoughts without further inquiry or comment and many times I was wrong.  When the conclusions were wrong, the speaker became frustrated or upset.  So too as a speaker, I found it frustrating when a listener told me what the listener believed I was thinking and yet was completely off the mark.  

Consider how complicated our deep understanding of others can be when multiple languages are involved in the communication.  In the same example, I thought I understood the person speaking another language without the need for an interpreter only for me to realize that one word I misheard had changed the entire message.  Or consider with an interpreter there can be inherent language differences that do not translate well.

Human communications can be hurtful even between two like-minded people communicating in the same language.  But, for spiritual communications, God established a method for intimate, constant relationship-building communication between two radically different beings when He set up the spiritual communication between Himself and each of us. With this method, God’s Spirit communicates directly and personally to our own spirit using spiritual words that our own spirit uniquely understands because of who we are and how God wired us. God’s Spirit communicates truths about God and knows what words to say to each of us personally.  How awesome and magnificent God is to open up this path of communication to each of us! 

By the power of God’s Spirit in us, we not only understand the spiritual communication from God but we are also given the understanding and words to use when we communicate with others.  Paul relied on the Holy Spirit to know when to use plain words or persuasive speech or to speak with words of wisdom.  Paul also modeled for us how to present the gospel when we are in a weak human condition to allow the Holy Spirit to show God’s power in him.

Our human intellect cannot discern spiritual matters except through the illumination we receive from the Holy Spirit’s communication with our spirit.  Without the Holy Spirit, none of us would be able to comprehend the truth of God.   Each of us, in turn, can show how we are illuminated by God’s Spirit and trust that the words we use from God’s Spirit will truly communicate with others.

1 Corinthians Chapter 1

Most people want to be great. We want others to think of us as great. We care about our self-worth far more than we let on.  Just look at Facebook where we post pictures of perfect meals, hair dos, children, grandchildren, flowers in our gardens, Starbucks orders etc.

1 Corinthians 1 26-31 speaks directly to this. It speaks to Christians who care what others think.  It speaks to those who want to be a thought leader, a style leader, a workplace leader. It’s not always bad to want influence. As Christians, it seems like the more influence we can have, the more we can impact the world.   In Corinth, the church was not looking for the famous to get saved. Some simply wanted to become famous themselves and got caught up in the quest for popularity and influence.  They longed for respect and approval. They wanted others to like them and to value them. They wanted to be great. And we all know this feeling.  We live under the illusion that God needs greatness. 

In a nutshell, we read in I Corinthians 1 26-31 that God works despite us, not because of us. Who we are, what we bring to the table doesn’t really help God out.

I think about this–our God spoke the world into being. He put nature on pause so that the sun would appear to stand still in the sky for a full day. He has made men walk in a furnace without a mark or hint of smoke. He has brought people back from the dead. Jesus Himself has shown His power over death. If any of those are true, and they all are–I really don’t think that He’s in need of someone influential, rich or powerful to help Him. 

Paul reminds them who they were—not wise, not mighty, not noble. There weren’t a lot of Rhodes Scholars–this wasn’t the AP class. There weren’t a lot of the jocks, not much of the varsity team here. Paul says to them, and to us–---remember who you are. Even if we are smart or rich or powerful, God saves us in spite of that, not because of that. There is nothing in us that was appealing to God. And even now, what makes us appealing to God is only Jesus. His righteousness in us is what makes us acceptable to God.

God saved us so that we could make a big deal about who God is. 2 Peter 1:9, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Let’s reset how we think–what we have that is good---- our family, our friends, our house, our warm clothes, our full stomach. We do not have it because of how great we are. We do not have it because we are particularly faithful to God. We do not have it because God is more pleased with us. ------We are blessed despite who we are, not because of it. God gave us the spouse, kids, family, friends, house, clothes, stomach and nose that we have–all so that we would boast about Him. It is not about us but about telling others about what He has done despite us.  God loves this type of boasting.

Jeremiah 9:23 to 24, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the Lord.”

Those are the kind of things that we need to boast about–not to our glory, but to God’s. God has chosen us for something far better than talking about ourselves. He chose us to brag about Him. 

Romans Chapter 16

The responsibility for commenting on the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Romans is a privilege. One central accomplishment of the letter is the divine connection between the spiritually sick condition of humanity and the cure for such condition.  Essentially, we fall way short and Christ is there to catch us. How? Quite simply:

God’s grace-filled connection with mankind is possible only through faith in Jesus Christ.

While much of the book of Romans addresses important spiritual connections, it also is imperative to acknowledge Paul’s addressees – in other words, the human connections.

Romans chapter 16 showcases nearly 30 people living in Rome, honorably identified as Paul’s connections.  Much more than some “friends” or “followers” on social media, Paul’s connections were authentic and reflective of deep care – a genuine life together.  How could this be possible if, at the time of writing this letter, Paul had not yet visited Rome?

The answer is both simple and inspiring:

Paul indiscriminately connected with Jews and Gentiles, women and men, wherever he was.  His travels took him through much of the known world.  Paul’s connections in Rome indicate that, wherever he taught, he connected with local residents, travelers, and traveling residents.  Consider Phoebe, Paul’s courier to Rome (vv. 1-2):

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. 2 Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people.  Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.

Paul was connected with Phoebe, and he leveraged her travels to Rome to bring about exponentially broader and deeper connections in Rome – both in human terms and spiritual terms!

How can you be more like Paul in establishing and deepening connections? 

Do you have opportunities to be like Phoebe, delivering God’s Word to others? 

How will you connect or be leveraged in connection today?

Romans Chapter 15

Wow!  What a follow up of Romans 14 about the strength and weakness in the faith of others. Paul continues to encourage those who are more “mature” in faith to be considerate of those who are “less mature” or newer in their journey of faith.  Sounds reasonable enough.  However, it isn’t always easy to do.  Patience, being critical or judgmental, intolerance, divisiveness, jealousy, ego, among others, raises their ugly heads when things or people don’t go our way or agree with us.  It’s not about us.  Paul says, “…even Christ did not please Himself but…” (v. 3).  I think about our contemporary issues that divide us, big issues like prejudices, conservatism vs liberalism, politics; smaller issues like ways we worship, music we sing, what we do for entertainment, and even petty issues, ways we dress, how one drives, what we eat and drink, etc.  Whenever there are “gray areas” there are divisiveness. Paul calls for unity for the glory of God.  Unity begins when we accept one another, “…just as Christ accepted you…”(v. 7)  In unity, the emphasis is in oneness as opposed to the emphasis in differences.  Where does this begin?  I suppose it starts out very innocently, as an example, when I am asked by people, “What is your nationality?” and I respond, “I’m an American” they inevitably say, “No, what is your race?” or “Where do you come from?” Meaning, “How am I different?” from them.  Innocent enough, but it grows to “He/She is different, so I am better than that.” “He/She is not like me.”  Verse 7 says, “…accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.”  Pretty clear to me.