The resurrection of Christ

Scripture: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures." (15:3-4)

Observation: After Paul met Jesus and accepted Him as savior, what was most important to him was that he faithfully passed on the gospel to others.

Application: I put too many things in my life in a position of more importance than the command that I share the gospel with others. While I know that this is what should be most important to me, my actions and priorities tell a different story.

Prayer: Almighty God, I know that You want me to always be looking to share my faith with others. Please help me to hear Your voice, to know Your call, and to respond. Help me to elevate this to the most important thing in my life.

Good Order in Worship

Scripture: "Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says" (14:34).

Observation: This is one of those passages that I don't understand, don't like, and where I am tempted to try to find some explanation that aligns with my way of thinking. I want to say that Paul is simply reflecting the tradition of the times, but verses 34 ("the law says") and 37 ("acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command") don't support that. I'm not sure which of the Lord's commands or what part of the law is referenced here. It's also puzzling that verse 14:26 talks about "brothers and sisters" having a "hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation". Sisters are obviously women, so in verse 34 is it only married women who are not allowed to speak? This would seem to align with the aspect of "be in submission". But I'm not sure why. Is our culture so far from the concept of submission that I can't understand it?

Application: The application for me is to trust the word of God, even if I don't understand it. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16).

Prayer: Rabbi Jesus, help me to understand what I don't understand in this passage. If there is rebuking, correcting, or training for me, show me what it is. And if the reason that I don't understand is that I'm far away from your truth in this area, then please teach me your truth.

Intelligibility in worship

Scripture: "So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare." (14:23-25)

Observation: I have been present for arguments between believers and unbelievers where both sides passionately defend their view on something of questionable importance. The topic of evolution comes to mind. The truth is important, but what is most important in these cases? Sometimes I think we alienate unbelievers when what is most important is that they hear the good news of Jesus Christ. We shouldn't water down the truth, but that doesn't mean that we should start at the end or somewhere in the middle. The good news is the beginning

Application: I need to focus on what matters most. It is easy to get sidetracked down some rabbit hole because it is interesting or because it is fun to argue. But this does not build up the church.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are what matters most. Help me to keep this in the front of my mind everyday and to act on it. Often I put myself first. Actually, I think that I am doing it right now. Forgive me and teach me to put you first.

Love is indispensable

Scripture: "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." (13:8)

Observation: After writing about the different spiritual gifts that God has given to member of the church, each of them essential and each of them given for a particular reason in support of God's purposes, Paul tells us that these things will pass away. And Paul tells us that Christian actions, whether utilizing spiritual gifts or not, are worthless if not done in love. Love is the glue that is needed to hold the church together. No matter what gifts different Christians have, we all share in God's love and we are all expected to be loving to one another.

Application: When I look at the description of love (patient, kind, not easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs...) I see that it is only partially fulfilled in me (at best). I see that I have a long way to go. But I have been given love through the Holy Spirit, and I am supposed to use it.

Prayer: God of love, please fill me with your love. Make me more able each day to love the way you love.

1 Corinthians Study: Love

S: 13:11 " when I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."

O: In the context Paul is speaking here about being full or complete. When we are children we are not complete yet, childhood is very important but it is as adults that we should begin to function independently and become our own person or individual with the gifts that God has given us. Love is being to this concept. Love is the fullness and completeness of everything that is God.

A: Having said that, everything I do should have an aspect of God's love. This doesn't mean that I should be a doormat, but I should portray the traits of love given here. (vv 4-7)

P: Lord, help me to show love when it is the last thing I want to do.(with family, sons, co-workers). You know I struggle with this and I want to change. I do not want to give in. Help me to stay strong but to show compassion and love in the middle of correction and guidance.

1 Corinthians Study: Unity and Diversity in the Body

S: 12:24 " But God has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other."

O: We the body of Christ need to have concern for one another and not consider one gift more desirable than another. The human body works best when all parts are functioning as they were meant to do. It is the same with the church body. Not all have the same gifts but working together we form the body of the Church.

A: Not only do I need to be using my gifts, others in the body of the Church need to be using their gifts also. We need to be aware of this principle and also that each one of us affect the Church as a whole. We need each other.

P: Lord, you have established the body of the Church giving spiritual gifts to each of us to build up Your Church. May our actions produce good fruit and strengthen the body, the Church.

Unity and Diversity in the Body

Scripture: "But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be" (12:18).

Observation: This includes me! God has gifted me and placed me in the body of Christ exactly where He wants me to be.

Application: This is a difficult thought for me. I can see my free will, but I can't see God's glorious plans or how he makes them happen in union with my free will. Understanding that will have to wait until I get to heaven. But difficult thought or not, by faith I need to accept this. The application is to bloom where I am planted.

Prayer: Almighty God, give me the faith to believe that you have placed me in the body of Christ exactly where you want me. Show me this week, or tomorrow, or tonight, how to serve You and do Your will by sharing Your Son with another.

1 Corinthians Study: The Lord's Supper

S: 11:32 "When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world."

O: No one likes discipline. We all want to do what we want to when we want to. Discipline is a topic that repeatedly comes up when I start searching for God. God disciplines those He loves. Discipline builds character. We are also to be disciplined in communion. I grew up in the catholic faith and went through first communion which was a pretty big deal for me. I also miss communion in the catholic church, which was the central part of the mass.

A: When receiving communion, I need to remain disciplined and not under estimate the power and remembrance of this sacrament.

P: Jesus, you gave your body and blood so that I could be reconciled to the Father and to you. Let me be ever mindful of the sacrifice you made so that I could have fellowship with you. Forgive me of my sins and bring me to an everlasting life in you.

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

Scripture: "no one can say, "Jesus is Lord", except by the Holy Spirit" (12:3)

Observation: What a powerful statement of unity. We, the members of the church, are different in our creation in God's image and we are endowed with different gifts from the Holy Spirit for different purposes (12:7-11). But we are one in Christ. And anyone who professes that Jesus is Lord has the same Spirit within them.

Application: I really like this verse, so part of the application for me is appreciating it. But also, the application for me is to be reminded of the powerful unity that I have with fellow believers in the Spirit. I live in a culture that is highly individualistic and on some level I am raised to focus on differences and to praise individual accomplishments. But that is not God's way. God's way is to bring together different parts through "the same Spirit" (v11) to do His will together "just as He determines" (v11).

Prayer: Lord, your son's own prayer calls for unity: "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one." Let this be my prayer, too!

1 Corinthians Study: On Covering the Head in Worship

S: 11:2-16

O: I agree. I don't understand much of this passage. I do see order though, and a structure to the order. Man is the head of woman, Christ is the head of man, and God is the head of Christ. This is addressing public worship, (praying or prophesying/teaching)

A: God is not a god of chaos. Obedience is something that can save a lot of heartache, especially when I don't quite understand the principle.

P: Lord, help me to be mindful and obedient to Your Word. Even when it doesn't quite make sense or I just don't understand. I know that You do.

The Lord's Supper

Scripture: "For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself" (11:29).

Observation: It sounds like there was some selfishness and discrimination happening in the church at Corinth. Somehow, certain people were not getting to eat and the practice was "humiliating those who have nothing" (v22). Paul rebukes the church against the example of Christ at the last supper: "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me". Selfish practices are a stark contrast to the Savior who sacrificed himself for the church and for our salvation.

Application: The church at Corinth had lost touch with the meaning of breaking bread, the idea of remembering Jesus at the last supper, the idea that all believers are part of His body. They were focused entirely on the meal - the "tradition", the "way we do things" - and not the true meaning. This happens to me, too. Losing focus at Christmas, for example. Or wanting to be perceived as a "good" Christian instead of focusing on being an obedient follower. Or, in my parenting, wanting to raise "good" kids instead of focusing on raising submitted Christ followers.

Prayer: God who disciplines, give me a spirit through which I can examine myself. Show me where I am focused on the wrong things. And help me to refocus on the right things.

On Covering the Head in Worship

Scripture: "in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God." (11:11-12).

Observation: I'm certain I don't understand this passage, but verse 11 strikes me. Wives can behave in ways that dishonor their husbands. And husbands can behave in ways that dishonor their wives. And if these are believers, then their behavior also dishonors the Lord. I think that this passage is saying that our traditions and the traditions of the church should bring glory to God, not dishonor. As stated in 10:31, "whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God".

Application: I don't typically get caught up in the battle of the sexes. And I certainly don't lose sleep over head coverings or whether men or women have long or short hair. To that, I can't relate. But I do often speak or act in ways that do not bring glory to God. I am thinking of a soccer game last week where I let my anger get the best of me and I should have acted differently. I know I can't be perfect, but I should be seeking to honor God with "whatever I do".

Prayer: Father God, please fill me with the power to live for you and the humility to seek your forgiveness when I do not.

1 Corinthians Study: The Believer's Freedom

S: 10:31-33 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God - even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."

O: The note in my study Bible says Paul does not mean that he will compromise the truths of the gospel in order to please everybody, but that he will consider his fellowman and not cause anyone's conscience to be offended by his daily life, thus keeping that person from receiving the gospel. that they may be saved.

A: My actions speak louder than my words. I can talk about my faith but if I don't live it out in my actions, I am a hypocrite. I need to be an example at all times at work, at home, in my daily life and by doing so I might be an instrument instead of a stumbling block to an someone's salvation.

P: Lord, may my thoughts and actions be pure and bring glory to the work that you have started. I do not want to cause anyone's conscience to be offended by my actions. Help me to live my daily life at work and at home in a way that glorifies your name.

The Believer's Freedom

Scripture: "No one should seek their own good, but the good of others" (10:24).

Observation: What is good for others? In a general sense, I think that this means putting others before myself. Allowing myself to be "last" instead of always trying to be "first". But what is truly "good" for others? The only thing that is good that will last is that they know Jesus and have a saving faith in Him.

Application: Am I seeking the good of others in the sense of always looking for opportunities to share Christ with the lost? Not always. Often I am trying to fit in when I should be salt and light.

Prayer: Almighty God, I need Your help and I need Your motivation to always be looking for opportunities to share about Your son Jesus with the lost.

1 Corinthians Study: Idol Feasts and the Lord's Supper

S: 10:19-21 "Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that and idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons."

O: The words guilty by association comes to mind when I read this passage. My children often tell me things like I didn't do it I was just watching, or everyone else is doing it, and things are different than they used to be. I am also guilty of these same issues.

A: I need to really consider what I will subject myself to and what I will protect myself from.

P: Lord, thank you for the freedom that I have in you. I pray that I choose wisely what is beneficial for me and what is not. Keep me close to your ways and far from evil.

Idol Feasts and the Lord's Supper

Scripture: "Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry" (10:14).

Observation: Paul pleads with the Corinthians to live out their faith in the face of temptation. To seek out and use the power of God that provides a way out. A way to endure or to flee from temptation. This is faith in action. It is not enough just to be a part of the church, drinking the cup together (10:16 echoes 10:4) and breaking bread together (10:16 echoes 10:3). Faith in action means participating in the blood of Christ. It means living our lives for Christ and not for our own selfish or evil desires. It means sacrificing our own lives for the kingdom.

Application: The temptation to idolatry is still powerfully present in my life. Lust is idolatry. Pornography is idolatry. Materialism is idolatry. Seeking to be approved and liked by others is idolatry.

Prayer: Merciful God, help me to be aware and vigilant when the temptations come. Show me the way out. Give me the strength to endure. Give me the power to flee. Not so that I might be seen as someone holy or that people will think well of me, but so that Your Glory is reflected in me and in Your church that I represent.

1 Corinthians Study: Warnings From Israel's History

S: 10:1-13

O: This section to me is very sobering and serves as a warning to us who are living on as "the fulfillment of the ages has come" v.11. Although Israel was not yet a nation, they were "baptized into Moses and all drank the from the same spiritual rock that was Christ, yet God was not pleased with most of them and their bodies were scattered over the desert. v.2.

When I reflect on this passage, I compare the church today with Israel. Having a mathmatical mind, I average the percentages of Israel and the church. It is not hard to see that unless something changes, the church will fall into the same scenario as Israel. Since God does not change, the change has to be with us. Unless we conform to Christ we will be scattered over the desert just as "most of them".

A: I need to be aware that I need Christ at all times v.12. Temptations will come my way, and when they do I need to stand firm in Christ, the spiritual rock and realize that God has and will provide a way out.

P: Lord, in you I have life and breath and meaning. Keep me close to you, keep your words upon my lips and your thoughts within my heart so that when the tempter comes I will be able to stand up underneath the temptation.

1 Corinthians Study: Warnings from Israel's past

1 Corinthians Study: 1 Corinthians Study: The Rights of an Apostle: "S: 9:24 'Run in such a way as to get the prize' O: Paul affirms that those who preach the gospel should get their material living from the ..."

1 Corinthians Study: The Rights of an Apostle

S: 9:24 "Run in such a way as to get the prize"

O: Paul affirms that those who preach the gospel should get their material living from the gospel, although he didn't use this right. His reward was that in preaching the gospel he could offer it free of charge. Paul is focused and trained like a skilled athlete in competition, seeking the blue ribbon.

A: It is not just enough to go through the motions in preaching the gospel. I am to train as to win in a race.

P: Lord, help me to discipline my character and my talents. I have freedoms and rights in doing your work. Help me to know when and where to use them and when to lay them down as Paul did.