Category: 1 Corinthians

Division in the Church

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Corinthians 11

For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.

1 Corinthians 11:18-19 ESV

I hate conflict. I like everything to be calm and peaceful and happy. Anyone with me?

But sometimes conflict is necessary. Sometimes conflict is necessary in order to bring change and, ultimately, peace. I want to be a peacemaker – not a peace-faker. And sometimes that requires stirring the pot: asking questions and seeking answers, calling people to take responsibility for their beliefs and actions.

The entire letter of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s attempt to bring holiness and peace to a body that has gone astray and needs to be brought back to the Lord. Like a shepherd using his rod and staff to correct and redirect a straying lamb, the Lord’s messengers are often called to speak harsh words in order to bring healing.

Hosea 6:1-2 ESV — “Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.”

Heavenly Father, You are holy. You are good. You are mighty. Reveal Yourself to and through Your body here on earth. Purify Your Bride in the cleansing waters of adversity. Do what needs to be done to eradicate the cancer of complacency from our hearts. We trust You. In the name of Jesus Christ who surrendered His life for His bride we pray. Amen.

One Pure and Holy Passion – Amy Nobles
Though You Slay Me – Shane and Shane

The Gift of Old Testament Stories

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Corinthians 10

Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

1 Corinthians 10:11 ESV

For the past month I’ve been studying 1 Samuel in depth verse by verse in my Community Bible Study class. 1 Samuel isn’t a letter like 1 Corinthians. Rather, it’s a story. A true story. A true story full of life lessons. I’m so thankful that the Lord chose to give us so many stories in His Word instead of just giving us lists of things to do and not to do. We can learn so much from the lessons contained in the stories of the Old Testament.

Hannah and Elkanah, Eli and Samuel, Saul and Jonathan and his armor bearer. Each of these real people have a lesson to teach me if I’m willing to study with an open heart.

What is your favorite Old Testament story? What did you learn from it?

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness in giving us a book full of true stories of men and women who lived long ago. These stories teach us about You – about who You are and how You interact with Your creation. These stories also teach us life lessons about how we ought to live in this world that You’ve made. I pray that we would be faithful to study Your Word not just for more head knowledge but that we would seek to be transformed by the truth found in its pages. I want to know you more that I would love You more that I would be conformed more into the image of your Son. I love You, Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Corinthians 9

Heavenly Father, Thank You so much for the men that You have called to shepherd Your sheep. Please bless them with Your wisdom and peace. Please guide them on the straight and narrow path. Please encourage them when they are weary and faint.

May Your Word be a steady light to their path. May Your Spirit speak truth powerfully into their ears and convict them quickly when they begin to stray. Please provide for their every need to accordance with the riches of Your abundant glory in Christ Jesus. Carry their wife and children in Your everlasting arms and shelter them under Your Almighty wings.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd, we pray. Amen.

Sinning Against Your Brother *is* Sinning Against Christ

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Corinthians 8

But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

1 Corinthians 8:9-12 ESV

Oh, Heavenly Father, help me to love my brother as myself. Help me to die for them, as Christ died for me. Help me to do what is in their best interest, even if that takes sacrifice on my part. Jesus was such an example of humble sacrifice. Conform me into the image of Christ. Help me to serve others as a service to You, my Lord and King and Heavenly Father. Make me more like You, Lord, who left the glories of heaven to live among sinful man. You are my greatest joy and treasure. In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

To Marry or Not to Marry

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Corinthians 7

I’ve been married for almost 29 years now. I got married as a 21-year-old baby Christian. I was clueless but hopeful.

Marriage has been hard, but marriage has also been good. I’ve learned so much from my calm, easy-going husband, and I’ve learned so much about remaining faithful by being yoked “til death parts us.”

Sin crouches at the door for the unmarried and the married alike. Like Paul wrote here in 1 Corinthians 7, the married wrestle with distractions on every side, while the unmarried wrestle with temptations on every side. I’m reminded once again that life is hard, but God is good.

I want to choose to be grateful for my husband, to focus on the good rather than the bad and the ugly. Father, please help me!

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of marriage. Thank You for my husband. Thank You for making me Your bride. Help me to have a grateful heart. Help me to be faithful, to persevere to the end with joy. Help me to fix my eyes and my heart on heaven and on what is excellent and praiseworthy. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Immorality in the Church (part 2)

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Corinthians 5-6

1 Corinthians 5 and 6 are each so short, I decided to stay here and read them together again, but this time I’m thinking about a new idea.

How should I handle someone who is regularly assembling with my church, but is living far from Jesus in their life?

1. Mourn for them heartily. Don’t be haughty or arrogant, thinking too highly of yourself. Take heed, lest you fall. (1 Corinthians 1:12) Remember, such were you. Their sin may look different from yours, but you have struggles, too. Grieve over the pain that their sin is bringing on their own heart, and grieve over the pain that their sin is bringing on the heart of Jesus. Mourn and weep and wail for them and for the Lord.

2. Go to them privately. Study Matthew 18, the whole chapter, verse by verse. God wants His lost sheep to be found, and He wants to use you to help do it. Be a good shepherd, like Jesus who came to seek and save what was lost (Luke 19:10). Go to them one-on-one and plead with them to turn away from their sin and follow Christ. If they refuse to listen to you, bring along a brother or sister to help you. Imagine that person were your son or daughter, your mom or dad, your brother or sister, and do your best to pull them out of the quicksand of sin into which they are sinking.

3. Remove them publicly. Consider the impact their sinful lifestyle is having on the other members of your church. Recognize the shame that someone living in unrepentant sin brings upon the Name of our Spotless Savior. A person can’t live like a pig while they claim to be a sheep, and we can’t stand idly by while the name of God is blasphemed because of a fellow member’s ongoing, habitual lifestyle of sin (Romans 2:24). For some people, as long as they are allowed to have both their sin and their fellowship with the body, they will continue on. We have to love them enough to be hurt, in the hopes that their “spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5).

Heavenly Father, how my heart grieves for those who come to church each Sunday morning while living in unrepentant sin day after day. Please, Father, set the captives free. Loose the chains of those in slavery to sin. Rescue those who are sinking, drowning in a pit of their own making. Open the eyes of the blind. Remove the stoppers from the ears of the deaf. Father, empower Your sheep to be good shepherds. Give us a holy hunger to seek and save the lost, even those who sit next to us in the assembly of believers. May we treasure the Name of Christ and refuse to allow it to be blasphemed because of our own laziness and love of comfort. Wake us up, Lord! Wake us up! We need You, Holy Father. Revive us we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord. Amen.

Immorality in the Church

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Corinthians 5-6

Oh, precious reader, I don’t know you, but the Lord does. I don’t know what skeletons you have hidden in your closet, but the Lord does.

Likewise, you don’t really know me, what all has gone on behind closed doors or in the recesses of my mind in the fifty years I’ve drawn breath, but the Lord does.

All I can say is, praise His Name for the “such were some of you” promise of 1 Corinthians 6:11. I have been washed, sanctified, justified, redeemed, forgiven, and made new in the blood of Jesus Christ. Because of my testimony of who I was, it grieves me so very deeply to hear of professing Christians who are still walking in sin. People calling themselves followers of Christ and yet refusing to repent and break free from the chains of sin.

Whatever form your lust takes, whether fornication or adultery, pornography or homosexuality, gluttony or anger, jealousy or greed, Jesus says, “Leave those things behind and follow me. No one can serve two masters. It’s either My way or your way. Which way are you heading? You know full well that those things are not good for you. As My child, you must put them far away from you. In Me, you are no longer your own. I have purchased you with my blood, and you have become a temple where my Holy Spirit dwells. My Holy Spirit will not share His temple with idols. Now clean out every little corner of that temple of yours, so my Spirit can dwell fully in you. Glorify Me in your body, in how you think, in how you eat, in how you speak, in how you live, and it will be well.”

Heavenly Father, thank You for your grace and forgiveness. Thank You for causing me to be born again. Thank You for washing me clean and making me new, giving me new desires and a new name. As Your daughter, I want to be made more like Your Son. I want to have a pure heart and mind. I want to glow. I want to reflect Your glory as only a clean mirror can. I want to be filled with Your Spirit, Your presence, Your peace and love and joy. May others see You in me. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

To The Faithful One who Makes Me Faithful

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Corinthians 4

On my weekend trip to Greer’s Ferry Lake in Arkansas, I was amazed by the rocks that covered the lakeshore. From far away, looking down at the beach, I expected them to be solid, hard, firm, stable … you know, ROCKS. But when I finally made my way down six flights of stairs and walked on those rocks, I discovered that they were anything but that. These rocks crumbled like eggshells under my feet.

Ask yourself –

  • What kind of rock am I standing on? Am I standing on the solid rock of Jesus or the shifting sand of man’s opinions?
  • What kind of woman am I? Am I steadfast and immovable, solid and faithful like my God and His Unchanging Word or do I crumble under the pressures of life?

1 Corinthians 1:9 ESV — God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 4:2 ESV — Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:17 ESV — That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV — No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 ESV — He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

1 Timothy 1:12 ESV — I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,

2 Timothy 2:13 ESV — if we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself.

Hebrews 10:23 ESV — Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 11:11 ESV — By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.

1 Peter 4:19 ESV — Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Revelation 17:14 ESV — They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.

Revelation 19:11 ESV — Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

Heavenly Father, You are Faithful. You are Trustworthy. You are a Promise-Keeper. Every word You speak will come to pass. Help me to be faithful because You are the source and the object of my faith. Help me to daily entrust my soul to You, Father, because You are trustworthy. Because my hope is in You and You alone, I will not be shaken. You have called me to Your service, so I can trust that You will fulfill all Your plans for my life. Make me more like You, Lord. Make me faithful and trustworthy because You are Faithful and trustworthy. In the Name of Jesus Christ who died in my place I pray. Amen.

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less
Great is Thy Faithfulness &
My Redeemer is Faithful and True

God’s Fellow Workers

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Corinthians 3

He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers.

1 Corinthians 3:8-9a ESV
  • Where are you preparing soil?
  • Where are you scattering seeds?
  • Where are you watering and tending new little seedlings?
  • Who has God placed in your life to work alongside?
  • Who are you partnering with in furthering the kingdom of God?

These are just a few questions to ask yourself – that you might be transformed more and more into the image of Christ who came to seek and save the lost and who chose a whole variety of disciples to serve with toward that end.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for putting women into my life to minister to me, as well as giving me women to serve. Thank You for the precious gift of a wonderful weekend full of sweet conversations and much-needed refreshment and encouragement. Thank You for the drawer full of sisters who sharpen me, each in their own unique way. I am so grateful, Lord. Everything I have is a gift from Your good hand. You say to whom much is given, much will be required, and I know that You have given me so much. Please, Father, take the things that You have given to me and multiply them in my hands, my mouth, and my life. Make me Your fellow worker for the glory of Your Name and the expansion of Your glorious kingdom. In the Name of Jesus Christ, the King of kings I pray. Amen.

The Sun Rises Even in the Rain

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Corinthians 2

This morning I woke up early because I wanted to watch the sun rise. I was eagerly anticipating the sun turning the sky pink, purple, and orange as it crested the horizon over the lake where my sisters-in-Christ and I have been staying since Friday. Instead I was greeted by a rainstorm beating down on the metal roof of the porch under which I was taking shelter.

But still, the sun rose.

But still, it got brighter minute by minute.

But still, a new day dawned.

God is still on His throne even when we don’t see His glory. God still reigns even when His presence is hidden behind clouds, and His voice can’t be heard over the pouring rain.

In God’s perfect wisdom, He had decreed before the ages that His Own Son would be hung upon a cross to die for the sins of man. In the eyes of human wisdom or logic, it appeared that Satan had won and God had been defeated.

Oh, sisters, but God. Up from the grave He arose!

Suddenly, the cries of a bird ring out over the pounding of the storm. The birds are awake and singing in the trees, despite the rain. The storm won’t stop them, and it shouldn’t stop us, either

Darkness can’t overpower the light. The rain can’t drown out the sun. The sun still rises, even in a thunderstorm.

Heavenly Father, Death could not contain Him. A grave could not defeat Him. Darkness, no matter how deep, cannot keep the King of Glory from shining. I pray that our faith would be in You and You alone. You are Almighty. You are Victorious! No storm can delay what You have decreed. Your purposes will stand. You don’t always give us “cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels.” Sometimes you give us pitch black nights and thunderstorms that last for hour upon hour. Help me remember that the trees need the rain so they can grow, and the world needs the darkness of night so it can rest. Help me trust You, rather than myself. Help me to doubt human reasoning and believe Your Word. Help me remember that You reign over the rain. In the Good and Sovereign Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.