365 Reflections

The church is a family. It's meant to be close and relational and feel like home. That is why Paul is appalled with the lawsuits happening among the church in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 6:1–2 (ESV) When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? The short summary of this verse? Christians act silly when we think the world has more wisdom that we do! Paul has already told them "we have the mind of Christ." Jesus commanded us in Matthew 18 to go before the church body to settle disputes. Paul will later suggest (depending on what translatio you read) that even the least wise among them could be capable of settling disputes. That's the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. Why do we tend NOT to do this? Why do we take up our issues with peopl...

1 Corinthians 5:6–7 (ESV) Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Paul is going to take a serious problem head on in 1 Corinthians 5. A man is sleeping with his father's wife. A sin so grievous, even the pagans are ashamed. This, in a culture were prostitution was more than legal and sexual immorality was common and accepted by all. To top it off, the Corinthians were proud about themselves while this was going on! Paul's question in verse 2 is probing, "Ought you not rather to mourn?" Why should they be mourning while only one man is committing this sin? Because "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." In the Old Testament, when Passover came around, they had to completely clean their entire homes of all traces of leaven. It could not be found. The bread f...

1 Corinthians 4:14–16 (ESV) I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. Paul tells these boastful Corinthians they need a spiritual dad. They have guardians. They need a father. The difference is substantial . The word for "guide" or (better translated) "guardian" in the New Testament times referred to someone who worked for the family as a slave and shuttled the children to and from school, gave them instruction, and generally watched over their conduct. Like a nanny or tutor of sorts. A guardian is someone who will tell us what we should be doing. A guardian will train us. A guardian will correct us.  A guardian is great, but we need fathers. That's what Paul is saying. A Father will love us. And most of all, a...

The verse that destroys any and all forms of boasting is found in 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV) For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? The Corinthians thought they were special. They thought they were unique, a super Church of sorts. And Paul hits them head on! The point for us all is simple, what we have we received. Period. I know, some of us have skills and talents. But those were given by God and some where developed under appropriate conditions we had very little to do with. I was given drum lessons by my parents for 6 years for which I did not pay. I also was given plenty of time to practice and a drum set. It was nothing to do with me except being willing to receive! Interestingly, the Corinthians thought they were even smarter than Paul, boasting that he was unimpressive and intimidated by them! They imagined they were filled with the compl...

1 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV) If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. There is something fundamental to this passage you need to know. The word for "you" is plural in the Greek. Paul is not referring to an individual Christian here, he's referring to the whole body of Christ, in the Corinthian's case, their local church! Don't mess with a man's bride... especially the Bride of Christ, the Church. He gave his life for the Church (Ephesians 5:25). He promised to build a triumphant Church (Matthew 16:18). He is coming back for His bride, the Church (Revelation 21:2). The Church is the most precious people on the planet to the risen Lord and to destroy the church brings the wrath of God. Admittedly, not everyone who calls themselves Christians are the "Church". We need to remember that in two ways. Number one, darkening the doors of a Church doesn't make you part of the body. The...

1 Corinthians 2:2 (ESV) For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. The city of Corinth was known for its intellectual pursuits. You would think Paul's strategy would be to sound high minded and intellectual. But no. He makes a willful decision to know nothing apart from christ. That is, Paul chose weakness to make Christ glorious. This was the confidence that Paul had in the Cross when facing overwhelming odds in a city renown for it's worldly wisdom. What about us? Do we make the strategy about what we can bring to the table when sharing Christ? Or do we choose rather to look less than we are so that Christ is the clearest He can be? I know as a Pastor, the confidence I bear has to do with how I feel about my argument or the cute story I'm going to tell or the funny joke I have prepared or the powerful video testimony in the middle of my message. My confidence is misplaced. Many times, I fall flat. On the other hand, I ...

Paul was keenly aware of his shortcomings. He talks about being the chief of sinners, the worst of sinners and the least of the Apostles. But what is interesting is how Paul constantly views his shortcomings as God-given for purposes that God uses! In 1 Corinthians, he writes about how the church needs to stop segregating around which preacher they particularly like. That they should be of one mind united in Christ.  He talks about how he didn't baptize many but gave himself fully to preaching the Gospel of Christ. Then he says this: 1 Corinthians 1:17 (ESV) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. He knows Christ sent him to preach. He also knows the manner in which Christ sent him to preach! "not with words of eloquent wisdom" ... I like that admission of Paul's. In other words, "I'm not a great orator. I'm not an impressive preacher....