Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In First Corinthian’s 15 today Paul starts the chapter with a strong reminder that the Gospel message is radically important not just for evangelizing the lost, but for discipleship and encouragement to believers…

“Now I would remind you brothers of the Gospel that I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved” (vs 1).

Q. What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ and your subsequent resurrection as a child of God mean to you?

Q. In what ways does this supernatural truth impact your life for living on a daily basis?

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much that the same foundational truth that sets us free at the beginning, also transforms us, fuels us, and sustains us through to the end.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today for the ultimate good news – Although we have committed great sin against you, you are a greater Savior that has washed away all of our sins and given us a favorable right standing with our Most High Father in heaven.

🙏 Holy Spirit please help us consistently surrender to you and live a hope-filled resurrection life, focused on redeeming grace every hour of every day, and finding our joy & satisfaction in the liberating truth of the Gospel above all things…

✝️ “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day, and that He appeared to the disciples and more than 500 others…It is in Christ that we shall all be made alive!

Death is swallowed up in victory!

O death, where is your victory?

O death where is your sting?

But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”

1 Cor 15: vs medley

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In First Corinthian’s chapter 14 today Paul contrasts the subjects of Speaking in Tongues, and Prophesying in the Spirit…

“I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; but in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct and edify others, than ten thousand words in a tongue” (vs 18-19).

Paul goes on to extend chapter 13’s virtuous LOVE theme and put the larger emphasis of chapter 14 on engaging consistently in others-centered worship, denial of self-glory, encouragement to the body, and fervent focus on the Glory of God…

Q. What is the result when spiritual gifts are used without concern for the good of others?

Q. Have you ever been in a situation where the Spirit who provided the gifts was dishonored because the gifts were used in deceitful or selfish ways?

Q. In your opinion, what spiritual gifts from the 1st century church are God’s will to be used in the 21st-century church? All, Some, None?

Q. How do you know for sure if a “gift” is from God’s Spirit or another spirit?

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much that you bring peace and order to our all-to-often chaotic lives and upside down world – Please grant us humble hearts, and give us wisdom to be a discerner of spirits, as our desire grows more and more toward worshiping you and building up your people, and less and less about self-worship and building up ourselves…

✝️ “Pursue love above all things…do not be childish in your thoughts…be infants in evil but in your thinking be mature…let all things be done decently and in order so that God may be honored in all the churches of the saints…For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”

1 Cor 14: vs medley

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In First Corinthian’s chapter 13 today Paul shows us a “More excellent way”, as the first fruit of the Spirit (Love) is perfectly defined and exalted above all else…

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, having prophetic powers and understanding all mysteries with all knowledge, and if I have all faith to remove mountains and give away all that I have to feed the poor, and deliver up my body to be burned and die as a martyr – if I do all these things and do not have love, it does not profit me one thing and I have nothing” (vs 1-3).

Q. Have you ever put ambition, rivalry, personal gain, winning an argument, holding a grudge, desire to rule, or selfish motives over and above loving others according to love’s true definition in first Corinthian’s 13?

Q. Knowing that God does not grade on a curve, how desperate is your need for mercy and Gospel grace when you realize that this love is the standard by which we all will be judged?

🙏 Heavenly Father I humbly confess to you my greatest sinful failures in life, and ask your eternal pardon and forgiveness for the countless times I have knowingly and unknowingly neglected to love you and others as I should.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today that you set your face like flint, and accomplished the greatest act of love the universe has ever known at the cross – All so that we could be forgiven, redeemed, adopted, favored, and welcomed with you forever in a world where faith will be unnecessary, hope will be fulfilled, and possessing perfect love for you and your people will finally become a true reality for all who have put their trust in you, as Love will live on forevermore…

✝️ “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face-to-face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:12-13

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In First Corinthian’s chapter 12 today we see…

“One Spirit, One Lord, and One God” (vs 4-6), triunely & sovereignly…

“Ordaining and imparting specific spiritual gifts” (vs 11),

to promote the Gospel for…

“Edification & unity for the common good of all” (vs 7).

Q. In light of Paul’s crystal clear (anti-faction) unification message for all believers, how is it that there is still so much division (both then and now) in the local and universal body of Christ?

Q. How can a Christian be a living body part, if they are not actively part of a local Christian body?

🙏 Heavenly Father please forgive the many times that I have lacked proactive fellowship, and had a sinful spirit of independence and isolation away from your community – Please also forgive my jealousy for someone else’s spiritual gifts while at the same time insisting that others need to have more of mine! Finally, please pardon my apathy and cold heart when I have not placed a premium on love and unity toward my brothers and sisters in Christ.

🙏 Holy Spirit empower us all to combat division, embrace humility & diversity within the body of Christ, and seek unifying love for the good of your people and the Glory of God…

✝️ “But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them as He chose…that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have great care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together, if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”

1 Corinthians 12:18,25

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In First Corinthian’s chapter 11 today we see a beautiful Gospel-centered reminder of God’s power to pardon grievous sin and transform hardened hearts, as Jesus secures the new covenant promise with His broken body and poured out blood…

Q. Is it not an awesome privilege and radical delight to celebrate and remember Jesus by partaking in the Eucharist Communion on a regular basis?

Q. In what way does it feed your soul, promote repentance, and draw you closer to Christ?

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much for instituting the Lord’s Supper so that we can consistently remember and commune with Jesus – Please help us daily examine our own lives and repent quickly for our selfishness and sin, so that we do not take communion in an unworthy manner.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today for your life, death, resurrection, and ascension to God the Father – Please strengthen our faith & fellowship with you, and help us rejoice with awe & adoration at your table here on earth, and even much more when we see you face-to-face in glory…

✝️ “The Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is my body which is for you, do this in remembrance of me.’ Then He took the cup after supper saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.”

1 Corinthians 11:23-25

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In First Corinthians chapter 10 today we see strong warnings against idolatry and secret sins…

“Now the disobedience of the children of Israel in the wilderness took place as an example for us, so that we would not be led astray by idols as they were” (vs 6),

‭‭and also we see that if we are struggling, we have a gracious invitation to repent…

“Come and drink the sweet spiritual water of Christ, our Rock and Redeemer” (vs 4).

Q. When you examine your life is there a habitual area where you lack self-control which has led to consistent and potentially dangerous disobedience?

Q. In light of God’s gracious forgiveness policy along with His strong warnings in this chapter, will you find a brother or sister in the Lord that you trust, and confess and pray with them that God would grant you repentance in areas of habitual sin?

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much for the many examples you have given us in your Word about the seriousness of secret sin, and the consequences of worshiping other gods over and above you – Please forgive us for the times that we have presumed upon your kindness, and help us go to the Rock for mercy, refreshment, and forgiveness in Christ.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today for empowering us with your Holy Spirit, and encouraging us with your Word as we face our daily sin battles against satan, the enticements of the world, and our own deceitful flesh – Please help us not to think of ourselves more highly than we should, and strengthen us to stay vigilant, alert, and constantly prayerful & reliant on you…

✝️ “Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In First Corinthians 9 today we see the famous “Multitude of rhetorical questions” chapter (19 questions in all), as Paul makes his defense regarding what a true picture of being “Gripped by the Gospel” without receiving any material reward looks like…

“Woe to me if I do not freely preach the good news of the glad tidings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (vs 16).

Q. What are some of the obstacles in your life that cause you to hesitate in giving up personal time and comfort, and focusing more on being about your Father’s business, sharing the Gospel with people that God leads you to?

🙏 Heavenly Father thank you so much that you sent your Son Jesus into the world as a slave to the cross so that we could be eternally set free – Please give us a passion for Christ that fuels a sustained and intense effort to share the good news, and help us remember that your grace is sufficient for us to “Exercise self-control in all things, and run the race in Christ so that we may obtain the prize!” May we live in humble sacrifice toward you and your people…

✝️ “For we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the Gospel of Christ…So (give up whatever earthly thing is necessary) and devote yourselves to becoming all things, to all people, that by all means, some may be saved. Do it all for the sake of the Gospel that you may share with them in it’s blessings!”

1 Corinthian‘s 9:12,22

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In First Corinthians chapter 8 today we see Paul emphasizing God’s clear call for sacrificial love toward our neighbors, far over and above the pursuit of our New Testament freedoms…

“Knowledge alone puffs up, but gracious love builds up” (vs 1).

Q. Which question are you more prone to ask at the start of each day…

“What am I free to do with my life today?” or

“What am I free to give up today for the sake of others?”

🙏 Heavenly Father please forgive my selfish “me, myself, and I” mentality that still so often intrude, and help us all to avoid doing anything that would interrupt the godly growth and maturity of others.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today for giving up your fully deserved rights and privileges, as you willingly suffered and died at the cross for our eternal good.

🙏 Holy Spirit please transform us to live Gospel-centered lives and lay aside our personal freedoms when necessary – Help us cherish our brothers and sisters for whom Christ also died, and pursue the glory of God by using our rights and freedoms for the sake of love…

✝️ “So take care that these rights of yours do not become a stumbling block for the weak…and so by your knowledge the person is offended and becomes greatly harmed. Thus when you sin against your brothers and wound their conscience, you sin against Christ.”

1 Corinthians 8:9,11-12

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In First Corinthian’s chapter 7 today we see God’s call to arrange and prioritize our lives in order to serve and treasure Him above all else…(above marriage or singleness, above children or career, above friends or relationships, above education or entertainment, above money or possessions, above dreams or ambition, and above all other earthly things).

“From now on, let those who deal with the world live as though they had no dealings with it…I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord” (vs 31,35).

Q. What advice or suggestions would you give to someone seeking to live a balanced life with participation in the world, but not a dependence on the world for joy and satisfaction?

Q. What does it look like to enjoy God’s good gifts for you, but make Him (the Giver of the gifts) your main sustenance and priority on a daily basis?

🙏 Heavenly Father we ask by the power of your Spirit that we may model your son Jesus, fix our eyes upon Him, and make the best use of the time we have left, delighting in and devoting ourselves to you with undivided hearts.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today that you have been fully obedient to the Father by willingly laying your life down for our eternal benefit – Please help us to embrace the particular calling that you have appointed for us, pressing in to be salt and light, thankful for your good providence, and doing all things for your glory and the advancement of your Kingdom…

✝️ “This is what I mean brothers: the present form of this world is passing away and the appointed time has grown very short…so let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to them, and to which God has called them. Let this be the order for all the churches.”

1 Corinthians 7:17,29

Brothers and Sisters 😊

📖 In First Corinthian’s chapter 6 today we see one of the most demanding, and yet most comforting truths in all of Scripture…

“Our bodies are not our own possession, but have been bought with a price, purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and made His own“ (vs 19).

Q. What are you giving up by turning over full control of your body to God?

Q. What are you gaining?

Q. Is it worth it?

🙏 Heavenly Father we beg your forgiveness for the many times we have used our bodies & minds in ways that dishonor you because of our selfish & sinful desires – Thank you so much that you are our good Father, and you have made us a people for your own possession both now and forever.

🙏 Lord Jesus we praise you today for ransoming our souls from hell, and purchasing our eternal salvation with the costly sacrifice of your shed blood.

🙏 Holy Spirit please empower us to overcome temptation, repent quickly when we fail, and consistently glorify God in our bodies, presenting them daily as a living sacrifice because of the powerful and transformative truth of the Gospel…

✝️ “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God…and such were (all) of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our gracious God.”

1 Corinthians 6:9,11