December 3 - 1 Corinthians 15-16: Resurrection is the Only Thing Worth Dying For

Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 15-16

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Paul is determined not to let God's Grace go to waste on him.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

The Message is that Jesus died and was raised from the dead. All my accomplishments are God working through me.
Why do you deny resurrection, negating everything we have taught? Jesus completed the circle—everyone dies because of Adam and lives because of Christ. This is why we continue working. Get this right!
The "blueprint" of resurrection is like seeds vs. plants. We'll be changed when Christ comes again. Sin, guilt, and death will be gone forever!
Have the contribution for Jerusalem ready when I arrive.
Let's have a long visit.
Take care of Timothy.
Apollos will come.
Keep strong!

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

The Resurrection is the only doctrine worth defending to the death.

Paul unwaveringly pushes this thought over and over. The reason is simple—the Resurrection is the only idea where its negation makes everything we do useless. If we die and never return then setting things right is pointless. There is no need to sacrifice. There is no need to love your neighbor as yourself. Unless we are brought back to life, Christianity means nothing.

Paul is determined to make the most of his second chance.

Passages like these exemplify why I love the Apostle Paul so much. He realized that he made horrible, terrible decisions but God called him anyway. Paul is determined not to let God's choice go to waste! Don't let God's Grace go to waste! Set things right!

There is no blueprint to what our bodies will look like when we are raised from the dead.

Just like a plant looks completely different than the seed our resurrected bodies will look completely different than our current ones. If you want to know what it will look like, tough. We'll never know until it happens.

Jesus breaks the life-death cycle.

Jesus lived and died. Then He lived again to never die. Everyone on earth will one day die, too. But we will all live again to never die. Adam caused everyone to die because of his sin; Jesus set things right by sacrificing Himself to take away the power of death. How awesome is our god!

These are letters, not doctrinal statements.

This is the first letter with a long section dealing with Paul and the church's individuals. The items included are interesting but not necessarily exciting for us (I like how he takes a swipe at Apollos by saying he's waiting for the "right time" and Paul is about to give him that right time—at least he is in my head) but they show how these are personal letters from one man to a group of people he loved dearly. God didn't use dry legal documents to help us understand His Message. He gave us letters from one person to another he loved dearly.
I remember going to Paul's Prison Epistles class (Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians) taught by Terry Edwards at Freed-Hardeman University. Growing up in Greece and Turkey as the child of a missionary family, he could lead tours through the Bible lands without help from guides. I remember him coming to class and stating, "(name of the city we were studying). Love to take you there, but we don't have the time." He would then expound on how each of the phrases Paul uses corresponded to something they either saw, experienced, or understood. He helped me see that these are not statements that we need to piece together to create one, whole systematic theology. These were letters from a man who started or grew these churches trying to help them continue growing in God's Truth. It is because of Dr. Edwards' teaching style that I am where I am today.

He is risen!

December 2 - 1 Corinthians 12-14: Sharing Gifts in Love and in Orderly Ways

Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 12-14

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Spiritual gifts mean nothing without love.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

How God works is often misunderstood. God wants us to use our intelligence and understanding. God gives different gifts from the same Spirit. Everyone plays different but important roles in setting all things right, like a body.
The best way is love. Love never dies. Spiritual gifts will end but love will never end. Love is the best.
Praise God in a language others understand. Pray in your own language when someone can interpret so everyone can join in. Better five words that everyone understands than 10,000 gibberish sounds. God doesn't sow confusion, He sows harmony. Be courteous and considerate.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God gives different gifts to different people.

God made each person unique. They have the opportunity to set things right in their unique way. We compliment each others' gifts which covers each weak part, if we are willing to be humble and work with them.

No gift is more important than another.

Paul wants to make sure they realize an apostle is no better than an encourager. A teacher is not better than someone who can interpret languages. The body imagery used helps us understand those who work behind the scenes are often more essential than ones everyone can see, just like the stomach is more essential than an arm. No one can tell another to submit to them because their gift is inferior.

Any gift without love is useless.

No matter what a person does in God's Name, no matter how amazing it may look, and no matter what great truths a person may show the world, it is naught if they do not have love. The description of love challenges us to make sure what we are doing for God has its full force.

The gift of languages is meant to help others understand the Message.

There is a lot of debate over what the gift of languages is. Some believe it is the ability to learn spoken languages quickly. Others think it is the ability to speak unintelligible tongues which only you and God understand. Either way, what is important is that God does not give gifts for sideshow entertainment. God wants the person who can speak a different language to stay off on the side until another can translate for them. The most important part of the gathering is strengthening each other. We cannot do that if we speak languages the people around us can't understand. Outsiders will get confused and think the group is strange. That is why Paul states that five words everyone understands are better than 10,000 that no one understands. The message is the goal, not the impressive language.

Corporate meetings should be in order—but everyone should participate.

One of the problems I believe we have is the professionalization of life to the point we pick and choose who should add to the group meeting based on training and position. The suggestion that everyone should join in runs a shudder up the spine of every worship leader. I think we struggle with this suggestion because we have become so used to large gatherings that if everyone added something we would never finish. It may be that our gatherings have become too large and polished that we cannot follow this. We may want to scale down and have more small groups where everyone participates than large gatherings where one person feeds an audience who has no skin in the game.

Faith, hope, and love sustain us toward God's Kingdom. The greatest is love.

December 1 - 1 Corinthians 9-11: Paul on Paying Workers, Holiness, Authority in Marriage, and the Lord's Supper

Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 9-11

The Message

English Standard Version

Congratulations! You have made it 11 months through the Bible in a year (or two months through the New Testament)! Only one month to go! You can do it!

Thought to Guide Your Reading

The Corinthian church had more issues than Time magazine.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God's Workers should be supported. Barnabas and I gave up our rights but that does not mean others should, too.
I meet people in their lifestyles so I might help them set things right.
Run as to win the spiritual race. God will help through any temptation and does not put up with cheating partners, like our ancestors.
Don't let freedom lead you to lethargy. Do everything to God's Glory and be considerate.
In marriages, each must respect authority—both males and females came from each other.
The Lord's Supper is meant to unify. Wait for each other before eating.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

A person is worthy of support when they work for God.

Paul wants the Corinthians to realize that they have an obligation to help people dedicating their lives to setting things right in God's Name. God does not want slaves who never benefit from their work. To an extent, this is a major reason communism failed or is failing. Farmers will not stand to let their family starve while others benefit from their work. They either sell their produce on the black market or rebel. A person who does not financially benefit from teaching God's Message will not stand to have their family starve while others benefit from their work. They will either go to a different type of work or rebel. Pay those who dedicate their lives to setting things right in God's Name. Paul's reason for going on his own was to make sure they did not take possession of his message or use his authority to cause divisions. Not everyone needs to take that precaution.

God helps people through all temptations if we allow Him to help.

This verse is very difficult to swallow. In the midst of temptation it seems we have no other course than to sin. God wants us to remember that He provides an escape, though that escape may not be painless. God will not tolerate double-minded people—see the many examples during the time of the Israelites. We must rely on God to get us through temptations because He wants us to be wholly for Him. We are unified in Him and He is patiently waiting for us to live His Way.

Our freedom in Christ is not meant to make us lethargic to setting things right.

Paul doesn't want the Corinthians walking through life scared they are going to do something wrong or trying to find problems with everyone else's actions. As long as a person can't question your loyalty to God through your intentional actions, all things are permissible. Again, this is not about theoretical worship of idols, it's about known worship of idols. You might say that God is willing to meet us halfway—few things will break our relationship, but we must make sure we stay away from them.
Paul set aside his freedom to help Jews set their relationship with God right. He became subject to the Law of Moses so that they would not find fault with his teaching. It makes him a greater role model for us.

Husbands have authority, not priority.

Of all things Paul writes on, his discussion of women and men in marriage clashes with American culture the most. Americans want radical equality in everything. Although it may sound good, everyone knows there is no such thing as complete equality. Politicians have authority over citizens. Company presidents and boards of directors have authority over workers. Neither have complete power because citizens can vote politicians out (at least, in theory) and workers can go on strike and force changes. Homes and churches, therefore, are never a fully-flat authority setting. Paul will have more to say about this in future readings, but in this one he wants to make sure wives honor their husbands. Women should honor men because Eve was created from Adam. Men should not lord over women because women give birth to men. All of the bad examples of men lording over women in our past do not negate Paul's suggestions. In the end we all submit to God, yes, but women should still submit to men.
Does that mean women have no voice? I believe that is a misconception that both sides get wrong. To say men have authority does not negate a woman's voice. Women should have a voice—even in Corinth they were praying and prophesying in public—but that does not mean they should have equal authority to men. Politicians and company presidents can listen and let citizens and workers make decisions, but the decision comes through the leader. Men should—I would even say must—listen to women and allow them to have input on decisions. But if we would not want husbands to consider themselves equal to Jesus, wives should not consider themselves equal to their husbands.
What does that look like? I believe every community should make that decision. There is no hard-and-fast rule to go by. Even Paul's suggestion of head coverings was not meant to be a one-size-fits-all solution. If we remember the above discussion, all things are allowed but not everything is helpful.

The Lord's Supper is meant to unify the congregation to God and each other.

Paul has harsh things to say about their observance of the Lord's Supper. The problem is simple—they don't wait for each other. Some get there early, eat all the food, and leave nothing to share. That does not build the unity that God meant when He gave us the loaf. They need to wait until everyone is there because then they will be unified. Those who can't wait should go home, have a snack, and return. Don't eat God's Meal without everyone present because it is meant to unify us to God and each other.
How does this challenge us today? Use the Lord's Supper to unify the members of a congregation, not separate them. I am amazed at this passage being interpreted that we need to sit quietly by ourselves and think hard on our lives. How does that unify? Our quick, silent ceremony should be just the opposite—a long conversation over a meal where we examine ourselves through intimate discussion with a small group. Then it can call us to unify with God and those around us.

Are you ready to call me a heretic yet?

November 30 - 1 Corinthians 5-8: Freedom vs. Holiness in Sexual Relations and Meat Offered to Idols

Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 5-8

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Paul argues that we have freedom but should give up that freedom when it sets things right.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Deal with openly-sinful Believers in the open. Better to be embarrassed than damned. We cannot control outsiders, but we should not accept insiders who openly disobey God.
Don't sue each other. You teach outsiders that God cannot be trusted.
All things are legal but not all things are helpful.
God gives the gift of celibacy and marriage. If your spouse is not a believer, stay with them if they are willing.
Be content where you are. Only God defines you—not marriage, religion, or slavery.
Physical things are unimportant to God unless they are used to throw others off track.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

The Corinthian church valued tolerance over holiness.

The major issue with including the man sleeping with his father's wife (whether or not she is his mother is unknown) was that the church thought they were so otherworldly that it didn't matter what the man did. Instead they devalued holiness to be open and accepting. Holiness, not tolerance, is the goal of God's Chosen People. Tolerance is an important trait to develop, but only towards outsiders. Anyone who makes a covenant to obey God should be held strictly to that covenant. If not, they should be asked to leave.
What does this mean for us today? I am afraid we have so misused this passage that most churches disfellowship those they should tolerate and tolerate those who they should disfellowship. Think about it—when was the last time a church openly confronted a person because of a sin in their life? Instead, we write open letters and tell members not to associate with other churches because of religious differences.
Also, we fail to live as a community. If a congregation were to openly confront a person because of a sin that person would simply go to another church that agreed with them. However, that does not negate its importance. A congregation must remove bad examples to both help the bad example realize they are jeopardizing their relationship with God and prevent the saints from losing their holiness. We must remember, though, that this is about holiness not religious unity. Bad examples are not those who have different views than us on theology. Bad examples are those who practice unholy acts, like sleeping with their stepmother.

The church models God's Judgment to the entire world.

Paul has hard things to say about their inability to make judgments. They would rather be judged by people who do not respect God than trust a decision made by the wisest among them. He even said it would be better for them to allow an unjust decision to stand than to embarrass God's Chosen People in front of the world. Yet the reason Paul gave was not about justice or fairness. It was about God—it would prevent people in the world from setting things right because they would not trust God. When we become so critical of each other that we rather have people who do not respect God make important judgments, the world will not set things right.

Even if something is legal does not make it appropriate.

Paul's encouragement is to look beyond the legal appropriateness of every act and instead see if it helps honor God. We do not need to see if God approves of what we do before we do it. We should look to see if it helps set things right or divides us. Sexual promiscuity and gluttony do not honor the Temple God gives us. Honor God through your body. Treat it well as the Temple of God. Just as God became angry that Israel mixed holy and common in the Temple, God becomes angry when His Chosen People mix holy and common within their bodies. In this way sexual sins are greater than all other sins. It takes something holy—intimacy and commitment—and mixes profane—lust and selfishness.

Marriage is meant to merge sexual urges with commitment and intimacy. If a person can live without sex, they should also live without marriage.

Paul tackles a very difficult and complicated issue, one in which Christians battle over today. Paul seems to think marriage is necessary to help control our urges. This is why his first instructions were about submitting to each other—no husband or wife should stop the other from having their urges met. Abstinence is only good when it is mutually agreed upon. If not, the one wanting intimacy is tempted to go elsewhere. If an unmarried couple cannot manage their urges, they should get married. If a person can control their urge they should not get married enabling them to focus more on setting things right. Paul walked a fine line—on one hand he thought being single was more beneficial to setting things right, but on the other he did not want to encourage couples to separate or think they were second-class because they have sexual urges. He finished by warning them,

And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life. (7:17, The Message)

Although this is couched in Paul's opinion, he reminds the Corinthians that he has the Spirit of God. Disagree only if you are led by the Spirit, too.
Christians today have a rather strange view of marriage compared to Paul's instructions. I find it ironic that Paul states—with help from the Holy Spirit—that unmarried people make better workers for God yet congregations would rather have a married minister (or pastor). Our society has elevated marriage to the point that it is the goal of life—to live in a committed relationship with one person, not to set things right. It causes people who have the ability to become, as Jesus stated, eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom to get married and struggle with their relationships for a lifetime. It also encourages people who have never been married feel left out or second-class. We should remind Christians, especially younger Christians, to let God define their life and to be content where they are.

Paul instructed the Corinthians to stay where they were.

Paul commanded in Galatians that they stop arguing over the Law. Here he reminds them that being or not being a Jew is neither a benefit nor an obstacle with regard to holiness. The most important part of obeying God is setting things right. Slavery is neither a benefit nor an obstacle with regard to holiness. The most important part of obeying God is setting things right. Marriage is neither a benefit nor an obstacle with regard to holiness. The most important part of obeying God is setting things right. Marriage to a person not dedicated to setting things right is neither a benefit nor an obstacle with regard to holiness. The most important part of obeying God is setting things right. If the spouse decided to stay, they could be won over through unswerving faithfulness. Where you are in life is not the focus for a Disciple. How you can use your position to set things right for God is the focus of life for a Disciple.

Meat offered to idols was a test-case for freedom vs. love.

Paul and the Christians in Corinth knew that there were no such things as idol-gods. The meat offered to idols meant nothing to them. They were free to eat meat offered to idols without worrying about their loyalty to God. But not all of the members had that clean conscience. One person's freedom should not cause another person to split their allegiance to God. Freedom should be second to brothers' and sisters' relationships with God.
One thing I think we should remember is that Paul does not suggest these people are theoretical people. I have heard many Christians argue that we should not do certain things because in theory a Christian could stumble and fall. That isn't what Paul wanted them to do. That isn't freedom at all. If they knew a person that would be harmed by them eating meat they should defer to the other person's sensibilities. If they did not know of a person, they had the freedom to continue as they wished.

What else do you see here?

November 29 - 1 Corinthians 1-4: Loyalty to Theologians with a Slick Theology

Today’s Reading: 1 Corinthians 1-4

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

The Corinthian church fought over theologians and lived in a city that thought their Message was ludicrous.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Paul to God's church in Corinth:
Though God will never give up on you, you must stop fighting!
The Gospel seems ludicrous to outsiders, but God turns worldly wisdom into nonsense. Think about it, everything you have comes through Jesus.
God's Spirit worked through me—an inarticulate man—to help set your relationships right.
God gives His Plan to everyone when they commune with Him. That is why you frustrate me with how you treat each other.
Preachers are guides into God's Kingdom. I don’t care what you think of me. Only He is willing to guide us to maturity.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Paul begins the letter to the Corinthians by reminding them that God will never give up on them.

If a letter starts by reminding you that God will never give up on you, you know two things: 1) God will never give up on you (obviously!) and 2) What comes next is going to be a long list of things you messed up. Before we get into this book we need to remember, no matter how bad we mess up, God will never give up on us!
Today's reading comes at a great time. Yesterday I wrote at length about how we should be have a more humble attitude when discussing the differences between the churches of Christ and other denominations. I have had other difficult things to say which may lead a person to think I do not like my tradition or that I want to leave it. Many people in my generation have come to the same conclusions I have and have left jaded or bitter against us. Instead of leaving, I want us to realize we are like the Corinthians because we have many problems, but we are also like the Corinthians because God will never give up on us. We can become a group of people setting all things right if we remember that God will never give up on us, even if we have a laundry list of problems.

The Corinthian church elevated their theological influences higher than their relationships with their fellow Christians.

This section reminds me of something the Restoration Movement got right, at least we did for a while. As a student at a seminary, I noticed several factions within the denominational world—Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Azusa Street, African, Asian, Catholic, etc. These groups all had their favorite theologians and pitted them against each other. Paul wanted the Corinthians to remember that all theologians are servants of the Originator of the Message they preach. Don't focus on the servant. Focus on the God!

The Gospel seems silly to those who are "wise".

The Corinthians lived in a very educated, sophisticated culture which wanted either magic tricks to shock the crowds into believing (the Jews) or seamless arguments proving a tight theology (the Greeks). God's Message included neither of those things. Instead, He used a non-efficient method to spread a non-convincing Message—non-educated people teaching other non-educated people how to set things right because God came down and allowed Himself to become a brutal sacrifice. The truth is, neither magic tricks nor perfect, rational theology convinces a person to change. Only the words of a friend will truly convict a person to change. God uses an unlikely method to spread His unattractive Message—friends. Paul wanted to be impressive but failed. Instead, he allowed God's Spirit to convict others and great things happened. Paul wants them use that method of spreading God's Message. The Message itself is not slick. It's messy. It's tough. It doesn't sound very theological. It isn't easy to believe. Yet God's Message has gone throughout most of the world and no one can stop it. It requires a lot of faith because something you gain easily you lose easily.

God spreads His Plans for the world when we commune with Him.

God wants to tell the world what He is doing. He also wants them to listen. For that reason, He waits until they are willing to commune with Him before He lets them in on His Plan. When we commune with God, we learn how the world works.

Do you believe God will never give up on you?