"I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, [that you may be] blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God [is] faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you, but [that] you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
1 Corinthians 1:4-10
1 Corinthians 1:4-10
This is piggy-backing on top of my previous post.
vs. 4-8 Not only does God bless us, but He enriches us with His divine gifts. AND, He doesn't shortchange us. He gives believers exactly what we need to accomplish His will. The question is, are we using these gifts? Are we accomplishing His will, or are we waiting around wasting time? Ephesians 2:10 says that God has prepared works for us that we are to walk in. We each have a specific calling, and He has prepared and equipped us perfectly for it. You might have thought that college was preparing you for your life's work, but truly, it is the Holy Spirit who will teach us, and our surrendering to Him will allow Him to use us.
vs. 9 Then Paul reminds the Corinthians that God is faithful. The Corinthian church was filled with A LOT of sin and rebelliousness against God, yet He remained faithful. The book of Hosea shows us an amazing picture of how God is faithful to His children, even when we become spiritual adulterers. He will not give up on you! Our slip-ups and stumbles aren't enough for the Lord to call it quits on us. How encouraging for the Corinthians to be reminded of this. Instead of Paul immediately railing on them for all their mistakes, he begins by speaking encouragement and love to them. Change isn't brought about merely by addressing a problem, but by pointing to God, who is able to change us.
vs. 10 Then, after his greeting, Paul immediately PLEADS with the Corinthians to be of one mind. This is really the first issue Paul addresses in this letter, which to me, emphasizes it's importance. Why is unity so important? Because we are the Body of Christ, and the image of Christ to the world. The unity of believers brings glory to God and points non-believers to Jesus. Our reflection as a church needs to look like Christ, not like me, or a pastor, or Calvary Chapel, but like Jesus, the Beautiful One. He provides and adorns us with beauty that will draw the hungry to Himself. Our own so-called "beauty" is empty, and offers nothing. With a fallen and desperate world around us, we need to reflect the beauty of Jesus!
vs. 4-8 Not only does God bless us, but He enriches us with His divine gifts. AND, He doesn't shortchange us. He gives believers exactly what we need to accomplish His will. The question is, are we using these gifts? Are we accomplishing His will, or are we waiting around wasting time? Ephesians 2:10 says that God has prepared works for us that we are to walk in. We each have a specific calling, and He has prepared and equipped us perfectly for it. You might have thought that college was preparing you for your life's work, but truly, it is the Holy Spirit who will teach us, and our surrendering to Him will allow Him to use us.
vs. 9 Then Paul reminds the Corinthians that God is faithful. The Corinthian church was filled with A LOT of sin and rebelliousness against God, yet He remained faithful. The book of Hosea shows us an amazing picture of how God is faithful to His children, even when we become spiritual adulterers. He will not give up on you! Our slip-ups and stumbles aren't enough for the Lord to call it quits on us. How encouraging for the Corinthians to be reminded of this. Instead of Paul immediately railing on them for all their mistakes, he begins by speaking encouragement and love to them. Change isn't brought about merely by addressing a problem, but by pointing to God, who is able to change us.
vs. 10 Then, after his greeting, Paul immediately PLEADS with the Corinthians to be of one mind. This is really the first issue Paul addresses in this letter, which to me, emphasizes it's importance. Why is unity so important? Because we are the Body of Christ, and the image of Christ to the world. The unity of believers brings glory to God and points non-believers to Jesus. Our reflection as a church needs to look like Christ, not like me, or a pastor, or Calvary Chapel, but like Jesus, the Beautiful One. He provides and adorns us with beauty that will draw the hungry to Himself. Our own so-called "beauty" is empty, and offers nothing. With a fallen and desperate world around us, we need to reflect the beauty of Jesus!
Post a Comment