This week’s passage, 1st Corinthians chapter 13, is arguably the most important passage in the New Testament! Affectionately known as “the Love Chapter”, we get a challenging picture of the kind of love that comes from God, and is expressed by God. Could there be anything more important in our lives than love? Everyone agrees…
We spent the first message in our 1st Corinthians 12 study discussing spiritual gifts. Now Paul will give us a framework to understand how spiritual gifts work in a practical way and in real life. The ultimate truth he is conveying to the church is that the gifts are not given to make the recipient…
Are you “charismatic”? I am not speaking in terms of a personality that is smooth and personable and influential—what we would call “charisma”. I am speaking in the spiritual sense! You might answer by saying, “No, I am a Baptist…or Methodist…or Catholic.” Some might even have a negative response to the idea of a “charismatic…
This Sunday we continue in 1st Corinthians chapter 11, picking up in verse 17 and going through the end of the chapter. Communion? Eucharist? Lord’s Supper? Some of you might be so new to Christianity that you have no idea what these words mean. Others are very familiar with the practice in some form or…
With the snow gone and as we gather back again on a Sunday, we return to our study of 1st Corinthians, picking up in chapter 11. This is the famous — or infamous — passage that addresses the way men and women dress during for the church gatherings. Does God have a dress code? Is…
Continuing in 1st Corinthians chapter 10, Paul is now wrapping up a discussion about our favorite topic — food! This discussion began in chapter 8 and now, three whole chapters have been taken up with answering a question about food. The question seemed simple enough but a well-crafted answer was required, better than a simple…
As we set our hearts and minds on a new year starting in just a few days, and possibly resolve to work off the extra poundage we have gained over the last week, 1st Corinthians 10 is a perfect passage for the occasion. How so, you might ask? Maybe you know that the month of…
In 1 Corinthians chapter 9, Paul is on the defensive with the unreasonable, stubborn, and proud Corinthians! Paul has just challenged them that love is more important than knowledge, and that more knowledge leads to a greater and more Godly love. It seems that they have challenged Paul and his authority to even tell them…
As we enter 1st Corinthians chapter 8, Paul is trying his best to get the Corinthians on the same page about a variety of issues from resurrection to spiritual gifts! In the past few weeks we have hammered out chapter 7 (via a mini-study we titled “Questions about Marriage”). Now we come to a new…
As the final installment in our “miniseries” on marriage, we complete 1st Corinthians chapter seven, with Paul’s answers to the Corinthian’s questions about marriage. Next week chapter eight picks up with a new question and a new topic. The last section of this chapter has some difficulties. The difficulties exist because Paul is addressing some…