Remember that one of the big problems in Corinth was the rivalry and tribalism among believers. They were in the habit of identifying themselves with particular leaders and seeing their tribe as better than everyone else. The same habit was at risk of infecting their attitude to gifts so that people would see their particular… Continue reading A Diverse Church (1 Corinthians 12:12-30)
Category: Bible Study
A receiving church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
Having discerned that it is God’s Holy Spirit at work and not an evil Spirit, we can move to see what the Spirit is doing and saying. One of the key things that the Holy Spirit does is to give gifts to the Church. Prioritise the giver (v4-6) We can become focused on the gifts… Continue reading A receiving church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
What kind of church? A fellowshipping Church 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34
As someone involved in preaching and teaching, I often get feedback and in fact actively seek it. How did I do? Was the talk the right length? Did I speak clearly but not too loudly? Was there variation in tone and emotion? Was the application relevant? However, beyond occasionally being reminded that I sing out… Continue reading What kind of church? A fellowshipping Church 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34
What kind of Church? A worshipping Church (1 Corinthians 11:1-16)
Why do we come together for worship? What is a church gathering all about? The key things can be summed up as: To give praise and glory to God To hear God speak to us together To encourage and build one another up This will help us make sense of the next section of 1… Continue reading What kind of Church? A worshipping Church (1 Corinthians 11:1-16)
A glorifying church (1 Corinthians 10:18-33)
I suspect that many of the questions and concerns from the Corinthian church came from a good place. We can easily write them off as the bad guys but they weren’t. Paul is not addressing apostates or false teachers but a real, young., alive, messy church that shows signs of having the Holy Spirit’s presence… Continue reading A glorifying church (1 Corinthians 10:18-33)
When the car crash has happened – guilt and shame revisited
In our look at 1 Corinthians 10, I used the example of someone pushing the boundaries, taking risks with their faith being like a driver taking corners at speed close to the cliff edge. They risk plunging off of the edge into a deep ravine. 1 Corinthians 10 offers a warning against taking risks, falling… Continue reading When the car crash has happened – guilt and shame revisited
A learning church (1 Corinthians 10: 1-18)
You’ve probably heard the story about the boss who wants a new chauffer. He gets two drivers to do a test run along one of the most challenging passes up around the mountains. One driver puts his foot down. He wants to show off his skills, he takes the car right to the edge of… Continue reading A learning church (1 Corinthians 10: 1-18)
What kind of church? A free church (1 Corinthians 9)
We sometimes get into disputes about how Christians are to relate to “The Law”. Are we under Law or under grace? Now, for obvious reasons, there doesn’t tend to be much discussion or debate about whether or not we are under any requirement to not murder or steal. So, the focus when it comes to… Continue reading What kind of church? A free church (1 Corinthians 9)
Freedom in Christ changes relationships to others
As well as writing letters to churches, Paul wrote to a few individuals. We have three examples in Scripture, though I’m sure he wrote more. He writes to his co-workers Timothy and Titus giving them instructions about how to pastor the churches within their care. The third example, to Philemon is even more personal. Paul… Continue reading Freedom in Christ changes relationships to others
For such a time as this
I’ve been working through the book of Esther but often accounts like this are best understood when we see the whole story together. Whilst we can preach sermon series on books like Esther, Ruth and Jonah, there’s benefit from time to time to getting that big picture view to understand the overall message. So, here’s… Continue reading For such a time as this
