Week #30 Insights: July 22-28

It's not too late! Join us on Wednesday, July 24 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Questions or topics for discussion can be e-mailed to Pastor Eric Schroeder. Hope to see you there!

Pastor Eric Schroeder authors this week's blurbs.

July 22 – 1 Corinthians 1: St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church might be considered one of his most practical epistles for the church today. The opening chapter introduces us to a stark contrast between two “realities.” On the one hand, the Corinthian church was kind of a mess. Church politics are nothing new; they have been around as long as the church has. It’s a regretful byproduct of looking at the church as an institution or an organization…Somebody has to be in charge…Somebody has to do the work…Somebody ought to get the credit for the direction things are going…right? I suppose Paul would agree with those suggestions, but not the way we might be thinking. Christ is the one who has to be in charge for the Church to work. We might serve him in various ways, but he is the one who performed the only work capable of saving souls. God forbid that we ever look anywhere else but to the cross and the empty tomb when we are handing out credit for the beauty of the church. He is the one who brings about the new reality, the “realest” reality there is. Even in a church that is in so many ways a mess, Paul writes to them (and to us) and calls us the ones who are “in Christ Jesus.” He is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption (v. 30). Study question: Why must we always be on guard against divisions in our church(es)? How can we intentionally become more united in mind and thought?
 
July 23 – 1 Corinthians 2: Practical? It seems like the opposite of practical when a man called to teach the Gentiles makes a statement like this: “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Really, Paul? Nothing else? What about all the questions we have? What about all the other teachings of the Bible? What about our cultural differences and family problems and our general boredom with the humdrum of life’s routine? Maybe they expected a how-to manual, a “seven steps to a fulfilling life” motivational speech, or a show that dazzled and entertained and convinced the hardened skeptic. Instead, Paul came with Christ crucified. That’s where he starts, and that’s where he will finish, as if to say, “If it doesn’t directly connect with Christ, it isn’t worth a mention.” Christ is life, a life that brings meaning and purpose and strength that we can’t find anywhere else. I can’t think of anything more practical than that. Study question: At its heart, the gospel is a simple message. Why would Paul refer to it as “secret wisdom”?
 
July 24 – 1 Corinthians 3: Thank God for godly correction, for those who care enough about the gospel to work on removing obstacles in the church. It’s so easy for us to insert ourselves as critics, reviewers, or customers of the church instead of seeing things as Paul points out: “We are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” A one-man construction crew cannot hope to achieve what a qualified team can. May God direct each of us to see our own individual purposes within his building plans! Have you ever stopped to look at the exterior of churches like St. John’s? No two stones are alike, but step back and see the beauty of how they fit together. What a blessing it is to be an active member on the inside of the building, to work together to build one another up so that God’s glory shines brightly and serves as a light to those we make efforts to reach. Study question: Take some time to contemplate what Paul means in the chapter’s closing verses. How can it be that only when we give up our claims of church ownership do we really begin to own it, so that “all things are yours”?
 
July 25 – 1 Corinthians 4: In this age of feelings over facts, we can certainly identify with what Paul is saying. The truth isn’t always popular. Opponents of the truth combine lies with personal attacks in order to gain influence over the immature who aren’t mature enough to possess the gift of discernment. Paul isn’t most concerned about himself; as he clearly states, he knows whose judgment matters the most. But…for the sake of the Corinthians, he defends himself and his ministry. For the sake of souls, he is willing to sacrifice. Out of love for those who are teetering on the brink, he shouts out a warning and then whispers softly with a gospel invitation. May God bless the church of our age with faithful ministers who love people enough to stand on the truth and refuse to budge. Study question: What do you think about Paul’s inspired use of sarcasm in this chapter (vv. 8ff)? What is the intended effect, and does it work?
 
July 26 – 1 Corinthians 5: It’s disgusting. Against nature. We would never let that happen in our church… Be careful if those thoughts enter your mind. Yes, the sin is serious, but no more than your own. No more than the couple who divorces without Biblical grounds. No more than the dating couple who acts like they are married. No more than the individual secretly hooked on pornography. No more than the parents who make zero effort to bring their children up in the training and instruction of the Lord. No more than _________ (fill in the blank with your own sinful weakness). What if Paul wrote a letter to our church and exposed your sin…or mine? Does that change your perspective? God grant us all humility and the vision to see the planks in our own eyes. And then God grant us the courage to help our brothers and sisters in their own struggles with temptation. Study question: What is it about the particular sinners mentioned that warrants excommunication (hint: it’s not just the particular sin)? Why did Paul also charge the rest of the congregation as though they were responsible?
 
July 27 – 1 Corinthians 6: In this chapter we are able to see one of the most powerful words in all of Scripture. After a list that certainly includes all of us (we are guilty of idolatry whenever anyone or anything replaces God as our #1 desire), a list that unequivocally disqualifies us from any eternal inheritance, Paul goes on…And that is what some of you…are? No, in Christ that isn’t what you are. It’s what you were. You were an idolater, a greedy individual, a slanderer of those you couldn’t get along with, but you aren’t that anymore. It’s not your identity. "You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (v. 11). At your baptism you were cleansed, set apart for God’s holy purposes, and declared righteous thanks to the substitutionary work of your Savior. Jesus didn’t just provide forgiveness at the cross; no, he also poured out power to be a new person and live a new life. Live that new life today! Study question: How does a focus on your new identity in Christ lead you to see the world differently—your work life, your family life, your social life, etc.?
 
July 28 – 1 Corinthians 7: It is a gift to be married. It is also a gift to be unmarried. Both ways of life have their pros and cons, and both certainly have their temptations. Married people sometimes feel as though they’d be happier if they divorced. Unmarried people sometimes feel as though they’d be happier if they found a spouse. Read this chapter carefully, though. Married Christians and unmarried Christians both have high callings from God, callings that we ought to recognize and rejoice in. Jesus gave one circumstance in which God allows divorce (marital unfaithfulness); here Paul mentions another: when an unbelieving spouse deserts a believer, there isn’t much the believer can do. He also lists some circumstances in which unmarried people probably ought to get married. But don’t miss the main point—the purpose of our own lives cannot be to seek what we think will make us happy; we must seek to live out the callings we have received from God. Study question: Married or single, how can you benefit greatly from remembering that “this world in its present form is passing away”?