I think knowing the context changes everything. What he writes here is shocking. 4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. I always thank God for who? Who is he thankful for? For the Corinthians. Did he write this letter and mail it to the wrong address? […]
1 Cor 1:4-9 – Thanksgiving Sunday: Why Should We Be Thankful (pt 1 of 3)
Happy Thanksgiving! Today is all about thanksgiving. And if you are wondering about the table here, we will be partaking in the Lord’s Supper later in the service because as Christians, what are we most thankful for? It’s God sending His Son to reconcile sinners to Himself through the cross of Christ. The gospel. Thank […]
Oswald Chambers Devotional: Sacred Service
When we say, “What a wonderful personality, what a fascinating person, and what wonderful insight!” then what opportunity does the gospel of God have through all of that? It cannot get through, because the attraction is to the messenger and not the message. If a person attracts through his personality, that becomes his appeal. If, […]
1 Corinthians 5 – Church Discipline (pt 4 of 4)
Let’s examine for a moment the types of sins that would be severe enough to merit church discipline to the highest degree, even an ultimatum in v11. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or […]
1 Corinthians 5 – Church Discipline (pt 3 of 4)
What does it mean to be accountable before God for another person’s soul? It means, I am responsible for the final salvation of each member of this church. And if you are member, you are responsible for my final salvation. The last thing I should do is to be content that a great number of […]
1 Corinthians 5 – Church Discipline (pt 2 of 4)
I want to introduce some tools for our toolbox when we are forced to deal with matters of church discipline. 1) The first tool is encouragement. It’s when you are prompted by the Holy Spirit to offer a word of encouragement. I think this tool has to be the most widely used. This is a […]