Balancing Unity - Part 2 of 2

As promised... Here are my personal notes from today's L.I.F.E Group lesson.  I wanted to share these because I often find that in the midst of the morning chaos, I miss a specific something that God revealed to me.  The words in [ ] are notes to you. 

6.6.2010 - Promoting Church Unity

Background: 1 Corinthians 1:1 – 3:23 [There is SOOO much in this group of scripture.  Each chapter has enough life application that we could easily spend an hour on each.  Please prayerfully read over these when you get a chance.]

Focus: 1 Corinthians 1:10, 21-31; 3:9-10, 16-17

1:1 – Paul establishes that he is God’s messenger; his mission is to share the news of Jesus Christ, death & resurrection

1:2 – Paul recognizes the calling God has placed on the people in Corinth: to be holy as Jesus has made you holy… just like every other believer everywhere… forever.

1:4-9 – Lovingly and graciously tells of his thankfulness for them. This was intimate. He was giving God the glory for ALL that He blessed them with; from their knowledge/wisdom gained, strength, and endurance, to their fanatical enthusiasm to accomplish the task called of them. Paul also reminds them that God is ALWAYS faithful and ALWAYS does as He says.

1:10 – “Appeal” = an application (as to a recognized authority) for corroboration, vindication, or decision; an earnest plea *Merriam-Webster Dictionary

“…Brothers and Sisters,” = personal, emphasis on the family of God

“…by authority of our Lord Jesus Christ,” = Speaking with the influence of Jesus himself… the final word.

Instruction: “…to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” = this is not an opinion, it’s a directive. Be on guard… let there… don’t be passive (applications to more than just “church-life”); Infers agreement… know/determine what the goal & purpose of the body as a whole.

? Our purpose/goal as a L.I.F.E Group

? Our purpose/goal as a part of the greater Women’s Ministry

? Our purpose/goal as a congregation

? Our purpose/goal as The Body of Christ

1:11-20 = keep Jesus Christ, His sacrifice, His resurrection central to ALL that we aspire to accomplish… it’s all for Him and His glory anyway. God’s ways are not subtle and not without offending. Jesus offended people. His name still offends today while the names of other, so-called gods/prophets/holy teachers are welcomed with the idea and false sense of spirituality and tolerance.

1:21-24 = Corinth as a central city; wisdom by the world’s standards is foolish, silly, irrational

1:25 = the most silly/irrational/weakest of plans of God are STILL greater, higher, and immensely better than the strongest of any human/or man-made tool

1:26-29 = God used… and still uses… things that the world finds ridiculous/worthless/despised for His glory!!! He can do anything but He chooses to use us… not b/c we are wise or unwise, educated or uneducated, male or female, regardless of color, or creed… He put us all on equal ground: NO ONE deserves His grace, EVERYONE has access to His precious gift of His Son, NO ONE can boast in God’s presence.

1:30-31 = we are all equal in God’s eyes: we are ALL worth the sacrifice of His Son –

He reduces us to a COMMON DENOMINATOR (A quantity into which all the denominators (it tells how many equal parts make up a whole) of a set of fractions may be divided without a remainder – *thefreedictionary.com)

We do not get any of the credit.

2:1-15 = Paul recognizes the depth of his audience… not on wisdom or intellect but in their “knowledge gained through experience” through a relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ

2:16 = Just as no one can completely and fully know anyone but themselves so it is with God. HOWEVER, God gave us access to His mind… The Mind of Christ through the Holy Spirit! We get the chance to know Him even though we couldn’t possibly dream of the magnitude of His Majesty… He wants and desires deeply for us to know Him.

3:1-3 = When Paul first met the people who would become the church at Corinth, He had to teach them and guide them as parents to a child. But ENOUGH ALREADY! Are you done being small and petty? Let’s get to work!

3:4-8 = who cares who does the planting or the watering? The point is to DO! God will handle the rest.

3:9-10 = as mentioned previously… we are all on equal footing… we are all His and we are all called to action.

3:11-15 = Jesus is the perfect foundation. He can NOT be improved upon.

3:16-17 = DON’T you get it!! The church at Corinth, (us) are the temple of God – Holy b/c the Spirit lives within us. We are the temple built upon the Foundation, Jesus. “God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple…” Somehow I don’t doubt God’s faithfulness to carry out THIS promise.

3:18-23 = Stop it already! Grow-up… or rather, GROW DEEPER!

[We have been given God's Word in a relatively user friendly format.  Many of us have multiple copies and translations in our homes yet we do not study it.  We think we have a deep knowledge of scripture until we are asked a direct question... usually having to defend a particular part of our faith.  The church at Corinth, like many of the first churchs, did not have copies of scripture - let alone a copy readily available for personal study at a moment of convenience.  Obviously, they WERE the New Testament.  We have an amazing responsibilty as the beneficiaries of their legacy to know - to experience and to apply God's Word to our daily lives.  We are called, in fact commanded, to reach others for Christ... not to beat around the bush or sugar-coat the facts God presents in His Word.  Compromise will not bring others to a personal relationship with Christ- THAT is our priority #1, right?]
 
Have a great week... next week's lesson will be from 1Corinthians 1:4-21.