1 Corinthians 10:11-14 Overcome the Wilderness!

1 Corinthians 10:11-14  These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.  So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

Paul compares the wilderness experience with the life we live as Christians.  We face many temptations, many diversions, and find many other gods to serve, especially ones of our own interest.  He tells Christians that even though we have been freed from slavery by Christ's marvelous work, even though He has provided us a way to exist in this land of desolation, we must beware of the inclinations of the flesh: grumbling about our situation in life; serving the self first before God and others; indulging in fleshly pursuits such as promiscuous behavior, either in reality or in our thought life; pursuing other answers to our lives such as variant philosophies, ideologies or religions; defining life and its realities purely by what our physical senses perceive.  We know that the Jewish people's inclinations led them to grumble about not having water or the right kind of food.  Their inclinations led them to serve other gods as soon as they could not see Moses in their midst.  They allowed fleshly desires to lead them into sexual activity with prostitutes who served other gods.  They fell into fear because their senses told them that they would not survive in a harsh land of limited means.  God punished them as an example to us that He wants obedience from his children.  All of these temptations and inclinations are still with us in our Christian lives.  We are still going through the wilderness, and outside of Christ, it is a desolate land, without enough spiritual food to feed us, an environment that threatens our spiritual survival.  What are we to do with our present existence?  How are we to live?  Yes, the Promised Land is ahead, but how do we live in this present world?  Where do we find hope?  Certainly, the gospel has an answer for us.  As Peter wrote: In his great mercy he (God) has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  (1 Peter 1:3-7)

Today's scriptural focus is for all of us regardless of how long we have lived IN CHRIST.  We must be careful how we live, how we think, what we attach ourselves to, for our flesh is still with us.  No matter how many miracles you have seen or experienced, no matter how free you feel in the Lord, you must remember the words of the scriptures above.  All the Children of Israel experienced mighty miracles in the desert, yet a certain number of them failed to endure with God; they failed to be faithful to Him.  Paul's warning is, So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  He is telling the Corinthians to keep their relationship with Christ up-to-date, and not to let this relationship with him depend upon such things as past spiritual interactions with Him or on the miracles that He previously performed in their lives.  He desires for them to be close to God regardless of the temptations that exist in the wilderness.  He knows the wilderness and that what it has to offer will not sustain the spiritual lives of the Corinthians.  He is asking them to have a life of faith, a life of believing in God regardless of the circumstances.  As we read in the word: Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.  (1Peter 4:12-13)  Sometimes our present circumstances look rather gloomy and desperate.  At times, the surrounding environment of the world might look better and more hopeful than our current spiritual existence.  We might believe if we just broadened our allegiance to include the ideas of others or tweaked our spiritual lives just a little toward our worldly desires, that we would be happier, more successful.  But Paul reminds them in his letter to the Corinthians that flesh leads to death while FAITH IN God IS LIFE FOREVER.

But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.  Paul concludes his warning about this wilderness experience by saying that God will provide a way out of your temptation if you flee from idolatry.  He tells them that believing and relying on anything other than God means destruction and death.  They must place their complete trust in God: serving and worshipping him alone, THE GIVER OF LIFE.  If they do so, they will experience his strength on life's journey.  If they fail to rely on him, thinking they can stand on their own reasoning and strength, his power will not rescue them.  Paul's teaching is important especially for those who minister the gospel to others because they need to depend upon God's strength.  Paul says, even though you have felt God's anointing and have seen his great works, you are capable of falling away from his divine will.  You cannot live a double-minded life.  You cannot trust in God while also trusting in your own lifestyle, abilities, or personal idols.  Your life has to be a life of complete trust and faith in God.  Others may put their trust in reasoning or in their senses or they may grumble that there is no water, no food, no way to exist out here in the desert.  They may say we must do something different; we must find answers other than just faith in God.  If we do not find other answers, we will die in this wilderness.  But Paul tells the Corinthians, Christians should run the race of life as winners, for it leads to eternal life.  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.  (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)  Dear friends, your life must be hidden with Christ in God at all times.  You must rely on him alone.  You must be up-to-date in your spiritual walk, in step with the Holy Spirit.  Leaders, when there is no water, no food, you must believe that God will intervene and rescue a grumbling people.  Run in such a way as to get the prize, no matter how foolish you might look, be known as a man or woman of faith, God's faithful servant.   

1 Corinthians 10:6-11 Slipstreaming Christians

1 Corinthians 10:6-11  Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.  Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.”  We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did — and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.  We should not test the Lord, as some of them did — and were killed by snakes.  And do not grumble, as some of them did — and were killed by the destroying angel.   These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

Often Christians live in the slipstream of others.  The slipstream in the physical world is a place immediately behind a fast moving object.  Reduced air pressure from the vehicle ahead, plus a forward suction pressure from behind, allows the second vehicle to be pulled along by the fast moving car or plane ahead of it.  Many times Christians depend on their pastors as that first vehicle.  They are pulled along spiritually depending on how the pastor lives or teaches.  When the pastor is not there, or the right spiritual help is absent, or the right Christian book is not in their hands, many Christians flounder because they lose contact with their slipstream.  We see this in the story of the golden calf in the Old Testament.  Moses is on Mt. Sinai, away from the people;  consequently, they revert to their old ways: When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us.  As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”  (Exodus 32:1)  Absent from their spiritual leader, their inspiration, the Israelites quickly go back to the lifestyle that is familiar to them.  The new life of faith is lost because their leader is not present to encourage them, to help them keep the vision of the Promised Land in their heads.  In today's focus, Paul warns the Christians not to turn back to their old habits and ways of living.  He reminds them that their spiritual lives should be up-to-date, present with God through the unctions and inspirations of the Holy Spirit.  They should remember that God brought judgment upon the Children of Israel when they wandered away from God in their daily lives, losing faith in God by murmuring against Moses, his chosen leader.  Paul wants Christians to know that this God they serve is the I AM of the past, present, and future.  He is long-suffering, but judgment is his prerogative, his choice when necessary.  

We see God's holiness illustrated in the New Testament with how He dealt with Ananias and Sapphira and their deception.  

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.  With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.  

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?  Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold?  And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?  What made you think of doing such a thing?  You have not lied to men but to God.”  

When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died.  (Acts 5:1-5)

 

Of course, God's judgment of Ananias and Sapphira made the people around this incident fearful.  They realized God was present with them wherever they were, in all situations.  As with the Israelites in the wilderness, with the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night journeying along with them, so it is with Christians who have the Holy Spirit present with them in all places.  The people of God receive his blessings, but they also might face his judgments if they chose sin and deception over life and truth.  God has promised the Holy Spirit to live in us.  He has given us this wonderful gift so we might live his life in victory here on Earth.  John wrote: 

This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  (1 John 5:3-4)

  We do not need to be in someone's slipstream, depending on another person's spirituality or understanding of God.  The Holy Spirit came to teach us all things.  We are his representatives, but we must listen to him or we will have to depend on someone else's understanding of God and the works of Jesus Christ.  When Stephen was brought before the 

Sanhedrin, he

 told the Jews their forefather's would not listen to God because their hearts were hard.  God sent them spiritual leaders to teach them obedience to God, but they would not pay attention to them; instead, they persecuted and even killed them.  They turned back to their old lifestyle in Egypt.  Stephen said even though they witnessed the miracles of God in the wilderness, they rejected God. 

 Stephen concludes, 

But our fathers refused to obey him.  Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.  (Acts 7:39)  Paul warns the Christians not to turn back to Egypt in their actions and minds but to follow Christ by faith, even as he follows Christ by faith.  As he wrote to the church in Rome:  For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”  (Romans 1:17)    

Fellow breakfast companions, Paul writes this letter so the Corinthians might not set their hearts 

on evil things as they (the Israelites) did.  Setting yourself on evil things means wanting to go back to Egypt, wanting to re-establish your old life.  You want to worship the idols of the past.  Looking back is desiring to maintain your life in the world of sin, seeking the pleasures of the unredeemed world before you knew Christ.  But God has changed you, cleansed your heart, and given you new affections.  You love others and desire to do good to them through the indwelling Holy Spirit.  You want others to prosper and find freedom in Christ.  You want them to be saved and healed.  You want the best for them in all situations by faith.  Literally, you are a NEW CREATURE, designed to serve, to encourage, to help those in need.  God has placed his Spirit in your heart to guide and to comfort you.  You have SET YOUR HEART IN GOD'S LAND OF FREEDOM and not in the land of Egypt where you lived in bondage to sin.  The land of Egypt is for self and sinful desires, the land of the Spirit is for freedom to serve others, looking out for their welfare.  As we walk with the Lord, we can gauge where we are by our love for people.  If we love little, we need to move closer to the Lord.  If we love deeply, we still have room to move closer to the Lord, for He gave his life for all, the sinner and even his enemies.  If you desire to commit totally to God, to hear and to obey his voice, start helping others, praying for others, loving others.  In that mode, the self will fall away, and the Spirit of the Lord will take control.  The voices of this world will not tempt you; all the glittering attractions of the former life will grow strangely dim in the light of God's love for others.  He loves you with a divine love; He desires your companionship.  God also seeks your integrity to carry the Good News to the world.  The Spirit of God knows us; knows us better than we know ourselves.  As we are honest with the Spirit, He will change us and help us shine for him.  He is the Potter and we are the clay.  As the psalmist wrote:  The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.  (Psalm 138:8)   We ask the Lord to help us to be what He desires for us, to make us better servants in his family.  Bless you all as you journey on his pathway.    

1 Corinthians 10:1-5 Alive in the Promised Land!

1 Corinthians 10:1-5  For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.  They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.  They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.  Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.  

Their bodies were scattered over the desert.  Whose bodies were scattered?  The chosen, the people God delivered from Egypt, did not make it to the Promised Land because of disobedience to God who had miraculously delivered them from slavery.  God had provided a way out of bondage for them through the blood of lambs sprinkled over the sides and tops of their door frames.  This blood prevented the Angel of Death from entering their houses to kill the firstborn in their families.  The Angel of Death, the judgment for sin, spared them that first Passover night because they were protected by the blood of the lambs.  However, this visitation of death to the Egyptian households caused great trauma for the Egyptians when they discovered the death of their firstborn.  Yet, the blood of the sacrificed lambs freed the Jewish people from Pharaoh's hands.  Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.  During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites!  Go, worship the LORD as you have requested.  Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go.  And also bless me.”  (Exodus 12:30-32)   Pharaoh finally told the Children of Israel to leave Egypt for they were a scourge on his people.  Consequently, the chosen left Egypt, crossing the Red Sea on dry land; then they traveled through the wilderness toward the Promised Land.  However, even though God had delivered them from slavery, brought them safely through the Red Sea, provided manna from heaven and quail to satisfy their desire for meat, and supplied water from the rock, they refused to serve God with their whole hearts.  Some of them even carried the gods of Egypt with them as they crossed the wilderness.  This spiritual amnesia and willful sinning brought great judgement upon them.  Finally, their cowardice to enter the Promise Land because of their lack of faith and trust in the God caused them to die in the wilderness.  They had rejected Caleb and Joshua's account of God favoring them to take the land. Therefore, God sent them back into the wilderness to die.  He would not bring a faithless, sinful people into the Land of Plenty.  He chose judgment for them, not deliverance.  Except for Caleb, Joshua, and the young, God left their dead bones in the wilderness.  

Paul expresses to the Corinthians this account of the Children of Israel and their wilderness experience to implant an understanding that they must continue in faith, believing in the new work that God has created in them.  They are to leave behind the old life of sin and debauchery.  They too were delivered from the land of slavery by the blood of a lamb, CHRIST JESUS, THE LAMB OF GOD.  Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross delivered them from death, the just consequence of their sins.  He made them righteous, freed them from Satan's power.  As the Children of Israel experienced the Red Sea, they experienced a water baptism, separating them from their old lives in Egypt.  As the Israelites experienced the cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night, representing God's presence with them; the Corinthian Christians experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  As the cloud and pillar directed the journey of the Children of Israel in the wilderness, so does the abiding Spirit of God direct Christians in their daily walk.  The Children of Israel survived by eating and drinking that which God provided; Christians eat and drink of Christ Jesus himself, receiving sustenance to walk out this life.  However, the Jews experienced all these wonderful acts and interventions of God, yet oftentimes were faithless and sinful in their daily lives.  They chose their old lifestyles and beliefs over God's dominion, his authority.  They chose their idols of self-will, self-desires, fulfilling the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.  Paul says God did not set you free from the slavery of sin, so that you might indulge yourself in fleshly pursuits, fulfilling the desires of sinful flesh.  The flesh and its desires are contrary to the will of God and to citizenship in the Promised Land.  He asks them what he asked the Romans: How can people saved by grace continue in sin?  How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  (Romans 6:2)  If you continue in sin willingly, God has no choice but to place his hand of judgment upon you.  You will not end your life in the Promised Land: you will end up in the desert, feeding off the dusty refuse of this world.  The fruit of the world will never sustain the spiritual man or woman.  Paul tells the Corinthians they cannot tempt the Lord God with their wayward lifestyle and escape retribution.  God knows every action in their lives, every intent of their hearts.  He will not tolerate open, sustained sin when such a great price has been paid for their salvation.  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  (Galatians 6:7)   

We who are IN CHRIST are present with him because of faith in his works, not ours.  This means we are walking this life with and in his presence.  The Children of Israel had the pillar of fire at night and the cloud during the day to direct them, guide them.  We have the Holy Spirit IN US to oversee us.  But just as the Children of Israel could choose to do their own thing even though they were constantly in the presence of God, we also have that freedom.  We can be negative towards God and others if we choose.  We can please ourselves and our wills by placing ourselves in preeminence, consequently, placing God and his will as secondary or as an afterthought.  We are still free-willed individuals, made completely in God's LIKENESS.  As new creatures in Christ we have tremendous freedom: “Everything is permissible” — but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible” — but not everything is constructive.  Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)  Now, the choice is ours whether we choose God's perfect will or our will.  Are we free from slavery yet still choosing to sin, still looking back to Egypt for our satisfaction in the flesh?  Are we seeking the comforts of this world or are we willing to be servants to others?  Are we looking for what we can get out of the world: our bucket list?  Or is our bucket list for others?  Is our bucket list, God's list for us?  Is our bucket full with the words we want to tell others about God or is our bucket filled with longing for what we can get out of this place called Earth?  We heard a well-known pastor say, "The only thing a Christian should have on their bucket list is the will of God."  Paul tells the Corinthians to beware of the ways of the flesh, for the flesh and its desires will lead to destruction.  The way of the flesh is death; the way of the Spirit is eternal life.  If your desires are to see everything you can see in this world; to experience everything you can experience; to be satiated by every entertainment that can be consumed; beware, for tomorrow you will die and meet your MAKER.  He will ask you what you did with the lifespan you were given.  Did you focus on his concerns, desires, and wants for your life, or did you focus on your concerns, desires, and wants?  Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  But the LORD God called to the man,  "WHERE ARE YOU?" (Genesis 3:8-9) 

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Prize of the High Calling

1 Corinthians 9:24-27  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 

After Paul's conversion, he immediately went to the desert for three years to learn from the Holy Spirit the whole counsel of God.  Of course, he understood because of his education as a Pharisee that the earth was made for man, and God had placed man in the center of his will on earth: Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:25-27)  Paul also understood that the "likeness" of God in man had been corrupted by sin.  Rather than doing right, what was good and perfect on Earth, man chose to act out his self-will, falling into darkness and sin.  Paul, the Pharisee, understood all of this, but what he did not understand and needed to learn was the redemptive act of God through Jesus Christ.  He did not know that God came to Earth in the form of a man: Jesus Christ, God's Son.  In the desert, Paul learned from the Holy Spirit that redemption was nigh to anyone who would receive salvation by faith.  He learned eternal life was based on believing the Word of God that is present with every believer through the Holy Spirit.  Paul learned the meaning of the Old Testament reference that he shared with the Romans: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  (Romans 10:8-9)   Paul's direction changed forever in that desert.  He fully experienced Christ and rejected his own self-righteousness, desiring only an intimate Savior to commune with him daily.  Paul realized through faith he was a new creature in Christ, living forever in the family of God.  Paul knew his religious life won him no favor with God.  He believed the message the Pharisee Nicodemus heard from Jesus: “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”  (John 3:5-8)  Paul knew to run the race for a lasting crown: A MAN OR A WOMAN MUST BE BORN AGAIN BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

As a Pharisee, as a zealot for God, Paul understood total commitment to God.  He persecuted and killed the Christians for the religion he passionately served.  He honored God with all his being in everything he did.  Paul knew the prophets served God with their whole lives; therefore, as a faithful Pharisee, he wanted to serve God with all his mind and strength.  He was running to win the prize as he knew it, favor with God.  When Paul came before King Agrippa, he gave his credentials as a Jew: “The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem.  They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.  (Acts 26:4-5)  But Paul the Pharisee was running in the wrong way for the prize of God.  He was running as a natural man would run, placing all his confidence on his human ability, his great effort, to win the prize.  He did not understand Jesus had won the ultimate prize for him, eternal life.  In the desert, schooled by the Holy Spirit, Paul recognized  Jesus Christ and his life as everything in this race.  Even a young child with little strength to perform physical feats can win this race by taking the hand of Jesus who said: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  (Matthew 19:14)  As we put our faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit continues to shape us in his image.  Let us make man in our likeness.  As a Pharisee, Paul understood the fall of mankind, the need for sacrifices for sins.  In his flesh, Paul tried to please God, to conform to God's righteousness, by his own acts of righteousness.  But when he met Jesus, he realized eternal life comes only through faith in Christ's death on the cross.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."(Matthew 3:16-18)  

Paul's zeal to win God's favor through his own efforts disqualified him for the prize.  But his willingness to place his life in God's hands qualifies him for a crown that will last forever and God's free gift of eternal life.  Why then does Paul say emphatically, No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.  He is a slave to whom?  Himself!  For what purpose?  To finish the course for the One who has called him.  The winner is the one who finishes the race.  We read earlier in this chapter that Paul said he was willing to go without support from the Corinthian church for the sake of the gospel.  Even though he had a right to ask for money, he said, On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.  If he must put up with anything so that some might learn of Christ, he would do so.  If he must consider the needs of others over his own, let that happen for the gospel to go forward.  Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach.  Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!  No matter the cost to his ego and body, he determined to preach the "good news."  He had to finish the course, regardless of the price to himself.  Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone.  (1Corinthians 9:12, 16, 19)  Paul knew he possessed eternal life within him, but he also knew he had to fight the good fight by revealing the love of God.  He became everything to all men so that some could find the grace of God.  This was a daily struggle for Paul.  He laments his position of servanthood to God in several places as a man who has suffered.  He was stoned, beaten, and threatened by men for serving Christ.  Yet, he tells the church in Philippi: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:13-14 KJV)  As we read in today's scriptures, Paul presses on to get a crown that will last forever.  He continually reminds himself: I must reveal God and his selfless love to the world.  As I am beaten, as I am going without, as I am disrespected, the world will see Christ through me.  Is this our lives?  Chances are we will never face what Paul faced, but are we willing to face conflict or despair?  Are we able to let someone else take advantage of us and not retaliate?  Are we going to forgive and not to get even when we are wounded or misunderstood?  How are we running the race today?  The prize awaits us.     

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 Be All Things To All People!

1 Corinthians 9:19-23  Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.  To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.  To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.  To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Although we looked at verse 19 last week, we included it with this week's passage because of its close connection with the rest of the verses we are considering today.  Even though Paul knows he is a free man in Christ, belonging to no master on this earth, he willingly makes himself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.  To reach a person with the "Good News" that Christ has come to save sinners, Paul identifies with people completely, taking on their situations in life, their understanding of the world, their outlook on God.  Paul is willing to lose himself completely that he might fully empathize with another person and bring that individual to salvation.  He begins by saying: To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.  And he follows this by saying he came to those under the law in the same manner.  Paul undoubtedly would find the Jewish identity and understanding of those under the law two of the easiest circumstances to appreciate because as he said to the church in Philippi: If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.  (Philippians 3:4-6)  With such a background, Paul easily could preach salvation to the Jews and to those bound by the law.  His awareness and remembrances of his life as a Pharisee outside of Christ would give his actions authenticity with those he tried to convert to the Lord.  Of course, full of God's loving kindness and the Holy Spirit, Paul would have been able to come to the weak and the weary with grace and mercy, for their needs would have touched him.  Also, he knew he served a loving Savior who wept over Jerusalem and who said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.  (Matthew 11:28-30)

Paul could have named many groups of people that he ministered to during his life.  Certainly, he could have included the broad category of the Gentiles, the main people Paul was called to evangelize.  God made this calling clear when He saved Paul.  When Ananias did not want to go pray for Saul (Paul), the Lord said to him, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.  I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”  (Acts 9:15-16)  But Paul did not have to explain this part of his ministry to the Corinthian church.  They were the recipients of the gospel through Paul; they understood his ability to become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.  They experienced the love and correction of a spiritual father through Paul, even in this letter.  In his introduction to the people, we read Paul's commendation of their faith and his mention of imparting his testimony to them: I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  For in him you have been enriched in every way — in all your speaking and in all your knowledge — because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.  (1 Corinthians 1:4-6)  Yet the same teacher in Christ who praises them quickly turns to pointing out that he has heard of problems in the church: My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.  (1 Corinthians 1:11)  Paul deals with this issue and others in his message of encouragement and discipline.  As a loving father, he did not ignore the dysfunctions in the church but brought them to the light, believing God for the answers.  Paul planted a number of churches in the Gentile world, and he kept in touch with them through letters and by sending representatives to bring them his words of faith.  In all of his letters, we find the same combination.   First he praises the church for following Jesus, for taking up the cross and dying to the flesh.  Then we see the strong words, pointing the church to a life led by the Spirit on the path prepared by the Lord, avoiding all worldly pursuits.

Paul writes that he works with people for the sake of the gospel, that (he) may share in its blessings.  Truly, Paul understands that no price is too great for the gospel to go forth.  He also knows when people are added to the kingdom, heaven and Earth rejoice.  Paul enjoys the blessings of knowing Christ and seeing the family of God grow.  He experiences joy and satisfaction, knowing he follows his Lord's leading.  Of course, his pathway is not smooth.  We read of his many trials, yet his joy remains: But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.  So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.  (Philippians 2:17-18)  Paul does not find his peace in the suffering he experiences but in the relationship he has established with his Savior and Lord.  Part of the blessing of sharing the gospel message is knowing Christ and knowing He is guiding your life.  We once had a good friend who taught school as Dad did.  This friend attended church regularly but struggled with his faith, knowing he did not have a real personal relationship with God.  Dad and he played tennis together.  And we met with him and his wife in Bible studies.  We openly challenged him to look at the Bible to see who Jesus really was and to consider the Holy Spirit and the impact He could make in his life.  Our friend was hungry and confused but not ready to make a decision for Christ.  His analytical mind kept him from a leap of faith.  One day we received a phone call from our friend.  He wanted us to know he was born again.  While attending a class at Whitworth University, he was sitting on a bench, feeling very low, and a young woman approached him and shared her faith with him.  She told him she would go to her dorm and pray for him, and he should pray as well for salvation.  He did as she said, and he met the Lord in a powerful way.  He called us as soon as he came home because he said we were the only people he knew for sure were saved.  He also thanked us for praying for him for a number of years, but he added that when he met with us, he either did not understand what we were talking about or he totally disagreed.  That comment made us really laugh.  All those good words we said, and that was his response.  But God did the work anyway, and our friend knew who we were and wanted what we had.  Find someone in your life and share the gospel message with them.  They may not understand you or embrace you, but the Holy Spirit is still powerful to save!       

1 Corinthians 9:15-19 Trusted With The Gospel!

1 Corinthians 9:15-19  But I have not used any of these rights.  And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me.  I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast.  Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach.  Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!  If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.  What then is my reward?  Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.  Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

Paul begins chapter 9 with the rhetorical question: Am I not free?  (verse 1)  Obviously, he asks this to imply that he is free and follows up with other questions that reveal the realities of who he is by faith.  He knows Jesus Christ has set him free to do as he wishes in his freedom, and he is not obligated to any man for any reason other than to fulfill God's will.  However, he knows God has put demands on his life as an apostle of the gospel.  Consequently, he is not free to do just anything that he chooses in the flesh.  God has set him free to do kingdom work by spreading the "Good News" of Jesus Christ, and his redemptive, healing power, to all people everywhere.  Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.  Paul has manacled himself to Jesus Christ and his will.  As Jesus said to his Father, ". . .not my will, but yours be done," so did Paul commit his life to the Lord.  Paul knew his life had been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ.  He was not to live his life, but the life of Jesus Christ IN HIM.  Paul explained this well to the church in Galatia: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)  Of course, we know Paul heard these words of commitment and servanthood on the day of his conversion: "

I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.  ‘Now get up and stand on your feet.  I have appeared to you to appoint you AS A SERVANT AND AS A WITNESS of what you have seen of me and what I will show you."

  (Acts 26:15, 16)  On that day, Paul was set free from anything that would bind him to sin or this world, for he was baptized and set apart by the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ.  From that day on he became a member of God's own family, as an adopted son, with freedom from sin and the fleshly pursuits of this world in his soul.  However, as a child of God, he had an obligation to free others from sin and eternal death.  Even though free, he became subject to the will and the leading of God. 

All of us who are now IN CHRIST were once deep into the slavery of sin and death.  Our fleshly lives were dead in sins and trespasses, but because of the grace and mercy of God, we have been set free to live Christ's life of righteousness and purity through us.  

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  (Ephesians 2:4-7) 

 

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.  We were on a pathway to death; now we are headed for life in our eternal home with our adopted family.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:22-23)  A "set free" life is not a life spent for self, but for God.  We often forget the obligation we have to God to yield totally to him.  However, the Spirit of God in us reminds us through the Word of God and through others that we have a purpose in life greater than our own fleshly wants and desires.  We are to image God and to tell others about this wonderful salvation that we possess.  People need to know that God has come in a very personal way to help us live this life.  They need to know that salvation brings the Spirit of God into lives.  As the Spirit resides in people, He becomes counselor, comforter, and advocate in this difficult world, a world that will not sustain readily spiritual lives, lives of faith.  Paul 's mission in life was to bring this "good news" to the world.  He willingly was everything to everyone to fulfill the commission that Jesus had given him on the road to Damascus.  As we continue to read this letter, we will see where Paul said he was willing to become all things to all people that he might by any means save some of them.  This was his total  commitment to his Lord.

What commission do we fulfill today dear breakfast companions?  How easy it is for us to attend to other purposes than the plans and the call of God in our lives.  How easy for us to display our self-willed, self-absorbed attitudes and choices.  If we do not intentionally seek first the kingdom of God, Christ's message of salvation for all men will be diluted by the way we live our lives.  Do we live mainly for the pleasures of this world or do we focus on imaging Christ?  Do our words express God's goodness and grace to the world or are we critical and judgmental?  Do we display God's characteristics or are we displaying our own personalities, desires, and foibles?  Paul was a slave to Christ's purposes.  Are we slaves to Christ's plans or have we skewed the gospel so much that our form of Christianity accommodates our worldly lives?  All of these questions must be considered daily in our walk with God.  In this Twenty-first Century, we can easily bind ourselves to an electronic world, a world of separation and self-fulfillment, forgetting God's free gift to us is life eternal.  Christ came to give life, real life, to anyone who would hear and accept his words.  Paul reminded Timothy of the faith of his mother and grandmother and his own faith, and told him not to become complacent.  

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.  (2 Timothy 1:6-7)

  Are we sold out to Jesus, a slave to this ministry of Christ, or are we living for ourselves, with at best a tangental relationship to God.  Do we allow him to touch our lives only when we desire him to do so?  Such an existence is not the life of a servant, a love slave.  A lukewarm love mocks the Word of God.  God did not offer his only Son to be only a part of us.  He wants all of us when we commit to him.  His attitude, desires, and plans should be ours.  As we wake up in the morning, we give the day to our Father.  When we close the day in prayer, we thank him for the day.  Paul, a Christian, saw himself as A SLAVE TO THE GOSPEL BUT NO LONGER A SLAVE TO SIN.  Are we slaves, bond servants to our Lord?  Most of us around this table love the Lord.  Perhaps this morning He is calling us closer.  Certainly, He reminds us that in view of his great love, can we give less than all we have, all we are!   

1 Corinthians 9:7-12 Give Cheerfully!

1 Corinthians 9:7-12  Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?  Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes?  Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?  Do I say this merely from a human point of view?  Doesn’t the Law say the same thing?  For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”  Is it about oxen that God is concerned?  Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he?  Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.  If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?  If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

Paul reminds the Corinthian church that he brought them the gospel; because of that fact, he should have the right to expect financial support from them.  He brought them life in Christ, eternal truth that will deliver them from eternal death.  He planted the vineyard of the Lord in Corinth; why should he not partake of the fruit of this truth by receiving support from the Corinthians?  Of course, Paul's issue with the believers in Corinth has little to do with him actually desiring to reap a material harvest from them, and has much more to do with their unwillingness to bless him when he has sown spiritual seed in their church.  This lack of support for the ministry of the gospel can be endemic to all Christians's lives if we are not fully committed to the Lord.  Often we are very self-centered and self-absorbed when it comes to how we spend our money.  Unless we truly understand and value what has happened to us spiritually, turning from death to life, we will not appreciate the marvelous work of the ministry.  We will not be giving our means to support the propagation of the "Good News."  We surely will not have embraced what Paul wrote in his second letter to Corinth: Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  (2 Corinthians 9:7)  We see in Jesus' ministry some women with such hearts supporting Jesus and his disciples.  Jesus dramatically impacted their lives.  They understood that a powerful new reality had come to their troubled, dead-end lives; therefore, they willingly contributed their time and means to further the ministry of Christ.  After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.  The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others.  These women were helping to support them out of their own means.  (Luke 8:1-3)  Their generosity offers an example of what occurs when believers KNOW THEY HAVE BEEN CHANGED: they joyfully supported the gospel through their lives and by their gifts of money. 

The Lord showed distain for those who did not support the work of the gospel.  When He sent out the disciples in the power of the Holy Spirit, He gave them these instructions: “Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave.  As you enter the home, give it your greeting.  If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.  If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.  I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town."  (Matthew 10:11-15)  Jesus sent his disciples to the lost sheep of Israel without any means of supporting themselves.  (See Matthew 10:6)  He asked them to be completely dependent on the support of the Israelites to take care of their needs.  Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep. (Matthew 10:9-10)  The worker is worth his keep is Jesus' message to the disciples and to the Israelites.  A person who believes in God will support the one who brings God's message.  Of course, the passage from Matthew primarily focuses on the reaction of villages and towns, but individuals had to open up their doors to the disciples and to accept them into their households.  Individuals are the ones who are accountable to God to offer hospitality and care in his name.  If no one in a village was willing to receive the disciples, judgment would fall on the whole village.  If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet, for judgment worse than what fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah will fall upon these people.  These are harsh words; but praise God, we now live in a time of mercy and grace under the blood of Christ as his chosen ones.  But Christ still had serious words for the Israelites, God's chosen people, if they failed to support his ministering followers.  

Today, some Christians support God's church meagerly or not at all.  They seem to think their efforts and finances are not needed.  They would turn the disciples from their doors.  Jesus said great love comes from understanding how desperately lost and wicked we were before He redeemed us.  Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.  When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears.  Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. (Luke 7:36-38)  Simon, the Pharisee, complained to Jesus about letting this sinful woman touch him.  Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”  “Tell me, teacher,” he said.  “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender.  One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both.  Now which of them will love him more?”  Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”  “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. . .Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — for she loved much.  But he who has been forgiven little loves little."  (Luke7:40-43 & 47)  She loved much for her many sins were forgiven.  Some of us have forgotten how much God has done for us.  We were once dead as a burnt corpse, no hope of life, just the charcoal remains.  How can these charcoal remains come back to life.  Our lives had been consumed by the fires of sin, nothing of worth remained, good only for the dumpster.  But Jesus, the King of Kings, brought everlasting life to this heap of ashes.  The impossible became possible through the blood of Jesus Christ, through the propagation of the Good News.  Hear the words of the Lord: the worker is worth his keep.  She loved much.  But he who has been forgiven little loves little.  Salvation is not a vaccination against sin, received by saying a few magic words of incantation.  Salvation is a complete renewal, a new creation.  If you understand you were lost in your sins, you will love much; but if you cannot understand your former sinful state, you will love little.  The sins of the woman were forgiven because she knew she was hopelessly lost when Jesus found her.  She poured costly perfume over Jesus.  What costly perfume do you bring to your Savior's feet?  Paul asks the Corinthians, "Do you not know I deserve your support?  I have shown you the way to life eternal."  Are you blessing those who show you the way?     

1 Corinthians 1-6 Bless God's Servants!

1 Corinthians 1-6  Am I not free?  Am I not an apostle?  Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?  Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?  Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you!  For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.  This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me.  Don’t we have the right to food and drink?  Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?  Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? 

Jesus Christ commissioned Paul as an apostle, the father of many churches.  Paul's commission was so phenomenal, so supernatural, that for many people his account seemed hard to believe.  About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.  My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.  “‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’  My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me."  (Acts:6-11)  The doubters questioned Paul's account of his conversion and his mission in life.  To his critics, maybe this was just a story, catching the wind of a popular, new doctrine, a new way of making a living, similar to a hocker at the fair, introducing and selling a new gadget for his own benefit.  Paul addresses this concern at the beginning of this letter:  Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Were you baptized into the name of Paul?  I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name.  (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.)  For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel — not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.  (1 Corinthians 1:13-17)  Paul tells them he did not come to them to impress them with himself or his calling.  He came to preach the gospel of Christ with power.  In other places in his letters to the Corinthians, he relates his personal sufferings and persecutions to bring them the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Others questioned how legitimate and pure his message was about Christ and his works, for obviously, he was not a member of the original cast of Jesus Christ's apostles.  Because of this, they wondered if Paul was creating a new doctrine, skewing the message in some way.  Some chose messengers other than Paul to hear about Christ.  My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.  What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 1:11-12)  But Paul knew his commission came directly from Christ's mouth, and in this letter, he emphatically defends that reality.  

Paul's preaching came not only through words but also through the demonstration of power in the Holy Spirit.  He wrote this message to the church in Thessalonica: For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.  You know how we lived among you for your sake.  You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.  (Thessalonians 1:6)  He confirmed his authority as an apostle in every place he ministered by performing many miracles by the power of God, even bringing some people back to life.  He based his claim as an apostle in the Corinthian church on the changed lives of those under his ministry.  The reality of their new lives in Christ validated Paul's message about Christ and Christ's transformational power.  God's work through Paul in Corinth and elsewhere allowed him to say, you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.  In today's verses, Paul says that he too should have the right to claim financial support from the church.  Don’t we have the right to food and drink?  Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?  Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?  Paul beseeches the Corinthians to understand that his teaching and his work have helped them become new creatures in Christ, acceptable to God, right with God.  Because of the message of salvation and the transformational power in people's lives, Paul should be worthy of financial support.  Since he claimed equal status with the original apostles and knew the church would support a member of the twelve, he argued that He and Barnabas stood worthy of the same support they would give an apostle.  Even though Paul knew they should provide for him, he supported himself by working outside of the church.  He did not want Christ's message to be shunned because of his demand for support from the people of Corinth.  

Today, some people would hold back support for their ministers based on a variety of reasons.  We hear people say ministers have an easy job because they work only one day a week and receive a full salary or they do not have to do anything except talk to people.  We could add other foolish statements to those.  We also hear pastors say, "If all I had to do was preach a sermon on Sunday, my job would be easy."  As with a mother, a pastor's job is never done.  Just ask a minister's wife about her husband's work.  She will open your eyes to the realities of ministry.  A pastor answers the Lord's call to shepherd the sheep.  Jesus saw the people's needs and his heart was deeply moved: When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  (Matthew 9:36-38)  As shepherds, ministers follow the Lord to enter the harvest field and to minister to the sheep in the fold while bringing in the lost sheep.  This calling represents full-time work for the man or woman of God who steps into the field.  A minister prays for the needs of the congregation, their friends, and their families.  A man or woman of God visits the sick and the emotionally and mentally ill.  He or she studies the word and increases his or her knowledge through perusal of religious texts and revelations from God.  A pastor calls on new people or people who want a visit.  While doing all of this, the minister writes a sermon, seeking the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  The minister tries to have a family life, taking an interest in his or her children's activities and spending time with them.  We have touched on some of the duties of a pastor, but our description offers a limited picture of a pastor's reality.  Give your minister a big thank-you.  Bless him or her and do not find fault, not because October is pastor appreciation month but because of the love of Jesus in your heart.  Do not begrudge your pastor his or her wages.  When Jesus sent out the seventy-two to minister, He said the harvest was plentiful, and He gave them instructions.  They were not to take any money and to follow these instructions: “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’  If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.  Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages."  (Luke 10:5-7)  Your minister is a man or woman of God, working for the Lord, deserving of blessing and thanks, and deserving of wages.  Thank you, Lord, for our pastors!  

1 Corinthians 8:9-13 Let the Strong Serve the Weak!

1 Corinthians 8:9-13  Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.  For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?  So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.  When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.  Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

Our acceptance into the household of God comes wholly through the blood of Jesus Christ and his righteousness.  Because Jesus is acceptable, we are acceptable.  He alone made us right with God.  With that position in him, we are completely free as Jesus Christ is free to do what He wishes.  We hold the card: Jesus Christ, our gate to freedom.  Jesus said, I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.  (John 10:7)  Because of Jesus and his works, we can leave the land of slavery and captivity to sin.  We can walk into a lifestyle not ruled by laws and regulations, but by the grace and mercy of God.  We no longer live by restrictions; we live by the Spirit of God who abides in us richly.  His voice is our voice; his purposes are our purposes.  As Paul said, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)  The terrain around us is new.  We leave the familiar haunts of our former lives behind us.  This new realm is the life of the Spirit.  Although we now have the promise of eternal life, our earthly minds are still with us.  None of us are completely free from the emotional and psychological imprints of what we have experienced in the past and will continue to experience in the present and the future.  These thoughts and introspections are part of our lives.  In today's focus, Paul addresses the dichotomous life we live in the Spirit: on one side, we stand completely free in Christ, as free as Christ himself; yet on the other side, we remain tied to the limitations of our biological existence.  In our earthly state, we must consider the impact of our behaviors on others.  In the body of Christ, we find strong brethren and weaker brethren.   In some areas we consider ourselves strong: on other issues we have to classify ourselves as weak.  Whether strong or weak, we must consider others and not become a stumbling block as we travel this earthly journey.

When Paul reminds the believers in Galatia of their heavenly calling, he says, You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.  The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.  (Galatians 5:13-15)  Yes, we are free in Christ, free from the land of slavery.  We are no longer subject to the consequence of sin, eternal death away from God.  In the land of the free, love remains our governing agent.  Love gives us a sensitivity to all people: the strong, the weak, or any combination of strength or weakness.  As Christians we will seek to serve others rather being lords over them.  Freedom in Christ produces servants, not dictators, rulers, and controllers.  Christ said servants are considered the most respected in the kingdom of God to the extent that they will be first in his kingdom.  Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”  He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”  (Mark 9:35-37)  Children are weak, deserving of loving care and protection.  People who have a weak conscience are not mature in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and his saving works, but we must welcome the weak into our lives.  We must be tender towards them, loving and compassionate, considering their needs before our needs or our freedom.  A servant works for the Lord as he or she is working for the weak, the destitute, the poor, the infirm, the disabled, the old.  The is the word of the Lord for THE STRONG.    

Now we must also consider, the strong are not to use their strength to continue in sin.  They must not go back into the land of the slaves to participate with them in their lostness, their slavery.  The freedom card, Jesus Christ and his works, set us free to abide in a better land, but we can always go back to our former lives.  We can always enter a domain that does not feed our souls, that literally takes away our joy and freedom in Christ.  We can begin to serve our old idols, believing they will help us survive in this land of living for the self instead of for others.  The so-familiar vices of this world can grip our souls again if we allow them to do so, if we open ourselves up to temptation and embrace worldly behaviors.  

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  (Galatians 5:19-21)  The card that set us free, Jesus Christ and his righteousness, can also be used wrongly to justify our freedom to go back into the land of slavery.  Rather than experiencing freedom, once again we will become fettered by our fleshly desires and appetites.  Rather than living by the Spirit of God, we will live by the nature of man.  Paul continually warned believers to remain in Christ: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  (Colossians 3:5-8)  We pray that every breakfast companion will use the card of Jesus Christ and his work to forever set you free from the land of slavery.  He desires to motivate your life through love.  His love, his caring nature, his servanthood will set you free forever in the land of peace and joy.  Your life will be worthwhile, a place of healing others, restoring the weak, and caring for those in pain.  Let us who have tasted the freedom of God place ourselves under his authority for the benefit of all and for the GLORY OF GOD.  Amen!  Love, Dad and Mom