1 Corinthians 15:9-11 By Grace We Stand!

1 Corinthians 15:9-11  For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.  No, I worked harder than all of them — yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.  Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

Paul, one who persecuted the church of Christ, became a disciple on the road to Damascus.   Jesus intervened in Paul's life when he was on his way to Damascus, with a purpose in his heart, to bring these people (Christians) as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.  (Acts 22:5)  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."  (Acts 22:6-19)  Jesus called him directly, called him to be his disciple, to do THE ASSIGNED work of God.  What assigned work have you been called to do?  Undoubtedly, the over 500 people who saw Jesus after He was resurrected had a story to tell about the RESURRECTED ONE.  For sure, the disciples and Paul were not the only ones to spread the Good News throughout the area and in distant lands.  There were many more whose lives were changed by experiencing new life in Christ.  In Paul's writings, we find other people who are less prominent fulfilling their ASSIGNED task of spreading the Gospel.  Paul mentioned many of their names.  These people, even though they may not have seen Jesus first hand, believed emphatically in the message of Christ's resurrection.  They believed faith in Jesus Christ brought eternal life to them.  They, as Paul, were willing to risk their whole lives for this message of eternal life.  When Jesus told Thomas to touch his hands and his side if that is what he needed to believe in his resurrection, he told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  (John 20:29)  

Paul called himself the chief of sinners because he opposed Jesus directly, zealously persecuting the body of Christ, glorying in his mission of bringing members of Christ's church to physical death.  He was an outright enemy of God and of God's plan of salvation for humankind.  But God's salvation reaches down to save even the worst of us, the chief of sinners.  Of course, that is good news for all of us, for we are all known in the scriptures as enemies of God.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  (Romans 3:23-24)  The scriptures plainly say we are primarily self-oriented, under our own authority.  This Adamic behavior drives our daily lives, exposing the preeminence of self-authority in opposition to God's royal laws.  When the Pharisees questioned him about the greatest commandment,  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  (Matthew 22:37-40)  Because of Adam's nature within us, we reject God, for we are not subservient to his authority.  As the Bible mentions many times, we do what is right in our own eyes, not what is right in God's eyes.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53:6)  Paul definitely was a sheep that had gone astray just as we also are sheep that have gone astray. Paul worked hard for the Lord to prove that the grace given to him was not without effect.  He wanted others to know that God's grace was so merciful and efficacious that it could take even him, change him completely from an enemy of God to God's friend.  As enemies of God, we will find that same wonderful, all-encompassing grace as our own escape from eternal damnation if we turn to Christ.  

Breakfast companions, pick up your cross and follow Jesus.  Some of you are in pain or sorrow today, struggling to believe.  Your lives have reached a standstill in the Wilderness.  You hold onto a belief in a Promised Land ahead; otherwise, this life for you would be madness.  As you look around, you try to figure how to survive in this barren land.  Seemingly, there is no water to be had, no food to eat, no cover from the blazing sun.  We would like you to look again at Paul's life, his teachings.  Paul was a learned man, but he believed wholeheartedly in the following: For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.  (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)  Christ has been resurrected, and you are a precious vessel of God.  As a human, God has made you in his image; He has made you to be a temple for his Spirit.  The plan of salvation is to allow this Spirit, the Spirit of resurrection, to abide in you.  Christ died on the cross to provide you this power of resurrection, of eternal life, because you are precious, coveted by God.  He has destined you from the beginning of time to be a son or a daughter in his household for eternity.  Today, no matter how far away you feel from God, the work of eternal life is in you.  It is his work, not your work.  The Bible says, endure to the end.  Paul told Timothy: Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.  (2 Timothy 2:11-12)  You must endure in believing Christ died for you.  His work is completely efficacious, enough for your sins.  

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

  (John 19:30)  The work has been done for you.  IT IS FINISHED in your life: no more sorrow without hope, no more tears without end!  When you look around and try to figure out where is the food, where is the water, where is the lightening from heaven that will prove that God exists, remember, it is finished!  You are Christ's workmanship, not your own.  The Spirit within you cries out, "Abba Father."  He is your Abba Father, and his grace for you is not without effect.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 We Are Free!

1 Corinthians 15:1-8  Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.  Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.  

After discussing appropriate behavior within the Corinthian church, Paul now wants them to reflect on how they became Christians.  He reminds them to hold firmly to the word he has preached to them.  If they are merely members of a community of believers without an understanding of who Christ is and without a personal faith in his works and not their own, they are nothing more than just members of an organization.  But if they have really received Paul's words and have taken their STAND on the truth of those words, they are "saved."  As "saved" people, they are not just participants with a group of believers, they are members of the body of Christ.  As members of his body, they are imaging God here on Earth through the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  They are no longer finite, but eternal with their hope not in this world, but in the world to come.  They have been saved to be with God as his sons and daughters, adopted by Christ's blood into the family of the Most High.  As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.  Therefore come out from them and be separate," says the Lord.  "Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.  I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters," says the Lord Almighty.  (2 Corinthians 6:16-18)  Paul wants them to remember the essence of the gospel, that they are new creatures, belonging to the family of God.  They have died, been buried, and risen with Christ.  As Christ is, so are they: eternally alive with God the Father.  However, if they do not appreciate the Good News and hold passionately to its tenets, their salvation is not sure, for salvation faith is an adamant belief in the account and works of Christ and complete trust in his shed blood for the remission of sin.  

Paul was abnormally born.  He met Christ on the road to Damascus when  Jesus encountered him, asking, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?  It is hard for you to kick against the goads."  (Acts 26:14)  His conversion was abnormal because through this event, he was not only saved from eternal damnation, he was given a commission to deliver the Good News to the Gentile world.  "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.  I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles.  I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." (Acts 26:16-18)  In his ministry to the Corinthians, he was fulfilling this commission.  However, for the Corinthians and all Gentiles, to forsake the customs and the traditions of their forefathers was a scary proposition.  Their religious practices and ways of living were ingrained into the very fabric of their being.  To accept Christ and his works as their way to knowing God, placed them outside of their society, their community.  To be a Christian, meant they lost the comfort of the institutions that they and their forefathers had believed in for generations.  For Gentiles to believe emphatically in Christ's efficacious work, a Jewish man's work, represented a difficult step for them to take since this confession would cut them off from their families and communities.  In the above focus, Paul restates for them the essence of following Christ.  Down to and including our generation, we must leave our old ways and ideas about life behind us, crucifying the old self at the cross with Christ.  We must hold firmly to the Good News, the new life, for IN CHRIST we live.  As Paul wrote: 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)   

John reminded the church to hold fast to their faith.  See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you.  If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.  And this is what he promised us — even eternal life.  (1 John 2:24-25)  If what we have heard remains in us, we will remain in the Son and in the Father; we will have eternal life; we will be saved from destruction.  We will be changed!  I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  (1 Corinthians 15:50-52)  The Bible tells us the joy of the Lord is our strength.  When we hear these words, we know in whom we believe.  Jesus Christ and his works give us this great hope of life eternal, on Earth and in our heavenly home.  When Paul describes the glorious plan of salvation for the Gentiles, he says, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  (Romans 15:13)  Christ won this life for us by shedding his blood at the cross, so we do not have to die under the judgment of sin.  Our bodies grow old because of the corruption of sin, but our hope of life eternal rests IN CHRIST.  The Gentiles needed to know that.  They needed to abandon their old lifestyle, their former way of making sense out of the world.  The Jews needed to abandon their old way of trying to please God.  They needed a savior, just as much as the Gentiles needed a savior.  Paul came to the Gentile world to announce the Good News to them.  We who are living today, need to announce the Good News to everyone we know and love.  God is alive: He is the Most High God!  He knows the hairs on your head; he knows how many sparrows fall today.  He has an inventory of all the stars and galaxies in existence.  He is bigger and mightier than our imaginations.  YET, HE HAS SAID, I WANT SONS AND DAUGHTERS TO BE MANIFESTED FROM THE FLESH OF HUMANITY.  He has made us special, in his image.  He has brought the salvation message to us, to transform us so his Holy Spirit can abide in us, so we can abide with him in oneness.  What a great plan for the Gentiles!  What a great plan for the Jews!  What a great plan for the World!  All Creation will be FREE by the grace and mercy of the Lord.  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  (Galatians 5:1)    

1 Corinthians 14:33-40 God Pours Out His Spirit!

1 Corinthians 14:33-40  As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches.  They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says.  If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.   Did the word of God originate with you?  Or are you the only people it has reached?  If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.  If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored.  Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.  But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.  

In chapter 14 we have been exploring behavior in the church.  Paul primarily talks about the usage of spiritual gifts: tongues and prophecy.  In the above focus, he places within this theme of appropriate behavior in the church the issue of women speaking in the congregation.  As in all churches at that time, women were to remain silent; they are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission as the Law says.  This was traditional decorum in the synagogues.  Women and men were separated within their congregations with the stipulation that women should not be participants in the service.  They should remain silent, and if they had questions about the service or what was said, they should hold their questions or observations until they got home.  There, in their homes, they could seek answers and engage in discussions about the meetings.  As with the usage of the gifts of the Spirit, the behavior of the congregation was important to Paul, for God is not the author of discord or confusion.  Some commentaries suggest that women were speaking loudly to each other or even shouting out across the way to their husbands with a question and disturbing the services.  Therefore, following the customs and traditions of the Pharisees was a good way to bring order back into the Corinthian church.  As noted, Paul says, As in ALL the congregations of the saints: this decorum, this way of worship with the women holding their peace, was well-established in the nascent churches.  Paul's reference to the Law probably refers to the oral Law or traditional law, passed down from generation to generation.  This law often superseded or took precedence over scriptural law; such as, honoring your father and mother.  The Pharisees allowed the gifts given to them to supersede the necessity of taking care of parents, thereby violating scripture.  Jesus oftentimes questioned the validity of the oral traditions and the oral laws.

Paul wanted everything done in orderliness, for the Spirit does not promote disorderliness.  However, in discussing the spirituality of women or their right to exercise spiritual gifts, we must accept the Spirit's authority in our lives.  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  (Galatians 3:26-28)  We see that IN CHRIST, filled with his Spirit, there is neither male nor female.  The Spirit of God is the driving force in every believer.  He alone propels the spiritual man or woman to fulfill his or her purpose on Earth.  There are no second-class citizens in God's family: all are necessary; all should fulfill their roles in the body of Christ.  In the New Testament we see women honored in every book.  We see women supporting the disciples in their ministries.  Paul asks for help for women who worked with him: Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.  (Philippians 4:3)  We find women, even at the cross and later at the tomb, still supporting Jesus, not running away, but waiting to see what will happen with Jesus.  Jesus often praised women.  In one situation when a woman enters the house of Simon the Pharisee to minister to Jesus, Jesus reveals to Simon how special she is to him and to God.  She showers Jesus with her love, her devotion to him.  Because of her humbleness and repentance, Jesus implies that this woman of ill repute has gained more favor with God than the righteous Simon.  Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — for she loved much.  But he who has been forgiven little loves little.  (Luke 7:47)  In another situation, Jesus praises a woman who gives two coins, her everything, to the temple's coffer, placing her above all the others who gave money to the temple.  Blessed above all women by God, Mary gave birth to Jesus and cared for him.  As Jesus' mother, God trusted her with the closest relationship with Jesus the man.  These women and others throughout the Bible were important to God and vitally used by the Holy Spirit.  God is no respecter of persons.  He uses all who are open to his Spirit, both men and women who follow him with loving hearts.

God is no respecter of persons, for we know He promised to pour out his Spirit upon all people, men and women alike: And afterward I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.  Even upon the menservants and upon the maidservants in those days will I pour out My Spirit.  (Joel 2:28-29)  If he uses all of us, then how should we act in our homes, our communities, and our congregations?  If we are ministers, we should minister.  If we are prophets, we should prophesy.  If we are teachers, we should teach.  If we are helpers, we should help.  If we are administrators, we should administrate.  We should be and do what God desires for us.  Our homes should reflect God in every way.  We should all be manifesting the Spirit's purpose and fruit in our lives.  Wherever we are, we should reveal that God is alive in us.  How should we function and live our lives?  For sure, we should dwell in orderliness rather than chaos or disruption.  Paul instructs the church on how to behave within a community of believers.  In reality, we are never absent from living in community.  We are in community in our homes, at our jobs, in our neighborhoods, and wherever we are.  Consequently, doing everything in a fitting and orderly way is important to us in our lives.  How we treat others and how we express ourselves is important.  We might not be speaking in tongues or prophesying in our daily lives, but if we claim to be Christians, we are ALWAYS REFLECTING GOD to the world.  Our lives must be in order so others will know and hear the voice of God through our actions and reactions.  This process begins at home with those who know us best and it goes on into the workplace and everywhere we go.  We do not simply attend church on Sunday, take part in a Bible study, or wear a WWJD bracelet and thus fulfill our part for God.  We must show the love of Jesus in all of our ways.  Whether you are a man or a woman, think on this today: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  (Philippians 2:5-8 KJV)