July 29, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the next 16 days we will be reading through the book of 1 Corinthians together. The church in Corinth was an absolute mess! They were plagued by serious issues of arrogance, division, sexual immorality, and confusion concerning doctrine as well as the particulars of their moral living under the gospel. This church needed a wake-up call, a call to repentance and purity, to renewed devotion to Christ, to love and unity, and to zeal for the gospel. The church has changed little over the last 2,000 years, but praise God that there is abundant grace for the mess! Each of us needs this same call to humility faithfulness, unity, and fervor today as much as they needed it then. Let\u2019s heed this call which God gave the church at Corinth through the apostle Paul and let it shape the way we live as Christ\u2019s body!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this last chapter of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses a few final issues before giving them some closing instructions. He reminds them to be collecting funds to send to the needy brothers and sisters back in Judea and tells them that he plans on coming to them soon and spending some time with them. He also tells them that the evangelist Apollos plans to come to them at some point in the future, before launching into his final instructions for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul urges them to \u201cBe watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong,\u201d and \u201cLet all that you do be done in love\u201d (v.13-14). He instructs them to submit themselves to the authority of the church elders and cries out for Jesus to return soon! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we await the return of our Lord and Savior, Paul urges us to do the same. As he points out throughout the letter, all that we do should be done in love, in selfless consideration of the needs of others, and to the glory of God. We must maintain a steady watchfulness so that we do not drift towards false doctrine or into complacency concerning sin, as the Corinthians did. We must stand firm in our faith in spite of opposition and be strong and courageous in the Lord!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we live this way as the body of Christ, God uses us to put His glory, His wisdom, His power, and His love on display through us. May we each do our part in letting Him use us to this end!<\/p>\n\n\n\n