1 Corinthians__6

Scripture

 

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

 

18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

 

Observation-What does it say?

 

Paul is speaking to the Corinthian church who have given themselves over to idols and to the flesh and approving of those who do these things as well. Sin was rampant in the church and they were doing the very things that Christ came to die and save them from. Paul was exhorting the church specifically on the practices of sexual immorality in this chapter/section of his letter.

 

Understanding-What does it mean?

 

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.

 

I never truly understood what this meant until I taught in kids church about King Solomon building the temple for the Lord in the book of 1 Kings in the Old Testament. The physical temple was made from the best materials and where the presence of God was to be found. It was also where the ark of the covenant was moved. Anyhow, after Jesus came, we no longer needed a physical building or temple to house God’s presence. God’s presence, through the Holy Spirit, is able to live inside each one of us after submitting our lives to Christ! We are the Temple! This is why we are to keep it pure.

 

Life Application

 

We are the temple for the Holy Spirit to reside in. What are we putting inside of our temples?

 

Many people who eat healthy and exercise regularly use our bodies as being the temple of the Lord as the reason for the importance of doing those disciplines. While I’m not disagreeing with that, in context of Scripture, Paul is talking about sexual immorality. 

 

Just like King Solomon built the temple with only the best materials and it was so beautiful, we must take care of our bodies by keeping it pure. We must guard our hearts and minds and FLEE from sexual immorality. We are to honor the Lord with our bodies and use them for His purposes alone. We are not our own and Jesus bought us with a price, as verses 19-20 says.

 

If you are struggling with lust, fleshly desires or sexual immorality, please confess it to Jesus right away and ask for His help to conquer it. Tell another trusted Spirit filled believer about it to keep you accountable and also pray for/with you. I also want to take away the stigma that it’s only a struggle that men face in the church, because I personally know and knew of several women who also struggle(d) with it. Any shame or even justification associated with sexual immorality is the devil’s attempt for it to be kept hidden in the dark. Complete healing comes when we bring sin to light, so please invite Jesus into that darkness and impurity. Let us all have clean and pure temples for the Holy Spirit to dwell in! He deserves the best because He gave us His best, plus more!

 

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.””

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭5:9-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!....But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:15, 17-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

Blessed are the PURE in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8

 

-Michelle Gaddi

Psalm_136

Scripture:

Psalm 136:4-6

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,His love endures forever.⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens,His love endures forever.⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters,His love endures forever.

 

Observation:

Psalm 136 is a special Psalm, with each one of its 26 verses repeated the phrase, His mercy endures forever. Psalm 118 repeated that phrase five times, and through the Hebrew Scriptures the phrase has somewhat of a liturgical sense to it, as if the assembled people of Israel said or sung it in response to the direction of the Levites leading singing and worship. Ezra 3:11 indicates that this phrase was part of a responsive singing among God’s people: And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.”

The phrase is used several other times in the Old Testament, each time in the context of some kind of public praise or declaration. The phrase, His mercy endures forever was used:

https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-136/

 

Understanding:

Two things stand out to me: 1) a reminder of who God is – the one who alone does great wonders, made heaves and created this spinning Earth we’re standing on; and 2) His unchanging nature. Whether the version you read said “His love endures forever” or “His mercy endures forever,” one thing remains…His nature does not change.

 

Life Application:

Just as they did in David’s time, let’s declare God’s enduring, unchanging love and mercy. We don’t have to necessarily sing it in response…but let’s live as if we believe it and be purposeful about sharing that love/mercy with others. Therefore, go… <3

It's a new month, may we be on mission today.

- Rei

1 Corinthians 4

Scripture:  1 Corinthians 4:1-2 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.  In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

 

Observation-What does it say?  As Paul opens his letter to the church in Corinth, he is dealing with the pride that has built up within them.  This pride, though, has taken on a distinct form, as they have divided themselves up into cliques. There were those who claimed to follow after Paul’s teaching or Apollos’ teaching.  The city of Corinth was near Athens and, much like Athenians, they took pride in their supposed intellectual superiority. Their proclivity to these things has shown they are still holding to the world’s way of thinking.  Additionally, it has made them ineffective in sharing the message of Christ, as they are not welcoming to others who do not share their point of view. Paul uses sarcasm in the later half of this chapter to display their behavior and attitude.  They were in need of a lesson in humility.

 

Understanding-What does it mean?  We live in a world filled with “haves and have nots.”  What I mean by this, is all around us people are trying to fit into some sort of elite group of something.  Whether that group involves having the nicest of things, or being the best at your pursuit, almost all of us want to have something that someone else has not.  

 

For the longest time, my pursuit of being an elite was in the world of running, I wanted to be a “Boston Qualifier.”  While thousands of people run the Boston Marathon every year, many don’t know that there is a qualification process. The Boston Marathon has long been an event that sought the elite competition in the world.  There are two ways to “qualify” for Boston. The first way to qualify is by being a part of a charity group, essentially securing your spot through fundraising a large sum of money, or buying your way in like a cheater.  The second way, the real way, to qualify is to run a marathon in a certain time for your gender and age bracket and enter your name into the lottery pool. And the faster you run, the more likely you are to be selected.  

 

I wanted so badly to be part of the group that qualified by merit of time.  I would often talk about how “Finishers Medals” were making the sport of running less legitimate, and watering down the quality of competition.  I would go on to talk about how slow people shouldn’t be allowed to buy their way into elite events. Then my wife would look at me with disdain, as she cherished her finishers medals.  Having never been a competitive runner, she holds those as proof that she conquered a monumentally difficult task. Needless to say, she didn’t appreciate my elitist attitude.

 

The incredible thing about our redemption through Jesus’ death on the cross, is no one can earn it.  It can not be bought, worked for, cheated for, or held as a means of elite status. We know from John 3:16 that Christ loved the whole world so much he was willing to die.  In Ephesians, Paul writes this idea in a very concise way.  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [h]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10).  

 

Life Application  God, help me to let go of any pride that would hinder your message.  May I not hold myself in high regard because of any bit of minutia, like denomination, church building, or status within any organization.  Help me to only boast in Christ and the cross. May my life be an extension of your love.  

-Tyler Galloway