1 Corinthians 4 - 3.3.2023
Scripture - What stood out?
1 CORINTHIANS 4:14-15
14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
Observation - What does it say?
The apostle Paul dealing with several issues in the church of Corinth, in this particular section, addresses humility in leadership and the leadership structure of the church (asserting himself towards the top and rightly so).
Understanding - What does it mean?
Remember when…dad had threatened to take out the yellow wiffle ball bat??
Sometimes it was mom doing the threatening. Sometimes it was grandpa with his long plastic green shoehorn! Almost as dreaded as the yellow bat! Sometimes it’s your boss with a well deserved warning from work.
The apostle Paul was a good dad.
He loved his kids. And when he saw his children getting out of line he gently reminded them who their father was. Not their boss but their dad. A dad who loved them. Members of the Corinth church were becoming arrogant, stumbling through various church issues I imagine. And it appears there were several influential voices beginning to rise up and cause commotion. The apostle reminds them who papa is. As for the overall level of nonsense? Paul in no uncertain terms asks them to cut it out:
21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline,
or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?
Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?
Lord, has pride crept into my spiritual life somehow? If this is why you have highlighted this verse to me then please root it out. Show me if I have wronged my spiritual parents. Show me how I can correct these issues, Lord! Correct my heart! Correct my mind! Please, help me to make my conscience clear, though it makes me not innocent. Lord, may you be my judge. In the name of Jesus, do I pray, amen.
-kenneth lee
1 Corinthians 3 - 3.2.23
Scripture
1 Corinthians 3:11
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Observation-What does it say?
Paul is talking to the church in Corinth and rebuking them about “acting like mere human beings” (vs. 3) and infants because they were fighting over whose teachings they followed.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Paul once again is reminding the church that the foundation of the Church is Jesus Christ, NOT human leaders, such as himself.
They were boasting about human leaders, and Paul had to point them back to Jesus Christ.
Life Application
Who is our hope and foundation built on?
Just as Paul displays in this chapter, the main focus of a person’s ministry is to point others to repentance and deep relationship with Christ, not to our (or any other person’s) gifts and abilities.
Building a foundation on anyone other than Jesus Christ NEVER stands. In His grace, the Lord has us partner with Him in service. Someone plants, another person waters, but it is ultimately God who makes things grow (Verses 6 and 7).
Dear Lord, the Apostle Paul had every reason to be prideful about His leadership and ministry in You. However, he remained humble in heart by making sure the church knew Who was really in charge. I pray that whatever I do and wherever I’m called to minister, that the purpose would always be to draw others to repentance and deep relationship with You. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi
1 Corinthians 2 - 3.1.23
Scripture
1 Corinthians 2:2-5
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
Observation-What does it say?
The Apostle Paul is preaching to the Corinthian church about His reliance on God’s wisdom and how that wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit, not from himself.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Paul wanted the church to place their faith in the right Person.
One of the many things that I love about the Apostle Paul is that he never forgot where he came from. His complete dependence on and gratitude for Jesus Christ for salvation and his reliance on the Holy Spirit for wisdom/guidance was what made his ministry very powerful. He made sure the Corinthian church knew that his ability to proclaim Christ crucified and his persuasive preaching didn’t come from himself, but rested on God’s power.
Life Application
Feeling like you are in a funk in your relationship with Jesus? Call on the Holy Spirit for help!
One of the many functions of the Holy Spirit is to enable us to have faith in Jesus Christ and proclaim Jesus as Lord. I confess that there have been seasons in my walk with Christ where I have tried to sustain my faith with my own strength/abilities. That never lasts very long and always leaves me feeling very tired and discouraged. In His patience and grace, He reminds me that He left me with a Helper Who enables me to continue running the race.
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
-John 14:25-27 NIV
Thank You Jesus for leaving us Your Holy Spirit. I pray that we would not neglect Him as our guide, teacher and counselor in our faith journey with You. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi