1 Corinthians 16 - 10.12.26
Scripture
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
”Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.”
Observation
Paul is giving his final instructions to the Corinthian Church. He tells them of his plans to visit them real soon. Paul wishes to stay with them for awhile when he does visit them. Until then, Paul encourages the church to be on guard, be strong in their faith, to be courageous, and to do everything with love.
Application
Paul’s instructions to the church in Corinth still ring true for the Church today.
With the current state of the world and the Church, it would be wise for we as Christ Followers to take heed to Paul’s counsel. You see, the Church is under attack from this world’s culture, false teachers and from the old sinful nature of its members. So, now more than ever we as a Church need to stand strong in our faith. We need to fight and be courageous in what we believe in. We need to remain in a close, intimate relationship with Jesus by knowing His Word and understanding His Word so we are not fooled by counterfeits out there. We need to stand united with our brothers and sisters in Christ, loving each other, and loving others around us. And finally, we need to make sure that we are the thermostats and not thermometers in this world. Or to put it another way: Are we changing the culture around us or is the culture changing us? 🤔
”Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.“-Romans 12:2
Prayer
Father God, I come to You today to ask and pray for strength and courage to stand firm in my faith for You. May I live my life trying to please You, rather than trying to please the world. May I love others the way You love me…and that’s unconditionally. Help me to be a thermostat and not a thermometer. I pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen. 🙏🏽
-Moses Gaddi
1 Corinthians 13 - 10.9.26
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Observation
This is the famous Love chapter that is used at thousand of weddings, but the funny thing is that the Apostle Paul is writing to the Church of Corinth who are all into the spiritual gifts but without love they are nothing. There are four different translations of love used in the Bible, but he is talking about Agape love.
1. Eros was one word for love. It described, as we might guess from the word itself, erotic love. It refers to sexual love.
2. Storge was the second word for love. It refers to family love, the kind of love there is between a parent and child, or between family members in general.
3. Philia is the third word for love. It speaks of a brotherly friendship and affection. It is the love of deep friendship and partnership. It might be described as the highest love of which man, without God’s help, is capable of.
4. Agape is the fourth word for love. It is a love that loves without changing. It is a self-giving love that gives without demanding or expecting repayment. It is love so great that it can be given to the unlovable or unappealing. It is love that loves even when it is rejected. Agape love gives and loves because it wants to; it does not demand or expect repayment from the love given. It gives because it loves; it does not love in order to receive.
Application
Agape love is self-denial for the sake of another. The Christian life is about sacrifice, but without love it is nothing. Love is an action word. Love is serving others without expecting anything in return. Love is simple acts of kindness, being tender hearted and gentle towards others. Love is long suffering and kind. Love is okay when others are preferred before them. Love does not need the limelight or prideful looking for glory. Love isn’t arrogant, self-focused, rude, easily irritated or annoyed. Love puts away the hurts of the past and looks to the future.
Could you imagine married couples who made this a priority in their marriage? You would have Christian marriages that were strong and vibrant. Power Couples making a difference in their families and this world.
Could you imagine Christians actually making Agape love a priority in their lives? Excited about serving others and making a difference in other people’s lives? Looking for ways to be kind even when someone does not deserve it?
Love is an ACTION word. What are you doing to show Agape love to your family, friends, co-workers and people you meet on the street?
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…
Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:7, NKJV)
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for how much you love us and how you shower us with good gifts. Help us to be a people that put others before ourselves. Open our eyes to see the lost and hurting and show them Agape love. Help us to be Christians that walk in your ways and shine forth your love.
- Michelle Craig
1 Corinthians 12 - 10.8.26
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 NIV
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
1 Corinthians 12:12-26 NIV
Observation:
This is one of my most favorite pieces of scripture, alongside Hebrews 3:13 this scripture lays out our responsibility and our calling as we serve in our daily roles as members of the body of Christ. We are to confidently own and see Gods heart in what we bring to the table and also see the essentiality of what those in the body of Christ bring to the table as well. Do you see that what you bring is part of the design God has for His movement on earth? I feel this burden as writing this SOAP that someone needs to see deeper how great and unique and awesome their perspective and passions and contribution is to the body of Christ. We cannot be passive with our God given passions, but we must be invested and bought into the mission God had designed to come down into earth through our ownership of stewarding them for His glory and purposes.
Application:
1. Encourage someone this morning or whenever you are reading this in what they bring to the body of Christ. Hebrews 3:13 reminds us that encouragement makes us available to see and experience the Holy Spirit, so what if your encouragement towards someone could be their reminder that they need to own their giftings and passions for a greater purpose than themselves? Sit with the Lord and ask Him WHO needs to be reminded how awesome of a foot or a hand they are and how amazing it is God designed them to bring that into His mission.
2. Write down where your heart comes alive as you love His body and serve His church, identify your gifting and passions and devote them to be a sacrifice unto the Lord’s overall mission for the entire body of Christ. What will our church look like when we see that we need to be all in and when we remind one another of this!!!! Let it be so!
Prayer:
Lord, I receive the love you have for what you have designed for me to contribute to the mission you have designed for the body of Christ. Help me to see who to encourage and receive more passion for the spaces you’ve DESIGNED me to bring your imprint into. Amen.
- Tess Schrupp