Nathan Neighbors
Follower of Christ, Husband, Father, & Youth Pastor
I love how Paul ends this letter. So much of this chapter shows the value he put on relationships. He mentions a variety of other church leaders like Timothy, Apollos, Stephanas and others. Though Paul was one of the key leaders of the early church, he was also a friend and fellow believer. He spends time in the last chapter sending greetings to many in the church and giving instructions on how to best care for fellow ministers. This chapter is very conversational and I love it. It’s a great reminder that life transformation and the discipleship process happens in the context of the church and in relationships. May we never forget to spur one another on as friends and fellow believers to love each other well and serve our Savior together.
One other really cool aspect of this chapter is the first section. It’s awesome how Paul encourages the church to take collections to fund the mission work. I love that this is what we are reading as a student ministry on the day we take up and give our missions offering at camp for the work going on in East Asia. Thank you Lord for this reminder today. Use these funds given tonight to bring many in East Asia to yourself.
I’ll never get over the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s not a myth. It’s not an old Bible story. IT IS FACT. It is the pivotal moment in all of Scripture. In fact, it’s the defining moment of the Christian faith. Paul spends the entire 15th chapter talking about the resurrection of Christ and it’s impact on our faith.
He says, “…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Cor. 15:14) The resurrection is vital to our faith and salvation. Gratefully we know that He was raised. Paul goes on to say in verse 20-22, “but Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…so in Christ all will be made alive.”
Last night at camp I saw first hand the lasting impact of that resurrection. Because of Jesus, many teenagers stepped from death to life on June 20, 2019. Over two thousand years later, our Savior’s love is still just as alive and well as it was when Paul wrote to the church at Corinth.
Today we leave for summer camp. Yesterday we celebrated 20 years of marriage. This is our 18th summer in Student Ministry. None of the students on this bus were born when we headed out on our very first summer camp to SummerSalt so many years ago. In some ways that blows my mind. As we read from 1 Corinthians 12 & 13, I’m struck by the goodness of God. He has been so faithful through these years of marriage and ministry. He called us into ministry and He has seen us through and provided all along the way.
In chapter 12 Paul talks about our spiritual gifts and the parts we play in the Kingdom. As we celebrate 20 years of marriage I’m reminded this morning that ministry isn’t a solo sport. It’s a team effort. My marriage to Ashley is just another reminder of the need for partners in ministry. My gifts are different from her gifts. But together we are better suited to pastor teenagers and their families. We complement each other. In the same way, the Church is meant to work together with various gifts to fulfill the Great Commission.
In chapter 13 are the words that are inscribed on our wedding bands. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is an amazing picture of what love should look like. It’s a direct description of Jesus himself. My prayer is that these word still ring true of our marriage now and til death do us part. Lord, use us…our marriage…and our family to bring you glory and draw many to your Kingdom.
Nathan Neighbors 