1 Corinthians 10 & 11

Whatever. It’s a big word. Whatever includes everything. Paul teaches the church at Corinth to be mindful of their witness. To be careful what they eat, what they drink and even how they treat one another. He also teaches them in this section of scripture the importance of taking seriously the Lord’s Supper. Ultimately he says,

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

My prayer is that this would be the testimony of my life, the lives of my family and of our church. May we do it all for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 8 & 9

Paul did whatever he needed to do to help the people clearly see and hear the Gospel. He says in 1 Corinthians 9:22 that he has, “…become all things to all men so that by all means I might save some.” In these chapters he talks about the importance of being careful with what you eat and drink and the way you live – so as not to turn anyone away from Jesus by what we do. Like he mentioned yesterday – everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial. We as Christians need to be careful how we live because it could affect our witness. People are watching to see if Jesus has made a difference in our lives. What do people see? Are we different?

Let’s live today and every day with the kind of laser focus and drive that Paul has for the lost. Who in your circle of influence needs to know the love of Christ and hear the Good News of the Gospel. Let’s live in such a way that we don’t seek glory for ourself. Let’s live our lives to be a witness of Jesus Christ. May we live not for our own acclaim on earth, “but…do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Corinthians 9:25b)

1 Corinthians 6 & 7

In these two chapters Paul spends a lot of time talking about how the church ought act when it comes to conflict between believers, sexual immorality and marriage. Paul spends time in this section of the letter trying to teach the church how to live in, but not of the world. The world around them was so perverse, so Paul helps them see a better way to live.

As a youth pastor, one of the key verses I point students to when the, “sex, drugs and rock and roll” kind of questions come is 1 Corinthians 6:12. Students want to know where the boundaries are and what is ok. Paul says, “Everything is permissible for me – but not everything is beneficial…” It’s not that you can’t do certain things, but why would you want to? Why would you want to live outside the will of God?

The Good News in these two chapters is found in chapter 6, verse 11. Paul reminds us that we were all once in sin. When he lists all the ways people sin – he says – “…and this is what some of you were, but you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ…”

Thanks be to God that he didn’t leave us in our sin. It’s for this reason that we ought to live differently. We’ve been set free. Let’s use that freedom not for our own lust, greed, addictions or selfish gain…but for the glory of God.