Sermon - "Why Fight? You Have What You Need" (1 Corinthians)

On Sunday, Rev. Joshua Patty preached on Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, the first part of a correspondence in which the apostle tried to help the young congregation deal with the factions that had formed within it.

After Paul had left Corinth, other teachers had followed him, and different people in the congregation decided that different teachers were best.  Some remained loyal to Paul, others to Peter or Apollos.  More challenging, some people in the congregation became financially successful, and they believed that this success was God's validation for their actions -- an attitude they used to justify some terrible behavior.

Paul worked to confront both issues -- the entitlement to bad behavior and the unnecessary conflict -- by insisting that the Christians were wasting their time and energy arguing about silly things.  Instead, they should focus on the central message of the gospel, which will unite them.  Even more, if they remember the central message of the gospel, God's love and generosity, they will come to value every person in the congregation and recognize that each person has things to offer.  This should be reinforced by proper and faithful celebration of the Lord's Supper.

Click here to listen to the sermon.

You can also listen to the related Communion meditation.

1 Corinthians, Day 6

A Day to Catch Up  

If you've had a busy week, today you have a chance to play catch up on any of the selections of 1 Corinthians you might have missed.
 Click to open the information for any of this week's readings.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday
Friday

Share Your Thoughts

A good way to remember something you've recently read or done is to talk about it or to write it down.  Take a few minutes to think about this week's Bible readings.

• If you like to journal, reflect on the passage that surprised you the most or the one that was the most emotional to read.
• Talk to a family member, friend, or neighbor about something you've read this week.
• Join the discussion of the Godsway 66 Facebook page.

Get Ready for Sunday's Sermon

Rev. Joshua Patty will preach on 1 Corinthians tomorrow at Eastgate Christian Church in Independence, MO.  Join us for the sermon or check back here for the recorded sermon.

1 Corinthians, Day 5 Readings

Spiritual Gifts in Worship & Resurrection Life   

Today's first reading suggests that some Christians in Corinth believed that the most important spiritual gift was the ability to pray in tongues.  While Paul believes that praying in tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit, he believes that it can easily be overdone.  If everyone is focused on praying in tongues, it means that worship is chaos, with everyone praying at the same time, and no one paying much attention to anyone else in the church.

Instead, Paul suggests that they focus on sharing spiritual gifts in ways that are good for the Christian community.  He offers a suggested order of worship, which includes praying in tongues (as long as there is someone to interpret these prayers for those gathered in worship), but encourages prophecy and testimony in equal numbers so that people may continue to learn about God.

Read 1 Corinthians 14:1-40  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

[links to Bible Gateway open in a new window]

The second reading provides the longest description of human resurrection in the Bible.  Evidently, some Corinthian Christians had decided, following the example of a Jewish sect known as Sadducees, that there was no resurrection of the dead. Paul's response is scoffing dismissal because without resurrection there cannot be any Christianity.  From this, though, Paul takes an opportunity to explore what human resurrection is like.  The resurrected body is permanent and imperishable (unable to die).  Somehow -- and Paul insists that it is a mystery exactly how -- we will be changed and given a new spiritual body (which for Paul probably means a physical body given through the Holy Spirit) and then a new home in the Kingdom of God.

Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-58  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

[links to Bible Gateway open in a new window]

Reading the Bible in Its Entirety

If you are planning to read the Bible in its entirety, you should read 1 Corinthians 14-16 today.

1 Corinthians, Day 4 Readings

Spiritual Gifts & Christian Love   

Today's first reading offers Paul's vision for the nature of a Christian community.  Everyone is a valuable member because everyone has been given talents and skills by God for the good of the community.  None of these gifts or talents is more important than others and all of them are necessary.  However, it seems that some in Corinth had said that certain things were more important than others.  (Anyone want to bet these more valuable skills were the exact same gifts exhibited by the rich Christians in Corinth?)

Everyone is an important part of the church.  If one person is successful, then it is a success for the entire group. If one person fails, then it is a failure for the entire church.  Everyone should be appreciated and honored for the good they bring to the church.

Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-26  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

[links to Bible Gateway open in a new window]

The second reading builds on this concept by suggesting that the most important spiritual gifts are not praying in tongues or preaching.  Instead, the most important gifts -- which should be nurtured in every member of the church -- are faith, hope, and love.  And the greatest is love.

Read 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

[links to Bible Gateway open in a new window]

Reading the Bible in Its Entirety

If you are planning to read the Bible in its entirety, you should read 1 Corinthians 11-13 today.

1 Corinthians, Day 3 Readings

Living for Others & True Communion   

Today's first reading offers a problem for early Christians -- the question of whether they could eat meat sold in local markets.  The problem was that most meat was sacrificed to one of the gods before it was sold.  However, Christians recognize that such sacrifice is idol-worship. Wouldn't their purchase and/or eating such meat be an endorsement of idolatry?

The problem was more pronounced in the Corinthian church because they had wealthier members who could afford to eat meet more frequently and who also were invited to events where such meet was served more regularly.  In a basic way, Paul dismisses the problem.  Christians know that these false gods do not exist, so they know that there is nothing special about the meat; so they can eat meat, preferably without even thinking about the superstitious sacrifices.

However, if people around Christians make a big deal about how the meat is special because it has been sacrificed to a specific god, then Christians should not eat that meat.  They must always seek to live in ways that can show others the nature of true faith.  In fact, this is the more important thing for Paul -- how the Corinthians treat each other and treat people outside of the congregation.

Read 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

[links to Bible Gateway open in a new window]

The second reading provides the clearest instructions on how to share Communion in congregations.  Paul focuses on the misuse and abuse of the Lord's Supper among the Corinthians -- the wealthy provide plenty of food and drink, but they eat most of it and get drunk before the working-class Christians arrive after their workdays.  Such behavior is a terrible reflection on the church, and it is unworthy of the name or title of Jesus.  Instead, this sharing of bread and cup in Jesus' name is meant to be a unifying action of the entire community.  Correcting this behavior points toward a better way to be church, and thus a better way to be Christians.

Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

[links to Bible Gateway open in a new window]

Reading the Bible in Its Entirety

If you are planning to read the Bible in its entirety, you should read 1 Corinthians 8-10 today.

1 Corinthians, Day 2 Readings

The Problems with Money  

Today's first reading offers a glimpse into what may be at the heart of most of the problems in Corinth -- some of the church members are, or have become, rich.  And the people with money are convinced that their money proves their intelligence and their good morals.  (In some ways, this is a form of the 'other' Golden Rule -- he who has the gold makes the rules.)

Even worse, people are putting more importance in money than in their faith.  This is obvious because certain people in the church have sued other people in the church.  Paul is beside himself trying to understand how these lawsuits are good for the church or are examples of faith.  Instead, they simply serve to add conflict and disagreements into the church.  Worse, the disagreements over money prevent the church from speaking unanimously to deal with other sins (like sexual promiscuity).

Read 1 Corinthians 6:1-20  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

[links to Bible Gateway open in a new window]

The second reading provides insight into Paul's own conflicted motivations for writing to the congregation in Corinth.  While he offers lessons and insights that grow out of his faith and theology, many of Paul's comments come more from his own personal views.  In fact, some issues seem to touch raw spots in Paul's psyche -- especially issues about money and women.  In this reading, Paul is rather passive aggressive in wondering why the wealthy Corinthians don't support his ministry more.  Despite his statements to the contrary, it seems that Paul cannot quite understand why these new Christians should get wealthy while he, a very hard-working and long-suffering preacher and teacher of the gospel, is poor.

Elsewhere in this letter (and sometimes in other letters), Paul also shows that he is quite touchy about the subject of women.  Frequently, he harshly comments on the proper place for women and prefers them to stay silent in worship and church affairs.  (This is odd, given that elsewhere he praises women who are leaders in other congregations, like Rome.)  And Paul is particularly tough on marriage; in this letter, Paul suggests that abstaining from marriage is the highest form of Christian faith.  The tone is defensive and seems like rationalization, which strongly suggests that Paul desperately wanted to be married, but never was.  So while Paul tried to be a teacher in his letters, sometimes he betrayed is own emotions on issues that hit too close to home.

Read 1 Corinthians 9:1-27  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

[links to Bible Gateway open in a new window]

Reading the Bible in Its Entirety

If you are planning to read the Bible in its entirety, you should read 1 Corinthians 5-7 today.

1 Corinthians, Day 1 Readings

Unnecessary Divisions & What Unites Christians 

Today's first reading provides a brief encapsulation of the main issue that Paul is trying to improve in the Corinthian church: division. Paul has learned that there is open debate in the congregation, with different people siding with different Christian leaders: some with Paul, some with Peter, some with Apollos, and some (probably those trying to stay out of the conflict) with Christ.  Paul contends that such internal conflict goes against the promises of baptism.  He also suggests that there is no reason for these arguments because because God has blessed the congregation with everything that it needs in the gifts and skills of the church's members.

Read 1 Corinthians 1:1-17  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

[links to Bible Gateway open in a new window]

The second reading provides Paul's carefully presented rationale for what unites Christians -- the gospel about the meaning of Christ's crucifixion for people (probably some form of Paul's teaching that he wrote in his letter to the Romans).  Paul says that the importance of Jesus is counter-intuitive; it goes against conventional wisdom.  In fact, it often seems as foolishness.

But this gospel of new life transforms the weak.  Further, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, these people gain new skills and abilities for good within the Christian community and beyond.  These are the things that should unite all Christians.   Even more, these things are much more important than the issues that seem to be dividing the Corinthians.

Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16  (NIV)   (NRSV)   (CEB)

[links to Bible Gateway open in a new window]

Reading the Bible in Its Entirety

If you are planning to read the Bible in its entirety, you should read 1 Corinthians 1-4 today.

1 Corinthians, Overview

Godsway 66, Book 46 - 1 Corinthians  

1 Corinthians is the first of two letters written by Paul to the church in Corinth, a city in ancient Greece.  Some scholars believe that the two letters preserved in the New Testament condense several letters that Paul wrote to the fledgling congregation -- there are certainly strong hints of this, including a mention of multiple letters, in 2 Corinthians.

Why would Paul write so much to one church?  Well, it seems that the congregation in Corinth was beset by internal disagreements (what today we probably would simply call church politics).  Different groups in the congregation were forming, often claiming to represent the teaching of specific Christian teachers (like Peter or Paul).  Paul saw great potential in this congregation, and he encouraged them to focus on the roots of their shared faith, which were much more important than their disagreements.

Part of the reason that Paul imagined great things could come of the church in Corinth was that some members were -- or had become -- wealthy.  However, these people seemed to use their money -- and the influence it provided -- to justify bad behavior among Christians.  Some of this bad behavior affected worship because they had turned the Lord's Supper into an occasion for gluttony and drunkenness.

Writing about a variety of issues, Paul seeks to promote behavior that strengthens the entire community.  He worried about how some Corinthians were leading people astray from faith, instead of encouraging and nurturing their faith.  He believed that a better way was exemplified through true celebration of the Lord's Supper, which is a community where everyone is valued and where everyone shares Christian love.

Many of these issues are quite personal.  In these letters, Paul gets drawn into the arguments at times, especially related to issues that are delicate personally, such as money (Paul didn't have much) and marriage (Paul never was married).  As such, some of Paul's comments are more defensive than helpful in 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, especially about women.  However, his description of spiritual gifts, proper worship, and theology of resurrection have guided churches for almost 2000 years.