1 Corinthians 4:1-20
The Corinthians are assigning way too much significance to certain leaders within the church, which always leads to deifying or demonizing them. Instead, Paul urges that we see leaders as servants and stewards - men and women called to sacrifice so the church flourishes, tenderly but courageously pointing the church toward Jesus.
November 11, 2018 | Steve Hart
1 Corinthians 3:6-23
Paul is continuing to bring the Corinthians back to the basics of the gospel and the way of life it produces. In this section, Paul emphasizes the fact that the church is God’s building, built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, to be a dwelling place for the Spirit. It is a unique view of what the church is, what the church needs, and how we all move together towards God’s purposes for us.
November 4, 2018 | Gabe Shippam
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
While the gospel destroys the wisdom of the world and the schemes of religion, it does have its own hidden and secret wisdom. Wisdom is knowing how the world works and living in it in a way that leads to flourishing. If you want to know how the world works, and you want to play it well, the popular options - Religion and Secularism Wisdom - will fail you, driving you deeper into the pride and self-will that is the root of all our problems. But the Gospel offers a radically different kind of wisdom - given by the Spirit of God - which leads to a flourishing life - not just eternal life, but abundant life now, today, here in all the regular stuff of life.
October 28, 2018 | Steve Hart
1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5
The gospel is the power of God for salvation for all who believe, because in it God confronts the proud, exalts the lowly, and creates a new kind of people - people deeply aware of their weakness and simultaneously empowered by the Spirit.
October 21, 2018 | Steve Hart
1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Paul’s first appeal to his brothers in Corinth is to find unity under the leadership of Jesus. The divisions about leaders reveal our tendency to reach for physical resources (people, organizations, programs, etc.) instead of Jesus. We wrongly assume we will find fulfillment in those resources. But, only Jesus offers what we are looking for. Only Jesus offers forgiveness, resurrection, and a new identity.
October 14, 2018 | Gabe Shippam
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Paul’s first words are thanksgivings to God for his gracious work in Jesus and among the Corinthian church. His words to them are full of confidence in God’s provision and hopefulness in God’s work among them. He’s describing what the church really is, at its core: a people called by God to fellowship with his Son, richly provided for all life and ministry, and guaranteed to be sustained guiltless to the day of Jesus’ return.
October 7, 2018 | Steve Hart