1 Corinthians 14:1-25

1 Corinthians 14:1-25
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.

Love comes first.

  ² For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. ³ But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. ⁴ Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵ I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

Because love comes first, the edification of others comes first.
 
⁶ Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? ⁷ Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? ⁸ Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? ⁹ So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. ¹⁰ Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. ¹¹ If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. ¹² So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

My church, for a time, gave the use of our building to a local Chinese church.  They held their services a a time different than ours and the entire service was not in English.  I am sure I could have attended their service.  I am sure I would have taken great joy in seeing the worship of our God in another language and culture.  When the pastor would preach I am sure I would see his passion for God.  But what benefit would his message be for me that day?

Make your message clear and build one another up.

¹³ For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ¹⁵ So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. ¹⁶ Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? ¹⁷ You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.

"Edify stupid."  That phrase was a running joke my second year at Word of Life School of Youth Ministries and School of Evangelism. We used this oxymoron to get the point across that our goal was to lift one another up.

The phrase Amen, means "I agree.".  One would be a liar to say amen to what they don't understand.

¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. ¹⁹ But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Tongues is not something to be ashamed of, but clear communication that benefits your brother is of higher importance.  

²⁰ Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.

Every get that look of shock for being ignorant about the latest fad show on TV or not understanding the punch line of a crude joke?  Be happy.  That is a good thing.

  ²¹ In the Law it is written:

“With other tongues
    and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
    but even then they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.”

²² Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. ²³ So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? ²⁴ But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, ²⁵ as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

Tongues is a proof gift so that unbelievers will see the message is from God.  Prophesy and interprettion of scripture in a language that the inquirers understand, is what convicts toward repentance and a change in course of their actions. 

God Bess.

1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Paul is showing the "most excellent way".  It does not matter what you seek or achieve if your motive is not one of love.  In God's eyes you have nothing.
 
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.

After reading the paragraph above, how good are you at love?  Love does carry some of those romantic feelings that is so pushed in our society, but true love, Godly love, is a choice.  Nothing the loved does prevents you from loving them.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Remember that Paul just told us in the previous chapter to eagerly seek the greater gifts. Here he tells us that love is greater and will out last them all.

  ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Things here on earth are not as clear as the will be in heaven.  In heaven our bodies will be complete.  Now we need to grow up.  Put away childish thing and be an adult.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

When all is said and done all we have left is our faith in God, our hope in Christ as our Savior and love.  Love is the greatest of them all.  We must remember to love the unlovable and to make sure our motive for what we seek is love.

God Bless

1 Corinthians 12:12-30

1 Corinthians 12:12-31
¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Paul is continuing is message concerning the distribution of gifts.  Explaining that we who are in Christ are one.  Yet, like a body, we are different parts of that body.

¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ 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.

Saying something or feeling something does not make it true.  There are days we will look at our lives and feel alone and worthless.  We may feel we are not part of anything because we're not as good or as smart or as talented as another.  That is when we need to turn to scripture.  We ARE part of the body.  It's in God's word.  When we feel like dirt, one is wrong.  Either our feelings or God's word.  Our feeling need to flow from who we are, not from the current events in our lives.

  ¹⁷ 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? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

How would church run if everybody got up to preach?  What if everybody wanted to be the song leader?  The church works when each person does the job God has assigned them.  When I say church I mean the people.  The body of Christ does not exist within the walls the we in the USA call a church.  We are more than the 4 hours we gather on Sunday.

²¹ 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!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ 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, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

How long would people attend our worship service if the janitor stopped cleaning the bathroom? 
We need each other.  We were not meant to go through this life alone.  We need to take joy in those who are publicly honored and we need to appreciate the folks behind the scene. 

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.  And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

I smile when I read this because some of out brothers and sisters in Christ insist that a person speak in tongues as a "proof" of salvation.   Yet here Paul lists some of the gifts and tongues is dead last on his list.  And when you real his list of questions in verses 29 and 30 the obvious answer is no.  Paul does say we can desire to speak in tongues but that is not a requirement.

Paul ends with a promise to show the most excellent way.  We will dive into that tomorrow.

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

¹ Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. ³ Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

God the Holy Spirit will never speak against himself.  At the same time no one can truly say that Jesus is Lord without the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
 
⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

We are not all going to have the same gift because we're not all going to have the same job.

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

The gift given you is not a badge that you wear and show off.  It is given for you to use in the church for the benefit of all.
 
⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

All gifts are of the Spirit.  All gifts are given as He determines.  Do not be jealous of another person's gift.  It was given to them for their job that is given to them by God. Just as your gift was given to you for your job.  Neither of you can do the other's job, so you did not receive the other's gift.

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

1 Corinthians 11:17-34
¹⁷ In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. ¹⁸ In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹ No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. ²⁰ So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, ²¹ for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. ²² Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

The Lord's supper in this time period was a full meal.  All would bring what the could and then all would eat from the table.  And just like our churches today there were conflicts among the members.  Some groups would break off from the main group and only share with their friends because they did not get along with other.  Paul told them they may as well stay home if that is their attitude.

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Sounds so familiar as I grew up in the church.  I need to pay attention to vs 26 and remember exactly what I am participating in when my church celebrates the Lord's supper.

²⁷ So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹ For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰ That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

If you chose to take part, examine yourself.  To fail is to invite God's wrath.  Some have died for being so flippant.

³¹ But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.

I love when I forget that it is communion Sunday and when I see the table I actually think, "Yay, I don't have a laundry list to get right with God.", because during that time I've been more discerning with my actions.

³² Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

Discipline is never fun, but it serves a purpose for our good.

³³ So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. ³⁴ Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
And when I come I will give further directions.

Paul was telling them to use the meal as a chance to share with the right heart and not be a glutton.

When we gather in church for a meal, let it be for the benefit of others.  Make sure we come together in mind and body.  Don't use the church meal as a chance to be a glutton.

At the Lord's table examine yourself, but live in such a way that it is a brief survey of the last few minuets/hours instead of the past few weeks/months/years.

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 11:1-16

1 Corinthians 11:1-16
¹ Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

This is an example of how the chapters and verses can sometimes break up a thought.  I believe this first verse is a command immediately after "For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."  He wants us to follow him as he follows Christ.  Remember, Chapters and verses were added later so the we could find passages in our Bibles.  They are not inspired by God.

² I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. ³ But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. ⁴ Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵ But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. ⁶ For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.
⁷ A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. ⁸ For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; ⁹ neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. ¹⁰ It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. ¹¹ Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹² For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
¹³ Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴ Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵ but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶ If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

So I understand headship of  man over woman, just as God is over man.  But what with the hair?  Do my girls need to start wearing head coverings?  Is the head covering cultural?  How do I understand and explain this without worrying or burying under pages of words that mean nothing.  I did a little research and Mathew Henry's Commentary comes to my rescue.  His words are concise so I will just quote him.

"Here begin particulars respecting the public assemblies, 1 Corinthians 14. In the abundance of spiritual gifts bestowed on the Corinthians, some abuses had crept in; but as Christ did the will, and sought the honour of God, so the Christian should avow his subjection to Christ, doing his will and seeking his glory. We should, even in our dress and habit, avoid every thing that may dishonour Christ. The woman was made subject to man, because made for his help and comfort. And she should do nothing, in Christian assemblies, which looked like a claim of being equal. She ought to have "power," that is, a veil, on her head, because of the angels. Their presence should keep Christians from all that is wrong while in the worship of God. Nevertheless, the man and the woman were made for one another. They were to be mutual comforts and blessings, not one a slave, and the other a tyrant. God has so settled matters, both in the kingdom of providence and that of grace, that the authority and subjection of each party should be for mutual help and benefit. It was the common usage of the churches, for women to appear in public assemblies, and join in public worship, veiled; and it was right that they should do so. The Christian religion sanctions national customs wherever these are not against the great principles of truth and holiness; affected singularities receive no countenance from any thing in the Bible."

 Our purpose is to honor God.  It's the motive of the action and the way you are perceived that God is concerned with.  Which follows right along with the the theme of the last chapter of giving up one's rights and not being a stumbling block.

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 10:15-33

1 Corinthians 10:15-33
¹⁵ I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

Paul is speaking of the Lord's Supper where we break bread and drink wine in remembrance of the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus.

¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? ¹⁹ Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. ²² Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Paul is speaking here of pagan festivals.  He told the people not to participate in a party known to be in celebration of a pagan god which is a demon.

²³ “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. ²⁴ No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

Here Paul lays the foundation for why he says we should not participate.

²⁵ Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, ²⁶ for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. ²⁹ I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰ If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

Your actions are about your conscience before God.  They are also about your testimony before others.

³¹ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³² Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— ³³ even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

If you enjoy something and it is something you can do for the glory of God go for it.  However your goal is not to please yourself.  Your goal is to please God and to be His witness here on earth.  We do not want to do anything that may cause our brothers to stumble.

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

1 Corinthians 10:1-14
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. ² They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴ and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

I notice that even though God was not pleased with the people, He still cared for them as they wandered in the desert.  Yes, they never did enter the promised land because of their disobedience to God, be He still cared for them till the day they died.
 
⁶ Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷ Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” ⁸ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹ We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰ And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

¹¹ These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 

 I am glad that God does not punish in the same manner as he did in the time of Moses.  I need to learn from their example and test the Lord patience.

¹² So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

I can't be so proud of yesterday accomplishments that put my guard down.

  ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

When tempted don't give in.  Look for that way out.

¹⁴ Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

Run!  Take that way out.

Many people can quote verse 13, but take 12 and 14 with it and you will have a great weapon.  Keep on your guard.  When attacked don't fight the temptation look for the way out God has provided and RUN!   

One may ask, "How is running a weapon?".  When we run from our temptation, we obey Christ.  We chose God over sin.  In time God will have proven Himself so faithful that the sin will lose its attraction to us.

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

How providential that this is the passage for today.  I type this at 4:07 am because this is the day that I stop pretending that I can lose weight without the gym.  I plan to go there right after I finish this blog.
To accomplish my goal, I must "strike a blow to my body and make it my slave".  I want to crawl back into bed.  But, I'm not going to.

There is yet another discipline here.  We must not follow our bodies desires for anything that would disqualify us from sharing the gospel.  There are cravings within me that can only be truly met as God intended.  Shortcuts will feel good, but only for very brief time and then the emptiness will return followed by the conviction of disobedience.  Thank God we have the promise of forgiveness in 1 John 1:9.  Our goal though, is avoid the things that hinder our testimony for God.

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

1 Corinthians 9:19-23
¹⁹ Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Paul's only goal in life was to build a relationship with a person so he could have the privilege to share the gospel with them.  Today he might put on a leather jacket and join my friend Steve at the Broken Chains Biker Church.  

Maybe he'd live on the street with the homeless.  Though Paul would live with and like them, he would not compromise his morals.  He would still be under Christ's law.  Imagine a homeless person who did not turn to drugs, sex and booze for comfort.  One who still took care of himself and had an inner joy that comes from the Holy Spirit.  Don't you think those around him would wonder what his secret was?

That is exactly how we are to live.  We are to live our daily lives trusting in God and turning to him in our time of need.  When our family, friends, coworkers, clients and people we see on the street everyday living an uncompromising life for Christ, they will say, "What is your secret?".  And there you go, an open door for YOU to be a witness for Christ and share the gospel.  God put you were you are for the sole purpose of being his witness.  Your life and what happens in it are not a mistake.  It is all part of God plan for your growth in Him and for His glory.

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 9:1-18

1 Corinthians 9:1-18
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? ² Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Paul was not only free, he was Roman by birth and that gave him even more rights.  Paul was an apostle called of God and he had seen Jesus when he was taken to "the third heaven" for his training.  Paul knew who he was and those that followed Christ because of his teaching were all the proof he needed.
 
³ This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. ⁴ Don’t we have the right to food and drink? ⁵ Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? ⁶ Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?

All expenses of the other Apostles and their families were taken care of by the church.

⁷ Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? ⁸ Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? ⁹ For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? ¹⁰ Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. ¹¹ If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? ¹² If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?
  
Paul uses a series of questions to get his readers to think and understand what his entitlements are or what expectations he could have from them if he desired.

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

He chose not to ensure the gospel went forward without hindrance.  

¹³ Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? ¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

Churches need to care for their pastors.  They should not have to work to eat and live and then still preach and teach.

¹⁵ But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. ¹⁶ For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. ¹⁸ What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

Paul did not want to be paid, that was not the purpose of this letter.  He wanted people to know that he preached the word voluntarily and did not want anything in return.   He gave up his rights for the benefit of those under his teaching.

So what is my motive when I do for others in the church?  Yours?

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 8

1 Corinthians 8
Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. ² Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. ³ But whoever loves God is known by God.

Some people put knowledge above love.  To love God is more important than what we "know".
 
⁴ So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” ⁵ For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), ⁶ yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

Meat sacrificed to idols is sacrificed to NOTHING and was OK for these early Christians to eat.

⁷ But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. ⁸ But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

Some would not eat that meat (even though it was some of the best meat) because in their mind it had been defiled.

⁹ Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰ For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? ¹¹ So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

Paul warned them not to be a stumbling block.

So where is a modern application as we do not have temples that serve meat sacrificed to a god?  I don't think this passage is about meat as much as it is about loving your fellow Christian.  Do you do something that causes you brother to stumble?

In my teens there was a leader in my church who grew up loving Led Zeppelin.  For Christmas one year his bride bought him the "Box Set".  He was so happy and proud and told us all about it.  He had no problem listening to that music.  However, I'd been raised that Led Zeppelin and other music of that era was evil.  I used this leaders freedom as a justification to ignore my conscience.  I won't get into weather Led Zeppelin is right or wrong for the Christian.  For me, at that time, it was wrong because of my personal belief.  I did not listen to the music because I knew it was OK and with a clear conscience. I did it because my brother was doing it.

I'm sure I could come up with many other examples, but the bottom line is to love you brother and sister more than you love your freedom.  Their walk with the Lord needs to be of greater importance to us than our freedom.  

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 7:25-40

1 Corinthians 7:25-40
²⁵ Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. ²⁶ Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. ²⁷ Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. ²⁸ But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

Marriage is work and a lot of heartache.  Paul wished to spare people this by urging them to not marry.

²⁹ What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; ³⁰ those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; ³¹ those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

This life is temporary.  Marriage and children makes a person concerned about a home and food and more than a single person may.  Paul reminds us that this world is temporary.

³² I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. ³³ But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— ³⁴ and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. ³⁵ I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

An unmarried person is free to pack up and leave at a moments notice.  He/she can dedicate their entire life to him because they do not need to worry about the needs of a spouse or children.

³⁶ If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. ³⁷ But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. ³⁸ So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.

If you lack control it is not a sin to marry.  But if you have control and you do not want to marry then don't.

³⁹ A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. ⁴⁰ In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

Paul encourages widows to remain single as he believes they will be happier.

Paul was not anti-marriage.  Paul was so pro-God that he did not allow anything to come between him and is Savior.  Paul had the gift of singleness.

I am divorced.  I will not go into the details, but I honestly believe that remarriage for me is Biblical and I desire to do so.  However I need to work on my relationship with God and seek His will for me first.  If marriage is in His plan, He will let me know.

God bless.

1 Corinthians 7:17-24

1 Corinthians 7:17-24
¹⁷ Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. ¹⁸ Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. ¹⁹ Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. ²⁰ Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

Circumcision was part of Jewish law.  There were Jews who were trying to require Gentile converts to Christianity to become circumcised.  Here Paul corrects that false requirement.  Which as an adult male, I would have been very happy to hear this was not a requirement.

The application we can take from this to add nothing to scripture.  Don't add your personal experience or church traditions to others.  God may have convicted you to give something up for your personal growth.  However that does NOT mean giving up that item, hobby or habit is a a requirement of Salvation and is NOT something you start requiring others to give up as well.  YOur church may like music A and another likes music B and yet at third likes music C.  None are wrong and none should look down on the other.  Follow Christ's commands to the best of your knowledge and understanding.  Allow the Holy Spirit to convict you of what you need to do.  Others are not there for you to fix.

²¹ Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. ²² For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. ²³ You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 

We don't have slavery as a legal institution here in the USA.  (Though human trafficking is still in business.)  I am confident that most reading this are not slaves.  When Paul says, "...the Lord's freed person;", what does you have been freed from the bondage of sin.  You are free to love and free to forgive.  One of the greatest gifts I have received in the past too years is greater understanding of grace and it has set me free from the bondage of bitterness and anger.  No matter what your going through freedom in Christ is true freedom.

Now those who are free men have become slaves to Christ.  And this is a good thing!  Our freedom in the US has lead us to where we are today.  No one is accountable to anyone and each man is a slave to his own selfish desires.  We have become slave to our "freedom".  I'd rather be Christ's slave because in him I find true freedom.

²⁴ Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

Don't try to reinvent the wheel when you come to Christ.  Be who you are and let Him bring you to where He wants you.

I close with this song.

1 Corinthians 7:1-16

1 Corinthians 7:1-16
Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” ² But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 

The solution for sexual immorality is sexual intimacy withing the context of monogamous marriage. 

³ The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.

If one spouse is in "the mood" the other spouse needs to get in the mood.  Now remember to balance this with the fact that you are to love your spouse.  This is not an order for "sex on demand".

  ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. ⁵ Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

 Each partner meets the needs of the other.  Each understanding that their body was a gift given to their spouse at marriage.  So when any of you go to porn sites or books or movies and find sexual self gratification, you are stealing from you spouse.  And I'm not just talking to the men here.  Women are just as guilty.

  ⁶ I say this as a concession, not as a command. ⁷ I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

Paul had the gift of singleness.  He was content to be alone and would encourage others to be so if that was there gift.  (Makes me wonder if parental pressure for marriage and grandchildren was as great in Paul's day as it is today.)  
 
⁸ Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. ⁹ But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

I do not have the gift of singleness.  I do not want to be alone.  In God's time, in God's will, I hope to one day remarry.  Till then I rely on Him.

¹⁰ To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. ¹¹ But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

If you are in a violent situation, get out and get help.  However your goal is reconciliation not to start over with someone new. 

¹² To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. ¹³ And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
¹⁵ But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. ¹⁶ How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Believers should not marry unbelievers.  Should you come to Christ after marriage and your spouse has no problems and wishes to stay then you stay with them.  Do not divorce.  If they cannot live with you because of your faith, let them go.  Your example and faith may one day lead them to Christ.

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

1 Corinthians 6:12-20
¹² “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

We have freedom in Christ to do anything that is not strictly prohibited in scripture.  However our "freedom" becomes bondage when we become slaves to that freedom.  I used to smoke cigarettes.  I was a full blown addict smoking 2 1/2 packs a day.  I absolutely HAD to have one or I could not function.  No matter if I was one who did not consider smoking a sin, it had become my master and therefore it was sin.

Food.  No one will argue that food is a sin.  Yet in some ways food has become a sin for me because of the volume and more importantly why I eat.  I eat for comfort when I am upset or anxious. Food has taken the place of God in this area and therefore foods eaten for those reasons are sin.  I'm only speaking for me.  You deal with what God brings to your mind.

¹³ You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
  
Here the people are saying to Paul, "Our bodies need food and our bodies need sex.  Sex is like eating a meal for the benefit of the body.  Our bodies are temporal and will be destroyed, so what does it matter what we do with our body?"  Sounds perfectly logical from a human perspective.  The problem is our bodies were not made for sexual immorality.  They were made for the Lord.

¹⁴ By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 

God's standard for sex is hard.  I struggle as a divorced man who was married for over 16 years.  I never had to put the brakes on and stop for all that time.  Now I must retrain my mind.  I must not allow myself to get into situations that could cause me to chose the flesh.  If God can raise Jesus from the dead He can help me live a pure life.

 ¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

The city of Corinth had temple prostitutes.  It was part of their worship to pagan gods.  Think of the abomination of going to a pagan temple and becoming one flesh with a prostitute all the while claiming to be part of the body of Christ.  

Today we are no different.  There are thousands of places for men and women to go and worship the god of self and fulfill our fleshly desires.  I can't go a week without some spam email inviting me to join a group for "no strings attached" sex.   But there are strings attached to all sexual intercourse outside of monogamous marriage.  The two become one so there will always be that emotional bond.  An unwanted child can come of the affair or worse abortion being used as a form of birth control and you live the rest of your life with murder on your conscience.

Verse 17 tells us was are one with the Lord in spirit.  Galatians 5:16-17 says, "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want."  

¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.

Run!  Don't play.  Don't see how close you can get without crossing some line you have drawn in you mind.  That line will not stay put and you will keep moving it till you can't stop.  Run!  Be like Joseph and flee.

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

This body is not mine.  Jesus bought it on the cross.  I need to honor God with it.

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

1 Corinthians 6:1-11
If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? ² Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? ³ Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! ⁴ Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? ⁵ I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? ⁶ But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!

Christians should not be in court.  Each should be applying Biblical principles and looking out for the others best interest.  If a dispute cannot be settled we should be bringing the issue before the church. 

When we fight and argue in court we dishonor God and we do not look attractive to unbelievers. Why would they want to be a Christian, if they see us acting just like them? 

What happens if the court rules in a way that requires us to disobey God?

 
⁷ The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

When one chooses to go to court they have given up on God and the church.  Perhaps because the know their motives are not inline with what the Bible says and they know they would lose if they brought it to the church.  So they bring it to court.

⁸ Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. ⁹ Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Remember where you came from and what God brought you out of.   Act like it.  Don't give up on God and go back to the way you were. 

God Bless.

1 Corinthians 5

1 Corinthians 5
5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. ² And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? ³ For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. ⁴ So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
There was incest happening in the church and Paul told them to expel the person.  Our society may cringe over Paul's use of "hand him over to Satan", but that is because our society has become so politically correct and we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.  There was a song on the radio growing up that said, "I'm going to hell in a bucket, but at least I'm enjoying the ride.".  That's exactly what we tend to do.  We tollerate sin because we don't want to upset people.

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? ⁷ Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

"A little yeast leavens the whole batch." If we tolerate sin in our churches then others will sin because they see there is no immediate consequence.  Before one knows it, the church looks just like the world. Why would people want what we have if the only difference in our lives is that we lose sleep on Sunday while they sleep in?

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
¹² What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? ¹³ God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”

Notice that we are only to remove ourselves from the sexually immoral the claim to be brothers.  And we ARE to judge our brothers actions based on scripture.  Matthew 7:3-5  Matthew 18:15-17

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 4:14-21

1 Corinthians 4:14-21
¹⁴ I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. ¹⁵ Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you to imitate me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

When one leads another to Christ they become a spiritual parent.  Notice that Paul urges them to imitate him.  For years I did not want anyone imitating me because I was imperfect and I kept waiting to achieve perfection.  I've learned that will never happen till I reach heaven.  I have also learned, through the openness of leaders in my church, that perfection is not required.  In fact the willingness to admit mistakes and confess them to God and to those whom you wronged is GREAT leadership.

I remember the first time I approached my daughter and told her I was wrong and asked her forgiveness.  She did not turn her back on me and start refusing to listen to me as dad.  In fact the exact opposite happened.  She melted in my arms and our relationship deepened.  What I have to say means more to her now because she knows I will admit that I make mistakes. 

I encourage you to follow me as I follow Christ.  I will screw up, but I will confess, repent and then keep moving toward Him.

¹⁸ Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. ¹⁹ But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. ²¹ What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

Do what is right even when you are alone.  No godly teacher, leader, parent or pastor wants to catch someone doing something wrong? When Dad and Mom said, "This will hurt me more than it hurts you.", they really meant it.  Also bear in mind that you are never alone.  The Holy Spirit indwells us who believe and see everything we do and even know our motive behind the actions.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 4:8-13

1 Corinthians 4:8-13
⁸ Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you!  ⁹ For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!

Sarcasm at it's best.  The Corinthian church had all it's physical needs met so they assumed they had become fully sanctified and did not need to learn any more.  Paul mocked them by alluding toward the millennial kingdom when we will reign with Christ.  He, their teacher, had not yet arrived at their level of perfection. He continued his rebuke with comparisons so they would understand how much their pride had clouded their thoughts and actions.

  ¹¹ To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. ¹² We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; ¹³ when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

The apostles endured everything for the cause of Christ and responded only as Christ would have them respond.

So the questions I ask myself and you that are reading this:  Are we puffed up and prideful?  Are we willing to suffer anything for the cause of Christ?

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 4:1-7

1 Corinthians 4:1-7
This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. 

I see the word servant and I think of what a servant would have meant to Paul and the readers of his time.  I servant was owned.  They had no rights. They did only the will of their master.  I call myself a servant of Christ.  Am I?

² Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. ³ I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

Am I being faithful with what God has given me?  Is my conscience clear and I am ready to stand before God and be judged?  These are the questions running through my mind as I read this.
 
⁶ Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.

The Bible is the final authority, not what you or I or our leaders and teachers say.  I'm not saying argue everything thing and don't listen to anybody.  I am saying know the word.  Have the Bible open when leaders are teaching.  If you disagree, discuss it in love.  I have a friend Rayford and he and I constantly disagree on the interpretation of certain areas of scripture.  We have so much fun lovingly debating and when we are done we know two things.  We love the Lord and we love each other.

  ⁷ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

I like the perspective of this verse.  We were all born naked and broke.  In the physical realm all was provided by our parents.  In the spiritual realm all was provided by our heavenly father.  Everything we own as adults we had to pay for.  There is nothing in this world that we do not get elsewhere and the ultimate source is God.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.