Grace and peace to you today,
Delving into 1 Corinthians 9, we find a discourse on the means and the motivation of ministry. The memory passage is
1 Corinthians 9:14, 22-23, 26-27 (ESV)
In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
The outline theme is Correct Means and Motivation for the Gospel.
At the beginning of the chapter, Paul gives as concise but thorough apologetic for his own apostolic authority. The two main reasons he gives are seeing Jesus and having the fruit of his work, the Corinthian church, as a seal. They are the direct result of his ministry as an apostle.
Beginning in verse 4 he 'reclaims' his own personal rights and freedoms and sets up the argument for supporting those who work for the Gospel. In verse 7 he uses a soldier, a vineyard worker, and a shepherd as examples of workers who directly benefit from their work. His quotation from Deuteronomy 25:4 is applied here to people who are working in the harvest field. And again he uses examples; the plowman and the thresher. Each of these three (ox, plowman, and thresher) directly benefit from the work they do.
Verse 11 brings the point home; 'if we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?'. And while verse 12 foreshadows Paul's later stance of giving up his rights, vv 13-14 conclude this first thought. He uses an example of those who work in a temple, which the Corinthians would have been very aware of (albeit pagan temples). These workers share in the offerings given at the temple. 'In the same way' (verse 14), 'the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the Gospel should get their living by the Gospel'.
'But', (with Paul, a 'but' or a 'therefore' are worth noting), 'I have made no use of these rights'. Even though he, and others, have the right to be supported by the church, Paul adamantly gives up these rights. His personal conviction was to support himself and not give anyone an excuse not to take his ministry seriously. He must be obedient to preach the Gospel no matter what, and although his boast is in the Lord (1:31) he wishes to retain his standing among men that he work hard not to be a burden to the church.
Verses 19-27 speak to Paul's motivation; the Gospel at any cost. Although he is free in Christ, he gives up this freedom for the sake of winning lost souls. All of his examples are summed up in the end of verse 22; 'I have become all things to all people that by all means I might save some'.
Why?
'I do it all for the sake of the Gospel'. He does seek a 'perishable wreath', he does not run aimlessly without direction, he does not train alone as one boxing the air, and he disciplines his body so that 'after preaching to others' he would not be disqualified himself. This word translated 'disqualified' also means 'unapproved'; being out of God's favor or in His discipline. Being 'sidelined' in the race will affect your running and the finish. His desire is to run hard, run straight, and never stop until he his 'crown of life' (James 1:12).
How does this affect my worship?
Psalm 4:5 calls us to 'offer right sacrifices'. The idea of being 'disqualified' or 'unapproved' in worship seems to be the idea of offering worship that is not pleasing or acceptable in His sight. Romans 12:1 commands that the worship of our selves must be 'holy and pleasing'. The prayer of Psalm 19:14 is that our words and meditations be 'acceptable' in His sight. If our walk (or run) with the Lord is filled with disqualifying behavior, we injure our witness and our walk. Paul's emphasis discipline in our bodies is so that our relationship with God remains pure, our evangelism will not be tainted, and our worship can continue to be acceptable to Him.
How does this affect my discipleship?
If one needs a (another) battle cry for discipleship, verse 23 provides it; 'I do it all for the sake of the Gospel'. I sacrifice my rights and freedoms. I train and discipline myself for the long haul. I keep my focus on the treasure in heaven, not on earth. And do all I can, 'by all means' to fulfill God's great commission. And 'woe to me' if I do not.
May you do all, today, for the sake of the Gospel,
Ethan
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
1 Corinthians 8
Grace to you, and peace in our Lord,
The next chapter in 1 Cor deals with a specific issue in the Corinthian church, but we will find many applications for our own lives.
The memory passage is:
1 Corinthians 8:1,8,12 (ESV)
Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up.
Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.
Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
The outline theme is Correct Liberty in Christ.
This theme is similar in title to Romans 14 (Righteous Liberty in Christ). 1 Cor 8 and Rom 14 deal with similar topics and come to very similar conclusions. Each has its own slant, but the main idea is the same, as we will see.
Verses 1-3 deal with the Cor church's perception of knowledge. In the context of the issue of food offered to idols, Paul agrees that 'all of us posses knowledge'. But knowledge alone builds up one's ego; contrasted with love which invests in true growth for one's self and for others. He continues by saying "if you think you really have it figured out, you don't. Your knowledge is woefully incomplete. But if you love God, then you will be known by God." This last phrase seems backwards at first glance; shouldn't it read 'if you love God you will know God'? But that's not what it says. Being known by God is infinitely more important than knowing anything else.
He follows in vv4-7 with an affirmation of basic doctrine; there is one true God. Because an idol has no real existence, the food offered to one is inconsequential to Christ-followers. People make up all kinds of 'gods' and 'lords'. But THE God is Creator and object of our praise, and THE Lord is our Sustainer and loving Master.
Even though we know this to be true, there are still those who have 'weak consciences' and are affected by that former association.
Firstly, what about us? Verse 8 summarizes our approach; Food is food; we are no worse or better off for eating it.
Secondly, what about the weak of conscience? Paul devotes the rest of this chapter to them. If someone who has an issues with certain foods sees us eating it, will they not be encouraged to eat, too? This could bring back issues from former idolatry or plunge them back into a lifestyle they associate with that idolatry. Verse 11 pulls no punches, "by your knowledge this weak brother in Christ is destroyed". The actions of the 'free' can directly affect the actions of the 'weak'. If we sin against them by harming their conscience, we sin against Christ Himself.
Therefore (Paul concludes), don't make food an issue. It's better us to abstain from food (meat in this case) completely rather than cause harm to a brother.
How does this affect my worship?
I love that affirmation of doctrine in verse 6; yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. What a beautiful and poetic description of God. The Father is the Creator and the One for whom we live. Jesus Christ is our Sustainer and the means by which we live. This echoes the end of Romans 11; for from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. While the simplest prayer and worship, if offered in spirit and truth, can be a sweet smelling offering to God, the more He reveals to us who He is the more fully we can worship His fullness. Psalm 7:17 says 'I will give to the Lord the praise due His righteousness'. May we daily seek to know more of Him and His righteousness.
How does this affect my discipleship?
This whole issue comes to bear when dealing with non or new believers. People have all sorts of baggage that they bring to the table. As a disciple-maker, it is essential that I am aware of any 'food issues' (alcohol, fatty foods, locations, associations) that might hinder growth or damage a conscience. And if a situation ever does come up, I need to be the one to concede my 'freedom' for the sake of the weaker brother. They may mature and grow out of their baggage, but it's not for me to yank them out. In the Lord's time.
May we walk this week in the hand of our Creator by the strength of our Sustainer,
Ethan
The next chapter in 1 Cor deals with a specific issue in the Corinthian church, but we will find many applications for our own lives.
The memory passage is:
1 Corinthians 8:1,8,12 (ESV)
Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up.
Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.
Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
The outline theme is Correct Liberty in Christ.
This theme is similar in title to Romans 14 (Righteous Liberty in Christ). 1 Cor 8 and Rom 14 deal with similar topics and come to very similar conclusions. Each has its own slant, but the main idea is the same, as we will see.
Verses 1-3 deal with the Cor church's perception of knowledge. In the context of the issue of food offered to idols, Paul agrees that 'all of us posses knowledge'. But knowledge alone builds up one's ego; contrasted with love which invests in true growth for one's self and for others. He continues by saying "if you think you really have it figured out, you don't. Your knowledge is woefully incomplete. But if you love God, then you will be known by God." This last phrase seems backwards at first glance; shouldn't it read 'if you love God you will know God'? But that's not what it says. Being known by God is infinitely more important than knowing anything else.
He follows in vv4-7 with an affirmation of basic doctrine; there is one true God. Because an idol has no real existence, the food offered to one is inconsequential to Christ-followers. People make up all kinds of 'gods' and 'lords'. But THE God is Creator and object of our praise, and THE Lord is our Sustainer and loving Master.
Even though we know this to be true, there are still those who have 'weak consciences' and are affected by that former association.
Firstly, what about us? Verse 8 summarizes our approach; Food is food; we are no worse or better off for eating it.
Secondly, what about the weak of conscience? Paul devotes the rest of this chapter to them. If someone who has an issues with certain foods sees us eating it, will they not be encouraged to eat, too? This could bring back issues from former idolatry or plunge them back into a lifestyle they associate with that idolatry. Verse 11 pulls no punches, "by your knowledge this weak brother in Christ is destroyed". The actions of the 'free' can directly affect the actions of the 'weak'. If we sin against them by harming their conscience, we sin against Christ Himself.
Therefore (Paul concludes), don't make food an issue. It's better us to abstain from food (meat in this case) completely rather than cause harm to a brother.
How does this affect my worship?
I love that affirmation of doctrine in verse 6; yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. What a beautiful and poetic description of God. The Father is the Creator and the One for whom we live. Jesus Christ is our Sustainer and the means by which we live. This echoes the end of Romans 11; for from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. While the simplest prayer and worship, if offered in spirit and truth, can be a sweet smelling offering to God, the more He reveals to us who He is the more fully we can worship His fullness. Psalm 7:17 says 'I will give to the Lord the praise due His righteousness'. May we daily seek to know more of Him and His righteousness.
How does this affect my discipleship?
This whole issue comes to bear when dealing with non or new believers. People have all sorts of baggage that they bring to the table. As a disciple-maker, it is essential that I am aware of any 'food issues' (alcohol, fatty foods, locations, associations) that might hinder growth or damage a conscience. And if a situation ever does come up, I need to be the one to concede my 'freedom' for the sake of the weaker brother. They may mature and grow out of their baggage, but it's not for me to yank them out. In the Lord's time.
May we walk this week in the hand of our Creator by the strength of our Sustainer,
Ethan
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