I Corinthians 16: Practical Matters- Matter Paul’s last section of his letter seems to be taking care of some plans and practical matters. Which reminds us in our daily lives, practical matters- matter. Paul will deal with three areas of responsibilities of which we are to be stewards: Money- Paul explains how to give Opportunities- … Read more
I Corinthians 15: Part Two Keep in mind during the time of Jesus, the Roman Empire crucified many people. But only one person arose from the dead to eternal life in a glorified body. And only one person died for the ‘sins of the world.’ As we studied last week the first four verses in … Read more
I Corinthians 15: The Gospel of Peace “Now brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise you have believed in vain. … Read more
I Corinthians 14: Rules of Order Before we delve into this chapter on gifts of prophecy and tongues, let us review three cases of tongues, language and hearing. In Genesis 11, we have the account of the Tower of Babel, which leads us to a time after the flood when man spoke with one language: … Read more
I Corinthians 13: Part 2- Love Defined The American Heritage Dictionary defines love as: “An intense affection for another person based on family ties or personal ties.” Notice the phrase- based on: this means there is a condition for this love or affection. You have an intense affection based on family ties, parents; or based … Read more
I Corinthians 13: The Greatest Gift- Love Although this is a wonderful chapter about love, we must not disconnect it from its context. Paul is still dealing with the problems in the church at Corinth. Specifically, Paul is addressing the abuse of the gift of tongues, (eloquent speaking), divisions, envy of other’s gifts, selfishness which … Read more
I Cor.12: Part 2- Opening the Gifts At Christmas time, we always put all the gifts out under the tree and then hand them out to everyone. Not everyone gets the same gifts, for each gift was selected especially for that person. Our gifts are for our family. As our family has grown, the gifts … Read more
I Corinthians 12: Spiritual Gifts Now before we begin our study of spiritual gifts, let us look at the right approach and the right attitude regarding the Lords’ Supper, as Paul instructed in the last part of I Cor. 11. For just as they had abuses of this tradition in Paul’s day in Corinth, we … Read more
I Corinthians 11: Focus on the Family Paul commends the church in Corinth for remembering him and holding to his teachings, thereby keeping the traditions, just as he passed on to them. In this section of his letter, Paul addresses two traditions in worship- one was about headship – the principle for governing the people … Read more
I Corinthians 10: Part 2: The Apprenticeship All of a sudden I begin to realize what Paul is getting at with his examples of Israel and their sins in the desert following their miraculous delivery out of Egypt- the underlying, dominant theme is the danger of idolatry. In verse 7, Paul warns us to not … Read more
I Corinthians 10: A History Lesson Paul was a student of the Old Testament and Jewish history, as this was all he had for the New Testament was being written by Paul and the others under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us regarding the Gospel, it was not given to him by … Read more
I Corinthians 9: Finding Buried Treasure Paul has given the church at Corinth and all of us principles for making wise decisions. The Word of God is our source of wisdom and we are exhorted to ‘search for her (wisdom) like hidden treasure. Treasure being the key word in today’s lesson. I love the story … Read more
I Corinthians 8- Making Wise Decisions One of the areas of concern and controversy was the eating of meat sacrificed to idols. Although this specific issue is not a concern of Christians today, the underlying question pertains to Christian liberty, especially in questionable areas. Paul will in this next section of his letter give us … Read more
I Corinthians 7: The Greater Things Paul had received a letter, a written report from the household of Chloe, requesting counsel from Paul regarding several troubling subjects and problems. The church was experiencing: quarrels and divisions which were splitting the church; sexual immorality, including a very public act of sexual immorality of a believer living … Read more
I Corinthians 6: Looking for Loopholes The story of Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah revealed how devastating the loss of testimony of a carnal believer can impact not only the church but the community in which they live. The church of Corinth was losing its testimony, its witness to a sexually immoral society. When you … Read more
I Corinthians 5: Church Discipline’s Purpose The letter to the church in Corinth is a perfect letter for the church today in the 21st century, especially in America. We live in a sex-saturated society which loves wisdom as did the church in Corinth in Paul’s day. In the 21st century those who think they are … Read more
I Corinthians 4: Christian Ministry In last week’s lesson in I Cor. 3, Paul presented three pictures of the church: the family of God; the field of God, in which we are co-laborers; and the building of God, of which we are building upon the foundation which Jesus Christ has laid with materials which will … Read more
I Corinthians 3: Making America Great Again! Paul uses three illustrations in this portion of his letter to the church as he compares the church to: A family, where the goal is for children to grow up, maturity. A field, where the goal is quantity, a fruitful harvest. A building, where the goal is to … Read more
I Corinthians 2: In last week’s lesson , Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth and to us, stated this important truth: “ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel- not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (NIV) … Read more
I Corinthians I: It’s Still the Cross. The city of Corinth was one of the chief cities of Greece. Its population including slaves was estimated to be approximately 650,000. It was a very affluent city and culture. Corinth was located between two harbors and was a crossroads of travelers and traders. It also was … Read more