Week 11:
Day 1: Acts 18:19-19:41
Acts 19 starts Paul's third
missionary journey (53-57 A.D.). One
stop was at Ephesus. Because of the
message that Paul preached, there was great threat to the current culture
(including the financial livelihood of some craftsmen who made idols related to
Artemis). In fact a riot almost happened
due to the nature of Paul’s (and the other disciples’) message.
Day 2: 1 Corinthians 1-4
The 1st letter to the
Corinthian church was written around 55 A.D.
This happened after Paul had started the Corinthian church on his 2nd
missionary journey around 50 – 52 A.D.
Paul also visited Corinth on his 3rd missionary journey.
Paul had written a previous letter
(see 1 Corinthians 5:9) to the Corinthians but that letter has been lost. So this is really the 2nd letter
but the 1st one that we have in writing. Paul wrote this letter as he did other
letters to address issues that had cropped up in the Corinthian church.
In these first chapters, Paul is
dealing with the issue of unity and harmony in the church. We should have unity around what Christ did
for us, not around an individual person.
1 Corinthians 1:17 (MSG – The Message paraphrase)
17
God didn't send me [Paul] out to collect a following for myself, but to
preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for him [Christ].
And he didn't send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the
powerful action at the center—Christ on the Cross—be trivialized into mere
words.
Day 3: 1 Corinthians 5-8
In this passage, Paul deals with
the issues of: 1) lawsuits among
Christians; 2) sexual immorality; 3)
prostitution and marriage; 4)
commitment to Christ and sensitivity to other believers.
Note that as Paul deals with these
issues, he tells the Corinthian believers not to associate with sexually
immoral people. He is clear in 1Corinthians 5:10 that he is NOT referring to unbelievers. If we were to disassociate ourselves from
unbelievers, how can we tell them of God’s salvation? However, we shouldn’t ignore un-Christlike
behavior from a believer. We need to be
ready to correct, in love, this worldly behavior for the sake of spiritual
unity.
Day 4: 1 Corinthians 9-11
In the remaining chapters of 1
Corinthians, Paul talks about: 1)
worship; 2) role of women; 3) the Lord’s Supper; 4) spiritual gifts; 5) the resurrection.
See 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Paul talks about becoming all things to all
people. He did not compromise his
beliefs and did not sin. But today, we
might say he entered their culture. He
didn’t make them become like him but he put himself in a position where he
could share the good news with them. 1 Corinthians 9:22 (MSG) 22 “... I didn't take on their way of life. I
kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience
things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant
there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life.” We call this being missional – living for the
mission of Christ to “make disciples.”
Remember as you read Paul was
addressing specific issues that had come up in the Corinthian church and
therefore, when you read about women covering their head, he is saying that for
a very specific reason and this does not apply to women in today’s church.
Explanation about the dialog
related to the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34) using a footnote from the
Life Application Study Bible: When the
Lord’s Supper was celebrated in the early church, it included a feast or
fellowship meal followed by celebration of Communion. In the church in Corinth, the fellowship meal
had become a time when some ate and drank excessively while others went
hungry. There was little sharing and caring. This certainly did not demonstrate the unity
and life that should characterize the church, nor was it a preparation for
Communion. Paul condemned these actions
and reminded the church of the real purpose of the Lord’s Supper.
Day 5: 1 Corinthians 12-14
Chapter 12 deals with spiritual
gifts. All spiritual gifts come from God
and should be used for God’s glory.
Gifts not used for God’s glory are not from God.
Spiritual gifts from God should be
used with love so after talking about the various gifts, Paul talks about love
in chapter 13. Then in chapter 14, Paul talks
about the gift of speaking in tongues.
This is not bad. However, if
someone is speaking in tongues and unbelievers can’t understand the good news,
it is bad. Our spiritual gifts are meant
to build up the church. If they are not,
it is a detriment to the church.
Day 6: 1 Corinthians 15-16
1Corinthians 15, at least parts of it are used in some funeral services because
it brings hope. This chapter brings good
news about the resurrection. Jesus died,
was buried and rose again according to what the Scripture said. Paul proves Jesus’ resurrection by telling
who Jesus appeared to which included 500 people all at once, most of which were
still alive at the writing of this letter and could refute that if it was not
true. 1 Corinthians 15:14 says that if
Jesus did not really rise from the grave, Paul’s preaching is useless and the
faith of the believers is useless and worthless. And those who have already died are gone
forever. But in fact, Christ has been
raised from the dead (verse 20)!
1 Corinthians concludes with some
greetings. Paul tells the Corinthian
believers, “Stay awake, stand firm in your faith, be brave, be strong. Everything should be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)
Day 7: rest
