Well, this week, I don’t really have a story for you guys…sorry! We’re studying the church of Corinth today and personally I really like this book in the Bible. So strap yourselves in because we’re gonna dive right into it.
Read 1 Corinthians 3
As many of you already know, the Corinthian church was infamous for its disunity. They were suffering divisions, as people chose which leader they wanted to follow; there were lawsuits (yeah they existed back then) and quarrels and a lot of immorality. The thing is though, that the Corinthian church was really doing a lot of things right. They were well known for being astute Bible scholars, with a deep understanding of the then blossoming New Testament. They even had all of the spiritual gifts present in their church. Gift of miracles, healing, speaking in tongues, leadership, etc. were all seen in the Corinthian church! Nobody wanted to miss the meetings and sermons because each time something amazing would happen in the name of the Lord. Also, more than anything, they understood the concept of Jesus Christ. They knew that when Jesus returned the world would be set right again, and the Corinthians did not delude themselves into thinking that they could fix the world by their own efforts. They knew that it was only through Jesus that salvation was attained and that they had been saved and justified by Jesus’ blood. Unfortunately, though, that knowledge proved to be their number one problem. The Corinthian church struggled with license. That means that they thought that because Jesus had saved them, they could do whatever they want. This is what caused the divisions, and whenever there are divisions in a church, no matter how good they are doing, they are pulled away from Jesus Christ.
These Corinthians followed men, not Christ, and this is what Paul is calling them out on in this passage. He basically says, sure you are saved, but when you are to be judged, the things that you had stored up on Earth, the temples you had built will be tested with fire. If it does not last, then you will only be someone barely pulled out of the flames, but saved nonetheless. Sure you are saved, but is that what you want, to be bereft of everything when you go to Christ, to have absolutely nothing to offer Him in return for your own salvation at the cost of His blood? Would you be able to face Him? What could you possibly say? This passage tells us something very important: we can either follow the world, or follow Christ. Neither can happen at the same time. Sure, God gives us license to choose and still end up in the same place, but one path is basically taking everything Jesus did for you and throwing back into his face, while the other path is an immersion with the one who gave everything so that one day He may party with you in Heaven. No, I shouldn’t even say “paths”, one is a road, and the other is a ravine. As a Christian, you should want to go down the road to Jesus. You are not obligated to, because that is meaningless to God. Let’s pray
Devotional Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we pray that you light in us the fire to follow not the world or men, but Jesus. God, we thank you for the license that you have given us through Christ, but we beg that you keep us accountable so that we may not abuse it. Lord, fortify us, as we find ourselves once again at the crossroads between the flames and the Kingdom of Heaven. We love you and thank you once again. In your precious son’s name we pray. Amen.
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
God for your Sunday school teachers
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