1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4:19-21

Leave a comment
19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
 
Paul is ending this chapter saying he plans to come to see them if the Lord will allow him to. We can never say for sure we are going to do something because we are not promised another day. He knew the people were falling away from his teaching and when he comes back it would be in the power of God. The power Paul refers to here is Holy Spirit where the real power comes from. He ask if he should come with a rod of correction or in meekness an love. He cared enough about them to correct them if he need to but he had rather teach them by example through his meekness to turn them back to God. We all have people we have seen slip away from God that we would love to see come back and sometimes we feel we need to be firm with them but it would be better if we could do it with love through the power of the Holy Spirit. Attend church today and let God fill you with what you need to live more like Him each day.
1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4:17-18

Leave a comment
1 Corinthians 4:17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.
 
Paul now shows us if you teach people in the right way they can be used to instruct people in the way that is right. Timothy had been an understudy of Paul and was able to perfectly represent him and be an extension of Paul. Paul could not be in all the churches at once that he had started. We see in this next verse though that some got puffed up or angry cause Paul could not come thinking he did not want to come. We should learn from this that we should not depend on just one person to know the truth of God’s word to teach it. Also as we teach make sure we teach it in a way others can carry on by teaching the truth of God’s word. To add to or take away from the word has its consequences so we need to be sure to follow the true Word of God.
1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4:14-16

Leave a comment
1 Corinthians 4: 14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
 
Paul did not want his followers to think he was complaining about his suffering but rather that they might have to face some of the same suffering. He wanted these people to understand he had trained a lot of people and they might be good teachers but he was the one who cared for them the most. He counted himself as their father and therefore felt responsible for them. Paul was saying here that he had tried to live before them the Christian life, and if he would follow the pattern he had set they would be fine. He was not asking them to worship him. Spiritual leaders today should be bold in setting a Christlike example for us to follow today but not worship them.
1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4:11-13

Leave a comment
1 Corinthians 4:11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
 
In this first verse Paul lets us see that the lifestyle they lived was not always the best. They never knew what they might be paid or if they might have food to eat or even decent cloths to wear and they never knew if would have a place to stay. Paul had learned to be content when he had much and when he had little and could we only do the same. He goes on to let us know he did not mind working at a job for what he had or for being persecuted for spreading the Gospel. He considered it a privilege to persecuted for the Gospel. He was never popular with the Jews just like good christian people are not popular with the high society of today. They were actually considered the scum of the earth but not in God’s sight. Today we really need to understand that if we do our best to spread the word of God in our society today we will face some of the same challenges Paul faced.
A Note from Hope

JUMP! A Note from Hope

Leave a comment

Acts 8  26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise up and go toward the south on the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he rose up and went. (emphasis added)

***************************

Mom and Scout and I go out every morning to walk around the yard and see what’s going on. We check on Tux the cat and make sure the squirrels are running fast enough. We love watching the birds fly up into the trees; one of these days we’re going to be fast enough to catch them.

So after we’ve taken care of our potty break, Mom likes to let us run some so we can build up our muscles. And lately, she gets Scout to jump up to make her back legs stronger. (She also says something about a nap, but  I don’t always pay attention to that part…)

This morning, she would say “Look Scout!” and point up in the tree, and Scout would jump up and try to catch whatever Mom saw. Scout even jumped over into the nandina bushes on the edge of our yard.  They’re higher than Mom’s waist and very thick. So when Scout jumped in, you couldn’t even see her! Thank goodness, Mom had hold of Scout’s leash so she could find her. whew! that was exciting!

Mom says that we all need to be like Scout and be excited to do what we’re asked to do by God. Mom  told us the story about Philip – God sent an angel to tell Philip to run and go towards Jerusalem, and Philip got up and ran!  He ran so fast he caught up with the man God wanted him to meet. Philip was able to tell this man, who was an Ethiopian, about Jesus, and help him understand the scriptures he was reading. How cool is that?

So the next time God says “go” – you should GO!

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4:8-10

Leave a comment
1 Corinthians 4:8 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.
9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
 
Paul here is somewhat reprimanding the Corinthians here because they are making it seem that they are better than anyone else. He goes on to say that those who help spread the word of God seem to be put at the bottom of the totem pole because they are ridiculed, spit on, beaten and imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. Finally Paul is saying we should be willing to be fools if it gives us a chance to spread the word of God. Just as in today people know it is the right thing to do to come to Christ but they still look down on most of the people who really want to make them understand what
Christ has for them.
1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4:6-7

Leave a comment
1 Corinthians 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
 
Paul lets us know here that they were more that help spread the gospel than just him and Apollos. Also that they were not to be thought of as being any better than any one else. They did this to let them know that pride and arrogance can creep in and destroy a body of Christ if they are not careful. He goes on to tell us that we are made by God to be the person God wants us to be. Our Creator made us what He wanted us to be for the furtherance of the kingdom of God. Everything we do is chosen by God and we are equipped by the Holy Spirit to work in the area we are most suited for. The gifts that we have were not given to us to let make people think we are better than they are. Let us stay humble enough that we do not let pride enter in to lives and destroy what we have.
1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4:3-5

Leave a comment
1 Corinthians 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
 
Paul begins here by letting us know that we should not be judged by others possibly because of things in our past or for what we are doing today. He is not saying he is better than anyone else because he himself could not be a judge of others or himself. He goes on to say that he is doing what he feels the Lord is asking him to do and he knows that only the Lord is the judge of what he does. Finally he shows us that all things will be judged, even the hidden things that the human eye does not see but God sees because He looks in the heart. Our final rewards will not be based on the things we did but on the devotion of our hearts to God to accomplish His purpose.
1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4:1-2

Leave a comment
1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
 
Paul here is saying that he and the others with with him were not anything special just the humble messengers that God ordained them to be. Also they were responsible for everything that was given then to do, whether it be to teach or preach the word of God. The mystery of God is the Truth in the Bible. The Holy Spirit reveals to all who are truly believers of this mystery. The next verse lets us know we need to be totally sold out to God. The main ingredient of a Christians life is their faithfulness to God and His Truth. the most essential way to show our faithfulness to God is in our obedience to what His word says. One way we can show our faithfulness and obedience is to attend church today and give Him the praise and worship He desires on His day. You will be welcomed and loved if you would like to come and worship with us at Luverne First Assembly of God.
1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 3:21-23

Leave a comment
1 Corinthians 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
 
These verses tell to begin with that we should not elevate man up to a position that he does not belong. Everyone who is a believer can share equally in all of God’s provisions that He has for us. We are all exactly what God has allowed us to be. Next the scripture tells us that everything is ours if we believe. We will experience all things God has promised and we do not have to life up a man to receive these things, God has promised all believers the same inheritance. Finally here Paul is saying it does not matter who led you to Christ you do not have an obligation to them because you now belong to Christ. If we belong to Christ then we are a part of the the Kingdom of God because Christ is God the Father’s. Because believers belong to Christ then they belong to each other and therefore we see the greatest incentive for unity in the church.