PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 31, 2023

 

May 31 – Matter of Choice – 1 Cor 9:12

 May 31 – Matter of Choice – 1 Cor 9:12

 

12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

 

     Paul had previous talked about the apostles and their families and helpers.  He talked about the brothers of Jesus and even Peter.  Now some scholars believed that Peter also had made a visit to Corinth.  This is of coursed based on what Paul talk about in the first part of this letter and was part of the schism that envelope the church with people living up behind certain people and ministries.  Which unfortunately is a common practice today. 

     If these other ministries were worthy of support from the Corinthians how much more should Paul and his party deserve support.  They were the ones who started and established the church.  They were the ones who plowed, cultivated, and sowed the first spiritual seed in Corinth. 

      Paul however did not exercise this right.  He along with those who travelled with him chose to instead work and care for themselves so that more resources could be put into evangelism and other worthy causes.  If a worker for the Lord chooses to be b-vocational this frees up the church to spend their money on evangelism and community outreach.  This however does not negate their responsibility to them if they choose to once again be compensated by the church.

PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 30, 2023

 

May 30 – Sown Seed – 1 Cor 9:11

 May 30 – Sown Seed – 1 Cor 9:11

 

11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?

 

     Paul uses the illustration of how that he and his fellow apostles had sown spiritual seed among them.  They were in fact a product of his fulfillment of the great commission.   This is called the law of reciprocity.  This was taught by Moses in Deut 25:4. Paul had supplied spiritual riches among them so why should he not expect material reward for his labor.  Paul was pounding home a very important fact that those who sow to the Kingdom should expect those they serve and sow among to compensate them for their labor and work.  Remember this is eternal work that is being done.  You cannot measure the value of this work, but it should be fairly and adequately rewarded materially.

Remembering the Messiah

How Beautiful

Time to wake up

Clean Thoughts or Stinkin Thinking

Living in the Spirit

PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 29, 2023

 

May 29 – Be Generous – 1 Cor 9:10

 May 29 – Be Generous – 1 Cor 9:10

 

10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.

 

     The ancient world was primarily an agricultural society.  Even cities needed the farmer and farm products to keep society going, that reality plays out today.  If there was no farmer, we who live in the city would not eat.  Paul again states that the Lord has said and is even spelled out in the written page that whoever plows, and thrashes does so with the hope of sharing in the harvest.  Those who harvest and work in the field of the Lord do so with the anticipation of being rewarded by those they serve under the Lord’s name.  So why does Paul spend so much time on this?  It is because he is teaching and reminding the Corinthians who are first generation Christians of their role and responsibility of caring for those who God sends to minister among them.  Minsters of the gospel have the hope and right to expect something from the harvest.  So lets us be generous and respectful in our care and responsibility for them.

PROVERS OF STEEL FOR MAY 26, 2023

 

May 26 – Apostles Wives – 1 Cor 9:5-6

 May 26 – Apostles Wives – 1 Cor 9:5-6

 

5 Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?  6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?

 

     Paul gives us a snapshot of what the travelling ministries were doing.  He states that they have the bring along with them their wives.  The other apostles did this as did the Lord’s brothers.  Now we know Peter had a wife because Jesus had healed his mother-in-law.  It was evident from this verse that Peter’s wife travelled with Him, and Paul had met her. 

     Paul then states that both him and Barnabas were at the writing of this letter bachelors.  They also could either receive support from the church or work for a living.  It is wonderful how Paul’s gives us a glimpse of life among the apostles and how they lived an interacted with each other.  Paul wrote this to silence the naysayers and critics among the crowd listening.

May 25 – Personal Decision – 1 Cor 9:3-4

 May 25 – Personal Decision – 1 Cor 9:3-4

 

 

3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don’t we have the right to food and drink?

 

    To the critic, mocker or scorner Paul use their lives as an example in his defense.  They showed the critic that Paul was successful and their judgment and critique of him was baseless.  A little lesson here is that when you work for the Lord there are not always going to be applause in fact quite the opposite.  People even in the faith can be subject to selfish ambition and vain conceit.  Work for the Lord not for the praise of men.  Paul reminds his readers and audience that he has a right to support even thought he never did exercise that right.  Support from the local church is a decision each leader makes.  Paul chose not to even though he had the right. 

PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 24, 2023

 

May 24 – A Testament – 1 cor 9:2

 May 24 – A Testament – 1 cor 9:2

 

2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

 

     Paul then talks about his apostleship.  He says that even though he ay not be an apostle in the eyes of others.  Even today there is some who question Paul’s claim to apostolic ministry.  Paul did write half of the New Testament and the book of Acts is dedicated mostly to him Paul will always be a controversial character.  He does not fill the bill in many eyes to what an apostle should look like which is a great comfort to us because we will neither.  Paul comments that at least to the Corinthians he must be one to them because they were a seal or a display of his apostleship in the Lord.    Paul was fulfilling the great commission by making disciples everywhere he went.  We can claim many things, but results show the truth of what we say.  We show our dedication and talents for the Lord by what is evident in our lives.  For Paul the fact that the Corinthian existed was a testament to his work.

PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 23, 2023

 

May 23 – Four Questions – 1 Cor 9:1

 May 23 – Four Questions – 1 Cor 9:1

 

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?

 

Paul asks the Corinthians four questions.  He asks them if he is free or not which he was for several reasons.  He was free because he was a Romans citizen.  He was free because of Christ, and he was free because he did not allow others to impede his thinking.  His second question is on whether he was not an apostle.  He was recognized as such because of his next question.  He had seen Jesus our Lord.  This was one of the requirements of being an apostle in the days of the book of Acts.  Notice he said Jesus our Lord.  Paul was directing them to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in every area of their lives.  The last question was asking them if they were not a result of his work in the Lord.  The answer was obvious.  There were listening to his letter because of his mission and calling.  In directly we are also a result of Paul’s work because current ministries are building on the foundation, he establishes many centuries ago.

Cornerstone community church service for May 21, 2023

PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 19, 2023

 

May 19 – Does Matter – 1 Cor 8:7-8

 May 19 – Does Matter – 1 Cor 8:7-8

 

7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

 

     Paul then points out that not everyone knows what he has just revealed.  Some people are so accustomed to idols they think that the food has been blessed by the god.  They have weak and defiled consciences.  They are of this world.  They have not passed from death onto life.  They have not been enlightened to the truth and the truth has not set them free. 

     Paul then points out a popular misconception of the time and of religion in general.  Food does bring us closer to God.  This was a slight to the Jews in the audience and to the Gnostics.  Paul has been liberated from that concept.  He says that if we eat or do not eat, we are no better or worse off.  I can hear the hush and gasp in the crowd when he wrote this.  The Kingdom of God is not a matter of meat of drink but of righteous, peace, joy, and power in the Holy Spirit. 

PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 19, 2023

 

verse today

 

May 18 – Who God Is – 1 Cor 8:6

 May 18 – Who God Is – 1 Cor 8:6

 

6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

 

     Paul then introduces the concept of trinity and how each member functions within that perfect union.  The Father is the one from whom all things came and for whom we live.  God is the creator of all things.  He spoke and man became a living soul.  The concept of the trinity is mid boggling to the natural mind.  A element of nature is a perfect picture of trinity.  Water has three forms, gas, liquid, and solid.  There is earth, sky and sea.  The Father is creator and the one we live for. Jesus did the will of the Father while on earth and in turn we should as well.

     The Son, who is Jesus Christ, is through all things came.  He is sustainer of all things. It is through him we live and move and have our been.  Jesus the avenue or conduit in which salvation and eternal life comes.  Each person in the Trinity has their role and function.  They work in perfect harmony and unity.  This was a new and revelational thought for the Corinthians but so essential to know who God is.

PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 17, 2023

 

May 17 – Two Realms – 1 Cor 8:5

 May 17 – Two Realms – 1 Cor 8:5

 

5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),

 

     This statement almost seems a contradiction.  Paul points out that the so-called gods of the Greeks were not gods but a figment of man’s imagination.  The other thing about Greek deities it was not what they could do for you but what you could do for them.  Greek gods were nothing but human beings with supernatural power.  They were selfish and means.  Isaiah pointed out that idol worship was demonic inspired, and each demon had formed a style of worship in which they followers would do to satisfy that demon.

     Paul also reveals that there is a spiritual realm made of diverse types and ranks of spiritual creatures.  On one side the angels of heaven and on the other side the demons of hell. They have been given titles

 

by men, but they have a function in the spiritual realm.  He also points out that they can pass between the natural and the supernatural realm. 

May 16 – One True God – 1 Cor 8:4

  

May 16 – One True God – 1 Cor 8:4

 

4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.”

 

     Paul points out that the practice of eating food offered to idols is a matter of personal conviction.  He also points out that an idol is nothing at all.  It is a piece of wood, stone, or metal.  There is no life or help there.  Isaiah pointed out the folly of idols.  He tells how a man will cut a piece of wood and make an idol out of it and at the same time take and make firewood to warm himself out of the same piece. 

     He points out that all the gods of the Greek and Romans are false, manmade and have no power.  He then states for the Corinthian that there is only one God.  He is the creator and sustainer of all things He spoke, and the world was formed.  Paul was promoting one true God not the pantheon of idols and temples which dotted the landscape of Corinth.  Christianity is monotheism the worship of the one true God.

PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 15, 2023

 

May 15 – Known by God – 1 Cor 8:2-3

 May 15 – Known by God – 1 Cor 8:2-3

 

2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.

    

     Paul points out that those who think they know something really don’t anything.  They are missing the point of knowledge.  Knowledge and information is suppose to lead to understanding.  Understand then leads to insight.  Insight leads to discernment and then discernment leads to knowledge.  These are steppingstones.  Solomon said that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Today we live an information age.  Knowledge and information have increased and are more available, but it has also led to informational overload and fake news.   It is interesting a study was down recently that found our smart devices have made us less intelligent because we rely on them more than our own natural abilities.

     Paul then reveals a powerful truth.  Whoever loves God is known by God.  At the end of the day this is what really matters.  When you respond to God’s love together you will begin a journey of love and communication that lasts not just for a lifetime but eternity. 

Cornerstone community church service for May 14, 2023

PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 5, 2023

 

May 5 – Right view – 1 Cor 7:29

 May 5 – Right view – 1 Cor 7:29

 

 

 29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not;

 

     This next section of verses is controversial according to today standards.  Paul calls them his brothers and sisters.  He considers part of his family in a spiritual sense.  He then reminds them that the time is short.  The church is always aware of the soon coming of the Lord.  It has been the blessed hope from the tome of the apostles till today. 

     Paul then encourages those who have wives to act as if they do not.  He does not tell them to abandon their responsibilities but to balance them out in the work of the Lord.  Work as if this is the last day you have would a modern thought.  Work as if this was your last few moments because it could be.  They are to live in the light of eternity and the reality of the coming of the Lord.  It is our blessed hope and motivation.

PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 4, 2023

 

May 4 – To Spare You – 1 Cor 7:28

 May 4 – To Spare You – 1 Cor 7:28

 

28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

 

     Paul then states that if you marry it is not a sin and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned.  Paul is advocating abstinence and chastity.  Paul believes in the sanctity of marriage but as a bachelor he also has a bias towards it.  We are not sure when Paul’s wife died but since her death Paul has been free to pursue the proclamation of the gospel. 

     Paul remembers that marriage has many traps, problems, and challenges.  In the process of becoming one flesh personality, pride and self come into constant conflict.  Paul simply wanted to spare the unmarried from this.  Yet through all this Paul was advocating consistency, character, and responsibility.  Whatever state you presently find yourself learn to bloom, grow and be thankful.

PROVERBS OF STEEL FOR MAY 3, 2023