3/10/19 - Jesus Gives You All Of This! - 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

I would like to introduce you to the apostle Paul. No doubt one of the most influential men the world has ever known. He's the greatest church planter of all time. He has a long history of pastoral ministry. The scars on his body bear witness to his devotion to Jesus Christ. Now let me introduce you to the church he started in Corinth. It is a young, small and divided group. It wasn't uncommon to see some drunk, many arguing and most affirming what Paul rejects. So Pastor Paul writes them a letter and we get to read it. (I'm certain the Corinthian Christians would not have wanted this to be made public for the last 2000 years.) Reading someone else's mail can reveal a lot. Even though the letter is not written to us, we learn to read it as though it were. Here's what we notice from the very beginning - if our conduct does not match our calling then we're headed for trouble.

We have help. Paul tells us that Jesus has given us everything we need to live the life God has called us to live. We have the speech, knowledge and gifting. So then Illuminate is just like any other church in that our health depends on the alignment of our conduct and our calling. Can I ask you to do something as we begin this new study? Will you use this letter as a mirror and ask yourself this question - What is my part in making Illuminate all that God wants it to be?

Much appreciation to the following commentators: The First Epistle To The Corinthians; C.K. Barrett, 1 Corinthians; John MacArthur Jr., Conflict and Community in Corinth; Ben Witherington, 1 Corinthians; Richard M. Hays, The First Epistle To The Corinthians; Gordon Fee, The NIV Application Commentary by Craig L. Blomberg.