The Devotional - 1021 - Foot Steps in First Corinthians, continued

The Devotional – 1021 – Foot steps in First Corinthians

Submarines have the capability to purge brine from sea water and make it potable (that is drinkable). Also submarines have the continued capability to take potable water and refine from it, other chemicals and impurities to make it fit for use in the nuclear power plants. Sea water on the submarine then has no permanent position it can be purified, even to steam and dissipated into space. The mechanical attributes above will serve as a platform for our look at the Living Word of God this morning.

Comments and Challenges:

1 Corinthians 1:4-5

The purging, or purifying gift of the grace of God is “thankworthy” and if all we understood about God and His Son were “grace” we would fully understand the “enrichment” or the further purging work of the LORD God in the Church and each individual of the church family – 1 Corinthians 1:4-5. As we embark on this journey through 1 Corinthians we must remember who the apostle has directed his epistle to. It is to the “church”, while individuals are singled out and discussed the major application of his instruction is to the church. I will seek to remind us of this as we travel through the epistle.

Grace is provided by God to everyone who “believes” Ephesians 2:8-9 many of us know this by heart, but fall short of why grace is given to everyone who believes. It is given for the work of the ministry “the church” Ephesians 2:10. The word “WE” in this passage is not singular, which means that ALL the church family is equipped with grace. Grace does work individually, but it is most effective within the collective work of the church family.

In first Corinthians it is important to see that it is the church who is enriched in every aspect of wisdom and knowledge (one person does not have all wisdom and all knowledge) so all utterances of truth must come from the power given to the church by the LORD through GARCE. Also the testimony of Christ is confirmed in each of us, but it is also confirmed within the Church. In the New King James Version, verse 6 reads, “even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you” these words can look singular to the untrained eye, yet the last two words should read – “among you” making the statement collective and not singular.

So it is the church that is equipped, yes I love this… what if the burden of the revelation of Jesus Christ were on “YOUR” merit or ability as a grace recipient to usher in the return of the LORD? No! While we are a recipient of grace and our personal lives reveal this grace; the Revelation of Christ will and always be the responsibility of the church too “usher” in the return of the LORD, the church who collectively is eagerly waiting and preparing for the return of the LORD Jesus Christ.

One of the sins that leap out of this early passage is one that we today in churches all across this land commit in that many churches allow individuals to utilize what we call spiritual gifts and for some devilish reason say that the gift belongs to the individual. Bah Humbug! Spiritual gifts, and I dislike using those two words side by side since the Greek wording in the later chapters of 1 Corinthians is “spirituals” not spiritual gifts.

 The spiritual matters of the church, belong to the protection of the CHURCH and except for a few “gifts” controlled by the Spirit (Pastor/Teacher and Messenger/Evangelist – Ephesians 4:11) all the ones in 1 Corinthians are to be controlled by the permanent gifted leadership and monitored by the church family. Now do not take me wrong on this, we all have spiritual ability, we are all confirmed and blameless and God will position each of us in some spiritual capacity within our church family. However, these spiritual abilities will only be in us within the ministries of the church. To use these gifts as personal is selfish, sensual and devilish and not the work of the purifying ministry of the God the Holy Spirit.