Bible League: Living His Word One of you says, "I follow Paul," and someone else says, "I follow Apollos." When you say things like that, you are acting like people of the world.There were many problems in the church at Corinth. The members were jealous of each other and they were always arguing with each other. There was also the serious problem of factionalism. As our verse for today makes clear, the church was divided into factions that identified themselves according to the particular ministry and perspective of the leader they favored. Some favored Paul, some favored Apollos, and there were probably others as well. Paul says that when they divide themselves into factions they are "acting like people of the world." That is, although they were Christians born of the Spirit, they were not acting like it. Instead of being led by the Spirit, they were being led by their own selfish desires. Paul said that they were mere "babies in Christ" and he could not address them as adults (I Corinthians 3:1). There is always a struggle within every Christian person between the old sinful spiritual state and the new life of the Spirit. In the case of the Corinthian Christians, although they participated in the new life of the Spirit, the old spiritual state still seemed to have the upper hand. They were what some call "carnal Christians." Christians who are mature in the faith and the new life of the Spirit are not like that. For them, the Spirit has the upper hand and the old spiritual state is kept under control for the most part. As a result, mature Christians do not easily fall into the sin of factionalism. They realize that true ministers of the gospel are mere servants of God who help us to believe (I Corinthians 3:5). None of them is anything in and of themselves. None of them is more important than the God who sent them. As Paul put it, "Only God is important," and the ministers sent by God are "not important" (I Corinthians 3:7). Indeed, God sends more than one minister because no one minister can fully give and express everything God has for His people. We should always be grateful for the ministers of the gospel who are sent to help us believe, but we should never elevate them to the status that belongs only to God. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingIsaiah 10, 11, 12 Isaiah 10 -- Judgment on Assyria; A Remnant to Return NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Isaiah 11 -- The Root of Jesse NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Isaiah 12 -- Joyful Thanksgiving NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Galatians 5 Galatians 5 -- Standing Firm; Walking by the Spirit NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches.Insight Apparently the Corinthians were ready to make wholesale changes without thinking through the ramifications. Paul was writing to say that people should be Christians where they are. Challenge You can do God's work and demonstrate your faith anywhere. If you became a Christian after marriage, and your spouse is not a believer, remember that you don't have to be married to a Christian to live for Christ. Don't assume that you are in the wrong place, or stuck with the wrong person. You may be just where God wants you. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Songs 5:4 My Beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.Knocking was not enough, for my heart was too full of sleep, too cold and ungrateful to arise and open the door, but the touch of his effectual grace has made my soul bestir itself. Oh, the longsuffering of my Beloved, to tarry when he found himself shut out, and me asleep upon the bed of sloth! Oh, the greatness of his patience, to knock and knock again, and to add his voice to his knockings, beseeching me to open to him! How could I have refused him! Base heart, blush and be confounded! But what greatest kindness of all is this, that he becomes his own porter and unbars the door himself. Thrice blessed is the hand which condescends to lift the latch and turn the key. Now I see that nothing but my Lord's own power can save such a naughty mass of wickedness as I am; ordinances fail, even the gospel has no effect upon me, till his hand is stretched out. Now, also, I perceive that his hand is good where all else is unsuccessful, he can open when nothing else will. Blessed be his name, I feel his gracious presence even now. Well may my bowels move for him, when I think of all that he has suffered for me, and of my ungenerous return. I have allowed my affections to wander. I have set up rivals. I have grieved him. Sweetest and dearest of all beloveds, I have treated thee as an unfaithful wife treats her husband. Oh, my cruel sins, my cruel self. What can I do? Tears are a poor show of my repentance, my whole heart boils with indignation at myself. Wretch that I am, to treat my Lord, my All in All, my exceeding great joy, as though he were a stranger. Jesus, thou forgivest freely, but this is not enough, prevent my unfaithfulness in the future. Kiss away these tears, and then purge my heart and bind it with sevenfold cords to thyself, never to wander more. Daily Light on the Daily Path Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden '?"Matthew 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." Matthew 4:4,7,10 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'" • Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'" • Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'" Matthew 4:11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. 1 Kings 13:16-19,26 He said, "I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. • "For a command came to me by the word of the LORD, 'You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.'" • He said to him, "I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.'" But he lied to him. • So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water. • Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, "It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the LORD; therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to him." Galatians 1:8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! Psalm 119:11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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