Monday September 3, 2012

Write down what your role in the local church is.

 

Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-3

 

The Corinthian Church really was in a mess! But praise be to the Lord Paul doesn’t write them off. He teaches them and guides them through the minefield with patience and love. If only we learned to love like that.

 

The Corinthians were a divided bunch. They came to Christ and received various gifts of the Spirit and were, literally, astounded by the work of the Holy Spirit. This, unfortunately caused pride and arrogance and a fracturing of allegiances. Rather than pulling together to lift up the name of Jesus some were banding behind Apollos, the trained orator. Others were banding behind Peter, the zealous one. Others backed Paul and still some had the audacity to say they followed Jesus.

 

It was a broken fractured church  where individuals and groups lifted up their own gifts and boasted and bragged in themselves and their abilities.

 

As Paul writes he beings with the phrase, “Now about Spiritual gifts”. The word ‘gifts’ is not in the Greek original.  It literally reads, ‘Now about spirituals’. Paul wants to show them what true spirituality is really about. He wants to show them what it means to be filled with the Spirit.

 

In simple everyday English, it boils down to having Jesus as your Lord and living with Him as Lord. The person filled with the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is Lord” but it is more than just words. It is a declaration of one’s life showing Jesus to be Lord in everything. Jesus is Lord of work, the home, the finances, the sports, the free time, the late night viewing, the computer usage and so on.  He is even Lord of my face book page. When we say ‘Jesus is Lord’  through the in-filling of the Holy Spirit we are stating what people can see - that Jesus really is Lord. If your life does not match your words then Jesus is NOT YOUR Lord.

 

On the other side no one living by the Spirit can say, ’Jesus be cursed.’ Again, it’s a whole-of-life thing. Divisions in the church, pride and arrogance, pushing others away, that “I’m better than you attitude”  all speak out ‘Jesus be cursed’.  These are all improper for God’s holy people.

 

Imagine if a football team ran onto the field and before the match started bickering and in-fighting among themselves. How disgraceful for the club! How dishonouring for the coach. How embarrassing for the team. And yet, that’s exactly what the Christians in Corinth were doing. Don’t make the same mistake. Confess “Jesus is Lord”  with your mouth and show it with your life.

 

Prayer:

Spend time in adoration, confession and thanks. Write down your points for future reference.

 

Adoration:

 

Confession:

 

Thanks:

 

Supplication:

¨ Pray that your church would be filled with people who confess Jesus as Lord with their mouths and live it out in their lives. Pray that God would grant repentance to those who need it. Pray that the various people in leadership would be leading in this way by their example and their teaching.

¨ Pray that there would be a spirit of holiness sweep throughout the God’s earthly church. Pray that God would grant repentance to all who need it and that believers would be passionately seeking to grow in holiness