Tag: Series on 1 Corinthians
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Reflection
By Aisha Darwesh The Word: 1 Corinthians 13 4 Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. 5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered];…
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Reflection
By Heather Mattingly The WORD: 1 Corinthians 4:20 (NKJV) “For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.” Questions: What are your thoughts on this verse? What are your thoughts about your own story? And the person you used to be before you met Jesus and who you are today? Do you see…
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Reflection
By Stefan Johnsson Writing on the first book of Corinthians has been a great reflection and reminder to me about how God works through imperfect people. It is a constant reminder that we need each other, we need counsel and guidance from those who walked the walk before us. One of Paul’s main points that…
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Reflection
By Ji Yun We began our journey over 12 weeks ago, in hope of better understanding God’s Word through studying Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. I hope you have enjoyed this journey as much as our contributors and you also found their writing convicting but also encouraging. There were times when we, as the contributors…
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Devotional for August 18th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 16:21-24 21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen. II. Reflection Questions:…
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Devotional for August 17th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 16:19-21 19 The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send greetings to you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss.…
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Devotional for August 16th, 2018
The Word (1 Corinthian 16:15-18) 15 Now I urge you, brothers – you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at…
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Devotional for August 15th, 2018
The WORD: 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NKJV) “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” By Heather Mattingly These two verses begin the concluding sentences of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, and Paul is direct with his words. Your concluding remarks are like a Farewell…
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Devotional for August 11th, 2018
I. The Word – 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (ESV) 50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling…
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Devotional for August 10th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. 37 And what you put in the ground…
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Devotional for August 9th, 2018
The Word (1 Corinthian 15:29-34) 29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in…
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Devotional for August 8th, 2018
The WORD: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (NIV) 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But…
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Devotional for August 7th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (NIV) The Resurrection of the Dead 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been…
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Devotional for August 6th, 2018
The Word: I Corinthians 15:3-11 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.…
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Devotional for August 5th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain.” By Ji Yun “Christ died, buried,…
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Devotional for August 4th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 14:33-40 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is…
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Devotional for August 3rd, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 26 Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.…
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Devotional for August 2nd, 2018
The Word (1 Corinthians 14:20-25) 20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. 21 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen…
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Devotional for August 1st, 2018
The WORD: 1 Corinthians 14:13-19 (NASB) “Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with my mind also; I will sing…
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Devotional for July 31st, 2018
1 Corinthians 14:6-12 (NIV) 6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or…
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Devotional for July 30th, 2018
The Word: I Corinthians 14:1-5 1Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. 3But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and…
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“You are out of your mind.”
“Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there comes in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” 1 Corinthians 14:23 Let’s say you entered a new church for the first time. As you entered into the…
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Devotional for July 28th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV) 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. John 1:17-18 (ESV) 17 For the law…
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Devotional for July 27th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love. John 15:1-4 “I am the true grapevine,…
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Devotional for July 26th, 2018
The Word (1 Corinthian 13:11-12) 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part;…
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Devotional for July 25th, 2018
The WORD: 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 (NIV) “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is [d]perfect has come, then that which is in part…
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Devotional for July 24th, 2018
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV) 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the…
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“Love is…”
There is a vanity in Christianity, it is doing works without love, even if we are doing great works for God. This is the message of the 1 Corinthian 13, where Paul addresses the critical importance of understanding love as the foundation for our faith. Paul’s goal is for the Corinthian church to grasp the…
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Devotional for July 21st, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NLT) 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else…
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Devotional for July 20th, 2018
The Word: 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 (ESV) 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all…
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Devotional for July 19th, 2018
The Word: 1 Corinthians 12:20-26 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be…
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Devotional for July 18th, 2018
The WORD: 1 Corinthians 12:12-19 (NLT) “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit,…
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Devotional for July 17th, 2018
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NIV) 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one…
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Devotional for July 16th, 2018
The Word: I Corinthians 12:1-3 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”;…
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Devotional for July 14th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 11:27-34 27. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29. For…
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Devotional for July 13th, 2018
The Word: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (The Passion Translation) 23 I have handed down to you what came to me by direct revelation from the Lord himself. The same night in which he was handed over, he took bread 24 and gave thanks. Then he distributed it to the disciples and said, “Take it and eat…
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Devotional for July 12th, 2018
The Word: (I Corinthians 11: 17-22) 17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I…
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Devotional for July 11th, 2018
The WORD: 1 Corinthians 11:13-16 (PHILLIPS) “Of course, in the sight of God neither ‘man’ nor ‘woman’ has any separate existence. For if woman was made originally for man, no man is now born except by a woman, and both man and woman, like everything else, owe their existence to God. But use your own judgment,…
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Devotional for July 10th, 2018
1 Corinthians 11:2-12 (NIV) On Covering the Head in Worship 2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. 3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is…
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Devotional for July 9th, 2018
The Word: I Corinthians 11:1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. By Scott Fiddler People disagree about whether the Apostle Paul’s command in I Corinthians 11:1 is a conclusion to chapter 10 or an introduction to chapter 11. Fortunately, it doesn’t matter because Paul’s command is clear regardless of whether it’s…
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Devotional for July 7th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God – even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own…
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Devotional for July 6th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 10:23-30 23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on…
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Devotional for July 5th, 2018
The Word: I Corinthians 10: 14-22 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in…
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Devotional for July 4th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a…
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Devotional for July 3rd, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 (NIV) Paul’s Use of His Freedom 19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I…
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Devotional for July 2nd, 2018
The Word: I Corinthians 9:1-18 1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3My…
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Loving Sacrifice
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 8 By Ji Yun I am a husband and father. I love my wife and my daughter. I am willing to sacrifice anything on behalf of their wellbeing. You must be thinking, duh! It should not even be a question or statement to make since it is the bare minimum…
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Devotional for June 30th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 7:36-40 (NIV) 36 If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled…
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Devotional for June 29th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 7:29-35 29 But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. 30 Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping…
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Devotional for June 28th, 2018
The Word: 1 Corinthians 7: 25-28 25 Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to…
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Devotional for June 27th, 2018
The WORD: 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 (ESV) “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision.…
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Devotional for June 26th, 2018
“All I know is that marriage does not cure sin, or our sinful hearts, only Jesus can do so.”
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Tale of Two Squirrels
The Word: I Corinthians 7:1-9 1 Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. 3 The husband must fulfill his duty to…
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This Week on Starter: 1 Corinthians 7
By Ji Yun In the previous chapters, Paul criticizes and rebukes those who continue to live in sin, especially in sexual immorality. The reason for his confrontation with the Corinthian Christians can be many, but the most serious offense is that sexual sin is against the body or temple of the Holy Spirit. “Or do…
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No Perfect People Allowed: 1 Corinthians 6 Recap
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial…
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No Perfect People Allowed: 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
The Word: 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not…
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No Perfect People Allowed: 1 Corinthians 6:15-17
The Word (1 Corinthians 6:15-17): 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written,…
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No Perfect People Allowed: 1 Corinthians 6:12-14
The WORD: 1 Corinthians 6:12-14 “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be under the power of any. Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not…
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No Perfect People Allowed: 1 Corinthians 6:7-11
1 Corinthians 6:7-11 (NIV) 7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. 9 Or do you not know that…
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No Perfect People Allowed: 1 Corinthians 6:1-6
The Word: I Corinthians 6:1-6 1Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute…
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This Week on Starter: 1 Corinthians 6
By Ji Yun It is difficult to comprehend how far away the Corinthians have gotten from the orthodoxy and practical Christian living, which is the main theme of the 1 Corinthians. Paul would have to address each issue with the strong correction to bring the church back in order. The modern readers might be thinking,…
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Special Edition: Review of 1 Corinthians 5
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 (NIV) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the…
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Devotional for June 15th, 2018
The Word: 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 12 It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” — 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 —–…
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Devotional for June 14th, 2018
I. The Word: I Corinthians 5:9-11 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am…
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Devotional for June 13th, 2018
The WORD: 1 Corinthians 5:9-11a “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now…
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Devotional for June 12, 2018
“We cannot be the light of the world if we encourage sin. We will tarnish the name of Jesus and remove its power.”
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Devotional for June 11th, 2018
The Word: I Corinthians 5:1-5 1It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. 2You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed…
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No Perfect People Allowed But…
By Ji Yun We are living in a sexually polarized world. It is almost unthinkable to compare what we see around us now as a norm in today’s society to the norm only a few decades ago. The rise of the sexual revolution has redefined and challenged many of the orthodox views of the Bible.…
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Devotional for June 9th, 2018
I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21 – (NIV) 14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I…
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Devotional for June 8th, 2018
The Word: 1 Corinthians 4:8-13 8 You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you. 9 Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles…
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Devotional for June 7th, 2018
The Word (I Cor 4: 1-7) This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by…
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Devotional for June 6th, 2018
The WORD: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23 “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of…
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Devotional for June 5th, 2018
Word: 1 Corinthians 3:9-17 (NIV) 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay…
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Devotional for June 4th, 2018
The Word: I Corinthians 3:1-8 1And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3for you…
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What is Your Favorite?
By Ji Yun We all have our favorites, whether it is a favorite food, a genre of music, an athlete and so forth. Every individual has preference over the something. This diversity is quite beautiful if you ask me. What it shows is we are uniquely designed, whether it is upbringing, culture, worldview, or ethnic…
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Devotional for June 2nd, 2018
The Word: 1 Corinthians 2:9-16 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep…
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Devotional for June 1st, 2018
The Word: 1 Corinthians 2:6-9 Amplified: 6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those spiritually mature [believers who have teachable hearts and a greater understanding]; but [it is a higher] wisdom not [the wisdom] of this present age nor of the rulers and leaders of this age, who are passing away; 7 but we speak God’s…
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Devotional for May 31st, 2018
The Word: 1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,…
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Devotional for May 30th, 2018
The WORD: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NKJV) For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to…
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Devotional for may 29th, 2018
“Oh how it may be foolishness to those who do not believe, but to us, it is everything!”
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Devotional for May 28th, 2018
“the answer to factions and quarreling in a church is to get everyone focused back on Jesus and on the mission of reaching the lost.”
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No Perfect People Allowed
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord…
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