Pause for thought

As you sent me into the world , I am sending them into the world. John 17:18

“He has no hands but our hands To do His work today; He has no feet but our feet To lead men in His way: He has no voice but our voice To tell men how He died; He has no help but our help To lead them to His side.” Annie Johnson Flint 1866-1933.

Like our human bodies, How strange the body of Christ would be if it had only one part. Every Christian is only one part of Christ’s body, however we became fellow member of the body of Christ the moment we believed in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and made Him Lord of our lives. Nothing in this life can change your position as a member of Christ’s body. 12: 12-13. Every Christian is a member but not every Christian is active in the body of Christ.Your spiritual gift can help your church grow. 12:21.

The gifts of the Spirit which are many and varied are each distributed by the will of the Holy Spirit and often vary according to the one ministering the gift. As an example not every teacher teaches in the same way, In His wisdom God allows His children to be taught in many varied ways but it is the same Spirit that gives wisdom to the teacher and revelation to the listener. 12:29-31.

William Barclay writes “ The person who cannot see beyond his own organisation , the person who can’t see beyond his own congregation, or worse still, the person who can’t see beyond his own family circle and connections , has not even begun to grasp the real unity of the church.

We need each other there must be no such thing as isolation in the church. If any one part of the body is affected all the others will feel it , we suffer in sympathy because we can’t help doing so. 12: 26, Romans 12:15, Mathew 11:33-35,

memory verse

For in fact the body is not one member but many. 1 Corinthians 12:14 N.K.J.

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Pause for thought

This is our second week on 1 Corinthians 12:1-13, I understand that some of you while reading the notes sometimes skip the audio, as the teaching is in two parts you might find it worth while to listen to the audio message on this occasion. You can do this simply by tapping where it says click here to hear an audio clip

Only the Holy Spirit decides which gift each Christian should have, although a true spiritual gift will be recognised by the local Church 12:11. This does not mean that we are given a only one gift, All of the gifts of the Spirit reside in the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts, This is why if we ask and are available He will always give the best gift, That is the most needed gift in a given situation that the believer finds themselves in 12:31.

Memory verse But we have all been baptised into Christ’s body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit 1 Corinthians 12:13 (b) * Greek We were all given one Spirit to drink N..L.T.

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Pause for thought

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are never to be feared or ignored, a church or an individual who does these will dry up spiritually because by rejecting the Spirit’s gifts they are choosing to live devoid of the power of God.

The Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit always work together there are different activities, different ministries, and many different gifts but it is God in three persons who distributes to each one. We are so blessed 12:4-6

The Gifts of the Spirit are a manifestation of Holy Spirit activity they do not spring from any human source. Nor are they an extension of any natural human abilities 12:3

We do well to remember that the Holy Spirit never drives His people to do compulsive acts causing a loss of self control, unlike those under the control of dumb idols 12:2

Holy Spirit activity in a believers life will always glorify Jesus, and bring them under the Lordship of Jesus 12:3

Sometimes we can be tempted to glory in “our” particular gift, but no matter what gifts a person has been given by the Holy Spirit we can take no credit for what God in His Grace has freely given us 12:11

memory verse

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all 12:7

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Pause for Thought

What was the reason Paul said that their communion services were doing more harm than good? In a word ‘division’ in the previous chapters Paul dealt with differences of opinion ranging from which ministers they should follow to women’s head coverings. Now we read that some of them had forgotten what the Lords supper signified, in the rush to satisfy their own carnal desires. In the early Church communion was often celebrated at the end of a fellowship meal, a lovely idea but it had turned into a demonstration of selfishness as some ate and drank excessively while others went without. 11:17-22

Discerning the Lords body 11:29 refers both to the physical body of Jesus and the corporate body of believers. Holy Communion is first and foremost a remembrance of the death and resurrection of Jesus, as we partake of the bread and wine we partake in faith of the full redeeming power of Jesus Christ toward us spirit, soul and body. We partake with our brothers and sisters we are members together of Christs body, if we bring division to the Lords table and fail to honour the corporate body of Christ we bring judgement upon our selves 11:29-30.

Paul doesn’t say that we should stay away from communion but that we should examine ourselves, and so eat of the bread and drink of the wine 11:28

When we partake of the Lords Supper we strengthen our faith because we are fellowshipping with Jesus Christ and with members of His body 11:23-26

A verse to remember

For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lords death until He comes again. 1 Corinthians 11:26. N.L.T.

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Pause for thought

When we come together to worship God we are to come before God in reverence and fear. Anything that causes us to become distracted needs to be addressed. The female Jewish Christians wore head coverings while the female Corinthian Christians did not. Paul was addressing an issue that was causing division and distracting the congregation in Worship. These verses are about more than head coverings or culture wars, a women with short hair or a man with long hair at that time in Corinth might depict a person of loose morals. We don’t have to avoid every practice of our culture but we should avoid appearances and behaviour that detract from our worship and service for God 11:13-14

Submission is the Key element in all Christian relationships. True submission does not mean that the one submitting is inferior. Never forget we were all created in the image of God. The order in creation is that man is responsible to Christ, a women is responsible to her husband and Christ is responsible to God the Father. We all have equal value, submission is about mutual commitment and cooperation, Paul reminds us elsewhere Ephesians 5:21 that we are to submit to each other out of reverence for Christ.

Memory verse

But in relationships among the Lords people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women.
1 Corinthians 11:11 N.L.T.

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Pause for thought

There is only One God. demons can often masquerade as gods.

. When we eat the bread and drink the cup symbolising the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ we give Him our total allegiance. We commune with Jesus and identify with His death. We cannot be living for Jesus and secretly following the crowd. We need to examine our hearts and having done so partake of the communion 10:21

.Every Christian who partakes of the covenant meal are also joined together with other Christian’s, we have all become “partakers “ of the body and blood of Christ, we really are “one bread” we are part of that mystery the body of Christ 10:17

The key to Christian liberty lies in 10:24. We are free to serve the Lord in any way that is consistent with His word 10:31

Memory verse

Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ 1 Corinthians 11:1 N.k.J.

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Pause for thought

In the previous chapter Paul emphasises his freedom to do anything, But in 9:24-10:13 he reminds us that to live a truly fulfilled Christian life it involves both freedom and discipline.

Israel quickly forgot their deliverance from slavery in Egypt and fell into many sins. so that a whole generation were destroyed. This was written not simply as an historical account in the Bible, but more importantly as a warning to the church of the last days (fullness of time 10:11) We must see to it that we never think our freedom gives us a licence to do what ever we please.10:6-11.

Temptation happens to everyone so don’t accept the devils lie that you have been singled out for special attention. You are not on your own others are tested and have overcome so can you. God will always show you a way out and will limit any temptation you face.

Memory verse

God is faithful. He will keep temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so you will not give in to it. 1 Corinthians 10:13. N.L.T.

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Pause for thought

“He who pays the piper calls the tune” Paul was not reliant on the financial support of the Corinthians, which meant Paul was able to work not only for the local church but for everyone by bringing them to Jesus Christ 9:19.

Some find it hard to be all things to all men, so that they might lead them to Jesus, because of their own or others Christian scruples. However I believe we must not be afraid to venture forth from the comfort of the cosy church circle if we are to bring Jesus to those who have not yet met Him.

Jesus promises to be with those who go and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit Matthew 28:19

memory verse

When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. I do all this to spread the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings. 1 Corinthians 9 :22-23 N.L.T.

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Robert and Pam send love and blessings to you all this New Year.2023

Facts or feelings?

Many people, Christian or unbeliever are governed by their feelings rather than by the facts. Feelings can change according to how our day has been or what we ate for supper last night!
Everyone needs peace and the New Year seems like a good time to make a fresh start and reset our clocks. But for we mortals that is an impossibility without the help of Almighty God.
The Bible is full of Gods promises that are factual and if believed will do far more than simply reset our clocks for 2023!
Because God is Eternal and Faithful He will always keep the promises He has made to you in His Word the Bible. God the Holy Spirit takes the words of God and reveals them to our hearts.
For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the scripture tells us, “Anyone who believes in Him will not be disappointed Romans 10:9-11

The default mode of the Christian is peace which is ours by believing the Word of God, and not relying on our feelings.

Pause for thought

Those who serve the Lord by ministering to the church are absolutely entitled to payment, it is our responsibility to care for our Pastors teachers and other spiritual leaders seeing that they are adequately supported, Paul reminds us of the words of Jesus in Luke 10:7.

Perhaps some in Corinth thought that if Paul was a true Apostle he should be willing to accept some wages. But for Paul how could he claim payment for preaching the gospel that he was compelled to preach? Paul had no choice in the matter of preaching the gospel, but was free to give up his rights to financial support by the church. For Paul his wages were the satisfaction he had in preaching the gospel without expense to his hearers, and then choosing to work with his hands to meet his daily needs 9:17-18

The marks of Paul’s Apostleship were 1 That he had seen Jesus Christ in person. 2 That it was Jesus Christ Himself who had called Paul to be an Apostle . 3 Paul’s ministry was effective in building the church in fact the Corinthian believers were themselves the evidence of Paul’s Apostolic ministry 9:1

A verse to think about

If I were doing this of my own free will, then I would deserve payment. But God has chosen me and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice. 1 Corinthians 9:17

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Pause for thought

It’s all to easy for anyone of us to develop a “know it all “ attitude! Strong Opinions are like noses they have holes in them! 8:1 Have you ever felt amazed that other believers don’t see things as you do? remember Knowledge can never do what love can “Build up the Church” 8:1

How are we to enjoy the freedom Jesus died to give us? A truly free Christian is one who is attentive to the Holy Spirit, and therefore seeks to build up other Christians in love. Even if something is harmless to you if it is likely to cause harm to another Christian it must be given up 8:9

Memory verse

While knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up the Church. 1 Corinthians 8:1 N.L.T.

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