Wait for Each Other at My Table!
Note from Jesus Dear Precious Disciple, Few things have been more important to My disciples through the centuries than My Supper. The Eucharist, the Lord‘s Supper, Communion, and Holy Communion are all terms that have been used to speak of My Supper. These names are based on things said in the Scriptures about sharing in this special meal of remembrance and anticipation. I shared in the seder meal as part of Passover with My disciples before My betrayal, trials, and crucifixion. My disciples have called this the Last Supper over the years. That meal was a precious time with My disciples for many reasons. I wanted to show My love, to warn them of coming trials, and to plant seeds of hope beyond My crucifixion. In the verses below, the apostle Paul makes clear one of the key reasons this meal was so important: I passed on to you the tradition the Lord gave to me: On the same night the Lord Jesus was betrayed, He took the bread in His hands; and after giving thanks to God, He broke it and said, “This is My body, broken for you. Keep doing this so that you and all who come after will have a vivid reminder of Me.” My Supper with the disciples on that night provides you with a great foundation for your participation in Communion. Paul points to several truths that he wants the disciples to get out of this time of communion together — or as he calls it in the verses below, “the Lord‘s Supper.” If you compare his points in his letter to the Corinthians with Luke’s emphasis in the book of Acts on “breaking bread” and you look back at the passion accounts in each of the four gospels, you can develop a much richer and broader emphasis for the celebration of My Supper in your day. What Paul says in the verses below is focused on correcting the awful abuses of the Corinthians. There was a division between rich and poor (the “haves” and the “have-nots”) that included drunkenness on the part of some and being left out on the part of others. This breaking down of fellowship destroyed so much of the original intent and practice of My Supper. I shared this meal with My disciples in very close fellowship before My death. I shared honest words with them. I demonstrated love and service by washing their feet. I gave them sharp warnings about their unfaithfulness before the night would end. I also gave them reassuring teaching about the future, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and My ultimate victory. This meal was a time of intimate fellowship. However, in the Corinthians’ lust for a spiritual high, some of them had made My Supper into something they treated as almost magical (see yesterday’s devotional). From their warped and selfish perspective, they thought that the more they ate and drank, the more they honored Me and the better the celebration for them personally. For them, the concept of sharing this meal in close communion with others was forgotten. So Paul warned the Corinthians very clearly: They had to recognize two meanings of My body to celebrate My Supper correctly. He wanted them to remember Me and the price I paid on the cross with My body and My blood. In addition, he also wanted them to remember that they were My bodily presence as My church in the world. You need to recognize both meanings also! When you forget either understanding, something holy and precious is lost in My Supper! In fact, Paul made the point that, because they had lost one of these emphases on My body in My Supper, they were actually drinking damnation upon themselves. Their disregard for My body, My people, was causing some in their community to be “sick and weak” and causing some of the spiritual problems they were dealing with in their house churches in Corinth. Verses to Live I want you to pay close attention to the things that Paul teaches in these verses. Don’t forget Me and the price I paid for you in My body and with My blood. The bread and wine you take should be viewed by you as precious, as My body and blood. And, as you take the bread together, don’t forget that all who take that bread are My bodily presence in the world and what happens to one part of My body impacts all the others. So as you remember My death, also show loving care to My ongoing life in My body, the church with whom you share My meal! When we give thanks and share the cup of blessing, are we not sharing in the blood of the Anointed One? When we give thanks and break bread, are we not sharing in His body? Because there is one bread, we, though many, are also one body since we all share one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17) On this next matter, I wish I could applaud you; but I can’t because your gatherings have become counterproductive, making things worse for the community rather than better. Let me start with this: I hear that your gatherings are polarizing the community; and to be honest, this doesn’t surprise me. I’ve accepted the fact that factions are sometimes useful and even necessary so that those who are authentic and those who are counterfeit may be recognized. This distinction is obvious when you come together because it is not the Lord’s Supper you are eating at all. When it’s time to eat, some hastily dig right in; but look — some have more than others: over there someone is hungry, and over here someone is drunk! What is going on? If a self-centered meal is what you want, can’t you eat and drink at home? Do you have so little respect for God’s people and this community that you shame the poor at the Lord’s table? I don’t even know
Beyond Magic: Supernatural!
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, On the night I was betrayed, I shared in what you call The Last Supper. I gathered with My closest disciples around a table to share the Passover meal. And I used this setting as the background to institute a regular meal for disciples to use to remember Me and to be joined together as My body. This meal became a centerpiece of early Christian gatherings on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). This special meal is known to you by several names — The Supper, The Lord‘s Supper, Communion, Holy Communion, The Eucharist, and The Feast. No matter what you call this meal, it has been practiced by Christians from the beginning of My church. From the beginning, My followers had a tendency to drift from My original intentions. I wanted them to share together in loving unity, to proclaim My story, to examine their hearts, to remember My death, to celebrate My resurrection, to give thanks for the gift I gave them, and to anticipate My return. Some looked at taking the bread and wine as almost magical. Some felt if they could just eat the bread and drink the wine in this special feast, then some supernatural power was at work in them to make them holy. I warned about this misconception when I taught the crowds after I had fed the 5,000 and walked on the water to My disciples (see the second set of verses below). More than just eating My body and drinking My blood metaphorically in communion, they needed to eat Me — My “flesh.” They needed to take My teaching, lifestyle, and love for others into their lives and let Me sustain them. I wanted My early disciples, and you today as My disciple, to realize that The Supper is not magical but transforming. I am present in The Supper to give you life through the sacrifice of My life. You must commit to taking Me in and letting Me reign over all your heart as your example, teacher, and Lord. Paul (in the first set of verses) warns the Corinthians that there was nothing magical in communion. Instead, the meaning and significance of communion come from a disciple’s faith to receive Me and his or her commitment to follow Me. The Israelites shared in spiritual food and drink in the wilderness, but that supernatural food did not keep them from sinning or from being judged: They [the Israelites] were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. (1 Corinthians 10:2-5 NIV) The goal of My Supper is not to see who can eat the most magical food and drink the most supernatural drink! On the other hand, those who come to My Table committed to live for Me will find supernatural sustenance in My holy meal. So Paul warns the Corinthians not to think of The Supper as magical. My Supper is to be a supernatural meal that sustains those who seek to avoid idolatry, who care for each other in My church, who recognize My Supper as a recommitment to live for Me, and who not only give thanks for the Father’s grace in sending Me but also share that grace with others. Verses to Live My resurrection from the dead has great power, yet simply taking the Lord’s Supper won’t do things for you. You must live by My wisdom and truth. I [Paul] wouldn’t want you to be ignorant of our history, brothers and sisters. Our ancestors [the Israelites] were once safeguarded under a miraculous cloud in the wilderness and brought safely through the sea. Enveloped in water by cloud and by sea, they were, you might say, ritually cleansed into Moses through baptism. Together they were sustained supernaturally: they all ate the same spiritual food, manna; and they all drank the same spiritual water, flowing from a spiritual rock that was always with them, for the rock was the Anointed One, our Liberating King. Despite all of this, they were punished in the wilderness because God was unhappy with most of them. Look at what happened to them as an example; it’s right there in the Scriptures so that we won’t make the same mistakes and hunger after evil as they did. So here’s my advice: don’t degrade yourselves by worshiping anything less than the living God as some of them did. Remember it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and then rose up in dance and play.” We must be careful not to engage in sexual sins as some of them did. In one day, 23,000 died because of sin. None of us must test the limits of the Lord’s patience. Some of the Israelites did, and serpents bit them and killed them. You need to stop your groaning and whining. Remember the story. Some of them complained, and the messenger of death came for them and destroyed them. All these things happened for a reason: to sound a warning. They were written down and passed down to us to teach us. They were meant especially for us because the beginning of the end is happening in our time. So let even the most confident believers remember their examples and be very careful not to fall as some of them did. Any temptation you face will be nothing new. But God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. But He always provides a way of escape so that you will be able to endure and keep moving forward. So then, my beloved friends, run from idolatry in any form. As wise as I know you are, understand clearly what
To Win Some
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Disciple-makers live to do one thing: they live to make other disciples! I gave the Great Commission to My original disciples, and I also told them to teach all the new disciples to obey the same commission. My primary command in this commission was to “make disciples of all the nations.” My disciples are to do it by going to people of all nations, baptizing them in Our name, and teaching these new believers to obey what I had commanded My original disciples to obey. Few have done the going-to-all-nations part of My Great Commission as passionately as Paul. He realized the importance and urgency of this call: This urgency, this necessity has been laid on me. … God chose me and entrusted me with this mission. Paul’s passion didn’t involve just going to other places, people, and cultures. Paul realized that going to other cultures included giving up his rights as he entered into that culture, shared in that culture, and spoke to people in the context of that culture. He made himself a “slave” to the people of the culture he was trying to reach. Here is how he expressed this truth: And, even though no one (except Jesus) owns me, I have become a slave by my own free will to everyone in hopes that I would gather more believers. … I’m flexible, adaptable, and able to do and be whatever is needed for all kinds of people so that in the end I can use every means at my disposal to offer them salvation. What Paul did could be called incarnational ministry — entering into the world and culture of the people you are trying to reach, living authentically in that cultural world, and learning to speak My truth in the language and lifestyle of that cultural world. Incarnational ministry is what I lived when I came to earth (John 1:9-14), and Paul followed My example. This entering into the cultural world of others is what I am calling you to do as well. Love people enough to live with them and know their world. Grow to understand their hopes, their dreams, their fears, and their brokenness. As one who has entered their world, you then have the opportunity to speak My truth, share My love, and invite them to know My grace. This process is costly, but as Paul makes clear, it is more than worth the effort: I do it all for the gospel and for the hope that I may participate with everyone who is blessed by the proclamation of the good news. Entering into and adapting to other people’s world to share My grace with them can apply to your neighbors, co-workers, fellow students, etc. as well as people in other countries and other regions. Verses to Live Far from trying to force someone to accept your culture as you proclaim My good news, please learn from My example and learn from the words Paul shares in the second set of verses below. All authentic ministry is incarnational ministry. That means it is costly, yet it is worth every sacrifice! As I promised immediately after I gave you the Great Commission, I will be with you always. Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him — but some of them doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20 NLT) Despite what I’ve said here, I [Paul] have never staked a claim for such things [that is, financial support from the Corinthian church], and I have no intention to start now; that’s not why I’m writing. I would rather die than have anyone (including me) invalidate my right to boast. You see, if I preach the good news, it’s nothing to brag about. This urgency, this necessity has been laid on me. In fact, if I were to stop sharing this good news, I’d be in big trouble. You see, my story is different. I didn’t volunteer for this. Had I volunteered to preach the good news, then I would deserve a wage, a reward, or something. But I didn’t choose this. God chose me and entrusted me with this mission. You’re looking for the catch. I know you’re wondering, “What reward is he talking about?” My reward, besides being with you and knowing you, is sharing the good news of the Anointed One with you free and clear. That means I don’t insist on all my rights for support in the good news; that also means that I am free of obligations to all people. And, even though no one (except Jesus) owns me, I have become a slave by my own free will to everyone in hopes that I would gather more believers. When around Jews, I emphasize my Jewishness in order to win them over. When around those who live strictly under the law, I live by its regulations — even though I have a different perspective on the law now — in order to win them over. In the same way, I’ve made a life outside the law to gather those who live outside the law (although I personally abide by and live under the Anointed One’s law). I’ve been broken, lost, depressed, oppressed, and weak that I might find favor and gain the weak. I’m flexible, adaptable, and able to do and be whatever is needed for all kinds of people so that in the end I can use every means at my disposal to offer them salvation. I
Supporting Those Who Serve
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, The support of those who work for Me as their calling and vocation has always been a touchy issue among some of My people. Paul ran into one of the most unusual of these controversies about his financial support: When he didn’t take financial support from the Corinthians, they felt his ministry was not very important. In fact, some were offended that he didn’t ask for support. In reality, Paul had the right to ask the Corinthians to help him financially. That’s what today’s verses are really discussing. However, he recognized early in his ministry with them that he should not ask for their support. He was wise to make this decision. With the Corinthian believers’ rivalries and arrogance, those who supported him could have used their support as a claim of superiority or favor. Instead of creating another excuse for division, Paul supported himself, and sometimes his whole little mission team, with his own trade of leatherwork and tent-making. However, as he says in the verses below: Is it too much to ask that we would be compensated materially for planting life- and world-changing spiritual realities? … So it shouldn’t be a stretch that the Lord has arranged for preachers of the gospel to make a living by those who have embraced and been liberated by the gospel. Paul did allow some people in other places to help support his ministry financially (Philippians 1:4-7; Philippians 4:14-16). But, he was always careful not to be a burden or to cause division or false impressions by taking financial support (1 Thessalonians 2:6-12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10). The bottom line of all these considerations is a responsibility I want you to fulfill. Make sure you honor, affirm, support, encourage, and bless those who labor faithfully with you (1 Thessalonians 2:9-12) and are working hard among you in kingdom matters (1 Thessalonians 5:12). Yes, just like there was a Judas in My original 12 apostles (John 12:4-6), you are also going to find some leaders in My Church who are unscrupulous, lazy, and even greedy. But remember, there are far more who are sacrificial servants and who give of themselves unselfishly than there are who are selfish, irresponsible, or lazy. Many of these sacrificial servants over the centuries have served without remuneration and even given their lives to serve My people and the lost. So whether the way you honor My ministering servants is by paying them for their work or by showing honor with your words and actions or by being obedient to their leadership, please honor your leaders. Honor them for what they do for you and what they do to honor Me. Here are some additional scriptures in conjunction with the verses below. These scriptures emphasize what I want you both to know and to do: Brothers and sisters, we ask you to show appreciation to those who are working hard among you and those who are your leaders as they guide and instruct you in the Lord — they are priceless. When you think about them, let it be with great love in your heart because of all the work they have done. Let peace live and reign among you. Brothers and sisters, we strongly advise you to scold the rebels who devote their lives to wreaking havoc, to encourage the downcast, to help the sick and weak, and to be patient with all of them. Make sure no one returns evil for evil, but always pursue what is good as it affects one another in the church but also all people. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-15) Elders who are leading well should be admired and valued. Double up on the honor shown them; care for them well — especially those constantly and consistently teaching the word and preaching. For the Scripture agrees, “Don’t muzzle the ox while it is treading out your grain,” and, “The worker deserves his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:17-18) Listen to your leaders, who have spoken God’s word to you. Notice the fruits of their lives and mirror their faith. Jesus the Anointed One is always the same: yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:7-8) Listen to your leaders and submit to their authority over the community, for they are on constant watch to protect your souls and someday they must give account. Give them reason to be joyful and not to regret their duty, for that will be of no good to you. (Hebrews 13:17) You who are younger in the faith: do as your elders and leaders ask. All of you should treat each other with humility, for as it says in Proverbs, God opposes the proud but offers grace to the humble. So bow down under God’s strong hand; then when the time comes, God will lift you up. (1 Peter 5:5-6) Verses to Live Many of My greatest servants, people who have given themselves to serve Me and My kingdom sacrificially, will never have their names honored, or their work noticed unless you affirm and thank them. So please, honor those who lead you and honor Me! Am I not truly free? Am I not an emissary of the Liberating King? Have I not personally encountered Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work, my mission in the Lord? Even if others don’t recognize that I am His emissary, at least you do because you are the seal, the living proof that the Lord commissioned me to be His representative. Let me speak in my own defense against those keeping themselves busy picking me apart. Have we lost the right to eat and drink? Have we lost the right to bring along our wives, our sisters in Jesus? Other emissaries travel with their wives, and so do the brothers of our Lord, not to mention Cephas. Is it just Barnabas and I who have lost the right to earn a living? Is a soldier in combat required to pay his own salary? Who would plant a vineyard and not
Not Causing to Stumble
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Some issues were hard for new Christians to understand. One question for these new believers in Corinth was this: “Should we avoid food sacrificed to idols?” They didn’t want to be polluted by things associated with idols, yet meat that was not sacrificed to idols was hard to find unless they went to kosher Jewish butchers if they could find one. Paul had taught them to stay away from any kind of immorality. For some Corinthians, this principle seemed to indicate that they should have nothing to do with meat or any other thing associated with idols because doing so could associate them with idol worship, including the rampant practice of prostitution in the false religions that permeated their culture. They were also confused by some questions associated with other truths about their faith: Weren’t they free from law-keeping as the way to be justified? Didn’t their freedom allow them to eat this meat as long as they didn’t participate in the worship of idols? Weren’t idols just inanimate objects and not gods at all? Aren’t all things permitted for believers if the object or activity is offered to God to glorify Him? Paul established several clear principles to help the Christians navigate these difficult problems. He offered them several very good principles to help work through this issue while taking responsibility for their choices and their influence on others. Those principles can be seen in the answers to these core questions — answers that come from Christian love for and support of your brothers and sisters: Is the activity or behavior helping you love your brothers and sisters, or is it a source of personal pride and a sense of importance? Eating food or avoiding food doesn’t move you closer to or farther away from God. So is it worth making what you eat a significant issue in the life of another believer, especially if that believer is a new Christian? Why would you eat, drink, or do anything that would cause brothers or sisters to fall away from God and into their old lives of sin? Does participating or not participating build up and encourage your brothers and sisters? Are you doing or refusing to do something based on glorifying God, or is there another reason? Does doing this activity or eating this food or drinking this drink offend an ethnic or social group within the body of Christ? Remember, you not only are in relationship with Me as your Lord and Savior, but you are also connected to every other believer, especially those in your fellowship. You should not be living to please yourself, but Me. You should not be living to bless yourself, but others whom you influence. Follow Paul’s example and take the time to learn the needs, the vulnerabilities, and the struggles of your Christian brothers and sisters. Then adjust your use of your freedom as My disciple to bless and build up these other believers in the best possible way. Verses to Live While this discussion appears to be from long ago and far away because of the whole issue of idolatry, think of other situations where you can apply these principles. Ask yourself the core questions above (the six numbered questions) to help you examine your own motives and your brothers’ and sisters’ needs. As to the concern of eating food dedicated to idols: we know that all of us have knowledge, but knowledge can be risky. Knowledge promotes overconfidence and worse arrogance, but charity of the heart (love, that is) looks to build up others. Just because a person presumes to have some bit of knowledge, that person doesn’t necessarily have the right kind of knowledge. But if someone loves God, it is certain that God has already known that one. So to address your concerns about eating food offered to idols, let me start with what we know. An idol is essentially nothing, as there is no other God but the One. And even if the majority believes there are many so-called gods in heaven and on earth (certainly many worship such “gods” and “lords”), this is not our view. For us, there is one God, the Father Who is the ultimate source of all things and the goal of our lives. And there is one Lord — Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King; through Him all things were created, and by Him we are redeemed. But this knowledge is not in everyone. Up until now, some have been so familiar with idols and what goes on in the temples that when they eat meat that has been offered first to some idol, their weak consciences are polluted. This is the issue. Again, here’s what we know: what we eat will not bring us closer to God — we gain nothing in feasting and lose nothing by fasting. Now let me warn you: don’t let your newfound liberty cause those who don’t know this to fall face-first. Let’s say a person (someone who knows of Jesus) sees you eating in the temple of an idol; and because the person with a weaker conscience is still unsure of things, he becomes confident, follows your lead, and eats idol food. Now, because of your knowledge on display in your conduct, the weaker brother or sister — for whom the Anointed One died — is destroyed! Ruined! What’s more, by living according to your knowledge, you have sinned against these brothers and sisters and wounded their weak consciences — and because you sinned against them, you have sinned against the Anointed One, the Liberating King. So if any type of food is an issue that causes my brothers and sisters to fall away from God, then God forbid I should ever eat it again so that I would never be the crack, the rise, or the rock on the road that causes them to stumble. (1 Corinthians 8:1-13) So what does all this mean? I’m not suggesting
What About Sexual Intimacy and Marriage?
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Today’s set of verses is long. In these verses, Paul spoke about the issue of sexual intimacy and marriage. He was applying what I taught in My ministry to a variety of life circumstances being faced by the Corinthians. I am not going to comment on all that Paul said in these verses. I want you to read the entire passage. Pray about what you read. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you apply Paul’s teaching to your life’s circumstances. However, I do want to speak about a few specific truths Paul taught in the verses below. The Corinthian Christians tended to take things to extremes. These extremes existed in both their involvement in sexual immorality as well as their avoidance of it — even to the point of not sharing in sexual intimacy in marriage. Some said that since it is important to be holy in their sexual practices by not participating in sexual immorality (yesterday’s devotional), then it would be even more holy to not have sex at all, even in marriage. Paul spoke plainly to this issue when he said, “I disagree.” His rationale for disagreement is very important. He used significant and detailed teaching about appropriate sexual intimacy from a number of important angles and circumstances. Please take what Paul said here seriously. Especially notice the following truths that he taught the Corinthians. First, Paul emphasized that if a believer can remain single and stay pure, then he or she should do so, especially in view of the difficulties that the Corinthians would be facing. Remaining single allows such a believer to serve Us — Father, Son, and Spirit — without distraction. Some of Our most dedicated servants through the ages have been holy and single. For example, remember that I was single as were John the Baptist and the apostle Paul. Do not look down on singles as being less complete. Appreciate their whole-hearted devotion to Me and to the kingdom. However, this single and celibate lifestyle is not for most people. It is only for those to whom the gift of fulfilled singleness is given (Matthew 19:10-11). Most people are not gifted to live single and chaste, so they should marry. Also, notice the teaching Paul gave to different groups about this issue. (See the underlined words in the verses below to help you recognize these different groups.) Second, you can glorify Us with your sexuality. When sexual intimacy is shared appropriately with your spouse in marriage, it is a good and glorious gift given to you by Us. Your sexual life in marriage is not something dirty or anything negative. It is a holy way to honor and glorify Us in your body as you fulfill and bless your spouse in your marriage (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:21). Third, when We created humanity, We made people male and female. Both men and women are created in Our image. We blessed a man and a woman to enjoy the one-flesh union of sexual intimacy and We declared this to be “very good” (Genesis 1:27-31; Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 19:4-6). The principles of love, care, faithfulness, pleasure, fulfillment, and blessing need to be applied equally to both the husband and the wife. In most cultures in Paul’s day, the wife was viewed as little more than property. Notice the care Paul takes in all of his instructions to apply the truths he teaches equally to both husband and wife. Paul’s teaching was not only against the cultural standards of his day, but against most religious teaching in his time — it was transformational and revolutionary. However, Paul’s teaching is what We had intended from creation. Both husband and wife are created in Our image. Each, and the pleasure and joy and fulfillment of each, are important to Us. As you read the verses below, notice the words in bold that will help you see how Paul took such great care to emphasize this principle We built into creation. Fourth, responsibly procreating as good stewards of creation is one purpose of sexual intimacy (Genesis 1:28), but it is far from the only reason we blessed you with this intimacy. Sexual intimacy can help you relieve your sense of being alone and needing a partner in the world (Genesis 2:18-25). Sexual intimacy is a gift We gave you as a way to enjoy, serve, and fulfill each other (Proverbs 5:15-19). Finding joy in sexually pleasing, blessing, and fulfilling your spouse is a great way to guard against the pull and lust of sexual immorality as well as a way to show your love for your spouse. Notice what Paul said: Because of our tendency to embrace immoralities, each man should feel free to join together in sexual intimacy with his own wife, and each woman should join with her own husband. Pleasing, blessing, and fulfilling your spouse is a responsibility you have to your spouse. Again, notice what Paul said: Each husband has the responsibility to meet his wife’s sexual desires, and each wife should do the same for her husband. In marriage neither the husband nor the wife should act as if his or her body is private property — your bodies now belong to one another, and together they are whole. So do not withhold sex from one another, unless both of you have agreed to devote a certain period of time to prayer. When the agreed time is over, come together again so that Satan will not tempt you when you are short on self-control. Be certain that you do not misunderstand or wrongly apply Paul’s teaching that “your bodies now belong to one another.” This instruction definitely is not license to take advantage of your spouse. The relationship between spouses is to be based on love, respect, and voluntary submission to each other (Ephesians 5:21-30; 1 Peter 3:8). Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that sexual intimacy is a very important part of honoring and glorifying
Were!
Note from Jesus Dear Holy One, You confessed Me as your Lord and called on My name as your Savior (Romans 10:9-13). You were joined with Me in My death, burial, and resurrection through your baptism (Romans 6:3-8). You were cleansed and made perfectly holy (Colossians 1:21-23) through the work of the Holy Spirit. As Paul tells the Corinthians, [Y]ou have been washed clean, set apart, restored, and set on the right path in the name of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed, by the Spirit of our living God. There are things you once WERE because of your evil and sinful behavior, but you are not those things any longer. Those things should not be part of your life now. Even if you were raised in a Christian family and have tried to live for Me all of your life, you know that there was and is sin in your life. In your conversion and cleansing, you were united with Me. We became one, and My righteousness was given to you. You are now part of Me and a vital part of My Body, the church. So what you do with your body and in your body impacts and involves Me. Sexual immorality — and by that, I mean any sexual relationship except between a husband and wife in marriage (Matthew 19:4-6) — involves you becoming one flesh with the other person. Sexual intimacy is more than just a physical activity: it is an act of knowing, serving, and being united with another person. Keeping yourself sexually pure shows your appreciation for the price by which you are redeemed from your sin. So please, recognize the importance of being holy in your relationship with others — not just to honor Me, but also to guard your own heart and body. As Paul writes below, he emphasizes the importance of your heart and your body: Run from immoral behavior. All other sins are disconnected from the body, but sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who comes from God and dwells inside of you? You do not own yourself. You have been purchased at a great price, so use your body to bring glory to God! Like the Corinthians, you live in a time when holiness in regard to your intimate relationships is not understood or is ignored. This situation breaks My heart for you because I know the confusion, heartache, and abuse that immoral behavior has unleashed into your world. Something made to bring you joy, love, and security has become common and a source of hurt. My call to you for holiness and purity is for your protection and blessing, not for your limitation. Paul said it well: The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord; the Lord is over all, and He cares about your body. So please take these words from Paul very seriously as My call to your heart for your good as My disciple. Regardless of what you once WERE, don’t let sinful sexual relations creep in and pull you away from the person you ARE now! Verses to Live Notice that Paul twice refers to the fact that some of the Corinthians were justifying their sinful sexual activities by saying “For me, all things are permitted.” There are people in your time who use the same ungodly reasoning. Don’t allow yourself to be one of those people. My teaching is clear: Sex outside of marriage is sinful. Paul points out that you are to be holy and pure because “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit”. If that is not enough motivation for you, notice that he also says “A lot of people stand to inherit nothing of God’s coming kingdom, including those whose lives are defined by sexual immorality…” Do you need reminding that the unjust have no share in the blessings of the kingdom of God? Do not be misled. A lot of people stand to inherit nothing of God’s coming kingdom, including those whose lives are defined by sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual deviancy, theft, greed, drunkenness, slander, and swindling. Some of you used to live in these ways, but you are different now; you have been washed clean, set apart, restored, and set on the right path in the name of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed, by the Spirit of our living God. I can hear some of you saying, “For me, all things are permitted.” But face the facts: all things are not beneficial. So you say, “For me, all things are permitted.” Here’s my response: I will not allow anything to control me. Another chimes in: “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food.” I suppose so, but a day will come when God will dispense with both food and the stomach. The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord; the Lord is over all, and He cares about your body. God has raised the Lord Jesus from death, but He won’t stop there. His dynamic power will raise us up from the grips of death as well. Don’t you realize that your bodies are members of the Anointed One? So should I take the members of the Anointed One and unite them to a prostitute? This illicit union should never take place! Don’t you understand that when your body is joined with a prostitute, the two of you have become one body? For as it says, “The two come together as one flesh.” But when you are joined with the Lord, you become one spirit with Him. Run from immoral behavior. All other sins are disconnected from the body, but sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who comes from God and dwells inside of you? You do not own yourself. You have
Wouldn’t It Be Better?
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Today’s verses are from 1 Corinthians. Paul had begun to address the sin and division damaging the holiness and fellowship in the house churches in Corinth. In yesterday’s verses, he wrote about dealing with the problems of illicit sexual relations and the Christians’ boasting about their open-mindedness at allowing it to go on in their fellowship. In today’s verses, Paul addresses the problem of lawsuits that believers were bringing against each other before unbelievers. He emphasizes the embarrassment that such lawsuits were bringing on My spiritual family due to the way that outsiders viewed the church. Paul tells the Christians why they should prefer to be “ripped off or defrauded” by a fellow believer rather than go to court before unbelievers. He makes some important points about why there shouldn’t be lawsuits between Christians: Any disagreement believers cannot settle between themselves should be decided by using wise believers in the church family to resolve the issue. Christians should have more wisdom and better values on which to make such a decision. After all, the Father will have Christians judge “heavenly messengers” or angels at the end of time. Going to unbelievers to decide a legal matter is an embarrassment to the church. This legal action also places Christians under the authority of those “who have no allegiance to” Me or to My standards of morality and integrity. The ultimate question you face in these matters is really pretty simple. Are you seeking My kingdom and My righteousness (Matthew 6:33) or are you trying to store up treasures on earth (Matthew 6:19-21)? When a person’s heart is more concerned about keeping what he or she has than it is about the good of My kingdom, then that person is living in darkness, and My following words of warning are relevant: The eye is the lamp of the body. You draw light into your body through your eyes, and light shines out to the world through your eyes. So if your eye is well and shows you what is true, then your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eye is clouded or evil, then your body will be filled with evil and dark clouds. And the darkness that takes over the body of a child of God who has gone astray — that is the deepest, darkest darkness there is. (Matthew 6:22-23) I want to encourage you, as Paul does, to find a way to solve your differences and not go to court (Luke 12:57-59). Paul said it well: The truth is that these public lawsuits cause all of you to lose and lose big. Wouldn’t it be better to be ripped off or defrauded? If you cannot work out a disagreement between yourselves, seek the help of wise brothers and sisters in Christ to help you come to a fair understanding (Matthew 18:16). Remember that there are more important things than your getting what you believe is fair in such matters. One of those more important things is the reputation of the Christian community among unbelievers, and another is not placing yourself under the authority of someone who does not live by My values of truth, honesty, and integrity. Verses to Live There are times when brothers and sisters in Christ disagree, disappoint each other, or even sin against each other. To help resolve these disputes, seek the wisdom of wise believers. Don’t go to court with each other before unbelievers and embarrass the church! Here’s another troubling issue. If you have a grievance against another follower of Jesus, do you have the audacity to bring that brother or sister into the civil courts rather than submitting yourselves to the authority of God’s people? Don’t you know that His people are destined to judge the world? If you have the authority to judge the world, can’t you handle these small matters and render a better judgment than the civil courts? Further, don’t you know that we are destined to judge the heavenly messengers? So if we are to exercise authority in the heavenly realms, can’t we take care of the conflicts that arise in this life? To put it another way, if you are asking the courts to adjudicate your mundane conflicts, aren’t you placing your problems under the authority of judges who have no standing within the church? My words should embarrass you. Is it possible that you have no one among you with the wisdom to mediate between two siblings? So one brother sues another brother in public and drags the dispute before outsiders who have no allegiance to Jesus? The truth is that these public lawsuits cause all of you to lose and lose big. Wouldn’t it be better to be ripped off or defrauded? In fact, you are guilty of ripping off and defrauding your own brothers and sisters, not the other way around. (1 Corinthians 6:1-8) Response in Prayer Father, help me as I work on my heart to love You, Your people, and the reputation of Your people. I want to care about the reputation of Your people in the eyes of the world more than I love myself and my stuff. Help me, please dear Lord, for the world pulls at my heart. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Family Discipline, Family Rescue
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, In My family, there are times when direct discipline from the Father is necessary in the lives of His children (1 Corinthians 11:32; Hebrews 12:5-11). Throughout your New Testament, you can find different forms of discipline, correction, and rescue that My followers are instructed to use to reclaim those who have gone astray (Matthew 18:12-20; Romans 16:17-18; Galatians 6:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; James 5:19-20; Jude 1:20-25). Today’s verses contain Paul’s strong words about a serious need for discipline. The new believers in Corinth were tolerating immorality within their group. This disorder was a type of immorality recognized as evil even among most non-believers. It involved sexual relations between a man and his father’s wife. The Corinthians not only allowed this blatant sin to continue, but they were also boasting about being open-minded enough to accept and fellowship those participating in this ongoing sin. The apostle Paul called such sin a “tragedy” and told the Corinthians that rather than being arrogant, they should “mourn” about such a “terrible” sin in their community and that the sinner should “be removed from the community.” I know that some in Your culture frown on the discipline Paul advocates in these verses. However, Paul appropriately reminds the Corinthian Christians that his words about discipline arise out of his “deep love” for them. There are certain moral standards in the Father’s family of grace. His children must demonstrate both His righteous character and His gracious compassion, not one to the exclusion of the other. The Father’s standards of morality are not arbitrary. Immorality damages the fabric of relationships and the basis of trust in a community. Immorality also damages and hardens the heart of the person involved in it. Expelling those who were participating in this sin was necessary for the Corinthian fellowship if those in that fellowship were going to identify themselves as My disciples. However, this discipline must be done with two things in mind: This discipline was to be exercised so that the sinners could be “rescued” from their bondage to their sinful nature. In other words, it should be done so they would turn their lives around and come back to Me. This discipline was to be exercised so that My spiritual family could be freed from involvement in supporting immorality. If allowed unchecked, immorality would eventually permeate and destroy the fellowship and character of My disciples. You should not remove yourself from the world with its immorality and corruption. I don’t intend for you to take yourself out of the world or to isolate yourselves from the world (John 17:14-19). Instead, I call you through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit to be light to the darkness of your world and to be salt to preserve the world from its rot and decay caused by sin (Matthew 5:13-16). For this to happen, you must be people of righteous character. Your lives and morals must be in tune with the character of your Father in heaven. Paul’s previous letter (see yesterday’s note for more on this) had taught the Corinthian Christians to be separate from worldliness and immorality. He makes clear in the verses today what he means. Paul is not suggesting that they withdraw from the society around them, but that as part of My body, the church, they not live by the world’s standards. There are moral standards for fellowship among My disciples. The Corinthian disciples needed to help each other live up to those standards. Rather than withdrawing from the sinful world, the Corinthian’s call was to live as My people of righteous character and gracious compassion in the world to redeem the world. That manner of living is also My call to you today. Be a people of righteous character and gracious compassion both inside the fellowship of My people and also in your relationships with those who do not yet call on Me as their Lord. Verses to Live In My church, there will always be some people who decide to continue in some types of sins — people who at one level long to honor Me, but who decide to participate in something sinful. The goal is that both these willful sinners and those who sometimes stumble and sin be transformed to become more and more like Me (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18). So don’t let each other settle down into sin and simply accept that sin. Love each other enough to work on rescuing each other from sin. I love what Jude wrote about this kind of support in his short little letter: But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. Now all glory to God, Who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him Who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. (Jude 1:20-25 NLT) Now for Paul’s words to the Corinthians: Because of my deep love for you, I must express my concern about the report brought to me regarding the lewd and immoral behavior exhibited in your community. This scandal has come to my attention because this kind of thing is unheard of even among the outsiders around us: I understand a man is having sexual relations with his father’s wife. You have turned into an arrogant lot who refuse to see the
Scour Away the Filth
Note from Jesus Dear Faithful Follower, Even when Paul first worked with the Corinthians, he sought to help them turn from the unbridled immorality that was a part of their city’s culture. This lifestyle change was a predictable challenge that My new disciples faced in most places (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12). The grip of their immoral past was hard to break. Many activities in Corinth were tied to the worship of idols and the pervasive paganism of the city. The Corinthians encountered cultic prostitution at the pagan temples. Meat bought in their city market was first sacrificed to the idols before being available for sale. Pagan celebrations involving sexual immorality and drunkenness were connected to feasts and trade guild meetings. Pagan celebrations and sacrifices went with athletic contests and theater productions. Paul tried to teach these new Christians that their lives were to be holy. Their lives were to be lived in total dedication to honor Us — Father, Son, and Spirit. This sense of holy purpose meant their bodies were sacred and should be used to glorify Us (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). Paul had repeatedly taught them, both when physically present and through letters, about their need to practice holiness in all things. This teaching meant getting away and staying far away from sexual immorality, idolatry, and paganism. In Paul’s letter that you know as 1 Corinthians, he referred to a previous letter to the Corinthian Christians and his earlier teaching about avoiding immorality (1 Corinthians 5:9). That previous teaching was very similar to what you find in a passage from 2 Corinthians included in the verses below. As you read these verses, try to think through the implications of Paul’s teachings for you in your culture. How will you apply these teachings to your world so saturated in sexual immorality, false religions, greed, and materialism? How are you going to live as My holy person in your immoral culture and influence that culture for good? How are you going to influence your culture while not letting the bad parts of your culture influence you? As you live and serve Me in the culture around you, what are the limits of Christian fellowship? These are hard questions. Rather than answer these questions for you, I am asking you to wrestle with them as you follow Me. I want your heart to belong to Me. If your heart belongs to Me, you will work through these questions seeking to honor Me with a holy life that demonstrates My compassionate concern for the lost. Think through what Paul wrote and see how his teachings apply to you. When you read his teachings this way, you will have more empathy for the Corinthians. You will get a clearer understanding of the challenges they faced in their day if they obeyed Paul’s teaching. You will also be better prepared to face similar challenges in your day. Verses to Live How are you going to impact your culture with My character and compassion without getting entangled and soiled with its immorality? In the verses below, you find two readings from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. The first passage is one verse from 1 Corinthians and refers to what Paul taught in a previous letter that he wrote the Christians in Corinth. The second section is from 2 Corinthians and addresses the same matters as referenced in the first passage. The final short paragraph is Paul’s exhortation to the people based on what he had written in the previous verses. This part is at the heart of what I want you to incorporate into your life. In the letter I wrote to you previously, I made it clear that you are not to band together with those who have embraced immoral lives. (1 Corinthians 5:9) Don’t develop partnerships with those who are not followers of Jesus’ teachings. For what real connection can exist between righteousness and rebellion? How can light participate in darkness? What harmony can exist between the Anointed and Satan? Do the faithful and the faithless have anything in common? Can the temple of God find common ground with idols? Don’t you see that we house the temple of the living God within us? Remember when He said, “I will make My home with them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be My people. “So then turn away from them, turn away and leave without looking back,” says the Lord. “Stay away from anything unclean, anything impure, and I will welcome you. “And I will be for you as a father, and you will be for Me as sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty! Because we have these promises, dearly loved ones, out of respect for God we should scour the filth from our flesh and spirit and move toward perfect beauty and holiness. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Corinthians 7:1) Response in Prayer Father, make me Yours completely. Set me apart from those who do not know You. I want to display Your grace to others and live Your holiness before them. May my whole spirit, soul, and body be kept free from any sort of sin as I await the glorious coming of My Lord and Savior Jesus, the Anointed. You, O God, are faithful. I know that You can be trusted to make this happen in me to Your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. This prayer is adapted from Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.