I Corinthians 9:1-18

Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. (vv. 13-14) I like all of what Paul says in today’s reading, including his claim that he does not “profit” in any way from his preaching. The verses that I quoted above seem to capture the essence of what he is saying. But there is a flip side to these verses that Paul does not mention – that there has to be someone making those offerings! All of us need to support people like David and Kelly; they are Kingdom workers! And a number of us also support overseas missionaries; they are also Kingdom workers! And there are also many “tentmakers” and “bi-vocational” clergy out there, and even though they have chosen that particular life, they would surely welcome that occasional unexpected gift.

I have done a bit of preaching on the topic of giving. In fact, our overseas CZ and SK missionaries appreciate it when someone else takes their pulpit and talks about giving – it takes the burden off them. When I speak on this topic, I naturally go fairly quickly to the Biblical standard, the tithe, where I offer a couple of references and speak a few paragraphs on that standard. Then I move to “first fruits” – the notion that the Israelites were offering the “first fruits” of their harvest, not knowing that further “fruits” would be forthcoming. There I encourage people to make their pledge every week or on the first week of the month, to make their offering their “first fruit”. But finally, I save the best till last – the “widow’s mite”. And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” (Mark12:41-44)

No, Carol and I don’t give according to the “widow’s mite” principle. But in our Men’s Group we have had a number of discussions as to how we in the USA should handle our vast resources, both as a nation and individually, especially the reasonably large sums of money that we have built up in our retirement funds. We don’t have any easy answers; we don’t want to be a burden to our children, but what of the huge needs in the world around us? Just musing, wearing my Treasurer’s hat, I guess…

Slava Bohu!

I Corinthians 8:1-13

For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? (v. 10) I try to stay non-political in these posts and even now I could be speaking of any public figure. Beyond that, yesterday’s news showed Vice President Pence at the Mayo Clinic not wearing a face mask – in spite of the Clinic’s policy that everyone inside the Clinic wear one. Pence claimed that he is tested regularly and that he does not have the virus, so it’s OK for him not to wear a mask. But he is a public figure setting an example for others to follow. Both he and President Trump refuse to wear masks. What are they saying to the general public? I think Paul’s question in verse 10 has complete application today!

Carol was already chatting with me this morning about idols and her trip to India. I hope she posts something on that.

As I type this Rachel is at the hospital in labor, with a realistic expectation of delivering her daughter today. I’m distracted; I’m off.

Slava Bohu!

I Corinthians 7:25-40

Today is one of the longer readings that we’ve had of late, but it seems to me that it can all be summarized in this one verse: This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord. (v. 35, NASB) I think Paul’s “this” at the beginning of this verse reflects back to verses 32-34a, But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife and his interests are divided. The next verse reflects the same sentiment to the wife, so that Paul is gender-neutral in his advice. So, back to my first statement – in giving his advice Paul is not limiting the Corinthians’ choices; his concern is that they seek the Lord more fully and behave appropriately in their marriage and in the world. It’s good advice for today!

One item of confusion appears in verse 29: But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened… I’ve always been of the mind that Paul thought that Jesus’ return was nearby, especially earlier in his ministry. His letters to the Thessalonians (among the earliest of his epistles) where he discusses the end times seem to support this claim, as do other statements that he makes in other letters. However, even though my Study Bible suggests this as a possibility, it seems to suggest more strongly that Paul is speaking about the persecutions that the Corinthians are suffering. For my part, I think that in the whole of our reading today Paul is expecting that Jesus’ return is coming soon.

Slava Bohu!

I Corinthians 7:17-24

Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that. (v. 21) In the previous verse Paul encourages Christians to live as they were called: Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. (v. 20) But in verse 21 he encourages slaves to seek their freedom, if possible. My Study Bible had a great line for Paul’s change of heart on this matter: “There is nothing wrong with seeking to improve your condition, but be content at every stage.” There is nothing wrong with trying to “get ahead” in life, to be successful at whatever God has called us. But that should never be our driving force!

You were bought with a price… (v. 23a) Paul repeats a sentence from the previous chapter (I Cor. 6:20). It’s a wonderful sentiment to keep foremost in our minds.

Slava Bohu!

I Corinthians 7:1-16

Paul, on giving instructions… The Corinthians have apparently asked Paul some questions that he answers, often beginning with the phrase, “Now concerning…”. That phrase occurs six times in this letter (I Cor. 7:1,25; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1,25). In today’s reading he gives his advice in three different manners. In verses 6 and 8 he simply says, “I say…”. However in verses 10 and 12, he offers his famous “I … not I…” quotes. In verse 10 he says, To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord)…, whereas in verse 12 he says, To the rest I say (I, not the Lord…). [The bold is my emphasis added in each of the previous two phrases.] Paul is careful to distinguish his advice from the Lord’s command. I believe it’s the only place in his epistles where we see this construction (an online search supported this conjecture). David has said on a few occasions that he is wary when someone tells him, “The Lord told me…”. But He does speak to us – we need to practice listening!

I’ve always been touched by verse 16: For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? I remember from my youth in our Catholic Church how many wives attended church while their husbands stayed home. We don’t see it so much at St. Andrew’s – more’s the case that husband and wife attend different churches. We knew of a few situations in CZ and SK where one attended and not the other – and the kids were torn between allegiance to the mother or the father. Carol and I have always been grateful that we were both “in the Lord” when we met and that we have agreed on our church affiliation together. There is power in our being and praying together.

And now we get ready for our Sunday morning (videotaped) worship service – with Rachel and Christian joining us from across the driveway! We are blessed!!

Slava Bohu!

I Corinthians 6:12-20

All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. (v. 12b) I like that ESV translation of this verse – dominated! We could easily translate the concept of addiction to these few words, but we all too often think of addiction in terms of “bad” things – alcohol, drugs, smoking, gambling, pornography, etc. But there are other mostly good things that can dominate us, like work or MLB or NFL or golf or sports-binging in general. These are great examples of Paul’s comments – activities that are lawful, but troublesome if taken to an extreme. On December 31, 2003 I played my last computer video game. I can’t say I was “hooked”, but I played A LOT of Minesweeper, Free Cell and one other game that escapes me now. They were good diversions after a full day of work, but when I found them dominating my time, I quit. By contrast, Carol and I had a CPM computer game (way back when!) called “Ladder” that we played for short breaks after working on our thesis or dissertation. But a few games and we were back at it. Let diversions be diversions – just that, nothing more!

And as for all the sexual immorality stuff – I don’t need to comment on that. But I will note that some weeks ago I cited verses 19 and 20 with reference to my own eating problem. Taping those two verses on the refrigerator and snack cabinet definitely helped me to bypass food that I surely did not need!

Finally, someone at CCNB with whom I have conversed over our church’s financial matters sent me a verse yesterday for today’s times: Isaiah 26:20. Look it up. Very timely!

Slava Bohu!

I Corinthians 6:1-11

RTB 2020!! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (v. 11) Here’s a triad that I love – not just a “three things” item, but three words that flow nicely together (consecutively even): washed (baptized), sanctified (filled with the Holy Spirit), justified (redeemed, forgiven) – completed as a born-again Christian!! Paul could be saying that about us, folks! We are washed, sanctified, and forgiven!! GLORY!!

Slava Bohu!

I Corinthians 5:1-13

To me this is one of the stranger chapters in all of Scripture, that “…a man has his father’s wife.” At first it brings questions. Paul writes “father’s wife”, not “mother”. So we presume that it must be his stepmother. But then, a second question – is the father still alive? If so, it’s a really gross situation. And if not, it’s still weird! Also, if the father is still alive, where is he in all this? Is he part of this Corinthian congregation? Presumably not, but if Paul and the people in the congregation know about this activity, then surely the father is also aware of what’s going on. Bottom line – this is a really weird situation!

However, Paul’s response to this situation is unequivocal – throw the man out! He says it three times – see verses 2b, 5, and 13b. Verse 5 is especially telling: …you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. I think that Paul is talking about excommunication. To me, delivering the man over to Satan is separating him from the congregation of believers. Why? To wake him up…? To admonish him so forcefully, with a desire that he see the error of his ways and repent…? If everyone else in the congregation is told not to associate with the man at all, not even to eat with him, will that shock him to repentance? That’s how I understand verse 5.

Your boasting is not good. (v. 6) What are they boasting about? Also, earlier in verse 2 Paul calls them arrogant. My Study Bible suggests that the Corinthians are “proud of their liberty”. There is evidence for that claim later in this letter (all of I Cor. 8 and vv. I Cor. 12:23, ff.) where Paul speaks of the liberties that they seem to be taking and cautions them not to let their “liberty” (in this case, with food) cause offense to someone else: Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble. (I Cor. 8:13) Here Paul is speaking of not offending a younger/weaker brother within the congregation, but we also need to take this challenge to the world around us. When non-believers see our behavior, both good and bad, for them it reflects upon the entire Christian church. It’s why one of the biggest claims made by non-believers as to why they don’t believe is that “Christians are a bunch of hypocrites.” Let’s not be that!!

Slava Bohu!

I Corinthians 4:14-21

Just a couple of small items… I had mentioned before that there are a number of occasions where Paul urges his followers to imitate him. We see another “imitate me” today in verse 16. Paul may be reflecting back to the Corinthians’ divisiveness (“of Paul”, “of Apollos”, etc.), but I doubt that he is in any way diminishing Apollos. He says in the previous verse that the Corinthians might have countless (10,000) tutors, but only one father – him. So, for that reason, imitate him! Reason enough, I presume, if it will diminish their divisiveness.

I sent you Timothy … to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. (v. 17) I was struck by this verse, wondering what Paul’s “my ways” were. That took me to wonder about “methods”, particularly the origins of the Methodist church. Was there something peculiar about John Wesley’s “methods”? So I looked it up. I offer you a full paragraph:

The Methodist revival began in England with a group of men, including John Wesley (1703–1791) and his younger brother Charles (1707–1788), as a movement within the Church of England in the 18th century. The Wesley brothers founded the “Holy Club” at the University of Oxford, where John was a fellow and later a lecturer at Lincoln College. The club met weekly and they systematically set about living a holy life. They were accustomed to receiving Communion every week, fasting regularly, abstaining from most forms of amusement and luxury and frequently visited the sick and the poor, as well as prisoners. The fellowship were branded as “Methodist” by their fellow students because of the way they used “rule” and “method” to go about their religious affairs. John, who was leader of the club, took the attempted mockery and turned it into a title of honour.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodism

Interesting! I said something to Carol last night, “Yes, I guess I am OCD in some things.” But maybe that’s not all bad…!! ?!

Slava Bohu!