What is Missing?

 

What is Missing? (Feel free to comment)

1 Corinthians 11: ¹⁷ In the following instructions, however, I do not praise you, because your meetings for worship actually do more harm than good. ¹⁸ In the first place, I have been told that there are opposing groups in your meetings; and this I believe is partly true. (¹⁹ No doubt there must be divisions among you so that the ones who are in the right may be clearly seen.) ²⁰ When you meet together as a group, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat. ²¹ For as you eat, you each go ahead with your own meal, so that some are hungry while others get drunk. ²² Don't you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or would you rather despise the church of God and put to shame the people who are in need? What do you expect me to say to you about this? Shall I praise you? Of course I don't!

 

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“Why don’t we do an outreach for the people on, let’s say, Main (name changed to protect the church) street?” I said to the leaders.  Looking back, this challenge had a hidden agenda of exposing the fact that the outreach efforts seemed to be targeted to those who already attended this particular church. “Great, why don’t you lead the effort?” was the shocking reply I wasn’t prepared for.

 

• There have been times when I wanted to be heard versus being part of the solution.
• There have been times when I wanted to complain versus offering to help.
• There have been times when I wanted to blame and feel good about registering my “two cents” versus stepping up to help based on a unifying need.

 

Paul does not hold back when it came to the divisive behavior of this group. Some people were getting all the attention, while others were left out. Some were using the church as a club to get “drunk.” What was missing was unity.

 

My Observations

• GOD wants me to approach HIS gathering with unity.
• GOD wants me to seek a unifying message versus “my own meal.”
• GOD wants me to come together to help the entire congregation, not just feed my own appetite.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I have been in need many times. In fact, I am in need right now! But GOD wants me to approach HIS church with a unifying message versus trying to be heard and seeking division. I believe the only “right” message is to preach the belief and love of CHRIST.

 

My ideas for making things better or growing the church do not need to be heard unless they are shredded through the knives of humility and the blades of unity. I am glad GOD expects unity from us all.

 

Challenge

• How powerful is unity?
• How dangerous is division?
• Have you ever come up with an idea and got frustrated when it was not accepted?
• Will you seek unity by understanding the needs of all, while serving the group you have been called to?

Hair or Heart (Feel free to comment)

 

Hair or Heart  (Feel free to comment)

1 Corinthians 11: ¹³ Judge for yourselves whether it is proper for a woman to pray to God in public worship with nothing on her head. ¹⁴ Why, nature itself teaches you that long hair on a man is a disgrace, ¹⁵ but on a woman it is a thing of beauty. Her long hair has been given her to serve as a covering. ¹⁶ But if anyone wants to argue about it, all I have to say is that neither we nor the churches of God have any other custom in worship.

 

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My wife’s hair dresser took off a few months to take care of her mother. This left her with a decision; go to someone else or get braids. She chose the braids. It took hours to get them put in. At one time in our country, it was taboo to wear braided hair to work. Hair, to me should not represent the heart.

 

• To me, appearances can bring on a biased opinion.
• To me, hair and clothes are yet another reason to show dislike for someone.
• To me, people judge on what people have on their head, face and body without knowing the heart.

 

Paul explains there is no custom whether to allow a long haired or no haired woman to pray to GOD in public. This may make many people think the Bible is dated, but I think it referenced a law “Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies.” Since this was confusing, he puts their mind to rest.

 

My Observations

• GOD wants me to know HE looks at my heart, not my shaved head.
• GOD wants me to understand that my appearance is not what HE will judge me on.
• GOD wants me to believe that anyone can speak about JESUS as long as he or she believes in HIS power to forgive.

Sometimes I think we place too much credit in appearance. I mean, whether a person wears expensive shoes or no shoes, the words “GOD loves you” are still true. The same goes for hair, glasses, tee shirts or shoes or any other controversial facial or body covering.

 

GOD sees the heart and as long as it is aligned to spreading the great news of forgiveness, anyone can speak about JESUS.  I am glad HE accepts my bald head.

 

Challenge

• What are your observations about appearance?
• Do you think appearance hinders your ability to hear the message of GOD from a person?
• Will you consider your heart over your appearance and speak about HIS love and saving grace today?

 

 

Most Grace Required

 Most Grace Required

1 Corinthians 11: ⁶ If the woman does not cover her head, she might as well cut her hair. And since it is a shameful thing for a woman to shave her head or cut her hair, she should cover her head. ⁷ A man has no need to cover his head, because he reflects the image and glory of God. But woman reflects the glory of man; ⁸ for man was not created from woman, but woman from man. ⁹ Nor was man created for woman's sake, but woman was created for man's sake. ¹⁰ On account of the angels, then, a woman should have a covering over her head to show that she is under her husband's authority. ¹¹ In our life in the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹² For as woman was made from man, in the same way man is born of woman; and it is God who brings everything into existence.

 

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Again, Paul continues on a confusing subject. He continues to discuss the structure GOD put in place during the curse in Genesis 3. But where is he going with this? Looking at it from an authoritarian position, it looks like there is a hierarchy to win arguments and to blame. BUT GOD is in there.

 

• GOD wants me to not be independent of my wife.
• GOD wants me to take HIS creation process seriously.
• GOD wants me to reflect HIS image and HIS glory.

 

Wait, what did that last part mean? Reflect the image and glory of GOD? This is a tall responsibility. The only thing I can see is, the closer the person, the more the grace is required.

 

But this passage doesn’t talk about how to do that. Well, it kinda does. “Our life in the LORD” is the statement that shows us how to fight life’s phobias and fears that each person brings into a marriage.

 

Forgiving and serving a neighbor is easy, but how about a spouse? It takes a special kind of grace to remain married in the structure of a curse. JESUS showed this grace and wants man to reflect it to his wife, who was made specifically for him.

 

Grace needs to be taught and cannot be achieved. It is undeserving and requires admittance. It should be given in large doses and expected when two people are dependent on one another.

 

Again, no challenge questions because pondering grace is hard enough.

Recognizing the Curse

Recognizing the Curse

1 Corinthians 11: ² I praise you because you always remember me and follow the teachings that I have handed on to you. ³ But I want you to understand that Christ is supreme over every man, the husband is supreme over his wife, and God is supreme over Christ. ⁴ So a man who prays or proclaims God's message in public worship with his head covered disgraces Christ. ⁵ And any woman who prays or proclaims God's message in public worship with nothing on her head disgraces her husband; there is no difference between her and a woman whose head has been shaved. 

 

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Very confusing verse. I mean, I don’t have a story to associate with this because it is very unusual. Paul speaks about head coverings relating to men and “married” women.  He gives the hierarchy of CHRIST being over the man (or husband) and the husband being over the woman (or wife) and GOD being over CHRIST (or JESUS).

 

My head explodes trying to make sense out of this. The only thing I can figure is that before Genesis 3, man and woman were equal and shared the responsibilities. But an external source, Satan, came in and tempted the woman by tricking her into doing something she was told not to do.

 

After this, GOD cursed the relationship by putting a hierarchy in place. Who wants that? No one. But unfortunately it is there. Now, because of a curse, ill equipped men will need to seek CHRIST and lead a wife who was supposed to be equal.

 

How unfair is that?

 

• GOD wants me to know the curse can be fixed.
• GOD wants me to know the curse has been lifted.
• GOD wants me to recognize the curse and follow HIM as the only master.

 

Leading a wife just because I am a male is a curse. I mean, I have no qualities to follow. BUT JESUS does. HE wants me to point my wife to HIM versus thinking she is “my” servant. Fortunately, CHRIST brings us back into equilibrium. When she speaks, she can recognize the curse and speak about JESUS.

 

No challenge questions today, only a prayer that we all seek peace through CHRIST who is the answer.

Good Example

Good Example

1 Corinthians 11:1 Imitate me, then, just as I imitate Christ.

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 Going through life on my own, I had to figure things out by myself. When someone in my life did the wrong thing, I would seek another source to learn how to do the “right thing. The problem with that approach is people kept doing the “wrong” thing and I ran out of options.

 

• Many times I needed a good example and could not find one.
• Many times I needed some guidance, but could not find a guide.
• Many times I needed help, but was left helpless to figure it out on my own.

 Paul makes a huge statement when he says “Imitate me, then, just as I imitate CHRIST.” One could be fooled into thinking he thought more highly of himself and he was trying to build a following because he had it all together. This is quite the opposite. He was pointing to CHRIST.

 

• GOD wants me to tell people “I have a messed up life” BUT JESUS made me whole.
• GOD wants me to say to people “I am broken BUT JESUS made me whole.”
• GOD wants me to speak to people about CHRIST versus pointing to my actions.

 Saying that I am good will never work. I mean, I’m not “good” because JESUS is the only one who is. My righteousness is like used toilet paper. BUT JESUS cleaned me up and made me an ambassador for HIM.

 

HE saw through my sin and died for me anyway. What makes this special is, HE did this without blame. HE simply loved me. HE gets excited when I tell people about HIM. I can say “Imitate me only when I imitate CHRIST.”

 

• Do you need an example of CHRIST?
• Are you looking for humans to be the perfect example?
• Will you stop waiting for humans to fail and see the times when they imitate CHRIST as their example?

For the Good of All

For the Good of All

1 Corinthians 10: ²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you decide to go, eat what is set before you, without asking any questions because of your conscience. ²⁸ But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat that food, for the sake of the one who told you and for conscience' sake— ²⁹ that is, not your own conscience, but the other person's conscience.

 

“Well, then,” someone asks, “why should my freedom to act be limited by another person's conscience? ³⁰ If I thank God for my food, why should anyone criticize me about food for which I give thanks?”

 

³¹ Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God's glory. ³² Live in such a way as to cause no trouble either to Jews or Gentiles or to the church of God. ³³ Just do as I do; I try to please everyone in all that I do, not thinking of my own good, but of the good of all, so that they might be saved.

 

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“There is no ‘I’ in team” was a cliché thrown out at us from a boss. We giggled and someone replied, “But there is in ‘win!’” We went our individual ways trying to implement solutions each had come up with, and none of them stuck. We failed as a team.

 

• There have been many times when “I” did things on my own and received accolades for myself but not others..
• There have been many times when “I” tried to do what “I” felt was right but failed as a group.
• There have been many times when “I” thought of a solution from “my” point of view and presented it, only to receive resistance.

 

Paul goes into a difficult subject, namely relationships. He presents it from a perspective that, whether dealing with a person who believes in JESUS or not, think what is best for that person.

 

• GOD wants me to see people as HIS creation.
• GOD wants me to think of others so they might be saved.
• GOD wants me to put aside “me” so I can be with “them” to see “HIM.”

 

Seeing people is important. I mean, when I go “my” way, it is easy to not see people. I may be busy or getting beat up in the alley, but no one would know what is going on without unity. Thinking of “the good of all” means I bring the hope of GOD into a relationship without clobbering the relationship.

 

Yes, eternity is extremely important, but it takes time. You may say, but there is a sense of urgency that is needed. But the urgency needs to be tempered with the raw ingredients baked at the right temperature so the meal is not deadly, but can be eaten. I am grateful for all those who are in my life.

 

• Are you developing individual solutions, expecting others to follow “you?”
• Do you think “you” know what is best for “that” person?
• Will you think of solutions to bring people to GOD by being with “them” versus against them today?

So They Say

So They Say

1 Corinthians 10: ²³ “We are allowed to do anything,” so they say. That is true, but not everything is good. “We are allowed to do anything”—but not everything is helpful. ²⁴ None of you should be looking out for your own interests, but for the interests of others.

 

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“It’s alright to drink” people convinced me as they cited numerous reasons. I cautiously bought in. One night on a business trip, we went out drinking, We drank 18 pitchers of beer between 3 people. I was driving and somehow we made it back to the hotel in one piece.

 

Many messages were at the front desk for us. The 9-1-1 emergency system that we programmed was down and we had to go into work immediately. I was not in a good position to work or drive and I was putting people in danger.

 

• There have been many times when I allowed myself to do anything.
• There have been many times when I bought into things without knowing limits.
• There have been many times when I did not assess if “this” thing was good for me or not.

 

Paul seems to be addressing “fitting in.” “They say” implies there was an argument placed in front of those who were trying to live a life for CHRIST, but did not know how. He agrees, “We are allowed to do anything – but not everything is helpful.”

 

• GOD says to me “I have forgiven you for all your sins.”
• GOD says to me “I have remove your sin from you as far as the east is from the west.”
• GOD says to me “I will wipe away your tears.”

 

JESUS gives me some amazing promises I can truly rely on with no catch. I mean, HE doesn’t say “I forgive you”, then blasts me with “But you didn’t follow the rules that one time on Tuesday at 12:34 PM.” HE truly forgives me. HE then gives me the HOLY SPIRIT, who cannot stand any sin I do, and places HIM inside me to comfort me, instead of judging me.

 

Now, I have a choice. I can feed the HOLY SPIRIT inside me, or I can feed the lust inside me. Both are there and are fighting with each other. I can also choose to limit myself or maybe even do without. The HOLY SPIRIT also says to me “forgive” when my flesh wants to hold onto past hurts. I am not good at limits or forgiveness, BUT GOD shows me the way, little by little.

 

• Do you feel free to do anything, but may be doing some harmful things?
• Do you know you are forgiven, yet are blatantly still doing some habits that may not be pleasing to GOD?
• Will you run every thought past GOD so the HOLY SPIRIT will guide you in your actions so the interests of others can be for HIM today?