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Gospel Words for a Messy Church

5 – Know Your Story

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What story do we find ourselves in? A vital question, for the answer informs how we, as people, ought to act. So the apostle Paul devotes this next section of his letter to the Corinthians reflecting on the story of his own calling and the broader story that the Christians in Corinth are now a part.

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You know how messy church life can get. In 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul reminds us how the gospel speaks to our lives together.
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“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” For as much as 1 Corinthians addresses practical issues that Christians face, Paul concludes his letter with a stirring reminder that our hope is not about making things better in this life. Christianity focuses on the future life to come and the resurrection of the dead.

“Love is patient, love is kind…” The hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13 is perhaps the closest the Bible ever comes to a definition of love. We all know and treasure these words, but why is it so difficult to love in the way that Paul describes? In this session, we explore how Paul’s words can help us overcome the obstacles to love.

“Anyone who eats without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” Paul’s counsel to the Corinthian church sounds serious, but what does Paul mean by it? In this session, we explore how discerning the body relates to Paul’s exhortations about to live as a Christian community.

How do we make good decisions? Every day, we answer questions over what we ought to do, yet only sometimes is right and wrong clear. What do we do when things aren’t clear? The apostle Paul helps the Corinthians to answer this question by teaching them how to reflect and deliberate on what is true and good.

Christians often argue over how they ought to live and what rules they ought to follow. This is nothing new. How do we know when something is up for debate and when it is not? In this session, we tackle questions of morality and attitude in the life of the church.

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul uses three metaphors to describe the church: a field, a building, and a temple. Though different, each affirm that God and God alone gives life and growth to his people. In this session, we discuss Paul’s view of the church, which challenges our tendency to trust in our own strategies and techniques.

What impresses you? How do you want people to think of you? Answers to questions like these tell us what we value in life. In a letter to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul confronts the old wisdom that once dictated our lives with the new wisdom of the cross.