Articles for tag: 1 Corinthians 12

November 22, 2019

Michael C. Mack

How to Celebrate Thanksgiving Well . . . Even if It’s Not Happy

By Michael C. Mack Several years ago as the Thanksgiving holiday approached, I decided to dig a little deeper into how the Bible uses that word, thanksgiving, and I’m very thankful that I did! I discovered three perspectives I had never really considered before. Perhaps they will help you better understand and live with thanksgiving . . . all year long. _ _ _ 1. Thanksgiving Is an Attitude, Not Just a Day Look at the following Bible verses, especially the context for thanksgiving: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident

October 17, 2019

Christian Standard

Harmony in Giving

This article from 1964 obviously wasn’t the last word on the appropriate level of Christian giving, but it did contain interesting information and the writer effectively applied Scripture to make her points. Before diving in, here’s some context that should help with the section of the article titled “Sacrificial?” The writer says her family’s “take-home pay” in 1964 was $600 per month, or approximately $7,200 for the year. A U.S. Census Bureau online document says, “The median income [not take-home income] of all families in 1964 was about $6,600.” From this we can conclude that the writer’s family was earning

August 27, 2019

Christian Standard

The Meaning of Our Labor

By Jon Wren Many of us enjoy an extra day off and spend time with family and friends on Labor Day weekend. This uniquely American holiday was created in the 19th century to honor American workers by giving them a well-deserved day off. Though the holiday has become more a celebration of summer’s end than a day to mark progress by the labor movement, it still is a day enjoyed by nearly everyone. Scripture says God gave us work as a gift, not a curse. Before sin entered the world, God placed humans in the Garden of Eden to “work

August 23, 2017

Christian Standard

Sinners and Saints

By Diane Stortz Are you a sinner or a saint? If you come to Communion today as a believer and disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, the answer is that you are both. God gave the Passover observance to his people as a memorial under the old covenant. Passover was a time of remembering and celebrating from generation to generation how God led the Israelites, with a mighty hand, out of slavery in Egypt and into freedom. The blood of a perfect lamb on the doorpost of every Israelite home protected and saved God”s people as the angel of death

December 27, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Sacrifice Unequaled

By Mark A. Taylor Does anyone still use the phrase, “Not equal giving, but equal sacrifice”? It once was standard verbiage in church fund-raising campaigns, but I”ve always cringed a little when I”ve heard it. If it has become passé, I”m glad. Not that the idea doesn”t spring from biblical principle. Along with exhortations to giving that is generous (Romans 12:8), cheerful (2 Corinthians 9:7), and regular (1 Corinthians 16:2), Scripture commands giving that is proportional (1 Corinthians 16:2; Deuteronomy 16:17). Many believers today still use God”s original template, the tithe (10 percent), for their giving (Malachi 3:10). Such believers

November 25, 2016

Christian Standard

See the Body

By Diane Stortz A young woman visited a service and was surprised by how Communion was served. The elements representing Jesus” body and blood were placed on tables around the perimeter of the room, and worshippers got out of their seats and walked to one of the tables. Some people ate the bread and drank the juice right at the tables. Some took the elements back to their seats for reflection and prayer. Some people stayed seated and prayed awhile before they went to one of the tables. Still others picked up the bread and juice and then gathered as

September 9, 2016

Christian Standard

The Vertical and the Horizontal

By C. Robert Wetzel There is both a vertical and a horizontal dimension to the Lord Supper. In a spiritual sense, we are looking up as we once again focus our thoughts on the gift of God in the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we eat the bread we remember his words, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). And as we drink from the cup we hear his words, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it in remembrance

September 2, 2016

Christian Standard

Wordless Groans at the Lord”s Table

By C. Robert Wetzel “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). We often find our congregations preparing for the Lord”s Supper with an appropriate Communion hymn followed by a meditation that helps us focus on the meaning of this sacred event. This is followed by what some call the “words of institution,” such as the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. The presiding elder then offers a prayer of blessing over the bread and cup. As we partake, we focus our thoughts

October 16, 2015

Christian Standard

A Four-Way Stop Sign

By Greg Swinney We can”t drive very far before seeing a road sign giving us a warning or directions. Yield, One Way, and Stop Ahead signs are all intended to help us arrive at our destination safely. Although four-way Stop signs are designed to direct traffic and help us avoid collisions, they may also offer a spiritual picture as we gather to share in the Lord”s Supper. Four-way Stop signs direct us to look in all directions at an intersection, and the Bible offers similar instructions at the table. We are directed to look inward: “Everyone ought to examine themselves

May 11, 2015

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 17, 2015: One Body; Many Members (1 Corinthians 12:12-31)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the May 10 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone  Last week we considered the first half of 1 Corinthians 12, and this week we will study the last half of the chapter. J. W. McGarvey wrote, “In the early church the Spirit of God . . . endowed certain members with miraculous gifts . . . As gifts were bestowed on different individuals, some of them became a source of

May 4, 2015

Christian Standard

Lesson for May 10, 2015: Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. It is published in the May 3 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Sam E. Stone  The apostle Paul spent about 18 months in the prominent Greek city of Corinth during his second missionary journey. Although he faced strong opposition (Acts 18:1-11), still the church grew and prospered. Later Paul received a letter from Corinth raising several important issues. He addressed them in 1 Corinthians. His discussion of spiritual gifts extends from 12:1″“14:40. Obviously this was a

September 30, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Six Things I”ve Learned about Leadership

By Mark A. Taylor What would you preach if your sermon assignment was leadership? What could possibly be fresh or helpful to say about a topic that has already been the subject of a thousand books, articles, and workshop sessions? What would you add””or subtract””from this outline for the sermon I plan to preach this weekend? Godly leaders . . . “¢ are servants, not stars. Consider the ridicule and stress Noah must have felt, obeying a strange command and anticipating a horrible outcome. Think about Moses, saddled with the whining, self-centered, shallow, and headstrong Jews on a journey to

September 7, 2014

Christian Standard

The Blessing of Memory

By Mike Shannon One of the things we fear most is the loss of our memory. We get frustrated over even small memory lapses. It is such a devastating problem that much time, money, and effort go into solving the serious medical issues that contribute to loss of memory. But what if it is not a medical problem? What if we deliberately forget or we forget out of benign neglect? It is vital to Christians to always remember the meaning of the cross. How can we ever forget what Jesus did for us there? The early church was concerned about

August 15, 2014

Christian Standard

Refreshed by Repentance

By Mark S. Krause Repentance is not popular today. One Internet blogger called repentance “the most unpopular message in the history of mankind.” Why is this? What is it about calling people to repent that rubs us the wrong way? When he was about 4 years old, my son learned a painful lesson when he burned the tip of his finger on the cigarette lighter in my car. I was sorry, but knew his finger would heal (although he still bears a scar). He taught me a lesson about repentance a few days later. As I was washing the car in

August 1, 2014

Christian Standard

The Blessing of Memory

By Mike Shannon One of the things we fear most is the loss of our memory. We get frustrated over even small memory lapses. It is such a devastating problem that much time, money, and effort go into solving the serious medical issues that contribute to loss of memory. But what if it is not a medical problem? What if we deliberately forget or we forget out of benign neglect? It is vital to Christians to always remember the meaning of the cross. How can we ever forget what Jesus did for us there? The early church was concerned about

April 15, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

The Reason for This Season, Too

By Mark A. Taylor On the day before Easter in 2012 I snapped this picture in my local grocery store. The imposing, inflated bunny surrounded by candy eggs seemed a good symbol of the secular holiday and retailers” efforts to cash in on it. Not that I”m criticizing. I eat my share of chocolate eggs every year around this time. And every spring our house is decorated with Easter baskets and jellybeans””and a few of our own stuffed bunnies. But Easter, like Christmas, can get lost in the trappings if we don”t pause to meditate on the profound reasons for

April 4, 2014

Christian Standard

Still We Meet on the Lord”s Day

By Jeff Faull “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus. . . . On the Lord”s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet” (Revelation 1:9, 10, author emphasis). Today is the Lord”s Day, but it doesn”t quite seem the same. John was being punished. We are not. John was suffering. We are not. John was alone. We”re not. John was an apostle. We”re not. John was an eyewitness. We”re not But we are trying to listen to God,

September 6, 2013

Christian Standard

Their Witness, and Ours

By David Ray   If only trees could talk . . . Outside the walls of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley and near the foot of a rising hillside, was a garden called Gethsemane. It held a grove of olive trees, perhaps privately owned and set off from public space, but graciously made available to Jesus and his disciples whenever needed. A place of quiet retreat, it was far enough away to escape the hectic press of the city, but still close enough to see the temple clearly. By day, the garden was a cooler place, with shade found under

July 5, 2013

Christian Standard

Body Language

By Robert F. Hull Jr. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Corinthians 10:16, 17).* In some traditions, the person who hands the worshippers the Communion bread says, “This is the body of Christ.” This body language naturally leads us to think about the body of Jesus given in death on the cross. But perhaps we should also think about what Jesus

April 18, 2013

Christian Standard

Steps to Healthy Growth in Ministry Relationships

By Susan Lawrence “My senior staff member just went behind my back and told my volunteer team about plans for significant change in my ministry before I was informed. What”s up with that?” “Why can”t my team just do what needs to be done without being babysat? What happened to personal motivation and responsibility?” “It”s time for change, and I don”t care what the rest of the staff thinks. They need to get on board or leave.” Working with ministry staff and volunteers is tough. Individuals bring their teams different personalities, experiences, and skills; and those differences can lead to

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