Articles for tag: 1 Corinthians 12

March 1, 2013

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 enables us to 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

December 3, 2012

Christian Standard

Four Verses for Four Purses: a Teaching Outline About Giving

Fiscal health is a strength of the church I serve. A reason for this is how we challenge people to give. This article is a sample teaching outline for pastors on the theme of giving. For more help, contact me through the church website, www.wschurch.org, or via Twitter @EddieLowen. By Eddie Lowen Some contemporary innovations are nothing short of incredible: High-definition television has made football and golf so much more enjoyable to watch. GPS (global positioning system) navigation has transformed travel. When did you last see someone with a folding map? Smartphones are amazing (my iPhone 5 came today!). I

November 30, 2012

Christian Standard

Proclaim the Savior

By Diane Stortz I”m sure you”ve seen and heard the recent proclamations. Retailers” shelves have overflowed for weeks with wrapping paper, wreaths, and wind-up reindeer. Carols mingle with Christmas pop classics on the radio and in the grocery store. Advertisements abound online, on TV, and in magazines and newspapers. The cultural celebration of Christmas has begun! There”s another Christmas, of course””the reason for Christmas, the birth of Christ””and angels announced the wonderful event. Have you ever seen an angel or talked with one? Their first words are often, “Don”t be afraid!” The angel Gabriel proclaimed to Mary, “Don”t be afraid!”

August 11, 2012

Christian Standard

To Drink or Not to Drink?

By John Caldwell I decided many years ago totally to abstain from alcohol, and it is my opinion that all Christians would do well to make the same decision. I believe this issue is important because it relates to a broader, and thus even more significant subject””that of the modern church”s ongoing move toward becoming more and more like the world.   My Bias In the interest of full disclosure, I am biased. I hate alcohol””not the taste (although to be honest, I hate that too), but what it does to people. The first funeral of a teenager that I

March 24, 2012

Christian Standard

Unwelcome at the Table

By William Baker   The original Supper of the Lord took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30). Devoted disciples ate with Jesus at this Passover meal. One, however, left before the meal was over. Judas ate the wine-soaked bread Jesus offered him but immediately left to do his dirty deed of informing on Jesus to the temple authorities (John 13:26-30). His pact to help them capture Jesus out of the public eye would be honored that night (Luke 22:1-6). In a few hours, Judas would lead the guard to Jesus and betray him with a kiss of death. Jesus

March 4, 2012

Christian Standard

The Marginalized

By David Soucie They sit quietly in our auditoriums. Numbering in the untold thousands, they border on invisible. Unknown to most, they are the marginalized. Some are new attendees. Because they are naturally reserved, they have not ventured out beyond their pew. Most of the congregation is content to allow them to be a part of their services, but never make the effort to get acquainted. The new people wait for someone to reach out, and remain disappointed. Some have been around for years. Most are introverts, and they have long given up waiting for the extroverts to notice them

January 7, 2012

Christian Standard

The Old Has Gone, the New Has Come!

By Victor Knowles Today is New Year”s Day, the first day of the year and the first Sunday of the year. What a good way to start the New Year! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Communion is a weekly reminder that in Christ we are a new creation. The old is gone. I remember singing a chorus in youth camp many years ago. “Gone, gone, gone, gone, yes my sins are gone!” The crimson cup reminds us that the old has gone. Jesus

October 13, 2011

Christian Standard

Treasures in Jars of Clay

By Debra Ingram Haagen The first time we visited Broad Creek Christian Church in New Bern, North Carolina, a teenage boy walked up onto the stage during the praise songs. He seemed to be lost in the music, oblivious to the audience. I expected someone to come across the stage and rush him quietly out of the room, but that did not happen. As the teenager walked over to a singer and touched her face, she smiled at him and took his hand. He continued to walk around the stage, looking at the different instruments, trying to figure out how

July 11, 2011

Christian Standard

Lesson for July 17, 2011: Use God”s Strength (Judges 3:15-25, 29, 30)

Bible background. Pronunciation guide. Real-life commentary. Discussion questions. Find it all in Standard Lesson Commentary. ____________ This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for July 17) is written by James Hansee, senior associate minister with Whitewater Crossing Christian Church in Cleves, Ohio. ____________ Use God’s Strength (Judges 3:15-25, 29, 30) By James Hansee Where the world sees disability, God sees potential. Where the world sees disadvantage or defect, God sees opportunity. When people rely on God”s strength, even their weaknesses or perceived shortcomings can be powerful tools in his hands to accomplish his plans. Such is the case

April 3, 2011

Christian Standard

A Fitting Memorial

By Bob Hostetler At 6:55 on a cold March evening, 12-year-old Valerie Webb, who lost her father in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York”s World Trade Center towers, threw a switch that sent twin towers of light into the sky. The bright beacons, a tribute to the nearly 3,000 lives lost at that site, seemed a fitting memorial for the horrible acts that left a gaping hole in New York”s skyline . . . and in America”s heart. When something of that magnitude happens, it”s only natural””and right””to want to mark it and remember it. On the

December 26, 2010

Doug Redford

Return of the Gift

By Doug Redford Now that Christmas Day has passed, it”s time to move from thinking about giving gifts to the matter of returning them. Many of us will need to spend some time during the upcoming week returning a Christmas gift that happened to be the wrong size, color, or style. Stores usually offer tips to keep in mind when returning a gift, including: keep all the tags and original packing when giving and opening gifts (especially electronics, computers, appliances, and games), keep receipts, and check the time limit on returns (some stores limit returns to 30 days after a

December 6, 2010

Christian Standard

Leading Beyond Your Ability

By Rick Grover I recently told our staff, “We are now at a place where I have never been. I have no experience in leading beyond where we currently are. We have surpassed where I believe my education, skills, abilities, and experience can take us. So where do we go from here? How are we going to get to the next level in our ministry and go where God wants us to go?” I paused, not for dramatic effect, but because I wasn”t sure what to say next! So much for leaders having all the right words to say at

February 22, 2009

Christian Standard

To Swell a Progress

By Robert Wetzel     As a young man, I heard an enthusiastic evangelist say, “Don”t think you are serving God by coming to a worship service. The worship service is an occasion of refreshment and fellowship. Serving God begins when we leave here and go out and win people for Christ.” I have come to see that he was mistaken. Although his enthusiasm for evangelism was commendable, he unwittingly depreciated what happens when we gather to worship God. If worship is not a service to God then how do we account for all of those passages in the Psalms

September 2, 2007

Christian Standard

Scandalous Risks

By C. Robert Wetzel “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made” (Genesis 3:1). Some time ago I read Susan Howatch”s novel Scandalous Risks. It is the fourth in a series of six novels about the Church of England in the 20th century. I was surprised to see the novel introduced by a quotation from the book of popular theology entitled Honest to God, written by Bishop John A. T. Robinson in 1962. Honest to God was one of those books that attempts to revise Christian faith to make it more

May 21, 2006

Christian Standard

Perplexed

By Vince Antonucci “Hi, I heard your radio ad and I was wondering if I can come to your church? You see, I”m gay, but you seem like a church that might welcome everyone. Thanks, Annette.” We promoted our church”s opening day with radio ads on secular rock stations. I received that question from Annette, and my in-box quickly filled with e-mails asking the same question. I am perplexed. I want to e-mail my own question to churches: Why do gay people need to ask this question? God Incarnate Recently, I received another e-mail. It was from the CHRISTIAN STANDARD:

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