Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

1 Corinthians 7 Enduring Word Commentary Concerning Married Life 7 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Paul gets very practical her...

1 Corinthians 6 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary Lawsuits Among Believers 6 If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? 2 Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers! It seems strange that there were lawsuits in the 1st century. But I guess people have been trying to "sue" each other since Jesus' time. Specifically, Paul is upset that believers are suing each other. The...

1 Corinthians 5 Enduring Word Commentary Dealing With a Case of Incest 5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. Paul talked last chapter about the dangers of worldly thinking, and in this chapter he warns against worldly behavior. There was a lot of sexual immorality in the Corinthian culture, and in th...

1 Corinthians 4 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary The Nature of True Apostleship 4 This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God. An apostle is someone sent as a messenger of the gospel, often to places the gospel has never been heard. The narrow definition is the 12 apostles that Jesus commissioned in Matthew 28, and poured out the Holy Spirit on in Acts 2. But Paul also lists being a apostle of one of the important rol...

1 Corinthians 3 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary The Church and Its Leaders 3 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? Paul rebukes the believers in Corinth for their spiritual immaturity. He uses the metaphor of "milk", which is meant for babies who are not yet ready for solid food. Then he accuses him of acting "worldly". What does he mean by this? We get a clue when he reveals what was happening in the church. They were arguing and become jealous of their leaders, Paul and Apollos. Worse yet, they were expressing allegiance to one o...

1 Corinthians 2 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary 2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. Paul becomes very vulnerable in this passage. He is basically admitting that he is not a great speaker, but what he does say is by the Spirit's power. In fact, Paul almost seems to be glad he is not a brilliant and eloquent speaker, which might cause people to be drawn to him and not Jesus. Paul kept his message very simple. It was about Jesus and him crucified.  Corinth was a place where many worldly philosophies were abounding. Like an...