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1 Corinthians 2 - The Key to Successful Preaching!

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. 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. This is a very important passage because Paul dispels any notion that the effectiveness of his preaching ia anything else but the Holy Spirit working through him. Athens in Greece was the intellectual captital of the world at that time. The orators and philosphers gathered on a weekly basis to talk about spiritual and philosophical matters.  But Paul kept his message simple. He gave his testimony about God, which was based on the facts. Pau...
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1 Corinthians 1 - You Don't Lack Anything!

1 Corinthians 1 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Overview of Paul's 1st Letter to the Corinthians Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians about 55 A.D., 32 years after Jesus' death and resurrection. Corinth was an "isthmus", which means an island with five sides. It was a cultural center for many activities.  In the mid-1st century, Corinth was a booming, cosmopolitan metropolis. As the capital of the Roman province of Achaia, it was a major wealthy hub of commerce and diverse cultures. However, the city was also notorious for rampant materialism, hedonism, and pagan worship. - Got Questions.org       3 . There was much division in the Corinthians church over different issues most significant they began to choose one leader over against the over. I.e. Paul, Apollos, or Peter.        4. Paul also addresses many other specific questions the Corinthians had like: marriage, single, food offered to idols, and what true love really looks like.  ...
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Romans 16 - Women Leaders in the Early Church

Romans 16 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary 16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon[a][b] of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.  3 Greet Priscilla[c] and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.  5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.  Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.  6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.  7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among[d] the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.  8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.  9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.  10 Greet Apelles, w...
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Romans 15 - The Power of Encouragement!

Romans 15 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary 15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.  5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul moves toward the end of his letter to the Romans, he gives more guidance on how those in the church should treat each other. There are two directions in our relationship to God. One is vertical. This is our personal relationship with God. Paul taug...
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Romans 14 - What To Do With Gray Areas in the Church?

Romans 14 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary 13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. 19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, b...
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Romans 13 - How Should A Christian Relate to Their Government?

Romans 13 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Submission to Governing Authorities 13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.  6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the aut...
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Romans 12 - Don't Conform But Be Transformed!

Romans 12 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary A Living Sacrifice 12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 is a life verse for me. In 1987, when I recommitted my life to Christ, these were the verses the Lord gave me as a guide for my life.  When Paul starts with the word, " therefore ", he is transitioning from something he has just taught to it's application for daily living. He is saying, "In light of everything I have just written, this is what it means for your life."   We have to pay attention to the " therefores " because we mustn't be just readers of God's Word but doers of it. (James 1:22-25)\ When we ...
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