Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

1 Corinthians 15 The Resurrection of the Dead 12  But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead,  how can some of you say that there is no resurrection  of the dead?   13  If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14  And if Christ has not been raised,  our preaching is useless and so is your faith.   15  More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.  But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16  For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.   18  Then those also who have fallen asleep  in Christ are lost. 19  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. As Paul nears the end of his letter to the Corinthians, he brings up the important issue of the resurrection.  T

Intelligibility in Worship 14  Follow the way of love  and eagerly desire  gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.   2  For anyone who speaks in a tongue [ a ]  does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them;  they utter mysteries  by the Spirit.   3  But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening,  encouraging  and comfort.   4  Anyone who speaks in a tongue  edifies  themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.   5  I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, [ b ] but I would rather have you prophesy.  The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified. In chapter 14 Paul addresses the difference between speaking in tongues and speaking a word of prophecy.  The issue was that when believers started speaking in tongues they became so enamored with it, they started doing it in the middle of worship.  While it might have been encouragi

1 Corinthians 13 4  Love is patient,  love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.   5  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,  it is not easily angered,  it keeps no record of wrongs.   6  Love does not delight in evil  but rejoices with the truth.   7  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  8  Love never fails . This is one of the best definitions of love that is out there.  It shows that love is more than an emotion, it is a behavior.  You can see this definition of love is quite a daunting challenge for most of us.  I am so often impatient, self seeking and easily angered.  I get frustrated with people including those that I love for not acting the way I think they should.  But I am easier on myself and don't hold myself to the same standards I hold for them.   This definition of love shows me how far I fall short of the type of love Jesus modeled and lived out every day of his life.  One of the only time

Concerning Spiritual Gifts 12  Now about the gifts of the Spirit,  brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.   2  You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3  Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,”  and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.  4  There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit  distributes them. 5  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.   6  There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone  it is the same God  at work.  7  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good . Paul turns his attention to the subject of spiritual gifts.  The Greek word for "gift" is "charism", where we get our term "charismatic".  This is also where we get the word, "grace/charis".  Spiritual gifts are somet

1 Corinthians 11:23 "For I received from the Lord  what I also passed on to you:  The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,   24  and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said,  “This is my body,  which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”   25  In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying,  “This cup is the new covenant  in my blood;  do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”   26  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. In most churches you will hear these words or something similar spoken before a church celebrates Holy Communion. Some churches celebrate Communion every week and some less than every week.  Paul's words today reflect what he passed on to the early church. Although Paul was not with the disciples at the Last Supper, he says he " received it from the Lord ".  This could be through a direct impartation, or more likely from the other apostles

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 "So, if you think you are standing firm,  be careful that you don’t fall!   No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful;  he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." Paul realizes with all of his counsel on avoiding sexual immorality and other sins that the Corinthians will not be immune to temptation.  So he warns them not to be overconfident in pride regarding their natural abilities.  It is when you think you are not susceptible to temptation that you are ready for a fall.  This is a great verse to remember when you are being tempted to stray from God's clear commands.  Paul gives us a threefold prescription for withstanding temptation. 1. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.   When you are being tempted it is not the first time anybody has been tempted with what you are.  You

Paul’s Use of His Freedom  1 Corinthians 9:19-23  Though I am free  and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone,  to win as many as possible.   20  To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.  To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law),  so as to win those under the law.   21  To those not having the law I became like one not having the law  (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law),  so as to win those not having the law.   22  To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.  I have become all things to all people  so that by all possible means I might save some.   23  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Paul spends the first 18 verses of chapter 9 defending his right to make a living from preaching the gospel.  He uses Old Testament scripture and the exampjle of the other apostles to show that those who make a living by preaching the gospel sho

1 Corinthians 8:7-13   But not everyone possesses this knowledge.  Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak,  it is defiled.   8  But food does not bring us near to God;  we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.  9  Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block  to the weak.   10  For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?   11  So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed  by your knowledge. 12  When you sin against them  in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.   13  Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall. Paul deals with t

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. Because sexual immorality was such an is