Introduction
This passage I have chosen was part of the extensive letter written by the apostle Paul around 54 AD, to the Greek church in the cosmopolitan city of Corinth, which was primarily made up of non-Jews. Paul’s letter was a reply to a letter he had received from the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 7:1) and also to reports he had received detailing divisive issues in the church (1 Corinthians 1:11) In 1 Corinthians, Paul extensively encourages and corrects this new church in all kinds of practical issues, while also framing his writings with the events of the cross and the resurrection, as “everything else in the letter must be understood in light of these”. Just as Jesus is the central point of history, so our love for Him and intimate relationship with Him, should put God at the central point of our lives, flowing over into every aspect of what we do, say, and think. Affecting how we live, the gospel which has transformed our own lives, thus affects those around us, through us, as their eternal destiny is part of our responsibility in life.
While we frequently equate the term, “worship” with a time of singing or actively praising, or even to some, a music style, the exortation in this passage to be motivated in all our activities by the desire to bring glory to God, is in fact, the true heart of worship’s meaning. Worship is, in fact, as incredibly variable as we are different from each other, because worship really means “bringing pleasure to God” so our worship can be expressed through everything we do on a daily basis. Them Paul was arguing his case to the Corinthian church as they were “at odds on every issue”. The new fledgling church had so much to learn, and so many habits and mindsets to unlearn. Paul’s admonition was in a nutshell, that our highest motive should be to exalt God in whatever we do. For example, as Martin Luther once stated, “A dairymaid can milk cows to the glory of God”. The secret is in doing everything as unto the Lord.” Everything was so new to these baby believers, and they needed counsel on so many issues. Paul lived an exemplary life in his role of an apostle, and he was not ashamed to tell them to do as he did, as he lived in close communion with God, and was inspired in all he said and wrote by the Holy Spirit. Paul had endless patience with their many questions, their teething problems and growing pains. As this way of living was so completely new to them, and Jesus was no longer around in person, he said in effect, “Copy me”! Paul’s heart’s cry was for the salvation of all, and as a former persecutor of the church, he earned an audience among the people as the transformation in his life must have been incredible for all to see. When he spoke, people listened! Living obediently to God is consistently a main theme of the Old Testament, as it is in the New. …show more content…
But a huge difference is that now Jesus had come when this passage was written, and He had changed everything. Now there was a Saviour to point the world to, and the way the first Christians lived their lives, just as now, was either a draw card or a stumbling block to non-believers, these being either Jews or Gentiles. There was now a new category of people, that of Christ followers, or “Christians” as they became known, and the freeing thing was that anybody could be a Christian, regardless of their birthplace, social status or family background. Paul’s message was one of God’s grace through faith, not a list of rules and regulations which the Jews had lived under for so long, and those who accepted Christ undoubtedly felt a huge weight of relief from their new found freedom. Us To the body of believers, the Church, this special passage is yet another call to shine out as a witness, knowing that the unbelieving world is watching us very closely. As Christians, we need to exhibit “such high standards of excellence and such integrity and such manifest goodwill that we put no obstacles in the way of the Gospel but rather call
This passage I have chosen was part of the extensive letter written by the apostle Paul around 54 AD, to the Greek church in the cosmopolitan city of Corinth, which was primarily made up of non-Jews. Paul’s letter was a reply to a letter he had received from the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 7:1) and also to reports he had received detailing divisive issues in the church (1 Corinthians 1:11) In 1 Corinthians, Paul extensively encourages and corrects this new church in all kinds of practical issues, while also framing his writings with the events of the cross and the resurrection, as “everything else in the letter must be understood in light of these”. Just as Jesus is the central point of history, so our love for Him and intimate relationship with Him, should put God at the central point of our lives, flowing over into every aspect of what we do, say, and think. Affecting how we live, the gospel which has transformed our own lives, thus affects those around us, through us, as their eternal destiny is part of our responsibility in life.
While we frequently equate the term, “worship” with a time of singing or actively praising, or even to some, a music style, the exortation in this passage to be motivated in all our activities by the desire to bring glory to God, is in fact, the true heart of worship’s meaning. Worship is, in fact, as incredibly variable as we are different from each other, because worship really means “bringing pleasure to God” so our worship can be expressed through everything we do on a daily basis. Them Paul was arguing his case to the Corinthian church as they were “at odds on every issue”. The new fledgling church had so much to learn, and so many habits and mindsets to unlearn. Paul’s admonition was in a nutshell, that our highest motive should be to exalt God in whatever we do. For example, as Martin Luther once stated, “A dairymaid can milk cows to the glory of God”. The secret is in doing everything as unto the Lord.” Everything was so new to these baby believers, and they needed counsel on so many issues. Paul lived an exemplary life in his role of an apostle, and he was not ashamed to tell them to do as he did, as he lived in close communion with God, and was inspired in all he said and wrote by the Holy Spirit. Paul had endless patience with their many questions, their teething problems and growing pains. As this way of living was so completely new to them, and Jesus was no longer around in person, he said in effect, “Copy me”! Paul’s heart’s cry was for the salvation of all, and as a former persecutor of the church, he earned an audience among the people as the transformation in his life must have been incredible for all to see. When he spoke, people listened! Living obediently to God is consistently a main theme of the Old Testament, as it is in the New. …show more content…
But a huge difference is that now Jesus had come when this passage was written, and He had changed everything. Now there was a Saviour to point the world to, and the way the first Christians lived their lives, just as now, was either a draw card or a stumbling block to non-believers, these being either Jews or Gentiles. There was now a new category of people, that of Christ followers, or “Christians” as they became known, and the freeing thing was that anybody could be a Christian, regardless of their birthplace, social status or family background. Paul’s message was one of God’s grace through faith, not a list of rules and regulations which the Jews had lived under for so long, and those who accepted Christ undoubtedly felt a huge weight of relief from their new found freedom. Us To the body of believers, the Church, this special passage is yet another call to shine out as a witness, knowing that the unbelieving world is watching us very closely. As Christians, we need to exhibit “such high standards of excellence and such integrity and such manifest goodwill that we put no obstacles in the way of the Gospel but rather call