Written by: Grant Everson
1 Corinthians 11 v 11-16
But in the Lord women are not independent of men, and men are not independent
of women. This is true because woman came from man, but also man is born from
woman. But everything comes from God. Decide this for yourselves: Is it right
for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Even nature itself teaches
you that wearing long hair is shameful for a man. But long hair is a woman’s
glory. Long hair is given to her as a covering. Some people may still want
to argue about this, but I would add that neither we nor the churches of God
have any other practice.
Notes
Today we are challenged with an interesting portion of scripture. Paul firstly
reminds us that women are not independent of men, but that men are also not
independent of women. That may have been quite shocking teaching to the Corinthians
of the day because men were given more importance than women. Men were also
acknowledged as being more learned, and though women were not described as “stupid”,
they weren’t given the respect men were given in terms of knowledge
and therefore wisdom.
Now let’s look at the context that Paul was teaching into. Remember, Paul’s letter to the believers in Corinth was to build their faith, to help them mature in the ways of God, and to dispel any wrong ideas they may have had.
In the Corinthian culture at that time, women with short hair were labelled prostitutes and long hair on men was thought to be a sign of male prostitution in the pagan temples. We know that in many cultures, long hair on men is considered appropriate and even masculine. Paul was saying that in Christian Corinthian culture, maybe it would be better for a woman to keep her long hair as a sign of her witness of Christ as opposed to being labelled a prostitute and not having a believable witness for Christ.
Do you sometimes look at other Christians and think, “Surely he/she cannot be a Christian; just look at their clothes?” We do mark people by their appearance, even though we shouldn’t.
When your friends look at you, do you think they know you are a follower of Christ? What can you change about your outward appearance that makes you a credible ambassador for God?
Prayer
Dear Lord, sometimes I am obsessed with the way I look in order that others
will accept me, or aim to look a way that seems to say that I am “cool”,
and I can forget to ask whether I am acceptable to you. I want others to
know that I am a Christian by the way I carry myself. Lord, by your Spirit,
would you guide me, giving me wisdom and reminding me that when I am out
with friends, everything about me marks me as a follower of you. Amen
1 Corinthians 11 v 17-22
In the things I tell you now I do not praise you, because when you come together
you do more harm than good. First, I hear that when you meet together as
a church you are divided, and I believe some of this. (It is necessary to
have differences among you so that it may be clear which of you really have
God’s approval.) When you come together, you are not really eating
the Lord’s Supper. This is because when you eat, each person eats without
waiting for the others. Some people do not get enough to eat, while others
have too much to drink. You can eat and drink in your own homes! You seem
to think God’s church is not important, and you embarrass those who
are poor. What should I tell you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you
for doing this.
Notes
I love team sports, whether participating in a team or watching a team work
together to achieve the goals they set out to achieve. Our lives together
can sometimes be likened to that of a team sport. In a team all the individuals
have specific skills or responsibilities, which benefits and help each other.
I love seeing team mates encourage each other even when they’ve made
a mistake.
Our Christian experience is like that - we need to come together, whether it be in small groups or larger congregations, to both help and encourage each other. I suppose that’s why I love going to church: being able to worship together, learn together and pray together. What about you? Do you have a church to attend, or a small group of Christian friends who are serious about your faith?
Paul was criticising the Corinthian Christians for their behaviour when they came together as believers in Christ. He wrote: “…when you come together you do more harm than good”. That’s a really awful thing to say about people meeting together in the name of God. Previously, we have looked at the outward appearance of individuals as ambassadors for Christ. And here we see Paul commenting on the entire group. What a shambles!
The Lord’s supper is a visible representation of the good news of the death of Christ for our sins. Our participation strengthens our faith and fellowship with other believers. Do you have a squabble with a fellow Christian you have not sorted out yet?
We are all equal in God’s sight. Some of us may have more material things than others, but when we come together, we are called to respect, care and share with each other. Which Christian friends would value your respect, care and love today?
Prayer
Father, today help me to notice and be aware of my behaviour to those around
me. I know that the things I do and say either have a positive or negative
affect, and as a believer in you, I always want my life to be a positive
influence on my friends and family. Help me today, Father, to be more caring,
more loving, and to show more respect so that people would experience your
love through me. Amen.
1 Corinthians 11 v 23-26
The teaching I gave you is the same teaching I received from the Lord: On
the night when the Lord Jesus was handed over to be killed, he took bread
and
gave thanks for it. Then he broke the bread and said, “This is my body;
it is for you. Do this to remember me.” In the same way, after they
ate, Jesus took the cup. He said, “This cup is the new agreement that
is sealed with the blood of my death. When you drink this, do it to remember
me.” Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup you are telling
others about the Lord’s death until he comes.
Notes
What’s your favourite food? Pizza? McDonald’s burgers? Sea food?
Sushi? I love them all, though after a while I enjoy some good home-cooked
meals. As we’ve recently moved to London, Friday evenings have become
a “take-out” evening, and I do my little pilgrimage to buy some
fish and chips. It’s a quick filling meal, sometimes good, sometimes
not so good. And at the end of it all, it’s just supper, something to
fill the hole.
We remember Jesus and the Passover meal. It started out as just another meal with the disciples, but Jesus knew that it was going to be a very significant one, for he would be betrayed, and it would be his last meal with his twelve close friends. In this reading today, Paul reminds us of the legacy of what we now refer to as the Lord’s supper. Paul quotes the words of Jesus; “This is my body” (verse 24) as he broke the bread. And again, when Jesus shared the cup of wine, Paul quotes Jesus: “This cup is the new agreement that is sealed with the blood of my death”. That’s powerful, hey!
And whenever we participate in the action of sharing the Lord’s supper, we are telling others about Jesus’ death until he comes again. Such a simple act, and yet so powerful.
It is a symbolic action; we are participating in an action that reminds us about the death and resurrection of Jesus. If it just becomes a weekly or monthly habit, then it becomes just a ritual or pious habit. Can the Lord’s supper be a memorable event for you? Can you change your thinking or attitude about receiving communion or participating in the Lord’s supper?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you left behind a very powerful symbol to remind me about your
death and resurrection. I will never know the pain and tragedy you suffered,
but there is a triumph in celebrating and sharing in your “body” and
your “blood”. Help me, Lord, to find more of you through this
symbol, and that I find a deeper understanding of you and your love for me.
Amen
1 Corinthians 11 v 27-34
So a person who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that
is not worthy of it will be guilty of sinning against the body and the blood
of the Lord. Look into your own hearts before you eat the bread and drink
the cup, because all who eat the bread and drink the cup without recognizing
the body eat and drink judgment against themselves. That is why many in your
group are sick and weak, and many have died. But if we judged ourselves in
the right way, God would not judge us. But when the Lord judges us, he punishes
us so that we will not be destroyed along with the world.
So my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for each
other. Anyone who is too hungry should eat at home so that in meeting together
you
will not bring God’s judgment on yourselves. I will tell you what to
do about the other things when I come.
Notes
Let’s climb right in today. What is the difference between having a meal
at home and sharing in the Lord’s supper (also known as communion) at
church or a fellowship group? “It’s obvious!” you might exclaim.
Well, is it really obvious? We eat either to fulfil a physical need, or to
taste something that might be new or different. The Lord’s supper is
a symbol; it’s an outward sign of an inner belief and truth in our lives.
More than that, it is an action given by Christ to strengthen our faith.
We come to Christ’s meal desiring to have fellowship with each other and with Christ. And when Paul says in verse 27: “… a person who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that is not worthy of it”, I think he may have been talking about people who rush into participating, not having thought about and grasped the meaning of what they are about to do. And I think Paul almost likens this “rushing” as not honouring the sacrifice of Christ and equates people who do that with those who shared in the crucifixion of Jesus.
Where do you stand in this matter? When you come to share in this sacrament of the Lord’s supper, what are the images going through your mind?
Why not write down the images that come to mind when you think about the Lord’s supper and put them on your wall or noticeboard? And before you rush out to church next time, look at what you’ve written and carry it your heart.
Prayer
Jesus, your body broken for me. Jesus, your blood given for me. Jesus, your
body broken for me. Jesus, your blood shed for me. Jesus, your body, broken
for me, your blood, given for me. Amen
1 Corinthians 12 v 1-3
Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to understand about spiritual gifts.
You know the way you lived before you were believers. You let yourselves
be influenced and led away to worship idols - things that could not speak.
So I want you to understand that no one who is speaking with the help of
God’s Spirit says, “Jesus be cursed.” And no one can say, “Jesus
is Lord,” without the help of the Holy Spirit.
Notes
Spiritual gifts will for ever be a topic of discussion that will cause people
to disagree and even argue. Paul had to do teaching on this matter in about
55AD and today in 2005 there is still disagreement.
Firstly Paul says in verse 1, to the Corinthians, that he wants them to “understand about spiritual gifts”. The New International Version of the Bible uses the phrase, “I do not want you to be ignorant”. I like that phrase, because not being “ignorant” has a quality about it that calls us to learn more, to enquire more, so as not to be ignorant.
Secondly, Paul encourages us to discern what people may be saying under the guise of the Holy Spirit. Anyone can claim to speak for God; the world is full of false teachers today, just as it was during the time of Jesus. So how can we be sure when we hear people claiming that they bring words from God?
One answer to that question lies in what Paul says here in verse 3. He says: “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ without the help of the Holy Spirit.” Do these messengers confess Christ as Lord? And what do they teach about Christ?
We know that we recognise who Jesus is and what he has done, because of the Holy Spirit in us. A false teacher or messenger or prophet will undoubtedly draw attention to himself, but he who serves the living God will always proclaim Jesus as Lord.
Why not read the gospels and see what Jesus says about himself, so that when you are next faced with someone who claims to have a message from God, you will not be ignorant but indeed be equipped to test whether what the messenger brings is false or true.
Prayer
Thank you, Father, that your truth lives in me. Thank you that Jesus died for
me. May this truth for ever be in my heart, and as I read your word and hear
it taught to me, may my mind and heart continue to be filled with your truth,
so that I may be able to discern the false prophets around me. Amen
1 Corinthians 12 v 4-11
There are different kinds of gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit.
There are different ways to serve but the same Lord to serve. And there are
different ways that God works through people but the same God. God works
in all of us in everything we do. Something from the Spirit can be seen in
each person, for the common good. The Spirit gives one person the ability
to speak with wisdom, and the same Spirit gives another the ability to speak
with knowledge. The same Spirit gives faith to one person. And, to another,
that one Spirit gives gifts of healing. The Spirit gives to another person
the power to do miracles, to another the ability to prophesy. And he gives
to another the ability to know the difference between good and evil spirits.
The Spirit gives one person the ability to speak in different kinds of languages
and to another the ability to interpret those languages. One Spirit, the
same Spirit, does all these things, and the Spirit decides what to give each
person.
Notes
Though much has been said, and will in future be said about spiritual gifts,
there are a few things that will always remain true. Let’s not get
side-tracked today by the listing of these gifts and what each of them my
mean, or even how they work.
In verse 4 we are reminded that even though the gifts may all be very different and diverse, all these gifts come from the same Spirit. As in the past, and in churches today, these gifts or the practice of these gifts have caused much heartache and division. But look at verse 7. The text is very clear: “Something from the Spirit can be seen in each person, for the common good.” WOW! The text says, “For the common good”, which must mean, to positively influence or impact the body of believers.
Paul lists some of the spiritual gifts, remembering that they all come from the same Spirit, and reminds us, just when we start thinking about which gift would be best for ourselves, that: “the Spirit decides what to give each person”. Isn’t that amazing! We may desire, but it’s the Spirit that decides. We are able to manipulate family and friends into buying us particular gifts, but when it comes to spiritual gifts, God’s Spirit decides.
And I think these are the truths Paul would have us understand. There is one Spirit from whom all gifts come, and it is the Spirit who decides or determines what gifts we should receive.
How does this knowledge change your attitude towards spiritual gifts? And how does this knowledge change your attitude to receiving spiritual gifts? Be encouraged to speak to someone about how the gifts work (maybe your youth leader or pastor) so they may clarify things even more for you.
Prayer
Lord, I long that your Spirit would continue to bless me, and fill me with
the gifts that you freely give. Father, fill me with a passion and boldness
to proclaim the good news about Christ’s death, and help me to see
how my gifts work in tandem with the gifts of other believers around me as
we form one team to achieve the same purpose. Amen
1 Corinthians 12 v 12-13
A person’s body is only one thing, but it has many parts. Though there
are many parts to a body, all those parts make only one body. Christ is like
that also. Some of us are Jews, and some are Greeks. Some of us are slaves,
and some are free. But we were all baptised into one body through one Spirit.
And we were all made to share in the one Spirit.
Notes
Every Wednesday evening I play football with a bunch of guys who fall into
my age group. We’re not as quick as we used to be, and sometimes our
ball skills let us down at the most crucial times. But we all love the game
and there’s a respect for each other and for what we can do. We’re
drawn together every Wednesday by the love of the game.
As followers of Christ, I often think that we are a weird bunch of people,
drawn together by the Spirit of God in us. And I think it’s great that
we are all different - God’s sense of humour, making us all different
and then throwing us all together. What’s that all about? But we’re
all part of the same family, bringing differences and different gifts to the
party.
I think Christians often make two fatal mistakes: They either are too proud of their abilities or think that they have nothing to bring to the body of believers. We’re not in a competition to be the better Christians, but we can use our different gifts to spread the good news of Christ, whether it’s the words we speak or our actions and gifts that we practice.
What kinds of things do you enjoy doing? What are the things that you do well? Can you see how you can use these gifts as part of the body of Christ, in your fellowship, school, college, place of work, church or youth group, to spread the good news of Christ?
And just as my football buddies and I have a common goal that draws us together every Wednesday evening, so the Spirit draws us together every day to be God’s ambassadors.
Prayer
We all share in the same Spirit, Lord. You have drawn us all together: Jews,
Greek, men, women, black and white. Many different parts of the same body,
in different places, near and far, but bound together by our connection to
you. Thank you, Lord, for the miracle of your salvation in my life that that
encourages me to spread your love. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text
taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright
1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes