2478.) Psalm 121

Psalm 121   (ESV)

My Help Comes from the Lord

This is the second of the series of Psalms titled, A Song of Ascents. As a song sung by travelers, this is particular relevant for its trust in God through the journey.

“David Livingstone, the famous missionary and explorer of the continent of Africa, read Psalm 121 and Psalm 135, which praises God for his sovereign rule over all things, as he worshiped with his father and sister before setting out for Africa in 1840. His mother-in-law, Mrs. Moffat, wrote him at Linyardi that Psalm 121 was always in her mind as she thought about and prayed for him.”

–James Montgomery Boice

I have read that it is traditional for some Jews to place a copy of Psalm 121 in the labor and delivery room to promote an easy labor by asking God for mercy. As well, it is placed on the baby’s carriage and in the baby’s room to protect the child and surround the child in learning about all that is holy.

A Song of Ascents.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

The point is wonderful. The singer understood that they didn’t need to arrive at Jerusalem before they were under God’s protective care. He would watch over them on the journey. God is just as present in the journey as in the destination.

–David Guzik

from This Day with the Master,
by Dennis F. Kinlaw

OUR ONLY HOPE

The greatest value of Psalm 121 lies not in a praise of nature but in its presentation of the contrast between nature and grace. The psalmist does not decry nature; he just knows its limitations and proclaims that there is no salvation in the natural world. Salvation comes only from above and beyond the creation. The hills represent nature at its best but the best the earth has to offer is not big enough or good enough to rescue us from ourselves.

The answer to our need is neither within us nor within our world. It rests in the transcendent One from beyond the confines of the universe. When he comes, he brings supernatural resources to meet our natural needs. In this psalm the writer paints the background for the manger in Bethlehem where the eternal One broke into time and space, became a human person, and brought redemption to the world.

For those who can see, the need for this truth is apparent in every area of life. Modern people have tried every earthly source to solve their problems:  government, education, economics, social sciences, psychology, and psychoanalysis. We have expected somewhere within us or within our world to find the key, the solution that we seek. Thousands of years ago there was a man, wiser than we, who saw the sterility of our vain efforts. He decided that help for humans comes only from Yahweh, who created and rules over all the factors and all the processes in which we place our hopes. Our only true hope and our only sure help is in the God who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Six times in this short psalm the Hebrew word shamar (translated keeps and preserve) is used. 

“The Divine Being represents himself as a watchman, who takes care of the city and its inhabitants during the night-watches; and who is never overtaken with slumbering or sleepiness.”

–Adam Clarke

Spurgeon told a story that went something like this:  A poor woman, as the Eastern story has it, came to the Sultan one day, and asked compensation for the loss of some property. ‘How did you lose it?’ said the monarch. ‘I fell asleep,’ was the reply, ‘and a robber entered my dwelling.’ ‘Why did you fall asleep?’ … ‘I fell asleep because I believed that you were awake.’ The Sultan was so much delighted with the answer of the woman, that he ordered her loss to be made up.”

–David Guzik

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Music:

HERE  is the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and Psalm 121, “My Help.” What marvelous encouragement for us as we go through our day today!

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Images courtesy of:

I lift up my eyes.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/3a51f-psalm1211-2.jpg

My help comes from the Lord.    https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/d0f58-prayer6.gif

The Lord is your keeper.   http://s3.amazonaws.com/versesproject/verses/174/986/psalm-121-5-6_ipad_original.jpg?2015

2477.) Psalm 120

They are for war — I am for peace! — painting by Benn.

Psalm 120   (ESV)

Deliver Me, O Lord

A Song of Ascents.

Song of Ascents is a title given to fifteen of the Psalms, 120–134, that each starts with the ascription Shir Hama’aloth (meaning “Song of Ascent”).

Many scholars believe these psalms were sung by the worshipers as they ascended up the road to Jerusalem to attend the three pilgrim festivals  (Deuteronomy 16:16 lists the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths), or by the priests as they ascended the fifteen steps to minister at the Temple in Jerusalem.

They were well suited for being sung, by their poetic form and the sentiments they express. “They are characterized by brevity, by a key-word, by repetition …. More than half of them are cheerful, and all of them hopeful.”

–Wikipedia

“We shall consider them as songs sung by those pilgrims who went up to Jerusalem to worship. These songs of desire, and hope, and approach are appropriate for the pilgrims’ use as they go up to worship” (G. Campbell Morgan). It is likely that Jesus sang these songs on His many journeys to Jerusalem from Galilee.

In my distress I called to the Lord,
    and he answered me.

The writer remembered God’s past faithfulness in his present need. “Devout hearts argue that what Jehovah has done once He will do again. Since His mercy endureth forever, He will not weary of bestowing, nor will former gifts exhaust His stores. Men say, ‘I have given so often that I can give no more’; God says, ‘I have given, therefore I will give.’”

–Alexander Maclaren

² Deliver me, O Lord,
    from lying lips,
    from a deceitful tongue.

³ What shall be given to you,
    and what more shall be done to you,
    you deceitful tongue?
⁴ A warrior’s sharp arrows,
    with glowing coals of the broom tree!

“The liar, wounding though his weapons are, will be destroyed with far more potent shafts than lies: God’s arrows of truth and coals of judgment.”

–Derek Kidner

⁵ Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech,
    that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!

“These two peoples were located so far apart geographically that they can only be taken here as a general term for the heathen. No one person could have lived among both. They are examples of warlike tribes, among whom the singers of Psalm 120 had no true home.”

–James Boice

⁶ Too long have I had my dwelling
    among those who hate peace.
⁷ I am for peace,
    but when I speak, they are for war!

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Music:

HERE  is a Scripture song — Psalm 120 put to music by Esther Mui.

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Images courtesy of:

Benn (Benejou Rabinowicz, 1905–89).    http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/88505/1542531/07-Benn-%28Benejou-Rabinowicz–1905-89%29–Psalm-120-7_900.jpg

lying lips.   https://www.pinterest.com/pin/567594359263879166/

John 16:33.   https://www.hearthymn.com/bible-verse-of-the-day-john-16-33.html

2476.) Psalm 76

Psalm 46:9-10 (NIV)  He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 76 (NKJV)

To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments.
A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

“Like many of the fighting psalms, this too has been a favorite of Christians during religious warfare. For example, Psalm 76 was sung in thanksgiving services marking the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.”

–James Montgomery Boice

¹ In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel.
² In Salem also is His tabernacle,

Salem was an ancient name for Jerusalem.

And His dwelling place in Zion.
³ There He broke the arrows of the bow,
The shield and sword of battle.  Selah 

Jerusalem became the center of Israel when David conquered the city and brought peace to the city of peace (2 Samuel 5:6-10).

 ⁴ You are more glorious and excellent
Than the mountains of prey.

⁵ The stouthearted were plundered;
They have sunk into their sleep;
And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.
⁶ At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

Exodus 15:1 (NIV)

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:

   “I will sing to the LORD,
   for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
   he has hurled into the sea.

⁷ You, Yourself, are to be feared;
And who may stand in Your presence
When once You are angry?
⁸ You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
The earth feared and was still,
⁹ When God arose to judgment,
To deliver all the oppressed of the earth.  Selah  

Psalm 9:8 (NIV)

 He rules the world in righteousness
   and judges the peoples with equity.

¹⁰ Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.

from Whispers of His Power,
by Amy Carmichael

Ps. 76:4 (Septuagint) — Thou dost wonderfully shine forth from the everlasting mountains.

Ps. 76:10 (Septuagint) — For the inward thought of man shall give thanks to Thee, and the memorial of his inward thought shall keep a feast to Thee.

There is nothing in all creation, and so nothing even in you and me, that can discourage the Lord the Conqueror. Because He does wonderfully shine forth, therefore our inward thoughts can give thanks and keep a feast to Him.

There are caterpillars with skins so transparent that we can see the green of the leaves they have been feeding on, their “inward thoughts.” Suppose our minds had transparent skins so that our thoughts could be seen, what would be seen? Self-loving thoughts? Self-pitying thoughts? Lazy thoughts about our work? Unkind thoughts about others?Would these be seen?

Or would our happy thoughts be seen keeping a feast to God? Think of it — all our big thoughts and little thoughts, like big children and little at a birthday party, keeping a feast, singing and praising and being glad because of our loving God!

¹¹ Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them;
Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.
¹² He shall cut off the spirit of princes;
He is awesome to the kings of the earth.

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Music:

“Joy to the World!”  Isaac Watts wrote this famous hymn in 1719, basing the text on Psalm 98. I think the piece deserves wider play than just the Christmas season! As we have read now in Psalm 76 and as Watts wrote in his poem, the Lord comes to judge the world and to receive honor and to rule with grace and blessing and peace.  HERE  is John Rutter’s Handel-esque arrangement, with the Cambridge Singers.

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and angels sing,
And heaven and angels sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and angels sing.

Joy to the world! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

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New King James Version (NKJV)   Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Images courtesy of:

broken shield.   http://melpyke.com/imgsize.asp?tn=8256_399488&x=250

Ps. 76:4.  http://x65.xanga.com/613e067b03034275365379/z219468092.jpg

Red Sea.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/egyptians2bdrown2bto2bthe2bred2bsea2b-2b2bgoogle2bsearch.jpg

birthday party.  http://www.great-birthday-party-ideas.com/image-files/kids-party-ideas.jpg

2475.) 1 Corinthians 16

1 Corinthians 16   (NIV)

The Collection for the Lord’s People

¹ Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.

Paul is referring to a collection he was gathering for the saints in Jerusalem. In several other passages it speaks of this effort among many different churches to help the poor Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 11:27-30, 24:17, Romans 15: 26, 2 Corinthians 8:13, 9:9-12).

As I have given orders to the churches of Galatia: Paul mentioned his heart for the poor Christians in Jerusalem in Galatians 2:9-10. “The business of relieving the poor members of the church is a moral duty, a sacrifice with which God is well pleased, Philippians 4:18; our faith must work by this love” (Poole).

Why was the church in Jerusalem so needy? There may be many reasons. We know they supported a large number of widows (Acts 6:1-6) and were in the midst of famine (Acts 11:27-30).

Generally, Christians have excelled in these efforts of practical ministry. For example, why do you think the Red Cross is named the Red Cross? It started as a Christian organization.

–David Guzik

² On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

We shouldn’t fear giving generously.

Proverbs 11:24 is a great commentary on this idea: There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. No one thinks a farmer is “wasting” grain when he scatters it as seed; the more he plants, the more he will harvest.

And Psalm 112:5 says, Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely.

³ Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. ⁴If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

Personal Requests

⁵ After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be going through Macedonia. ⁶ Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. ⁷ For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.

“I know the fascination of having a programme, and having everything in order, and knowing where we are going; but let us leave room, at any rate, for the interference of God.”

–G. Campbell Morgan

⁸ But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, ⁹because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me. ¹⁰ When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. ¹¹ No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.

1 Timothy 4:12 (ESV)

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

¹² Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

¹³ Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

“The terms in this verse are all military: Watch ye, watch, and be continually on your guard, lest you be surprised by your enemies . . . Stand fast in the faith – Keep in your ranks; do not be disorderly; be determined to keep your ranks unbroken; keep close together . . . Quit yourselves like men – When you are attacked, do not flinch; maintain your ground; resist; press forward; strike home; keep compact; conquer . . . Be strong – If one company or division be opposed by too great a force of the enemy, strengthen that division, and maintain your position . . . summon up all your courage, sustain each other; fear not, for fear will enervate you.”

–Adam Clarke

¹⁴ Do everything in love.

¹⁵ You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, ¹⁶ to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. ¹⁷ I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. ¹⁸ For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

Paul holds up the family of Stephanas, who have taken as their particular responsibility, their piece of Christian service, the task of the service of the saints. They did not assume a place of leadership or prominence, but one of lowly service. That is the Christian way, and Paul commends it to the church at large.

–Leon Morris

Final Greetings

¹⁹ The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. ²⁰All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. ²¹ I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.

²² If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!

²³ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

²⁴ My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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Music:

Decades of living have taught me it is much easier to be a Corinthian than a Christian. Were it not for grace . . .  were it not for the love of God . . . were it not for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ . . . I would be truly without hope.

But the grace of the Lord Jesus and the love of God are with me! And I have been buried and raised with Christ! So the question, “Who Am I?” has a wonderful answer:   Praise God, I am Yours.

HERE  is Casting Crowns and “Who Am I.”

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New International Version (NIV)    Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Images courtesy of:

Do everything in love.   http://wallpaper4god.com/wallpapers/1-corinthians-1614_5666_1024x768.jpg

God loves the cheerful giver.   http://texanonline.net/archives/5572/

To Do list.   http://www.itsthedishes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/to-do-list.png

Be on guard . . .    http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ktbobquT5h1qzlgb3o1_r3_500.jpg

2474.) 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

1 Corinthians 15:35-58   (NIV)

The Resurrection Body

“To die will be an awfully great adventure.”

–Peter Pan (J. M. Barrie)

³⁵ But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” ³⁶ How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. ³⁷ When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. ³⁹ Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. ⁴¹The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. ⁴² So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

Let every man and woman count himself immortal. Let him catch the revelation of Jesus in his resurrection. Let him say not merely, “Christ is risen,” but “I shall rise.” 

–Phillips Brooks

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

The Watergate cover-up reveals the true nature of humanity. Even political zealots at the pinnacle of power will, in the crunch, save their own necks, even at the expense of the ones they profess to serve so loyally. But the apostles could not deny Jesus because they had seen Him face to face, and they knew He had risen from the dead. No, you can take it from an expert in cover-ups — I’ve lived through Watergate — that nothing less than a resurrected Christ could have caused those men to maintain to their dying whispers that Jesus is alive and is Lord. Two thousand years later, nothing less than the power of the risen Christ could inspire Christians around the world to remain faithful — despite prison, torture, and death.

–Charles (Chuck) Colson

⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

“Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.” 

–Clarence W. Hall

⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We live and die; Christ died and lived! 

–John Stott

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

from Whispers of His Power,
by Amy Carmichael

The king of Egypt who tried to do most for his people, and utterly failed, was the last of his dynasty (the 18th dynasty). He died in 1350 B.C. cursed by his people, and his palace was abandoned and the records of his reign were flung on a rubbish heap and left there as worthless.

Hundreds of years later this old rubbish heap was found. When the records were read, much that had been laughed at in the Bible as “impossible” was proved to be true, for there were allusions to those very things in these records.

So God used a “failure” to help to do one of the greatest things that can be done—establish faith in His Book. That king, Akh Naten, was His servant, and He never wastes the lives of His servants. Their very failures are gathered up and used.

Even when we feel we have failed, God writes Not in vain over everything we have tried to do in His name.

_________________________

“If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.”

–Emily Dickinson

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Music:

Here is some advice you haven’t asked for! Whenever you feel anxious or fearful about death, come back here, to 1 Corinthians 15, and to Handel’s music put to these words of St. Paul — and put your heart and mind to rest. Death is the final enemy, but YOU HAVE THE VICTORY through Jesus Christ!

HERE  Alastair Miles sings from Handel’s Messiah:   “Behold, I tell you a mystery” and “The trumpet shall sound.” Crispian Steele-Perkins is the trumpet soloist.  Stephen Cleobury conducts the Brandenburg Consort.

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New International Version (NIV)   Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Images courtesy of:

1 Corinthians 15:42.  http://www.4catholiceducators.com/graphics/1Corinthians15_42.jpg

Chuck Colson.    https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88749735/charles-wendell-colson#view-photo=58736309

Akhnaten.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/57cd2-akhnaten.jpg

robin.  http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anthfood/images/robin%27s_nest.jpeg

2473.) 1 Corinthians 15:1-34

On the third day he rose again from the dead . . .

1 Corinthians 15   (NIV)

The Resurrection of Christ

¹ Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ²By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

Suggesting a married Jesus is one thing, but questioning the Resurrection undermines the very heart of Christian belief.

–Dan Brown

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Because of the reference to the third day, and because in Matthew 12:40 Jesus refers to three days and three nights, some have thought it necessary for Jesus to spend at least 72 hours in the grave. This upsets most chronologies of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and is unnecessary, being unaware of the use of ancient figures of speech. Eleazar ben Azariah (around the year 100 a.d.) said: “A day and a night make a whole day, and a portion of a whole day is reckoned as a whole day.” This demonstrates how in Jesus’ day, the phrase three days and three nights did not necessarily mean a 72-hour period, but a period including at least the portions of three days and three nights.

–David Guzik

⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

In Paul’s list of appearances of the Risen Lord two are specially interesting.

There is the appearance to Peter. In the earliest account of the Resurrection story, the word of the messenger in the empty tomb is, “Go, tell his disciples and Peter” (Mark 16:7). In Luke 24:34 the disciples say, “The Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon.” It is an amazing thing that one of the first appearances of the Risen Lord was to the disciple who had denied him. There is all the wonder of the love and grace of Jesus Christ here. Peter had wronged Jesus and then had wept his heart out; and the one desire of this amazing Jesus was to comfort him in the pain of his disloyalty. Love can go no further than to think more of the heartbreak of the man who wronged it than of the hurt that it itself has received.

There is the appearance to James. Without doubt this James is the brother of our Lord. It is quite clear from the gospel narrative that Jesus’ own family did not understand him and were even actively hostile to him. Mark 3:21 tells us that they actually sought to restrain him because they believed him to be mad. John 7:5 tells us that his brothers did not believe in him. Perhaps James’ contempt turned into wondering admiration so that when the end came, he was torn with remorse for the way in which he had treated his brother. Here once again we have the amazing grace and love of Christ. He came to bring peace to the troubled soul of one who had called him mad and who had been his opponent.

It is one of the most heart-moving things in all the story of Jesus that two of his first appearances, after he rose from the tomb, were to men who had hurt him and were sorry for it. Jesus meets the penitent heart far more than halfway.

–William Barclay

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. ¹¹ Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

“Everything depends on our retaining a firm hold on this doctrine in particular; for if this one totters and no longer counts, all the others will lose their value and validity.”

 –Martin Luther

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.

“If Jesus rose, then this gospel is what is professes to be; if He rose not from the dead, then it is all deceit and delusion.”

–Charles Haddon Spurgeon

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. ¹⁹IF only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

There is no IF about it!  Look at what rests on the resurrection:

The divinity of Jesus rests on the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 1:4).

The sovereignty of Jesus rests on the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 14:9).

Our justification rests on the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 4:25).

Our regeneration rests on the resurrection of Jesus (1 Peter 1:3).

Our ultimate resurrection rests on the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 8:11).

–David Guzik

²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

In Ephesians 1:10, Paul reveals God’s eternal purpose in history: that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth – in Him. Paul wrote of the “gathering together” of all things in Jesus, or of the “summing up” of all things in Him. Here, in 1 Corinthians, he looks forward to the time when all things are resolved in Jesus Christ and He presents it all to God the Father, giving glory to the God who authored this eternal plan of the ages.

²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ²⁷ For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. ²⁸ When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

Here, Paul refers to God the Son’s desire to glorify God the Father through all eternity. Importantly, each person of the Trinity desires to glorify another person of the Trinity. The Son glorifies the Father (John 17:4), the Father glorifies the Son (John 17:5), and the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son (John 16:14). This aspect of the nature of God is something God wants us to walk in, having a concern for the glory of others, and not our own (Philippians 2:3-4).

–David Guzik

²⁹ Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?

Here is another verse that has caused much consternation. Many interpretations have been presented — that Paul is speaking of a pagan custom, that some Corinthian Christians were being baptized for friends or relatives who had already died, that “baptism” here actually refers to martyrdom . . . I leave it to you to wrestle with this!

³⁰ And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? ³¹ I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. ³² If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”

³³ Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” ³⁴ Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

To say that there is no resurrection is not a sign of superior knowledge; it is a sign of utter ignorance of God. 

–William Barclay

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is “Hear the Bells Ringing!” sung by a group called Second Chapter of Acts. “He is risen! Alleluia!”

_________________________

New International Version (NIV)   Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Images courtesy of:

empty tomb.   http://www.shonias.com/happy-resurrection-sunday/

He has risen!   https://joannawillis.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/hehasrisen_lg.jpg

the risen Christ.  http://www.turnbacktogod.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/jesus-christ-risen-0603.jpg

2472.) 1 Corinthians 14:26-40

Rev. Donna McClellan was one of my pastors in Orlando some years ago, and I love the way she understands, teaches, and lives Scripture and community and prayer. She does it all in joyful submission to our Lord Jesus Christ. I have learned much from her, and I am grateful for her gifts that she brought to the church.

1 Corinthians 14:26-40   (NIV)

Good Order in Worship

²⁶ What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

Paul sees the gathering of the church as a time when people come to participate and to give to one another, not merely to passively receive.

We can easily picture how this dynamic would work among the Corinthian Christians. They would, out of necessity, meet in small groups in different homes. There would be many “house churches” scattered all over the city of Corinth. As they would meet in these small groups, there would be a freedom, and a responsibility to not only receive but to give. So, one might give by reading or singing a psalm. Another might offer a word of teaching. Someone might pray in a tongue, along with an interpretation. Still someone else might have a revelation, a word from God’s heart and mind to the gathered church. In a small, home-fellowship type setting, this is how the church should work together.

When more people are gathered together, this “everybody shares something with everyone else” becomes more difficult. Among ten people, ten can share something with all the other ten. But among thirty, or sixty, or a hundred people, there isn’t time to allow everyone to share something with everyone else. This is why so many are blessed and find great spiritual growth through a home group, because it provides a perfect context for the “everyone shares something with everyone else” idea. The hunger for this has also led to the growth of the home church movement in our generation.

At the same time, there are potential pitfalls in this approach. It is easy for people of poor doctrine or weak character to dominate the group. It is easy for the group to focus not on the truth of the word, but on how one “feels” about the word. Spurgeon once described a man coming from such a gathering, and meeting a friend. “How was the meeting?” the one asked. The other answered, “Oh, it was wonderful. No one knew anything and we all taught each other!”

 It is safe to say that when it comes to the “house church” or “larger church” issue there is no “right” or “wrong.” God has used both, is using both, and will use both. Both are essential and greatly needed for the health and the strength of the whole body of Christ today.

–David Guzik

²⁷ If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. ²⁸If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. ²⁹ Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. ³⁰ And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. ³¹ For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. ³² The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. ³³ For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

Though Paul seems more positive about the use of the gift of prophecy in church meetings than the use of the gift of tongues, he still believes prophecy should be regulated. The gifts of the Spirit are never to be made the focus of congregational life. Worship and the Word are the focus, and the gifts flow under God’s direction around the focus of worship and the Word.

³⁴ Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. ³⁵ If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

Because Paul assumed the right of women to pray and prophesy under proper authority in 1 Corinthians 11:1-16, the context suggests that a woman speaking refers to either the judging of prophecy (something for the leadership of the church to do) or to disruptive speaking. 

I also like to apply Proverbs 14:1 here:  “The wise woman builds her house.”

³⁶ Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? ³⁷ If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. ³⁸ But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.

³⁹ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ⁴⁰ But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is a worship song sung by a godly woman — Twila Paris and “We Bow Down.”

_________________________

New International Version (NIV)    Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Images courtesy of:

Worship and the Word.   http://www.familychristiancenter.ws/hp_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/worship-and-word2.jpg

building a church.   https://letsbuildchurches.wordpress.com/

2471.) 1 Corinthians 14:1-25

1 Corinthians 14:1-25   (NIV)

Intelligibility in Worship

from Ray Stedman:  The whole of Chapter 14 of First Corinthians is devoted to a comparison by the Apostle Paul of the two gifts of tongues and of prophesying. Both of these gifts were obviously being featured and focused upon in the city of Corinth and in the church there. Therefore, the apostle gives us some very helpful insights on these gifts and how they contrast one with another. The most important verse in this whole chapter is Verse 1 . . . 

¹ Follow the way of love

. . . That ties this back to the “love” chapter, and it is good to remind ourselves that this is the essence of the exercise of any spiritual gift. Here is where we get our balance. Love is to be the basic, biblical reason for exercising a spiritual gift. 

Blest be the tie that binds
our hearts in Christian love;
the fellowship of kindred minds
is like to that above.

and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. ² For anyone who speaks in a tongue 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.

Edification (the NIV, above, says strengthening) is “building up.” It is a construction term, and speaks our being “built up” in the Lord. A word of prophecy will build someone up, not tear him or her down.

Exhortation is encouragement. It is like the speech from the coach in the locker room, rallying the team to go out and perform as they have been trained to perform. A word of prophecy will encourage someone, not discourage him or her.

Comfort has the idea of not only consoling, but also strengthening. It doesn’t just cry with someone hurting, it puts its arms around them and strengthens them to carry the load. A word of prophecy will strengthen, not weaken someone.

–David Guzik

The word “comfort” comes from Latin con- (“together”) + fortis (“strong”). It uses the same root as fortress, fortify, fortissimo, fortitude. Doesn’t that change our understanding of the phrase Paul writes:

2 Corinthians 1:3-5  (NIV)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 

⁴ Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵I would like every one of you to speak in tongues,

Paul was positive about the gift of tongues. Paul valued the gift of tongues in his own life (I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all, 1 Corinthians 14:18), and wanted other Christians to speak with tongues.

Why? No doubt, because he knew the value of it in his own life. Paul was able, when praying in the spirit, to unburden his soul before God in a way going beyond human language and intellect. He could pray, praise, and intercede beyond his ability to understand and articulate. Paul wanted every Christian to know this same blessing!

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.

But the corporate value of any speech during worship is made possible only if the message given in tongues can be “translated” into a language understood by the congregation. Prophesy requires no such translation, and is therefore preferred for public occasions.

Before our Father’s throne
we pour our ardent prayers;
our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
our comforts and our cares.

⁶ Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? ⁷ Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? ⁸ Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? ⁹ So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. ¹⁰ Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. ¹¹ If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. ¹² So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

The goal must be mutual benefit at church meetings. So if there are tongues, there must be interpretation, so there can be edification. 

But — If tongues are directed to God, how can a legitimate interpretation be edifying to others? The same way our reading of Psalms can edify. The prayer, or praise, or plea of another unto God can identify powerfully with our own heart before God, and we can agree with what another says to God.

¹³ For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ¹⁵ So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. ¹⁶ Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? ¹⁷ You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.

We share each other’s woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. ¹⁹ But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

²⁰ Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. ²¹ In the Law it is written:

“With other tongues
and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.”

²² Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.

This verse has caused no little amount of consternation, since it seems contradictory to what Paul writes after. He says tongues are for unbelievers, yet in the next verse he says tongues make believers look mad. He says prophecy is for believers, yet his comments below relate only to unbelievers. Scholars differ — some say the verse is actually a question. Others think scribes mis-copied it and it should read that tongues are for believers and prophecies for unbelievers. Etc. As the King of Siam would say, “Is a puzzlement.”

²³ So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? ²⁴ But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, ²⁵ as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

_________________________

Music:

Dr. John Faw­cett was the pas­tor of a small church at Wains­gate, and was called from there to a larg­er church in Lon­don in 1772.  He ac­cept­ed the call and preached his fare­well ser­mon.  The wa­gons were load­ed with his books and fur­ni­ture and all was rea­dy for the de­part­ure when his pa­rish­ion­ers gath­ered around him and with tears in their eyes begged of him to stay.  His wife said, “Oh John, John, I can­not bear this.”  “Neither can I,” ex­claimed the good pas­tor, “and we will not go.  Un­load the wa­gons and put ev­ery­thing as it was be­fore.”  His de­ci­sion was hailed with great joy by his peo­ple, and he wrote the words of this hymn in com­mem­o­ra­tion of the event.  HERE  is “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.”

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

_________________________

New International Version (NIV)  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Images courtesy of:

Love above all.   http://www.modart.com/wp-content/gallery/network_artist_lilshy/love-above-all-copy.jpg

the tie that binds.  http://narciejeter.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/the-tie-that-binds.jpg

Win win.   http://www.zekecreative.com/Blog/Marketing-for-mutual-benefit

2470.) 1 Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13   (NIV)

Love Is Indispensable

And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

¹ If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

Possession of the charismata is not the sign of the Spirit; Christian love is.

–Dr. Gordon Fee

³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

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.

It should be simply impossible for us to think unkindly of anyone. “Beloved, let us love” (1 John 4:7).

–Amy Carmichael

There is enough love and enough power in the cross of Christ to enable us to forget past hurts and continue our relationships as if there had never been anything wrong. Even with the best intentions, this will never be done in human strength; only the Holy Spirit of Jesus can enable us to forget our pains and hurts. If you choose to build up the memories of those hurts that other people have inflicted on you, you will pollute, corrupt, and destroy all of your relationships. Resentment has destructive power, but the grace of Christ has a deeper power to keep human relationships as clean and fresh as springtime. 

–Dennis F. Kinlaw

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.

“I would, my brothers and sisters, that we could all imitate the pearl oyster. A hurtful particle intrudes itself into its shell, and this vexes and grieves it. It cannot eject the evil, and what does it do but cover it with a precious substance extracted out of its own life, by which it turns the intruder into a pearl. Oh, that we could do so with the provocations we receive from our fellow Christians, so that pearls of patience, gentleness, long-suffering, and forgiveness might be bred within us by that which has harmed us.”

–Charles Haddon Spurgeon

But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV)

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:4-5 (NLT)

For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven.

_________________________

Loving ideas:

Perhaps you would enjoy a closer look at each of the words used to describe and explain love. William Barclay does a wonderful job  HERE.

I am a great believer in lists! Make a list of 100 things that have shown God’s love, a parent’s love, a friend’s love, etc. — to you, for your whole life long. Let this list be a source of praise and thanksgiving to God in your prayers.

I am also a great believer in personal notes delivered by snail mail. They are now so rare, so precious! Who has loved you well and ought to be thanked? Who is in need of a loving word from you today, due to illness or bereavement or hard times? Send some loving words of affirmation!

Or perhaps someone you know is lonely and would enjoy a meal with you. Or needs difficult housework done, especially as winter approaches. What act of service could you do to show God’s love?

Think about it, and take some time today to pass along the love of Christ to others!

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is “The Gift of Love” — by Hal Hopson and sung by Doreen Lai.

_________________________

New International Version (NIV)   Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Images courtesy of:

Mother Teresa holding a baby.  http://youngadultcrisishotline.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/love-thumb.jpg

Love is patient . . .  http://images.art.com/images/products/regular/12007000/12007361.jpg

Faith.  Hope.  Love.    https://www.thehouseofpraise.org/?lightbox=imagerdt

2469.) 1 Corinthians 12

1 Corinthians 12   (NIV)

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

¹ 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. ³Therefore 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.

Jesus be cursed:  Whatever was true when Paul was writing, it is certainly true that later on, in the sore days of persecution, Christians were compelled either to curse Christ or to die. In the time of Trajan, it was the test of Pliny, governor of Bithynia, to demand that a person accused of being a Christian should curse Christ. When Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, was arrested, the demand of the proconsul Statius Quadratus was, “Say, ‘Away with the atheists,’ swear by the godhead of Caesar, and blaspheme Christ.” And it was the great answer of the aged bishop, “Eighty and six years have I served Christ, and he has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” There certainly came a time when a man was confronted with the choice of cursing Christ or facing death.

–William Barclay

Jesus is Lord:  Jesus made it plain, saying that when the Holy Spirit would come, He will testify of Me (John 15:26), and He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you (John 16:14). The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not to promote the Holy Spirit, or any man — but to glorify and represent Jesus. We can therefore trust that the true ministry of the Holy Spirit will be according to the nature of Jesus.

–David Guzik

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.

The indwelling Christ calls his people to all kinds of service using a variety of gifts. Humble, everyday service is not less than the supernatural phenomena  of the Spirit. God is at work through them all.

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

Apparently, the tendency to division among the Corinthian Christians had made them think separately or competitively about the gifts. Perhaps the “tongues speakers” thought themselves superior to the “prophesiers,” as if the gifts had come from two different gods! Paul emphasizes to them that “one and the same Spirit” works all these things, so they should reflect that same unity among themselves.

¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

The picture we get is of a Church vividly alive. Things happened; in fact astonishing things happened. Life was heightened and intensified. There was nothing dull and ordinary about the early Church. Paul knew that all this vivid, powerful activity was the work of the Spirit who gave to each man his gift to use for all.

–William Barclay

Unity and Diversity in the Body

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

“You,” Paul says, “are the body of Christ.” There is a tremendous thought here. Christ is no longer in this world in the body; therefore if he wants a task done within the world he has to find a man to do it. If he wants a child taught, he has to find a teacher to teach him; if he wants a sick person cured, he has to find a physician or surgeon to do his work; if he wants his story told, he has to find a man to tell it. Literally, we have to be the body of Christ, hands to do his work, feet to run upon his errands, a voice to speak for him.

“He has no hands but our hands

To do his work today;

He has no feet but our feet

To lead men in his way;

He has no voice but our voice

To tell men how he died;

He has no help but our help

To lead them to his side.”

Here is the supreme glory of the Christian man–he is part of the body of Christ upon earth.

So Paul draws a picture of the unity which should exist inside the Church if it is to fulfil its proper function.

–William Barclay

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Not only is this diversity in the body of Jesus Christ acceptable, it is essential. The body cannot work properly if all are hands, or if all are eyes. The body must have different parts and gifts, or it would not work together effectively as a body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

The parts of the body work together. The eyes and ears do not only serve themselves, but the whole body. The hands do not only feed and defend themselves, but the whole body. The heart does not only supply blood to itself, but serves the whole body. Sometimes there is a part of our body which only lives to serve itself. It doesn’t contribute anything to the rest of the body, and everything it gets it uses to feed and grow itself. We call this cancer.

–David Guzik

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Love Is Indispensable

And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

_________________________

Music:

HERE  is “How Beautiful Is the Body of Christ.”

_________________________

New International Version (NIV)   Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Images courtesy of:

spiritual gifts.   http://pastorbillholdridge.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/spiritualgifts.jpg

Jesus and Holy Spirit dove.   http://treasuresoldandnewbiblicaltexts.blogspot.com/2014/05/marcan-framework-commentary.html

body of Christ.   http://everfaith.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/body-of-christ.jpg

body parts.   https://dwellingintheword.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/1corinthians12_4.jpg

heart.   http://www.edgemarcenter.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/heart.jpg