May 5 “Love Feast”, May 12 “The Gifted” 1 Corinthians 11:1-16; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
There are so many things that become distractions to living out the faith the way even we would like, let alone how God would like. One way to sum up this letter to the Corinthian church is to say Paul is addressing a laundry list of distractions. And it wasn’t only bad things that became distractions. Good things were allowed to become the focus rather than where the focus belonged – on the one true God. But there were of course the bad things that distracted and sidetracked as well.
What comes to mind when you consider the types of things that distract you? Make a list.
What has been your strategy to eliminate distractions in your life?
Where are you most vulnerable to distraction?
Part of the problem the Corinthian church had was that they didn’t know what they didn’t know yet. Consequently, they were able to hear these things Paul was pointing out, apply it, make the right adjustments, and move on. Most of us have been taught many of these things in one form or another but have learned to make accommodations for them rather than make accommodations to obey God.
When one steps back and observes all of life, there is certainly an order to it. This is not accidental, there is a design behind it all. There is a Designer behind it all. How the Church is to operate is no exception. (writing this I was literally distracted for the last 45 minutes…)
Look at the ways the church was distracted from what she was supposed to be doing. Distorting the roles of women and men, distorting how they took part in the Passover meal which was to become our communion, and now spiritual gifts. Three huge parts of life, especially for Church life. And they got off on the wrong foot with them all.
How can we reset how we approach these three important areas of life in 2019?
More sermons are to come, but we’ve begun the discussion.
Three really amazing ways God has given us gifts and we have run with them according to our will rather than His.
How do we course correct? What steps do we take to keep them from distracting us and allow them to empower us?
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