Lessons From 1 Corinthians – Intro
Our Lord truly cares about His children. We have that truth stated in clear verses.
Like casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.
And that is also clearly shown by taking a step back and looking at all of Paul’s 3 missionary journeys. By doing that you see a pattern of how God put a premium on Paul teaching and encouraging those that have already been saved.
Paul first taught for years at Antioch and then went on the 1st journey, many got saved, and Paul went back to confirm their faith and leave them with leadership.
Then Paul went back and taught the believers in Antioch again for a long time, then the 2nd journey, which started with visiting the churches and caring for the believers and giving them more teaching and encouragement and strengthening their faith.
Paul then started more churches, and on the 3rd journey you see the same pattern. Paul did not only start new churches. God had Paul spend a lot of time and effort teaching, encouraging, and strengthening those who have already been saved.
And then you add into the big picture view many other verses about not lording over the flock and you can go look at Jesus seeking out Peter after he went back fishing. And Jesus asked Peter do you love me, then feed my sheep. Do you love me, then feed my sheep, do you love me, then feed my lambs.
It all makes it very clear. Jesus loves those that have been adopted into His family. Yes Jesus loves the sinner and wants them to get saved.
But the Bible is clear, Jesus has a special love for all those who get born again.
And Jesus cares about His children learning, and being spiritually strengthened. Jesus wants His children cared for in like manner as He cares for them.
It has been my personal experience that many preachers do not get this. Just to be clear not all. There are some good pastors out there!
A famous preacher once said everything rises or falls with leadership. That is a very flawed and unbiblical view. That is a worldly way at looking at running things.
But many preachers have latched onto that like it is scripture. Even more put it over scripture and run things like a dictatorship or a military academy. Do not get me wrong churches need leadership. The Pastor is to lead. But the biblical way is what some call servant leadership.
The Pastor is to lead 1st by setting the example, walking the walk. And 2nd he is to lead with a Christ like love for the flock with a genuine concern for their growth.
It is not everything rises or falls with leadership, the biblical view is everything rises or falls with the followship of Jesus. The biblical view is keeping in view how Jesus wants His precious children treated and then following Jesus in that.
Paul understood this well. You see Paul acting accordingly. You see Paul deeply care about God’s children and is very concerned about them learning and growing.
On the 3rd journey, after Paul does a visit to all the new churches on the route he was traveling, he stops in Ephesus for a couple of years.
Acts 19:8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
Acts 19:9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
Acts 19:10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
Acts 19:11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
Acts 19:12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
Acts 19:13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
And God was validating Paul using the name of Jesus and God was showing that others who used the name of Jesus were not approved of God.
This was clearly demonstrating to people that God approved of Paul’s message but not the Jew’s message.
Verse 8 thru 20 covers over 2 years. Starting in verse 21 comes some trouble and then Paul is traveling again and shortly after that Paul makes his mistake.
But verses 8 thru 20 does not cover everything during those 2 years.
Apollos the preacher was a novice who was preaching eloquent and presenting himself as an expert but had never even read the Gospel of Matthew.
He got some correcting and a referral letter from Aquila and Priscilla to go to a church. He went there but did not stay. He then went to Corinth and was there when Paul was on the 1st part of his 3rd journey.
And when Paul visited they were still carnal Christians but they were not doing the bad things that cause Paul to write 1st Corinthians. This indicates that while the Corinthian church was full of carnal Christians they started going downhill and quickly getting worse under the leadership of Apollos. And it must have be fairly quickly.
How do we know that?
Well time has to pass for Paul to hear about how bad they got. Then Paul has to write a letter. They have to have time to read it, and get convicted about it, and then make changes.
Time has to pass for these changes to be verified as real and genuine. Time has to pass for Paul to hear about it and write them a second letter.
And all of that has to happen in 2 years, because Paul wrote both letters to the Corinthians while he was at Ephesus.
That means that the 1st letter had to be written sometime in the first year. That shows us how fast consistent exposure to a worldly preacher can get people going the wrong way especially if they are already carnal to begin with.
The two letters that God had Paul write them also shows the heart that Paul had and the love that God has for all born again believers. And when we look at those 2 letters we see an important principal. One that all Christians should be aware of and understand.
God’s love is deep, and unconditional. Absolutely true. But at the same time. God cares about His children living right, and honoring Him. Jesus has every right to, and He does expect some correct behavior from His children.
So we are going to pause in Acts with Paul getting close to the end of his 3rd journey and we are going to look at the two letters that Paul wrote to the Corinthians while at Ephesus.