Building Community

To truly understand the book of 1 Corinthians, it is important that you know a few facts about the city of Corinth during the first century.

• It was a large city. During the time that the apostle Paul lived in Corinth it is estimated that there were between 100,000 to 300,000 people living in the city.
• It was a prosperous city. Due to its location on a major trade route and because it was a port city there was a lot of cash flowing in the city.
• It was a diverse city. Again, because of its location and because of its great wealth, people from all over the world gathered in Corinth.
• It was a religious city. Among the temples that you would find in Corinth would be temples to Aphrodite, Poseidon, Apollo, Hermes, and Isis. The Pantheon a temple that was built to "all the gods" was also in Corinth.
• It was a cultured city. Corinth boasted a theater that would seat over 14,000 people and it was the host for the Isthmian Games. The Isthmian Games were held every other year and they rivaled the Olympic Games. The most outstanding athletes of the ancient world would compete in these games.
• It was a sinful city. Because of its wealth the city had become very materialistic. It was also known for its drunkenness and its sexual immorality. There were over 1,000 temple prostitutes from the temple of Aphrodite working the streets each night.

To be honest the first century city of Corinth looks a lot like America in the twenty-first century.

It was to this city, that the apostle Paul was called by God to preach the gospel. For a year and a half, the apostle lived and taught here and many were added to the Kingdom of God. The sad thing is that three years later this once growing church was now filled with problems. It is for this reason that First and Second Corinthians were written. 

In First Corinthians 1:1-3, the apostle Paul introduces his letter by reminding them of the authority by which he wrote and also who they are in Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 1:1 (ESV), the apostle writes, "Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes." There is much that could be said about this verse, but the thing that I want to point out is that Paul was called by God to be an apostle. He wasn't called by his momma, the church, or even his own desire. He was called by God, and it was by God's authority that he gives these instructions to the church.

In 1 Corinthians 1:2 (ESV), Paul continues, "To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours."

We are told in verse 2 that the audience for this letter is the church. The question for us is what is the church? The Greek word "church" literally means "called out ones or the ones gathered together with a purpose." So a church can simply be defined as a community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and are committed to carrying out His will one earth. 

In verse 2 we find a four-part description of the church:

1. The church is a divine community. Paul wrote this letter to "the church of God." In a day where there is so much confusion about who runs the church, let this verse settle the issue once and for all. The church belongs to God! 
2. The church is a local community. Paul continues, "To the church of God that is in Corinth." When the church gathers it is a physical reflection of God's presence on earth. There are many in our day, who believe that there is no need to attend church. They are a part of the universal church and the church is all around them. The problem with this understanding is that God created us to live in relationship with Him and with one another. To just be a part of the universal church requires no commitment, no accountability and no real sacrifice. 
3. The church is a unique community. He goes on to say, "To those sanctified in Christ Jesus." The fact that we are "sanctified" means that we are set apart and we belong to God. It is this relationship with God that impacts how we live and what we live for. We are to live godly lives and we are to be busy carrying out His purposes!
4. The church is a universal community. "To those . . . called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours." Although the church is local, it's also universal. To be universal means that it includes all believers. In those times that we begin to think that the universe revolves around our church, this is a reminder that we are just one small piece of God's Kingdom. In those times that we feel overwhelmed by the culture around us, this is a reminder that we are not alone. 

In verse 3, the apostle Paul concludes introduction with these words, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." This is the common greeting that Paul uses in his letters (Romans 1:7; Galatians 1:12; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2), and it summarizes the gospel. Grace is God's work in us through Christ where He gives us what we don't deserve, (i.e. salvation, sanctification, a right standing before Him, etc.). And peace is the fruit of God's grace. It is God's grace that brings us into a harmonious relationship with God and with one another. 

As we continue our journey through First Corinthians these basic principles will impact all of the apostle Paul's instructions to the church.

The Problem with Religion

In Jonah 3, we find that Jonah preached an eight-word sermon and the people of Nineveh believed God, they humbled themselves before God and they turned from their wickedness. God looked upon their repentance and showered them with His mercy and grace. Jonah's response to God's mercy? We are told in Jonah 4:1 (ESV) "It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry." This man of God who had experienced God's grace was now angry that God had shown grace to the Ninevites. 

The problem with Jonah is that he was eat up with religion. When I read Jonah 4:2-11, there were three things that stood out to me. 

1. Jonah's prayer revealed his disease (Jonah 4:2-4)

• Jonah was an idolater. In Jonah's prayer in verse 2, Jonah uses the words "I" or "my" five times. An idol is anything that we love more than God. For Jonah, his idol was self. All he cared about was what he thought was important. 
• Jonah was ignorant. In his prayer Jonah blamed God's character for why he disobeyed Him. He said that it was because God was "gracious," "merciful," "slow to anger," "abounding in steadfast love," and "relenting from disaster"  that he chose to run away. Jonah had no problem receiving God's grace and mercy, but he was disturbed by the fact that God could care about the Ninevites. 

2. God's provision reveals God's lesson plan (Jonah 4:5-9)

Jonah acting like a spoiled child, storms out of the city, builds himself a booth and sits down in its shade waiting to see what God would do. In verse 6, we are told that God appoints a plant to provide Jonah shade to "save him from his discomfort." God's gift of this plant is a reminder of His grace toward Jonah.

In verses 7-8, God appoints a worm to come and attack the plant, so it dies. The next morning, God appoints a "scorching east wind" to blow on him and the sun beat down him until he felt faint. Jonah prays to die. God's destruction of the plant and the scorching east wind are reminders of God's judgment.

3. God's question reveals Jonah's heart (Jonah 4:10-11)

In Jonah 4:10–11 (ESV), The Lord says to Jonah, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

God's question revealed that Jonah cared more about his personal comfort than he for the spiritual welfare of an entire city. It also reveals the deep compassion that God had for these who were His enemies. I am so thankful that God has compassion on His enemies. The Bible says in Romans 5:10 (ESV), "While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son."

    As we consider the lesson of Jonah, it applies both to our personal lives as well as to the life of the church. I encourage you to pause and consider these questions.

1) On a personal level, the book of Jonah forces us to examine our own personal struggle with God. The truth is that we are more like Jonah than any of us would like to admit.

·   What has God called you to be or do that puts you into a contest of wills with Him?

·   What is it that God has called you to do that has set you to running away?

·   Is there an area of your life that you have refused to surrender to God?

·   Who is it that you have resisted loving or caring for because their values, beliefs, or lifestyles you find at odds with yours?

2) The book of Jonah also challenges us as a church. Will we choose to stay in our holy huddle, when the next play calls us to energetic evangelism and costly mission?

·   What traditions or customs have we placed before our calling to make disciples of all nations?

·   What excuses have we made for why we can’t have impact on our community?

·   What would happen if today we made a conscious choice to love our city and the neighborhood that God has placed us in with the same kind of love and compassion that He has for them?

The Making of a Witness

The book of Jonah has three major purposes:

1. It shows us how God pursues sinners -- of which I am the greatest
2. It contrasts God's heart for people who are far from Him, and ours
3. It shows how God uses His people for His purposes, even when they are stubborn and rebellious. 

In Jonah 3, we are given three truths that really drive home the point of what it takes for us to be a part of God's salvation plan.

Jonah 3:1–2 (ESV) -- "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”

The Lord comes to Jonah a second time and tells him a second time to go to Nineveh and deliver the message that he is going to give him. When I look at my life and I see all the times that I have disobeyed God, I am thankful that God gives us second chances. Unlike the first time, Jonah gets up and heads to Nineveh to obey the Lord.  

Jonah 3:3–4 (ESV) -- "Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. ⁴ Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, 'Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!'”

The phrase "an exceedingly great city" in Hebrew is literally translated, "a city great to God." I know that the main point of this statement is to emphasize the physical size of the city, but I cannot help but think it also a reminder that the city of Nineveh was deeply loved by God. I'm not sure we'll ever be true witnesses of God until we see that the place that we live is deeply loved by God.

In verse 4, Jonah delivers an eight word sermon. It is a message of judgment that contains no explanation of why judgment is coming and there is no opportunity given to turn to God. But in verses 5-8, we find the Ninevites believing God, humbling themselves in His presence and turning from their evil ways. In verse 10 we are told "When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that He had said He would do to them, and He did not do it" (ESV).

Don't miss this point: God doesn't delight in judgment, but He overflows in mercy. The Ninevites deserved God's wrath, and yet in love we find Him sending His prophet and when the people repent, God shows them mercy. 

We find this same thing in the book of Joel, when the prophet declares to the people, "Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster" Joel 2:13 (ESV).

As those who have experienced God's mercy and His grace, how should we respond?

1. We need to take every opportunity to make much of Jesus to a world that is walking in darkness.
2. We should pray like crazy for those who are far from God. 

I want to encourage you to think about this question: If God were to answer all of the prayers that you have prayed over the last seven days in a moment, would anyone new be added to the Kingdom of God? If your answer is NO, then you are faced with the question, Do you really understand the Gospel? 

The Futility of Life without God

As I read through the book of Jonah I cannot help but think about Jonah's journey up until this point. He went from walking with God as a prophet, to running from God's presence, to being sound asleep in the bottom of a sinking ship, to being swallowed by a great fish. It is here in the belly of the giant fish that we learn three valuable lessons from Jonah's prayer.

1. We learn the futility of life without God

In Jonah 2:1-6, Jonah uses some key words that describe the hopelessness of his situation. He says that he called out to the Lord, out of his "distress;" from "the belly of Sheol" he cried; the Lord had "cast" him into the deep of the sea; he was "driven" from God's sight; the "deep surrounded" him; and the "weeds were wrapped around his head."  It was in the place of hopelessness that Jonah found himself calling out to God for deliverance. In Jonah 2:6-7, Jonah says, "Yet you brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple." It was in hopelessness that Jonah called out to the Lord for deliverance. It has been said that there is a deliverance that is greater than the deliverance from bad circumstances, and that is the deliverance from sin itself. 

2. The emptiness of idols

In Jonah 2:8, Jonah says, "Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love." In the belly of the fish Jonah recognizes that the source of his own sin was idolatry. An idol is anything that we love more than God. Jonah's idols were his national pride and his unwillingness to believe that God could care enough about other people that He could extend His grace to them. 

For Jonah, he would rather disobey God and hold on to the things that he loved than obey God. The tragedy is that when Jonah allowed the idols to control his life he forfeited the grace that could have been his.

What is the thing that you say, "Without _________________ life just isn't worth living"? 

3. Salvation belongs to the Lord

We are told in Jonah 2:9, "But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!" It was in the belly of the fish, that Jonah understood that it was impossible for him to save himself. There was nothing that he could do to escape the belly of the fish. It is then that he looks to God to provide what he could not provide for himself -- he needed God's grace.

The Bible teaches that all have sinned and the consequence of our sin is death. No matter how hard we try to escape the grip of death, we are unable to deliver ourselves. It is for this reason that Jesus lived the life that we could not live and then He died the death that we were condemned to die, and then He offered us salvation as a gift.

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV), “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

A few things for you to consider:

1. Have you ever received God's free gift of salvation?
2. Is there anything in your life that has hindered your walk with God? If there is, that is an idol.
3. Do you feel hopeless? Cry out to God and allow Him to bring life and hope into your life.

I am Jonah

  The story of Jonah is one that most of us have heard about from our early childhood. We often think that Jonah and the big fish are the key characters in the story, but in reality it is a story about a man who ran from God and the God who pursued him in love.

  The Bible tells us in Jonah 1:2 several key thoughts that are vital if we are going to understand the story. It is here that we are told that God had told His prophet, Jonah, that he was to go at once to Nineveh to tell them that their evil had come to His attention. We are also told a couple of key things about Nineveh. 1) Nineveh is a great city, which speaks to its size. Jonah tells us it was a three days walk across the city and that around 120,000 people lived there. 2) Nineveh is an evil city. The prophet Nahum described Nineveh as city of blood shed. They took great comfort in torturing their enemies and they were a perpetual enemy of Israel. 

  As I read through Jonah 1:1-16 there are several things that stood out to me that I would like for you to consider.

1. When we say NO to God we are rebelling against His Lordship over our lives

  In Jonah 1:3, we are told that Jonah got up and headed to Joppa and found a ship headed to Tarshish. The problem with is that Tarshish is 2,000 miles west of Israel. This man who is a prophet of the most High refuses to obey what he has been commanded to do. Don't miss this point: you are no further away from God than when you are close to Him and you say, "NO!" 

2. Our disobedience always affects others

  In Jonah 1:4, we discover that the Lord seeing that His prophet has disobeyed His command hurled the wind like a spear to stop the fleeing prophet. The wind and waves became so severe that the ship determined to break apart. If the ship breaks apart, not only will Jonah perish in the sea, but so will the sailors who are manning the ship. We have this tendency to believe that our sin will not be found out and that if it does it will only affect us. But the reality is that our sin impacts not only our lives, it impacts our family, our friends, and our church family!

3. God sends storms into our lives to wake us up from the slumber of sin

  In Jonah 1:5-16, we begin to discover the reason that God sends this storm into the life of His prophet. We are told that the sailors are deathly afraid and they cry out to their gods for deliverance and they begin throwing the ships cargo overboard trying to lighten it so that they can regain control. While the prayer meeting is going on, the prophet of God is down in the bottom of the ship sound asleep. They wake Jonah up and then they begin to cast lots to see who is the one who has offended the deities. The lot falls on Jonah and they begin to ask him a bunch of questions. 

  In verse 9, Jonah tells them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." It seems ironic that the person who says that he fears, (worships, reverences), the Lord, is the one who would rather flee from His presence than to obey Him. As you read through the story it also amazes me that this man of God would rather be thrown into the sea than to repent and obey the Lord. But then I reflect on my own life and I see many times that I would rather pursue the desires of my heart than to obey the God who has purchased my life with the blood of His Son. After these sailors have tried everything to no avail, they finally do what Jonah had suggested and they throw him into the sea.

  Please don't miss this point: God sent the storm into Jonah's life not to punish him for his sin, but to bring him back from his sin. 

  In his book, The Gospel According to Jonah, J. D. Greear tells the story that each year during Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, that the people read the entire book of Jonah and then they say in unison, "We are Jonah!" The truth is that all of us can identify with Jonah because there have been times in our lives where we have said no to God. At this moment you may be saying no to God.

• Maybe it's a relationship that you know is not pleasing to God, and yet you refuse to end it. Or maybe it's a relationship that is broken and you refuse to forgive and make things right.
• Maybe it's something that you are doing that you know is wrong and yet you have decided that you aren't going to quit. 
• Maybe it's something that you know that you should be doing with your life, your money, or your time and yet you have chosen to tell God no.

  If you find yourself in the storm of God's discipline, why not surrender and just say, "YES!" 

Is Your Church Inwardly Focused?

Dr. Thom Rainer wrote an excellent book on what it means to be a church member from a biblical perspective. In chapter three Dr. Rainer gives a list of ten dominant behaviors that are consistently seen in churches who are inwardly focused. As I read through this list I was reminded of how easy it is to allow tradition and preferences to keep us from making an impact on the culture in which we live. I would like to share this list and I hope you will prayerfully consider if these attitudes are prevalent in your life.

1. Worship wars. One or more factions in the church want the music just the way they like it. Any deviation is met with anger and demands for change. The order of service must remain constant. Certain instrumentation is required and others are prohibited.
2. Prolonged minutia meetings. The church spends an inordinate amount of time in different meetings. Most of the meetings deal with the most inconsequential items, while the Great Commission and Great Commandment are rarely topics of discussion. 
3. Facility focus. The church facilities develop iconic status. One of the highest priorities in the church is the protection and preservation of rooms, furniture, and other visible parts of the church buildings and grounds.
4. Program driven. Every church has programs even if they don't admit it. When we start to doing a ministry a certain way, it takes on programmatic status, The problem becomes an end instead of a means to greater ministry.
5. Inward focused budget. A disproportionate share of the budget is used to meet the needs and comforts of the members instead of reaching beyond the walls of the church.
6. Inordinate demands for pastoral care. All church members deserve care and concern, especially in times of need and crisis. Problems develop, however, when church members have unreasonable expectations for even minor matters. Some members expect the pastoral staff to visit them regularly because they have membership status.
7. Attitudes of entitlement. This issue could be a catch-all for many of the points named here. The overarching attitude is one of demanding and having a sense of deserving special treatment.
8. Greater concern about change than the gospel. Almost any noticeable changes in the church evoke the ire of many; but those same passions are not evident about participating in the work of the gospel to change lives.
9. Anger and hostility. Members are consistently angry. They regularly express hostility toward the church staff and other members.
10. Evangelistic apathy. Very few members share their faith on a regular basis. More are concerned about their own needs rather than the greatest eternal needs of the world and comment in which they live.

Let us use this checklist to constantly evaluate our motives and actions to make sure that we stay focused on the task on expanding the Kingdom of God.

I am so thankful to Dr. Rainer of Lifeway for writing this simple but powerful book that reminds us of what it really means to be a member of the Lord's church. I also want to thank Micah Fries for his blog post that reminded me of this list.

The Kingdom

The Bible teaches that as followers of Jesus Christ that we live between two realities: God's Kingdom has arrived, but it is not fully completed. So how are we to live as we await our Lord to bring it to completed?

1 Peter 2:9–12 (ESV) -- "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. ¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. ¹² Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation."

1. Remember your IDENTITY

If we are going to be active citizens of God's Kingdom and not lose heart, it is vital that we have a clear grass of who we are in Christ. The apostle Peter describes our new nature this way:

• "a chosen race" -- We belong to God, not because we are good, or we deserve it, or because we have earned it, but because God has chosen us.
• "a royal priesthood" -- as our King, God has called us as His priests to offer up spiritual sacrifices in His presence. We are told in Romans 12:1 that we are to "present (our) bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is (our) spiritual worship."
• "a holy nation" -- We have been set apart by God so that we might enjoy His presence and favor forever.
• "a people for his own possession" -- We are no longer our own, we belong to God.

2. Fulfill your CALLING

It is because of the great love that God has for the world that He has delayed the return of His Son. The Bible tells us that God does't want anyone to perish, but He wants everyone to repent (2 Peter 3:9). It is for this reason that God has called us to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8).

Peter tells us in verse 9 that we are to "proclaim the excellencies of" God. To proclaim carries the idea of worship and witness! The word excellencies speaks to the mighty power of God being demonstrated. The point that Peter is making is that the mighty works of God should move us to worship and to witness.

In verses9-10 Peter gives us three reasons that should motivate us to worship and to witness. 

• "Called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" -- We used to walk in the darkness, but now we live in God's marvelous light.
• "Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people" -- There was a time when we were excluded from God's chosen people, but now we are a part of God's family.
• "Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" -- We once were under the wrath and the judgment of God, but now we have experienced the mercy of God. 

3. Fight your BATTLE

The Bible tells us that we are "sojourners and exiles." The point that Peter is making is that we are residents of earth, but this place is not our home. As we wait for our Lord to return, we are to be busy working to expand His Kingdom on earth. In verses 11-12, the apostle gives us two commands that will help us accomplish our calling of proclaiming God's excellencies. 

• We are to resist and overcome the "passions of the flesh" -- The picture that Peter paints is that this is a war. It's not easy, but with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us we can overcome them. It will require a renewed mind, a disciplined tongue, and a controlled body. The apostle Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:27, "But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."

• We are to "Keep (our) conduct honorable" -- The Christians of the first century were looked upon with suspicion and hostility. Peter's command was not for them to wage a publicity battle or a legal battle against those who opposed them. Instead Peter exhorts them to live godly lives and to seek to do good to their enemies! Jesus put it this way in Matthew 5:16 (ESV), "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

As we wait for the coming of our King, let us take seriously our calling to proclaim the "proclaim the excellencies" of our King and let us love our neighbors as we love ourselves!