1 Corinthians 6:1 (KJV) 1. Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

1 Corinthians 6:1 (TMSG) 1. And how dare you take each other to court! When you think you have been wronged, does it make any sense to go before a court that knows nothing of Gods ways instead of a family of Christians?

We have talked about how we believers in Jesus Christ cannot hold those who don't claim Him as Lord accountable to the same moral code as we do ourselves. As Jesus said, My sheep hear my voice (John 10:27). Those that are not of His flock do not, cannot hear His voice or understand His ways.

In today's verse Paul is pointing out what had perhaps become a custom in the church at Corinth, that believers were taking their grievances with each other to the secular courts. He's reminding us that as "called out ones" who were called out of the world, we cannot mix and match those two operating systems at our every whim. If we claim to be followers of Christ, then we must follow His ways. We must deal with other believers of Christ according to the operating system or moral code that Jesus has set forth. We must not try to apply the moral code of the world to a situation with another believer just because we might be able to extract a harsher punishment against them. Where's the love in that!!!

A house divided against itself cannot stand. (Mark 3:25)
You cannot love both God and mammon (wealth; greed for...Matthew 6:24)
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15b)

1 Corinthians 5:11 - 13 (NASB) 11. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13. But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

1 Corinthians 5:11 - 13 (NLT) 11. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people. 12. It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” (Deuteronomy 17:7)

One of the big reasons we’re not supposed to “judge” outsiders (those not in the body of Christ) is that they will see it as criticism and then be closed to hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Remember, the person that does not know Jesus lives by the rules and systems of this earthly world. Look around, there are basically no morals or values that we as Christians can consider “godly” in this earthly world! So, when you start judging or criticizing someone for acting the only way they know how, they think you are nuts.

But, if we come to them in love, overlooking their actions, whether it be drugs, promiscuity or something else, and tell them about how knowing Jesus has changed our lives, God can work in their hearts through us.

That’s how the body of Christ is supposed to work. Our churches are to take the Gospel to a hurting world, not being concerned with how they’re acting, or how they look, but being concerned with their eternal souls and telling them and showing them about Jesus.

Of course if someone in the fellowship of believers is acting and talking just like the person without Christ, the witness of the church will be meaningless to those who don’t know Jesus. That’s why Paul emphasizes that we have to discipline those within our fellowship. If we are to save the ‘lost’, we must show them that he changes us.

2 Corinthians 5:17 - 20 (NLT) 17. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18. And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

1 Corinthians 5:9 - 10 (NASB) 9. I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10. I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.

Paul is saying we shouldn't be allowing this sin to exist among those who call themselves our brothers and sisters in Christ. Would we not be condoning their sin if we did and, in doing so, become participators with them in it?

But notice that Paul has expanded the principle. It is not just people who commit sexual sin that we must discipline as a church and avoid when they refuse the discipline; it is people who openly and repeatedly commit ANY sin.

He adds the sins of:

COVETING
Desiring something that someone else has (Keeping up with the Jones?)

CHEATING OR TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OTHERS
Lying in real estate deals, not reporting income on your taxes, charging too much for a service, etc.

IDOL WORSHIP
Anything that gets in between God and you can be considered idol worship. Do you spend more time watching TV or on the computer than you do reading God's Word and talking with Him? Or maybe your real love is restoring that '52 Caddie and you don't really have any extra time because you have to work too.

Now wait a minute, do you mean to tell me that if I see that a brother or sister in Christ is spending more time on their hobbies than they are with God, I'm not supposed to associate with them?

Well, let me ask this. Do you know they don't spend time with God or, are you assuming? Have you talked with them, in love, about this topic and know for a fact that their Christian life is "just talk" or are you talking with everybody else about what you think they are doing?

If you have done everything in your power, including massive amounts of prayer, to help your brother or sister to overcome their covetousness, or cheating, or immoral living, or worship of anything other than God, then YES! God's Word says we shouldn't be hanging out with them.

It goes back to the yeast thing. If we as a church allow a little bit of sin to be openly displayed in our fellowship, it won't be long until it develops and grows into a bigger problem.

On the other hand, if we do nothing about it and don't talk with them, we are just as guilty as they are.

Wow, this "we" thing is tough! But, when the church is united in love for God first and each other second, it works the way God intended. People will be coming to Christ, the church will grow and the Lord's work will be obvious to all.

But don't forget, God is calling you to first examine your own life. Take that log out of your own eye before you try to remove the splinter from your brothers (Matthew 7:3-5).

Let's commit to loving each other with God's kind of love (1 Corinthians 13), not the superficial way the world does! Let's be different! Let's be a holy people, set apart to do it God's way...

1 Corinthians 5:6 - 8 (KJV) 6. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7. Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

1 Corinthians 5:6 - 8 (NLT) 6. Your boasting about this is terrible. Dont you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? 7. Get rid of the old yeast by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. 8. So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.

Pauls illustration with the yeast points out how serious it is when the church allows one (or more) of its members to live openly in sin.

Church discipline is important
Loving each other is important
Uplifting and encouraging each other is important
Edifying or building up CHRISTS BODY is important
Staying separated to God is important

God has given us major clues in how the body of Christ is to function. We must separate ourselves from the ways of the world and dedicate ourselves to fulfilling Christs wishes for our lives and HIS church.

As the scripture above says, Christ already died for us. We are to celebrate the festival, the Passover festival where God passed over our sins as Christ became the sacrifice for them. Jesus Christ is our unleavened (without sin!) bread. He is truth.

John 6:35 (KJV) 35. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

John 14:6 (KJV) 6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Lets work at having a 'yeast free' church by first examining our own lives and then by helping each other in the love of Christ.

1 Corinthians 5:3b - 5 (Young’s Literal Translation) … have already judged, as being present, him who so wrought this thing: 4. in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—ye being gathered together, also my spirit—with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5. to deliver up such a one to the Adversary for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

The Greek word translated here ‘destruction’ is olethros
Thayer’s Greek Definitions says that word means:

1) ruin, destroy, death
1a) for the destruction of the flesh, said of the external ills and troubles by which the lusts of the flesh are subdued and destroyed

Previously in verse 2 Paul had said the proper treatment would have been to remove this man from the fellowship of the church. This indicates that this man had been continuing to sin in this fashion, by sleeping with his father’s wife. It was not just a one time thing. As we discussed earlier, the church’s responsibility with sin in the believer’s life is first of all to restore (Galatians 6).

Here we read that this man was to be delivered up to “the Adversary for the destruction of the flesh” in order that his spirit might be saved. The probable idea behind it is that once excluded from the fellowship of believers, the man who was sinning would be convicted of that sin, confess and repent.

We read in the first letter of John of this principle:

1 John 5:16 (YLT) 16. If any one may see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask (God), and He (God) shall give to him life to those sinning not unto death; there is sin to death, not concerning it do I speak that he may beseech;

The brother committing a “sin not unto death” is not repeating that sin over and over after being confronted by his brother or sister in Christ. But the “sin to death” is one that, even after the person has been confronted, they continue to go on repeating that sin. There is no repentance. This is the person that Paul was telling the Corinthians they should expel; the person who continued to live in that sin.

Do you see how important it is that we go to our brothers and sisters who are sinning and try to help them, through God’s Word, see their error?

Of course that means we need to be living right before our Lord and be praying for guidance and the right words to say, in love.

Does the sin have to be as outrageous as sleeping with your father’s wife?

By no means! If any believer continues to openly commit ANY sin, it is an affront to God and weakens the body of Christ.

Pray for each other. Encourage each other. And, when necessary, confront each other, in love, so as to preserve the sanctity of the body of Christ.

1 Peter 1:14 - 16 (NASB) 14. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15. but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16. because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”

1 Corinthians 5:3 (NASB) 3. For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present.

Previously we read in 1 Corinthians 4:5,

5. therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of mens hearts; and then each mans praise will come to him from God.

As we discussed, there Paul is dealing with judging peoples intentions, their motives of their hearts. But only God knows fully our intentions and motivation.

In todays passage we are dealing with an outright sin. The man is sleeping with his fathers wife (probably stepmother) and that he was doing with the knowledge of those in the church, and on top of that, they were doing nothing about it! This act of sin was strictly forbidden in the law that was handed down by God to Moses.

Leviticus 18:8 (NLT) 8. Do not have sexual relations with any of your fathers wives, for this would violate your father.

Deuteronomy 22:30 (NLT) 30. A man must not marry his fathers former wife, for this would violate his father.

It was not a matter of intention; it was an act of wrong doing according to Gods Word. If someone in the church is knowingly and openly committing an act of sin, the church is responsible to gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path (Galatians 6:1).

We are the "called out ones", the church, the body of Christ. God does not dwell in the presence of evil.

Psalms 5:4 (NASB) 4. For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You.

If we ignore evil in our midst and allow it to dwell there, how can the presence of God empower us as the church?

1 Corinthians 5:3 (NASB) 3. For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present.

Previously we read in 1 Corinthians 4:5,

5. therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of mens hearts; and then each mans praise will come to him from God.

As we discussed, there Paul is dealing with judging peoples intentions, their motives of their hearts. But only God knows fully our intentions and motivation.

In todays passage we are dealing with an outright sin. The man is sleeping with his fathers wife (probably stepmother) and that he was doing with the knowledge of those in the church, and on top of that, they were doing nothing about it! This act of sin was strictly forbidden in the law that was handed down by God to Moses.

Leviticus 18:8 (NLT) 8. Do not have sexual relations with any of your fathers wives, for this would violate your father.

Deuteronomy 22:30 (NLT) 30. A man must not marry his fathers former wife, for this would violate his father.

It was not a matter of intention; it was an act of wrong doing according to Gods Word. If someone in the church is knowingly and openly committing an act of sin, the church is responsible to gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path (Galatians 6:1).

We are the "called out ones", the church, the body of Christ. God does not dwell in the presence of evil.

Psalms 5:4 (NASB) 4. For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You.

If we ignore evil in our midst and allow it to dwell there, how can the presence of God empower us as the church?

1 Corinthians 5:1 - 2 (NASB) 1. It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. 2. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.

1 Corinthians 5:1 - 2 (NLT) 1. I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother. 2. You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.

What is the churches responsibility when one of its members is openly living in sin? Paul is quite clear here. He should not be permitted to be in fellowship with the assembly of believers.

“…For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14

Because he has been allowed to stay in fellowship, in essence the church is condoning his actions. God however tells us to separate ourselves from the world system. We are to be a people dedicated and set apart for the God of all Creation.

In 2 Corinthians 6:17, we hear an Old Testament principle from Isaiah 52:11,

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord…”

What should the church have done rather than let this go on? Again we must look to God’s Word for the answer.

15. “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. 17. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Matthew 18:15 - 17 (NASB)

Does this type of thing go on today? Absolutely! I know of one church where one of the relatives of a church leader was living with someone, not their spouse, and allowed to lead worship in the church. There was another instance where the church condoned one of its pastors in marrying a believer to a non-believer. Should these church leaders have been dealt with according to the words found in Matthew? Absolutely! And, those church leaders should have been dealing with the person living with another as well as counseling, according to God's Word, the believer that wished to marry the non-believer. We are called to live above the standards of the world. Remember, the word "church" means "called out ones." We are called out of the world system to live for God according to His system.

15. Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15 - 17 (NASB)

Greetings,

Rather than jump into chapter five today, I wanted to bring you all into a discussion that we had last night in Bible Study.

The discussion stemmed from an earlier one where we said that the church is not to be a democracy, but a Theocracy. A Theocracy is a system with God in charge. God wrote the rules (The Holy Bible) and there are no amendments! God is a God of order, not of chaos.

Shirley (Miss O. to some of you!) made a valuable observation. We have borrowed this concept from the world system. We have become so used to a democratic society (at least here in the U.S.) that we have tried to apply it to the "government" of the church. That begs the question, "What else are we borrowing from the world system instead of using the prescription that God has left us in His Word?"

Paul gives specific directions for choosing elders and deacons in Timothy and Titus. He outlines the qualifications that these individuals should possess and describes their function within the body. The problem is that much of the time we nominate people from the congregation that are merely "able bodied" or available, and then vote on who we want to be in that position. Is this not a "popular vote"? A more biblically principled idea would be rolling dice or drawing straws! Look at how Judas' replacement was picked in Acts 1:23 - 26 (NASB),

23. So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. 24. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen 25. to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26. And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

Proverbs 16:33 (NLT) says, "We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall."

The point is we need to examine everything that we as the body of Christ are doing and make sure that it is in line with God’s Word. We can’t simply continue to do something that “we’ve always done” because we assume it is right.

If we as individuals are to “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), should not the church, the body made up of these individuals, follow the same principle?

To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

1 Corinthians 4:21 (NLT) 21. Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?

What a fitting question. Do you view God’s Word as a source of punishment (can’t do this, can’t do that) or as God’s revelation of His incredible love for us?

The Law of Moses “came with a rod;” many rules and regulations to follow. Contrast that with the love of Jesus Christ on the cross for us with the admonishment to simply believe.

It is usually our pride and love of this world that causes us to view God’s Word as “a rod” or punishment. When we put that pride aside and bow in humility to the God of all creation, we find a loving Savior with a gentle Spirit who died to pay the price for our sins.

That’s the focus that we’ve been talking about; the focus the church is to have. If we, the “called out ones,” put aside our love of self and of worldly things, and focus on the incredible love that was shown to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, there will be no division in the body. There will be no quarrels and jealousy. There will only be the glorious sight of the united body of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, working in this sin-filled world; working to bring the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection to all who would believe and receive the gift of eternal life.

Ephesians 4:4 - 6 (NLT) 4. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6. and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

1 Corinthians 4:17 - 21 (TMSG) 17. This is why I sent Timothy to you earlier. He is also my dear son, and true to the Master. He will refresh your memory on the instructions I regularly give all the churches on the way of Christ. 18. I know there are some among you who are so full of themselves they never listen to anyone, let alone me. They don’t think I’ll ever show up in person. 19. But I’ll be there sooner than you think, God willing, and then we’ll see if they’re full of anything but hot air. 20. God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life.

21. So how should I prepare to come to you? As a severe disciplinarian who makes you toe the mark? Or as a good friend and counselor who wants to share heart-to-heart with you? You decide.

1 Corinthians 4:17 - 21 (KJV) 17. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. 18. Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. 19. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. 20. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 21. What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

God’s way is “not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power” (NLT). A crucial point in looking at our church…is it relying on God and obviously “powered” by God? Or, is it a “lot of talk” and everything that we do “human powered?”

Henry Blackaby, author of “Experiencing God” and several other books, relates that if we (the church) are only doing things that are humanly possible, we’re not giving God the credit He is due. We need to take on projects that we know ONLY God can accomplish…and then trust Him to use us and show His mighty power.

Blackaby gave an illustration of a “faith” budget. He said rather than figuring out how much money is at your disposal and then allocating that to different areas, find out what God wants you (the church) to do. If it is something that costs a lot of money, perhaps more than you humanly figure the church can do, so what! If it’s God’s will He will provide the necessary tools, help and money to accomplish it. Then, it will be obvious to all that the church is operating in God’s power.

Is the life of our church just talk…or obviously “powered by God?”
Is my life just talk about the Lord….or is it obvious to everyone that God is working in me and through me?

Glory to God in the highest!

1 Corinthians 4:8 - 16 (NLT) 8. You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you. 9. Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor’s parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world—to people and angels alike.

10. Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. 11. Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. 12. We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. 13. We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.

14. I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15. For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16. So I urge you to imitate me.

I think that this translation conveys the meaning of the original most accurately. Apparently, this church thought they were the “do all and end all” of Christianity. They didn’t need guidance from anyone. They had it all figured out.

Rather than trying to grow in the Lord they thought they were already “wise.” Paul had pointed that out in chapter three when he said they were mere infants and only able to drink “milk and not solid food”. This immaturity, though they didn’t recognize it, had produced quarrels, jealousy and factions in the church.

It isn’t enough for us as Christians to get “saved” by the blood of Jesus and then ignore everything else God’s Word tells us.

• That is why it is so important for the individual members of the body of Christ to be studying God’s Word, to be involved in discussing God’s Word, teaching God’s Word and helping each other to grow in the wisdom of the Lord.

• That is why it is so important to hear sound Biblical teaching from the pulpits of our churches. God’s Word is supreme Truth. It is infallible beyond even Paul and the other apostles.

We are “rich” in that we have God’s Word. How well are we acquainted with it?

1 Corinthians 4:6 - 7 (NASB) 6. Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. 7. For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

1 Corinthians 4:6 - 7 (NLT) 6. Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another. 7. For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?

God’s Word is the “Rule Book” for the church, just as Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. The problem that Paul is pointing out, is that often times we pay more attention to men, whether it be pastors, leaders, etc., than we do God’s Word and, in doing so, can be mislead.

While God has put the pastor in charge of the local congregation, the pastor is only human. Pastors can make mistakes. If a pastor is ignoring part of God’s Word, not worshiping God or not honoring Christ as the head of the church, he is in error. The same goes for an elder or a deacon. We, as members of the body of Christ, are to then turn to the scriptures for the solution.

1. Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Galatians 6:1 - 3 (NLT)

We can’t pretend to know the intentions of someone’s heart, so acting as if we did would be totally wrong. We can only “gently and humbly” point out that we see a discrepancy between actions and God’s Word.

Prayer: Lord, help me to examine myself first to make sure that all of my actions are in line with Your will as found in Your holy Word. Amen.

1 Corinthians 4:3 - 5 (NASB) 3. But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 4. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

1 Corinthians 4:3 - 5 (NLT) 3. As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4. My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. 5. So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

Frequently we look at what someone has done and assume we know the motive behind their actions. We often act (or react) based upon our assumption.

• We get angry when somebody “hurts us on purpose.” But we really don’t know their intentions.
• We get frustrated when someone won’t understand something the same way we do and assume they are “against us.” It couldn’t possibly be the way we’re explaining it!

Paul is saying “I don’t even trust myself to know what my “true” motives are, so obviously, I can’t “know” someone else’s.

God alone knows each of our hearts. Let’s purpose today to “assume” the best of others intentions instead of the worst. Let’s give the benefit of the doubt to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

”Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;” Philippians 2:3 (NASB)

1 Corinthians 4:1 - 2 (KJV) 1. Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:1 - 2 (NLT) 1. So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries. 2. Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (TMSG) 1. Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. 2. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge.

I put this before you in the three different translations today to make it clear that Paul is talking about Apollos and himself as leaders of the church. In essence he is giving scriptural qualifications for leadership.

1. Ministers of Christ
•The Greek word here for minister is hupēretēs. According to Thayer’s Greek Definitions it means,

1) servant
1a) an underrower, subordinate rower
1b) any one who serves with hands: a servant
1b1) in the NT of the officers and attendants of magistrates as—of the officer who executes penalties
1b2) of the attendants of a king, servants, retinue, the soldiers of a king, of the attendant of a synagogue
1b3) of any one ministering or rendering service
1c) any one who aids another in any work
1c1) an assistant
1c2) of the preacher of the gospel

• Notice that this is not an elevated position in terms of “look at me, how important I am” but “I am a servant of the King!”
• At the same time it is important to note it does not say, “I am a servant of the people” but of Christ.

2. Stewards of the “mysteries of God”
• The Greek word translated here “steward” is oikonomos. According to Thayer’s it means,

1) the manager of household or of household affairs
1a) especially a steward, manager, superintendent (whether free-born as was usually the case, a freed-man or a slave) to whom the head of the house or proprietor has intrusted the management of his affairs, the care of receipts and expenditures, and the duty of dealing out the proper portion to every servant and even to the children not yet of age
1b) the manager of a farm or landed estate, an overseer
1c) the superintendent of the city’s finances, the treasurer of a city (or of treasurers or quaestors of kings)
2) metaphorically the apostles and other Christian teachers and bishops and overseers

• Both the Message and the New Living Translation bring out the idea that the Christian leader is in charge of “explaining the mysteries of God” or “guides into God’s most sublime secrets.” That is quite an awesome responsibility.

So, God has put our leaders, the Pastor at the head of the church as a servant of Christ (not us!) and given him the responsibility of guiding the body of Christ into God’s eternal, mysterious truths.

Do we treat the pastor as a servant of the Most High?
Do we give them the time needed to study the Word in order to guide us properly?

Or

Do we treat the pastor as our servant and expect him to spend the majority of his time making us “feel good”?

Of course the pastor then has a structure that God has put in place under him to handle other affairs of the church, the elders and the deacons. As with any system there is a hierarchy of leadership. A good pastor guides those under him as fellow servants of Christ and helps them to understand their roles in the body of Christ.

Pray for and support with your words and your actions, the pastor as head of the local body and those in places of leadership under him.

1 Corinthians 3:21 - 23 (TMSG) 21. I don’t want to hear any of you bragging about yourself or anyone else. Everything is already yours as a gift— 22. Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, the future—all of it is yours, 23. and you are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God.

I like the way Mr. Peterson puts verse 23 in The Message. We are “privileged to be in union with Christ.” The New Living Translation and New American Standard say, “we belong to Christ.” That’s good and it’s true, for we were “bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23). We do belong to Him.

But often we forget that that is a privilege, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). It is a special honor to be called a child of God.

Not only is it a privilege but notice, we are “in union with Christ.”
• “In Him we have been made complete” (Col. 2:10).
• “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7)
• “For in him we live, and move, and have our being…” (Acts 17:28)

Only through Christ Jesus and our relationship with Him, does life have true meaning. What a privilege to be His. Each and every one of us who call Jesus, “Lord” have that same privilege. That person you may not get along to well with at church, has the same privilege as you. Let’s keep that in mind as we go about our lives this week. We are not the only ones privileged to be in union with Jesus Christ. We must actively seek unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ in order to honor our Lord.

1 Corinthians 3:18 - 20 (KJV)

18. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

In chapter one Paul told us that through the wisdom of the world man did not come to know God, but by faith (1:17-31). He pointed out that Christ was made unto us wisdom” (1:30).

Obviously this is an important point. Here he emphasizes that if we (or anyone in the church) think they are “wise” it would be better to repent and recognize that God is a whole lot wiser! Otherwise we will be defeated by relying on our own wisdom.

What is he saying to the church? The same thing from a different angle, “Christ is to be the center of everything.” He is to be the center of your thinking, of your plans, of your meetings, of your conversation. No man can do that or deserves to be in that place, only Christ.

We need to be careful then that we do not glorify any human being, whether it’s Billy Graham, our local preacher or ourselves.

To God be the Glory.

1 Corinthians 3:16 - 17 (NASB) 16. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17. If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

As the body of Christ we are the temple of God. He individually indwells us with His Holy Spirit, but it is in community, that is, together, each with His own unique gift, that we form the “body.”

That is why so often we are exhorted to encourage one another.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT) 11. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

We are told to restore the one that has fallen away.

Galatians 6:1 (NLT) 1. Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

If one of our brothers and sisters in the Lord is doing harm to themselves, whether it is through drugs, living in sin, or something else, and we do nothing to help, God will “destroy them.” That weakens the body of Christ.

We need to constantly (“day after day” – Hebrews 3:13) pray for each other, help each other in anyway possible and love on each other with God’s Holy love in order for the body of Christ to be strengthened and to be a strong witness to those who have not yet come to know the saving power of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:10 - 15 (NASB) 10. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13. each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Church – Jesus Christ is not only your Head, He is your Foundation.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes a particular “church” seems to be building on a different foundation? Perhaps it’s the foundation of “good works” or the foundation of “social events.” But when we build on any foundation that isn’t Jesus Christ it is NOT going to glorify Him. Apart from Him we can do nothing.

We need to look at everything we do, and ask ourselves is Jesus leading (as Head)? Is this event/activity based upon the foundational sacrifice of Jesus Christ for His people?

Yes, we have to individually ask these questions as members of the body. But, we also have an obligation to look at the local body of believers we are associating ourselves with and ask these same questions. If we find that there is a discrepancy, then we bring it to question in love to the authority/ies that are over the church. We, the church, are called to unity and, not just to “agree” with each other, but to agree that Christ is the Head of the body and He is the Foundation as well.

August 7, 2006

1 Corinthians 3:5 - 9 (NASB) 5. What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Church – be unified – you have the mind of Christ. You are not to be split into factions because one person might be more charismatic or “likeable” than the rest. God is the One who is important in your life. He is the One Who saved you. The Lord God is the One Who sent His only Son to die in your place – all of you, me and anyone else who thinks they deserve some kind of credit or special reward here on this earth. Only God deserves the glory, the honor and the recognition that He alone is God.

Church, “3. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6. and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.” (Ephesians 4:3 – 6, NLT)

Hear the words of Jehovah:
I am GOD, your God…No other gods, only me. (Exodus 20:2a, 3)

God’s Water is Better!

When we first moved onto our property about 9 years ago, there was relatively little “green” around. Lots of brown dirt & brown tumble weeds, but the only green things in sight were tumble weeds and a variety of other weeds.

We tried hard for a couple of years to put in a lawn. Granted, we live on a large piece of land but, over those few years we spent hundreds of dollars on various kinds of grass seed, fertilizer & peat moss. We also spent numerous hours, preparing the ground by hand & with tractors. Then we spent countless hours watering those precious seeds every day until a hint of green finally appeared.
The end result of all that work was a sporadic patchwork of green. It was disappointing to say the least.

Today, some 5 years after I had pretty much given up the hope of ever having a lawn, I sit on my porch looking out on our property and I see a blanket of green that I have had to mow at least once a week! You see, in the last few weeks we have had at least 5 inches of rain. God looked down on me and felt pity. He showered me with His water and it is beautiful.

Jesus Christ, God’s only and unique Son has water for us that’s even better than that which turned my grass green. In the Gospel of John, Jesus was talking to a Samaritan woman and said to her about the water He has to offer,

Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14. but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. (4:13 – 14, NASB)

Not only will we have eternal life when we come to Him in faith believing in his substitutionary death on our behalf, but we too will have that “living water” to brighten and enrich the lives of others.

In John 7:37-38, Jesus said,

…If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’

• Is your life enriched by the “living” water that Jesus has to offer?
• Or are you trying to “water” it on your own with the “water” the world has to offer?
• Are you “watering” the lives of others with those “living” rivers flowing from your soul?

Thank you, Lord, for your “rain.” Thank you for “greening” up our lives through the living water offered by your Son, Jesus. Help us to enrich the lives of others with the overflow that you have poured into us.

1 Corinthians 3:3 - 4 (NLT) 3. for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 4. When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?

When the church doesn’t act unified according to God’s plan, problems break out like jealousy and quarrels. Often times this is because somewhere along the line we (mistakenly) thought the church should be a democracy (a system of this “age”, world). But the church, the body of Christ, is to operate as a THEOCRACY with God as the Sovereign Ruler.

1 Corinthians 11:3 (NLT) 3. But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

God has established an order to things. When we break it, problems occur in the functioning of the church. Take a look around at some of the churches you’re familiar with. Is Christ the head? Is the Pastor (Greek: shepherd of the local flock), if that position exists, the next authority in line to direct the church as God’s leader? Is the Pastor submitting to the Authority of Christ, or trying to do things in his own strength? Are the elders and deacons submitting to the authority of Christ and the pastor? Are they chosen according to the guidelines found in 1 Timothy 3 or by a “popular vote?” Or, are they/we trying to insert a man-made democratic system to appease “the people?”

God’s wisdom is far above man’s wisdom. When operating by God’s rules (found in His Word) jealousy, quarreling and following after different men (Paul, Apollos, you or me!) will not occur on a regular basis. If it does occur, look to see if you are submitting to the authority of those placed above you (pastor, Christ) and, if not, repent, realign yourselves with God’s will and move on to build up the body!

1 Corinthians 3:1 - 2 (NASB) 1. And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,

In looking at what the “church” should be, we must also look at what the church shouldn’t be. Paul started out this letter with God’s purpose for the church, our incredible calling to be “separate” from the world and the fact that this all occurs by God’s power as we yield our lives to Him and grow closer to Him.

In chapter 3, Paul begins by telling them that they have failed to grow. Does the responsibility to grow in Christ rest solely with the individual?

Hebrews 3:13 (NLT) 13. You must warn* each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT) 11. So encourage** each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

* KJV translates this “exhort”
** KJV translates this “comfort”
Both are the same Greek word: parakaleō, which according to Thayer’s Greek Definitions means:

1) to call to one’s side, call for, summon
2) to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.
2a) to admonish, exhort
2b) to beg, entreat, beseech
2b1) to strive to appease by entreaty
2c) to console, to encourage and strengthen by consolation, to comfort
2c1) to receive consolation, be comforted
2d) to encourage, strengthen
2e) exhorting and comforting and encouraging
2f) to instruct, teach

We, the church, the “called out ones”, have a responsibility to see that we are all growing in the Lord. If this aspect of what the church is to “be” is left out, only spiritual babies are left…essentially, carnal Christians, still living according to the worldview of this “age” and not according to God’s worldview, a biblical worldview (operating system!).

Pray for each other and share what God is doing in your life. Share with each other what God shares with you from His Word. Not just on Sunday, but every time you see each other! Or, for that matter, even when you don’t see each other, share what God has laid on your heart with others through email, letters, IM, or a phone call. Remember the adage a chain is only as strong as its weakest link? Let’s eliminate the “weak links” by instruction, encouragement and through prayer.

WORD…

PART 2

The church according to 1 Corinthians 2 should:

* Seek out God’s purposes through His Word. (v. 7)
* Understand that the rest of the world, non-believers, will not understand God’s purposes. (v. 8-9)
* God’s purposes are revealed by God’s Spirit to believers (v. 10-12)
* It takes being “in the Spirit” (surrendered to, yielded to, etc.) to study God’s Word, because the Spirit is the One Who instructs us and reveals God to us. (v. 13)
* Understand that non-believers CANNOT understand the deeper things of
God and that’s why the church must continue to tell them WHO Christ is and WHAT Christ did for them. (v. 14)
* Judge/examine/correct itself but cannot be judged, etc. by non-believers who do not have a biblical worldview. –care must be taken not to let the church be influenced by non-believers- (v. 15)
* The church, the called out ones, have the Spirit of God, the mind of Christ and are taught by the Spirit of God. No non-believer can teach us “spiritual things” since they do not understand the things of God. (v. 16)

This was made very real yesterday as I received a call from a Christian girl wanting me to convince/convert her non-Christian/aethist boyfriend/fiancée. The only thing we can do is talk about sin in the world, our part in that, God’s remedy…Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for us. It’s up to the Holy Spirit then to convict them of that sin and the truth of God’s remedy.

We can not “argue” a non-believer into the kingdom. If we could it would be “man’s wisdom” that got the glory and accolades. A non-believer will not accept or understand God’s Word until they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit upon recognizing their own sinfulness and accepting Jesus Christ’s death on the cross on their behalf.

Prayer on their behalf and sharing what Jesus has done in OUR life, through verbal testimony and physical actions (the way we live), is the most effective way to witness.

The Church, according to 1 Corinthians 2, should:

• Not try to impress others but (v. 1)
• Reach non-believers by preaching/teaching WHO Christ is and WHAT He did. (v. 2)
• Recognize all human weakness (including its own) and glory in God’s strength (It’s His church!) (v. 3)
• Demonstrate God’s power at work (not glorifying men's accomplishments) and be a place where His Spirit is clearly at work (v. 4)
• Show complete faith in the power of God and NOT in the wisdom of men (v. 5)
• Provide opportunity for believers to grow in maturity (v. 6)

1 Corinthians 2:1 - 6 (TMSG) 1. You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. 2. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified. 3. I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate—I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it— 4. and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it, 5. which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else. 6. We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so.

1 Corinthians 2:14 - 16 (NASB) 14. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.

We, the “called out ones”, the “set apart to God” people, “have the mind of Christ.” That’s got to be the greatest ‘word’ to any and all who hear it. We don’t have to depend on our mind…we have HIS.

Thayer’s Greek Definitions says the word “nous” (translated ‘mind’) means,

the mind…comprising alike the faculties of perceiving and understanding and those of feeling, judging, determining, reason in the narrower sense, as the capacity for spiritual truth, the higher powers of the soul, the faculty of perceiving divine things, of recognizing goodness and of hating evil, the power of considering and judging soberly, calmly and impartially; a particular mode of thinking and judging, i.e thoughts, feelings, purposes, desires

I believe God’s Word to be absolutely True. When Paul says we have the mind of Christ and I think about having Jesus’ perception, understanding ,etc. I am blow away. We just need to “tune into” His mind, and “tune out” our natural mind until we only know His.

If you start getting down or depressed or worried today, just remember, you have the mind of Christ if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior!

1 Corinthians 2:9 - 13 (NASB) 9. but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND WHICH HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” 10. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13. which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

We, the “called out ones” of God have received the Spirit of God. Wow! The church is filled with people who have received the Spirit of God. For a purpose he goes on, “so that we may know the wonderful things God has freely given us (NLT)”. We are even taught by the Spirit!!! Talk about blessed….

But I suppose we should look at that little clause Paul has inserted in v.12, “not the spirit of the world.” All too often we participate in this world as though we were of this world. We pay just a little too much attention to entertainment, TV, secular music, hobbies, or even our jobs. But we “called out ones” are to “come out of the world” and the world mindset and be ONE together on God’s team, being about God’s business.
Going to school today? OK, but remember God is with you and wants you to act like you’re His child! Going to work today? OK, but remember when you get upset that God is there with you and wants you to react according to His principles.

We have received the Spirit of God. Think about that when you wake up in the morning. Thank Him. Ask Him to make you more aware of His presence in your life. How blessed we are!! Now, let’s go share it with someone else…

1 Corinthians 2:6 - 8 (NASB) 6Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; 7but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;

Jesus said in John 10:27-28 (NASB) 27“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

It would appear that Paul is showing the church a principal. When he first came to the Corinthians he preached only Jesus Christ (v. 2). Now he is telling them that to those who are in Christ, to the more mature, to the “called out ones” he speaks with “God’s wisdom in a mystery.”

The church is to be evangelistic, reaching out to non-believers and preach “Christ and Him crucified.”

The church is also to unfold the “mystery of God” to it’s members. Teaching, discipling and growing it’s members to become more mature in the things of the Lord. Not just staying in the “basics” of Christ and Him crucified, but diving in to the Word, searching for His will for us today, searching for a deeper relationship with Him. Everything we ever wanted to know can be found in His Word!!!! The scriptures say, “By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.” (2 Peter 1:3, NLT)

As the Lord brings each of us closer to Himself through prayer and study, wouldn’t it be great if we shared that with each other?

1 Corinthians 2:6 - 8 (TMSG) 6We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. 7God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. 8The experts of our day haven’t a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn’t have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross.

1 Corinthians 2:1 - 5 (YLT) 1And I, having come unto you, brethren, came—not in superiority of discourse or wisdom—declaring to you the testimony of God, 2for I decided not to know any thing among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified; 3and I, in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling, was with you; 4and my word and my preaching was not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power— 5that your faith may not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

The faith of the church, all of those who call on the name of the Lord, should rely only on the POWER OF GOD. It should not be influenced by apparent intelligence, charisma or persuasiveness of men. Once again we’re drawn to the same point that we have seen before…the FOCUS of the church is to be on JESUS CHRIST and GOD the FATHER.

I mentioned last night that I heard a message that I had to download (gbible.org, message #330) because it struck me…This morning I remembered the one point that stood out and it was this, too many churches get caught up in thinking that ministering to each other is what it’s all about. That in itself is not bad, but when you put God in the number 2 position and think that “you are doing something,” it’s wrong. GOD is to be the focus of our love and attention. People are second. Return to your first love. Return to Jesus Christ and rest in Him. Let Him carry you, direct you for He alone is your righteousness, your holiness and in Him alone you have redemption. Have a blessed day!

What a great summer! We were able to help sponsor an every other week outreach in Willcox aimed at the teens of the area. 6 young people accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior as a result. We also helped sponsor a Concert at the Willcox High School with four different Christian Bands. What a blessing. That's really why we started the R & R...to help young people. Now we're doing that plus going into our eighth year of ministry to two local Nursing Homes.

All three of the members of Reflection are pursuing academic degrees right now...all online. Sharon, in Business Management, Bea in Health Information Management and John is seeking his Master's in Biblical Studies. Keep us in prayer!!

Teenagers and Seniors...the two largest age groups in the U.S. They will continue to grow in the next few years.

We have worked with the seniors for over 5 years now and John has been a youth pastor for almost 13 years. This year the R & R has taken a more active role in the lives of young people by giving 2 scholarships to teenagers going to Christian colleges. We have also been underwriting the expense of having young Christian musicians come into our area (very rural) and play for the teenagers that John works with. The results have been fantastic as they nurture not only the teens in our area, but provide the musicians that come with opportunities they might not have had. It has also been interesting seeing friendships develop between the two groups which are maintained through the miracle of the internet.

This coming summer a youth group from Atlanta will be coming out to join John's teens in a week-long camp adventure they are calling "Cafe Cochise 2005." They will be spending one day at an orphanage in Mexico in addition to praise & worship, special speakers, service projects in the local community and helping with Vacation Bible school in the evenings. Please keep it in prayer.

The R & R will continue to contribute to the lives of seniors and teenagers...it is our passion and our calling. Thanks for your part in all of this.
In Christ,
The Team @ R & R Ranch

Merry Christmas to you all!
Things have been quite hectic lately, but rewarding.
We just had the funeral of a dear friend and neighbor, Stella Sanchez. She shall be greatly missed by everyone who knew her.

Thanksgiving week we (Reflection) sang at the Willcox Community Thanksgiving service, Wynne Chapel's Thanksgiving Eve service and 3 days at the 4th annual Old Pearce Holiday Festival.

We are continuing to support missions.
1. We helped the Faith, Hope and Love Kids Ranch in the Philippines buy bakery equipment to generate income for the ministry.
2. I shall be meeting with Pastor Isaias in Agua Prieta, Sonora this coming week (He ministers in the Navojoa are, about 12 hours south of the border).
3. We have contributed to the World Gospel Missions in memory of Stella Sanchez who was the church missions president and involved passionately in missions for the last 40+ years.

We are bringing in two bands, one from Payson and one from our area to do a Christmas Outreach to teenagers in conjunction with Wynne Chapel on December 19.

Keep us in your prayers and have a blessed Christmas and New Year.
In Christ,
John

We finally finished our second album and we think you'll like it. It is simply called "Heaven." Order now to give as Christmas presents for your unsaved (or saved!) friends. CDs are $15 each.
We've listed the songs below. If you would like to order one for yourself or someone else you may go to our website or send an order by email
1. “I’ve Got More to Go to Heaven For” 2:28
By Jack Campbell, © 1974 Dayspring Music
2. “I’ve Never Been This Homesick Before” 2:42
By Dottie Rambo, © 1977 John T. Benson Publishing (Brentwood/Benson)
3. (Where We’ll) “Never Grow Old” 3:10
By James C. Moore, © 1944 R. E. Winsett Music Company
4. “No Tears in Heaven” 2:30
By Robert S. Arnold, © 1925 by Stamps-Baxter Music Co.
5. “Heaven For Me” 2:38
By Lanny Wolfe, © 1974 Lanny Wolfe Music/ASCAP
6. “Tears Will Never Stain the Streets of That City” 3:48
By Dottie Rambo, © 1974 John T. Benson Publishing (Brentwood/Benson)
7. “I Can Only Imagine” 3:26
By Bart Millard, © 2001, 2002 Simpleville Music
8. “This World Is Not My Home” 3:43
By Albert E. Brumley, © 1936, renewed 1946 Albert E. Brumley & Sons, arr. John Chapman
9. “That Sounds Like Home to Me” 3:26
By Aaron Wilburn and Eddie Crook, © 1976 Word Music & Dayspring Music
10. “Suppertime” 3:23
By Ira Stanphill, © 1950 Singspiration Music
11. “Movin’ Up To Gloryland” 2:41
By Lee Roy Abernathy, © 1983 Abernathy Publishing Co
12. “I’ll Meet You in the Morning” 3:44
By Albert E. Brumley, © 1936 Hartford Music Co.,
renewed 1964 Albert E. Brumley & Sons
13. “If You Could See Me Now” 4:47
By Kim Noble, © 1986 Integrity’s Praise! Music/BMI and Hold Onto Music

Sorry it's been so long since the last entry. It's been one hectic summer.

In July, Reflection attended the Purpose Driven Worship conference in Lake Forest, California. It was held at Saddleback Church. It was fantastic. We got to sing in the choir that backed up Paul Baloche (Open the Eyes of My Heart, etc.), attended many different classesl; vocal, new music, youth ministry, and others.

In August, John led music for the 59th annual Cowboy Camp Meeting in the Chiricahuas. Reflection sang specials for most of the services. (4 services a day).

We also managed to complete our second recording called, "Heaven." We found a ministry that duplicates and prints the CD inserts cheaper than we can produce them ourselves so we are sending it out to them. We should have copies of the CD available in mid-October.

I know I've been terrible about keeping this up but here goes the "fill in the gap" session:
We (Reflection) went to the Purpose Driven Worship Conference at Saddleback church in Lake Forest, CA in July. The first week of August we led music at the 59th annual Cowboy Camp in the Chiricahuas.

In between all that we managed to finally finish our second recording called "Heaven." We have located a church in Corryton, TN that will do the printing and duplication for us cheaper than we could ourselves. The CDs should be in by the middle of October.

John led music for a youth revival at First Baptist Church in Bisbee last night. Lane Franks was the evangelist. 8 teenagers made first time decisions to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The Youth Group at Wynne Chapel that John leads graduated 13 seniors this year. But the attendance has already replaced them. They are running 32+ every Sunday night! (That's what they were running before they graduated the 13 seniors!!!)

Bill Keller of Liveprayer.com says the church needs to wake up. In his devotional this morning he spoke of the church arguing over whether tongues should be used while the world around us legalizes same-sex marriages.

When I polled the congregation at our church recently about their knowledge of the Federal Marriage Amendment only about 10% raised their hands signifying they had even heard of it.

I hope the reason for our lack of knowledge and action in these areas is because we are too busy fulfilling the "Great Commission," spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, baptizing new believers and discipling them.

If not, what will our excuse be when we stand before the Master?

The family is under incredible attack in our country. God's plan for a union between one man and one women is being bashed on several fronts. I received notice last week that it is now ILLEGAL for a preacher in Canada to preach about God's view on homosexuality...that it is a sin...Preaching this is punishable by imprisonment. It's hard to believe.

Pray for the state of the family. Pray Christians would be bold enough to stand up for God's position regardless of consequences. Pray for the children who are being raised with a distorted view of what true life in Christ is all about. Pray. Pray. Pray.

We were blessed to have Lorraine Lamar and her children, D.J., Micah, and Catherine in the evening service this past Sunday. They are currently living in the Philippines as full time missionaries. They run an orphanage called "FHL (Faith, Hope, Love) KIDS RANCH in Lucena. What a blessing to her their testimony!

On top of that, we had a record 50 teenagers turn out at the Youth Center to hear their presentation at 5:00 p.m.! They then packed up their things and came over to the main church to give their presentation at 6:00 p.m. Between the 2 services, 95 people were blessed to hear them. PRAISE GOD! Pray for their ministry. We will be sending them a financial gift to help with the new buildings they are constructing for the orphanage.

We're excited about becoming involved with a couple of new works in Mexico. I'll try to fill you in as things develop. I have quite a few people that want to go on a Mission Trip to Mexico in June.

We were able to help out a young couple with some medical expenses for their baby last week.

Pray God's will be done in all things. Don't forget the National Day of Prayer, Thursday, May 6.

The trip we took to Navojoa Sonora Mexico was fantastic. The 6 high school seniors that went painted a block wall fence for our host, Pastor Lan in the mornings and in the evenings, ministered to over 200 children in 3 villages.

The city of Navojoa had the fewest kids with around a dozen. The village of Burabampo had in the neighborhood of 80 children turn out for the event and Jitonhueca (Hee-tone-way-kuh) had around 100!

The evenings began by handing out crayons and pages with Bible picture/stories on them to be colored. Their completed pages were then hung on the wall. After this there was a time of music and then we showed the "Jesus Film" for children in Spanish.

When the film was complete the pastor led those interested, and their were many, in the sinner's prayer. We then handed out some candy, a couple of pencils and a couple of balloons to each child. It was great.

We left Navojoa on Friday morning and came back up to San Carlos. Here we spent the afternoon at the beach and the night at the Community Church there pastored by Rev. Lilly. We took Rev. Lilly and his wife Gloria out to dinner at "Charlies Rock" and came back to Arizona the next morning.

For more pictures and some musical sound bytes from our return service click here.

We got back from our Mission Mexico Trip late Saturday evening. It was fantastic! We took 6 high school seniors and there was one other adult sponsor beside myself. We ministered to almost 200 children in 3 different villages, where we showed the Jesus Film for children, colored Bible stories with the kids, handed out pencils, candy and sang and sang and sang!

I'll try to have some pictures posted in the next couple of days. Thanks for all your prayers.

If "The Passion of The Christ" can raise $212 million dollars in 12 days, why can't we feed all the poor people or take care of all the orphans?

Yesterday I met with the students and their parents who are going on the mission trip to Mexico a week from today. The parents are excited about the opportunity their children have in going on this trip and the kids are awaiting the day in eager anticipation. I asked them all to bathe the trip in prayer and I'm asking you to do the same thing. Pray for God's protection as we travel and minister to the people of Navojoa and the surrounding villages. Pray for the health of all of us that are going. Pray that God will prepare the hearts of the children and adults that will hear and see the gospel presented through the Jesus Film for Children and worship services. Pray that lives will be changed and hearts become even more surrendered to God's will. Pray that we will have abundant supplies and finances to meet the needs we encounter. Pray God's will be done.

We closed the 30 hour Famine this past Saturday with a discussion on the Passion of Christ. As we were talking the Lord brought to my mind something that I shared with the group and want to share with you now.

If someone were going to crucify me; nail me to a cross, they would have to drag me kicking and screaming or at least struggling as much as I was able.

In the movie, Jesus, with his last ounce of strength, pulled himself up and placed his own body on the wooden cross on which he was to be nailed.

"He (Jesus) was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven." Hebrews 12:2b

As many of you know I am the youth pastor at Wynne Chapel in Cochise, Arizona. Last night we began the "30 Hour Famine" for World Vision. It is a national event that raises money to help children all over the world. World Vision is presently involved in helping children in Iraq.

We had 32 kids show up (last year 23) to go without food for 30 hours, sing praises to God, engage in Bible studies, etc. They have raised $555 so far! There is hope for the future of this country!

Today they will go into 2 different widows homes to help them with whatever they need done. This is true religion at work.

Pray for them today.

The Passion of the Christ...I saw this movie last night. Being from the "TV" generation, I am very visually oriented. This movie brought Isaiah's words from 700 years Earlier to life:

...But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him - our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole...And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him. He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn't say a word....
Isaiah 53:5-7 (Eugene Peterson's "The Message")

It was also made very real to me, through the graphic depiction of Christ's torture, that we are to strip ourselves of living according to the flesh. Christ's flesh was ripped off by the scourging He received. But in the end, HE WON, HE ROSE to live eternally. We too, can "strip off the flesh" as laid out in Galatians 5:19-21,

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, (NLT)

If we strip ourselves of this "flesh" we will enjoy the rewards of living a spirit-filled life.

It's been a good week!

* We visited my mother-in-law in Yuma, AZ.
* While we were there one of our supporters, Cathy, took us out to dinner.
* An article about one of the nursing homes we minister at, Casa de Esperanza, appeared in our paper last week and thanked us for our years of service.
* In the same paper another article appeared thanking us for our involvement over the last 3 years with the Old Pearce Holiday Festival.
* Last night after our Youth service the leader of the band, Marcos, handed me a copy of their newly released CD "The Story of a Man." I felt like a proud papa after working with them over the last couple of years.

It's nice to see the fruit of our labor. Sometimes we don't and that's when we have to really trust God. After all, we just plant the seed. He does all the rest.

Thank you for praying for our ministry. Keep our March 15-20 trip in your prayers as we take down several high school seniors to Navojoa, Mexico and the surrounding villages.

Our trio, Reflection, sang at a Valentine's Banquet at First Southern Baptist in Thatcher, AZ last night. The church's pastor, Gene Barnett has been there for 18 years. The people were all very nice and we were able to share with some about the work we are doing in Mexico. They also presented us with a check that should buy enough bricks to do one of the walls on the church in Jitonhueca. Praise the Lord!

Well, as long as I'm sharing needs I might as well pass this one along. We got word from the plumber in Navojoa that it's going to cost $735 (U.S.) to repair the showers (essentially there are only stalls with no pipes), fix the bathrooms, put in a sink and install a hot water heater at the Mission Station, which by the way, has tremendous potential for an orphanage (interest in this has been expressed by outside sources).

Pastor Lan's house needs to be connected to the city water, fix a shower, install an existing hot water heater (gift) to the tune of $232.82 (U.S.)

And my God will supply all your needs
according to His riches in glory
in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

Pastor David Rey has shared with me the need for 15 copies of "A Traves de la Biblia" or "Through the Bible." This is a book he has used in the past to train the pastors in Mexico. Pastor Isaias, in San Pedro, has now started teaching from this book as well and is using it to train new "ministers" for the Lord. The books cost about $10 each. Praise God!

Well we're off to a good start for the teen trip to Mexico. I found a rental place for vans today that is $200 lower than the others.

The church we're building in Jitonhueca is moving right along, but we're needing a couple thousand more dollars to finish the plumbing and walls. That's not bad considering this whole 30 X 40 building has only cost us about $2000 to date. If you're able to help, you can donate on line or send a check to the address on our website.

Keep the work in Mexico in your prayers.

We are going to be able to take the group of teens from Wynne Chapel to Navojoa, Mexico this coming Spring break, March 15-20. Please keep us all in your prayers, for safety, for effectiveness in witnessing and for changed lives, both the kids and those they touch.

The kids have already raised $700 towards the trip. They are excited about the opportunity and looking forward to working and helping people! At the church last night the youth led the service and gave short testimonials about what the trip meant to them. They lit up as they told how good it made them feel to see the smiles on the faces of the people that they had helped.

I think it can best be summed up by the title of Max Lucado's new book:
"IT'S NOT ABOUT ME"
We start to live when we realize that. Jesus put it this way in the gospel of John 12:25,
"He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal."
A parallel passage in Luke 17:33 reads like this in Eugene Pattersons "The Message,"
"If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you'll lose it, but if you let that life go, you'll get life on God's terms."

My wife and I chose many years ago not to support the Super Bowl and other things like it for the same reason there is so much discussion going on about it now. Dancing transvestites, men and women grabbing themselves, exposing themselves and animated characters making sexual suggestions. But it's a good game, right? Though it was reported that the upper management of CBS preapproved EVERYTHING; even though we and CBS knew what hiring MTV would do for the half-time show...it's just a game.

When will we as Christians wake up and stop supporting things that clearly DO NOT GLORIFY GOD? Some churches even cancel services to support "the game." What are we teaching the children?

1 John 2:15-16 (NASB)
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

Yesterday I took 20 teens from my Youth group at Wynne Chapel down to Tucson. We went to help Pastor David Rey distribute fliers throughout his neighborhood. The fliers announced "Free Food" to be given out at noon. After the kids distributed the fliers they helped unload the food truck, set up the food lines and then distribute it to the people as they came through the line. They also helped people carry the loaded bags to their cars and some to their homes. They did a SUPER JOB.

Some of these same kids are interested in going to Navojoa to help in anyway they can. We'll be taking a group of them either this spring break or in June.

We were also able to take 2 more bicycles for the ministry in Mexico. Pastor Manuel has one that we took him in September but he asked if we could spare one for his son (Isaias - music) and helper. We're happy to be able to tell them yes because of your generation donations of bikes you're not using and Leroy Kennedy's donation of the labor to fix them. We also sent Pastor Lan a lawnmower so he can keep the grounds of the Mission Station groomed.

All in all a great day of ministry! Praise the Lord!

There's a lot going around about "contagious" Christianity, evangelism, etc. The Lord gave me a great experience yesterday at the eye doctor that falls into that category.

I was called in by the assistant optometrist to run some preliminary tests and struck up a conversation with her. I remarked on the fancy machines and asked questions about her job, which moved on to questions about her life. Within 10 minutes she was sharing that she really wanted to be an actress. We talked about a church I used to work at in Tempe and she "lit up" because she had been there. She wanted more of that experience with the Lord.

I interfaced with the Doctor, the lady that measured me and helped me select the right glasses and the billing clerk. With each one of them I was able to draw them out to talk about themselves and their lives instead of "just work."

The result was uplifting for all of us. What could have been just another customer turned into a fun experience (we laughed a lot) and one where they knew I cared about them as people and not just employees at the eye doctors.

I want to try to duplicate that experience wherever I go because it was exhilarating not only for me but the people I came into contact with that day.

SPREAD THE JOY OF THE LORD WHEREVER YOU GO. PEOPLE WILL WANT TO GET ON BOARD THAT "HEAVEN-BOUND" PATH.

Just wanted to let you know Reflection will be singing a "mini-concert" at First Southern Baptist Church in Safford on Saturday, February 14 at 6:00 p.m.

A 60 passenger bus was recently donated to the ministry of R & R Ranch. We are in the process of determining whether it can be used in the Mexico ministry or if it should be sold and the money put into the general fund.

Wednesday of this week I'll be going with Pastor David Rey to pick up a classic Datsun 240Z that was donated to the Mexico work. If it's as good as they say, it will be worth in the neighborhood of $10,000. Praise the Lord.

The trend in our world is toward "tolerance" and "acceptance." Of course this only applies to non-Christians. Christians are not to be "tolerated" or "accepted" because we hold the belief that Jesus is the only way to God.

We must remember that we believe that BECAUSE JESUS SAID IT in John 14:6. "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. NO MAN COMES TO THE FATHER BUT BY ME." (emphasis mine).

There is an erroneous belief circulating among people, and yes, sadly even among some "Christians," that Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and all other people pray to the same God. NOT!

The God of the Bible is the target of our prayers as Christians.
The all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe.
The triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit as described in the Bible.

We shouldn't go around bashing, tearing down, or likewise speaking ill of other religions, but neither should we lend any credence to their belief system. It's theirs. We don't have to buy into it. So many of these other religions and cults use the Bible as a basis for their writings. However, they edit them to suit their needs. God warns us in the Bible not to do this.

Just remember the 'One Thing'

"Thou shall have no other God's before me." (Ex 20)

At the R & R Ranch we are dedicated to serving Christians and non-Christians alike through our music ministry and the church planting/building in Mexico. I've always thought the work was important but it didn't hit home how much until I read the chilling statistics from 2 recent polls by George Barna:

QUESTION ASKED: How many hold a Biblical Worldview?

ASKED TO: 2033 adults across the United States and 601 Senior Pastors across denominational lines

DEFINITION of Biblical Worldview:
* Absolute moral truths exist
* Truth is defined by the Bible
* Jesus lived a sinless life
* God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He still rules it today
* Satan is real
* A Christian has a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with other people.
* The Bible is accurate in all of it's teachings

RESPONSE:
BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS: 9% held this Biblical worldview
SENIOR PASTORS: 51% held this Biblical worldview

MY QUESTIONS:
What are the other 49% of pastor teaching?
Why do the 91% of "born-again" people call themselves "Christians"?

This coming Sunday we will be doing a Memorial Service for one of the residents from Casa de Esperanza named Lawrence. Keep his family in prayer as they grieve the loss, but rejoice with Lawrence that he is now with Jesus.

Grace, unmerited favor, undeserved love....
God's gift to us in overlooking our faults.
Pass it on.
(Romans 14)

Greetings! I've just returned from a Pastor's conference where the theme was "Renewing Your Passion for God." A good point was made; without that passion our ministry can become "routine" or "rutting!" Personal time with God is important but it must be nurtured into passion, not just an obligatory daily bible reading or group of petitions directed toward God. We must fully understand how awesome He is and when we do, others will see that and respond.

I was also able to share a power point presentation of our latest trip to Mexico with several people who have joined us in prayer for the ministry of R & R Ranch.

Have a God-Blessed Day!

Pastor Rey was able to go to Navojoa during the Christmas break. He went to help organize the volunteer workers that came to distribute food and clothing. 600 bags of food passed were out in Jitonhueca, Chucarit, Navojoa, Burabampo and San Pedro along with clothes.

While there they also showed the Jesus film in three of the villages (Burabampo, Jitonhueca, San Pedro). 150 people accepted the Lord following the showing of the film. They also had a clown ministry for the children and painted the kids faces.

PRAISE GOD!

P.S. Pastor Rey also told me of the need for $763. to buy brick for the new church building in Jitionhueca and $303 to repair the roof of the caretaker, Tomas. Please pray about how you may be able to help. You can donate online with the link at the right or mail a check to: R & R Ranch, 5008 N. Joe Hines Road, Willcox, AZ 85643. All donations are tax deductible.

HAPPY NEW YEAR


Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Cor. 5:17 (NASB)

May God richly bless your new year.
May you purposely bless God in this new year.
But before you think about tomorrow and the days to come...
Think back over all the Lord has done in your life this past year
and thank Him, thank Him, thank Him.

On behalf of the R & R Ranch, I would like to thank you for making this the best year of ministry ever! You helped build churches in Mexico, start new churches, support 3 pastors, supplied clothing to needy, helped with emergency medical needs, the music ministry of Reflection in nursing homes, revivals, camp meetings and helped to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to many, many people.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. This is such a blessed time of year as we remember the birth of our Savior and then move on to live a new year for Him. Sharon and I enjoyed spending a few days with my Mom and Dad in Mesa, AZ. My sister's family came down from Globe for one of the days. We also celebrated our 18th year of marriage on the 26th of December.

A new resident was added to the nursing home at NCCH. Her name is Rosalea. She doesn't speak much English so it will be a good opportunity to practice my Spanish for our trips into Mexico!