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Called to be Saints...Together
Theme:
Text:
- Read Hebrews 6:10-12. What hope is there in your serving? What benefit? What warning? What command?
- Study Matthew 20:20-28. What do you learn about serving others from Jesus’ teaching and example?
- Consider 1 Corinthians 16:18. Are you a person who refreshes others? How so? Who do you know who is a refreshing person? Reach out and thank them.
A Mindset For Doing What You've Heard
Theme: A mindset for doing what you've heard
Text: 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
- Look over the 5 commands in our text of 1 Corinthians 16:13-14. Which one seems to point at you the most? Why do you feel that way?
- Consider a few verses dealing with being alert: Mark 14:38; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Peter 5:8-9; 2 Peter 2:1 with 2 Timothy 4:3-5. What are you alert for in these verses?
Know and Practice the Job Requirements of Discipleship
Text: 1 Corinthians 16:5-12
Theme: Know and practice the job requirements of discipleship.
- Read the following verses: Proverbs 16:1-2, 9, 33; & 19:21; Philippians 2:12-13. What do these verses teach us about God? How does that truth apply to our effort at making plans?
- Add to your thinking regarding plans what James tells us in James 4:12-17.
- How does 1 Corinthians 16:9 help us determine God’s will?
We Are Called to be Giving People
Theme: We are called to be giving people
Text: 1 Corinthians 16:1-4
- Consider the other key texts where Paul addresses the matter of giving: Romans 15:25-38; 2 Corinthians 8; 2 Corinthians 9; Galatians 2:10
- What does Luke 10:25-37 teach us about giving? What does Galatians 6:10 add to the discussion?
- What is the warning of Luke 16:10-11 as it applies to your personal spending habits?
The Victory of the Resurrection
Text: 1 Corinthains 15:50-58
Theme: The Victory of the Resurrection
- Read our text of 1 Corinthians 15:50-58, and then hear an echo of this theme in Philippians 3:20-21.
- The source of the quote in 1 Corinthians 15:54: Isaiah 25:6-9
- The source of the quote in 1 Corinthians 15:55: Hosea 13:14
- Compare two Old Testament texts that also promise that our labor is not in vain: 2 Chronicles 15:7; Isaiah 65:22-25
Since Christ Has Been Raised…
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
Theme: Because Christ has been raised from the dead, the rest of the story is filled with hope.
- Review the Scripture readings regarding firstfruits: Leviticus 23:9-14 and Numbers 28:26-31. How does this Old Testament practice apply to us today? What does it mean for our giving? How does it call us to faith? How should our stuff steer us to worship? How can you express thanksgiving during this season?
A Really Big "What If"
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:12-19
Theme: Christianity stands or falls on the bodily resurrection of Jesus.
- Review some Old Testament verses on the resurrection: Job 19:26 with Psalm 17:15; Ezekiel 37:1-4; Daniel 12:2
- …and some New Testament verses: John 6:44; John 11:25; Acts 4:1-2; 1 Thess 4:16; 2 Corinthians 4:14
- How does Romans 1:1-4 unfold the significance of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead?
All of Grace
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:8-11
Theme: All of Grace
- Without gratuitous detail, how would you recount your unworthiness before salvation?
- Read the touching and thought-provoking story of the sinful women at Simon’s house in Luke 7:36-50. Give special attention to the question & answer in v.41-43. How does this story relate to you both experientially and theologically?
…by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain…
~ 1 Corinthians 15:10
The Inherent Power of The Gospel
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
Theme: The Inherent Power of The Gospel
- Examine some key verses regarding perseverance. What truth can be gleaned from each of these texts? Romans 8:29-30; Matthew 7:22-23; 1 John 2:19; John 10:25-30
- Consider the call to continue in the faith: 2 Corinthians 13:5; Romans 11:22; Colossians 1:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; Hebrews 2:1; 2 Peter 1:10
- What does Matthew 13:1-23 teach about faith professions?
Reminded Of The Gospel
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-7
Theme: Reminded of the gospel
- How did Paul “receive” (1 Corinthians 15:3) the gospel? Study Acts 9:1-19 and Galatians 1:11-17. What are two means of receiving? And how do these apply to us?
- Paul said the gospel was rooted in the Scriptures. Read Isaiah 53 and identify in this chapter both Christ’s death for our sins and Christ’s resurrection.
The Practice of Spiritual Gifts: Part 3
Theme: The revelatory and supernatural gifts were temporary and foundational.
- In discussions about spiritual gifts and the Holy Spirit, the word that often arises is the word “power.” Consider a number of verses that link “the Spirit” with the idea of “power”: Luke 4:14; Acts 1:8; Acts 10:38; Romans 1:4; Romans 15: 13, 19; 1 Corinthians 2:4; 1 Corinthians 5:4; Ephesians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:5
The Practice of Spiritual Gifts: Part 2
Text: 1 Corinthians 14:26-40
Theme: The Practice of Spiritual Gifts, Part 2: Order
- Look again at 1 Corinthians 11:2-13. You need to be sure that this text isn’t conflict with your understanding of 1 Corinthians 13:34. You must also add the clarity of 1 Timothy 2:12. Now use the context of 1 Corinthians 14 to shape a fresh thought about the meaning of “keep silent”.
The Practice of Spiritual Gifts: Part 1
Text: 1 Corinthians 14:1-25
Theme: The Practice of Spiritual Gifts: Part 1 — Edification
- The first part of 1 Corinthians 14:5 sounds a lot like Moses in Number 11:25-29.
- For background on 1 Corinthians 14:21-22 read Deuteronomy 28:45-50 and then Isaiah 28:11-12.
- Compare 1 Corinthians 14:25 to the prophecy of Zechariah 8:18-23. What do unbelievers conclude about your life?
The Permanence of Love, Part 2
Text: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13
Theme: Understanding "the perfect" in 1 Corinthians 13:10
- Find the word “perfect” or “mature” in the following verses: Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 2:6; 1 Corinthians 14:20; Ephesians 4:13; Philippians 3:15; Colossians 1:28; Colossians 4:12; Hebrews 5:14; James 1:4; James 1:25
- How can you keep this perfection or maturity in your mind as a goal each day? And further, how do you go about becoming a mature Christian?
The Permanence of Love
Text: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13
Theme: The Permanence of Love
- What does Romans 8:24-25 make us think about the permanence of hope?
- In preparation for next week’s study, read the account in Numbers 12:1-9. Compare Exodus 33:11.
- Then of course, read 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 again looking for clues in this very text about the interpretation of “when the perfect comes.”
The Truthfulness of Love
Text: 1 Corinthians 13:6-7
Theme: The Truthfulness of Love
- For an example of rejoicing in wrongdoing, note Pauls exhortation to the Corinthian church in chapter 5:1-5. Could Paul be accused of being unloving?
- How does taking a stand for right, for justice, and for truth fit in with 1 Corinthians 13:6? Check out Ephesians 4:15
- Add Proverbs 10:12 to your practice of wisdom. Are you good at doing this – this covering of offenses?
The Selflessness of Love
Text: 1 Corinthains 13:4-5
Theme: The Selflessness of Love
- Proverbs 14:30 offers a rather grotesque word picture of our selfishness. Let it sink in…just not to the bones!
- Browse through a number of verses in 1 Corinthians that indicate the church was struggling with this issue of pride and selfishness: 3:3; 4:6-8; 5:2; 8:1; 10:24, 33
- Read John 13:1-5 where Jesus models the spirit of humility even though he was worth of recognition.
The Gentleness of Love
Text: 1 Corinthians 13:4
Theme: The Gentleness of Love
- Consider a number of Bible passages that speak to the patience of love: Psalm 103:8; Ephesians 4:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:14. Who do you have the most trouble being patient with?
- Now some verses on kindness: Ephesians 4:32; Galatians 5:22; Luke 6:27-36. Pray for a renewed mind for pursuing kindness intentionally this week.