First impressions are so important. What has been the strangest way that you have ever been introduced? I remember when I was introduced to the entire town when Jean and I moved to Japan. They said they were excited that I was going to bring some of that “Texas Spirit” to them. The only problem? I’m not from Texas. I’m from Wisconsin – I had only lived in Texas for a short time before moving to Japan. I didn’t know whether I should just stop the Texas connection right there and embarrass my hosts for their mistake, or just play along with it and don a cowboy hat and a fake Texan accent for as long as we lived among them. I ultimately laughed it off afterward, and it wasn’t a big deal.
Today I want to introduce to you a new series I am hoping to begin. Since this summer, I’ve been wrestling with the question of what to do after we finished the book of 1 Corinthians. I’ve had a number of ideas as to where to go, and I even started working on a series preaching through our new EFCC statement of faith - I even sent out an email to the worship team telling them what to prepare for - but as I started writing that series, I realized my heart and my spirit weren’t in it. So I went back to prayer like a carpenter returns to his workbench, and I want to present to you this morning what came out of that struggle.
As we come together on this first weekend of 2009, I want to bring a message to you that has been growing on my heart particularly in the past three months, although it has been a work in progress over the past year and ½ that I have been with you. The ideas that I am going to share with you today are not my entirely my own to share. They have been developed through interaction with you, through understanding our history as a church, and through discussion with many of our key leaders. I hope that what I say today may help us to understand the challenges and opportunities we as a church face entering our 33rd year, and provide a starting point for dialogue at every level about how we can better fulfill our unique mission as a church.
It being the end of the year, it is natural and proper for us as a church to look back and reflect on the lessons that we have (or should have) learned over the past twelve months. This year we have looked at over 35 or so messages from the book of 1st Corinthians. It’s been quite an undertaking and I know that I could have taken much longer to get through the book (or maybe some of you wish I would have taken much quicker). That said, today I want to quickly review the entire book of 1st Corinthians and share with you thirteen of what to me were the most important lessons.
Every Christmas season carries its own mood. Some years are jubilant. Some carry with them great anticipation and excitement. Some Christmases are like an unopened present under the tree, mysterious and inviting. Some Christmases are peaceful, like softly falling snow the season quietly sneaks up on us.Some Christmases seem rushed, business and tinsel and lights and rushing around running errands.Some Christmases are loud! Some are more somber. One thing I try to do as a pastor is to try and discern the mood of Christmas and speak to that mood in my Christmas messages.
This year, I have taken the title for my sermon from last’s weeks #1 movie in North America, The Day the Earth Stood Stood Still.
Paul’s focus in this chapter is very pastoral. How does he walk a tightrope between correcting the church in its overemphasis on speaking in tongues, yet not diminishing this practice that admittedly does bring personal benefit to the believer? Here’s the approach Paul takes with the Corinthians: in order to demonstrate the blessings and limitations of speaking in tongues, he contrasts it with the ability to prophesy. In doing so he also gives clear instruction regarding the use of tongues in church.
Much has been said and written on this 13th Chapter of 1 Corinthians. It’s the love chapter, often recited at weddings. It is generally regarded as being one of the most beautiful passages in all of literature. But I think it truly comes alive when we read it in the context of God’s entire message to the Corinthian church. Remember our series title for the entire book of Corinthians? Living by Love in a Lustful World. It can be argued that this is the climactic passage in the entire book, the sum total of all that the Holy Spirit through Paul wants the Corinthians to embrace, the proper summary of all that it means to live the Christian life is this messed-up, selfish, lust-driven world. Let’s look at this most excellent way of love.
Understanding the church in this way is essential to our strength because we no longer think of ourselves as individual believers facing our own individual battles and struggles, but instead “if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together,” meaning that we go together as a team wherever God leads us. When one of us falls, we all are affected, when one of us succeeds, we all succeed. Why? Because, Paul says, in verse 27: “you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
We recognized that there are going to be times in your execution of your ministry in building up the church that you run up against ministry needs that are beyond your ability to meet even if you are serving in the strength that God supplies. In those times, the Holy Spirit manifests himself in a supernatural manner so that the ministry can be met even through weak people like us, so that He receives all of the glory. In these times we stand back and say, “wow!” because it is evident to all that God had done an amazing work. That’s what this list in 1 Corinthians 11 is all about. These are “wow” manifestations – the Holy Spirit showing up in a way that everyone can see to meet a ministry need that couldn’t be otherwise met. Notice three important things:
In our day as well, I believe that there is a lot of confusion, or ignorance, about the workings of the Spirit and what some call spiritual gifts. We have many Christian movements that, like the Corinthians, are enamored with anything they believe the Spirit is doing and make these dramatic displays central to the life of the church. Over the next six weeks, we are going to study these things together as a church, and pray that we may be a church which practices no more and no less that what the Spirit has revealed through His Sword, the Word of God.