A Better Way: the book of 1 Corinthians
45. Greetings And Grace
October 1, 2023 • Reggie Austin • 1 Corinthians 16:19–24
It's easy to see the greetings at the end of the letter as superficial. But in them we see an affectionate grace that we are to receive ourselves and extend to others as God has to us in Christ. Application Questions: 1. In what ways are you tempted to gloss over greeting? 2. How can you extend an appropriately affectionate greeting to your brother or sister in Christ? 3. How can accepting and embracing the grace of Jesus Christ help you this week?
44. Practicing The Gospel
September 24, 2023 • Brian Colmery • 1 Corinthians 16:1–18
Paul closes the book of 1 Corinthians with several short discussions on practical matters. But under these practical matters we find a deep theology. On three topics—money, plans, and church—we learn how to apply the gospel and find a better way to live in the practical issues of life. Application Questions: 1. How does the gospel give you a new way to think about money? 2. How does the gospel give you a new way to think about your plans? 3. How does the gospel give you a new perspective on life as a Christian in Los Angeles?
43. The Victory of Resurrection
September 10, 2023 • Matt Kleinhans • 1 Corinthians 15:50–58
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is victory over sin and death. We may still feel the sting of death in this life, but the victory of Christ allows us to say, "O death where is your sting!?" Application Questions: 1. How does the future Kingdom of God speak to your present life now? 2. What are ways you distract yourself or cope with the reality of death in this world? 3. What fear(s) do you have about death? 4. How does the victory of the resurrection speak to your fears?
42. The Nature of the Resurrection
September 3, 2023 • Brian Colmery • 1 Corinthians 15:35–49
In a chapter on our future resurrection, Paul anticipates an objection: how are the dead raised? Paul answers our skepticism and also brings us higher up and deeper in to the unimaginable glory of our future in Christ. Application Questions: 1. Do you fight to see the resurrection as realistic? If so, how do you handle that fight? 2. Does an acorn becoming an oak tree help you see the resurrection as rational? Why does Paul think it should? 3. How often do you think about the power of the resurrection, in the future and in your life now? What might God be prompting you to do in light of this passage?
41. The Hope of the Resurrection
August 27, 2023 • Brian Colmery • 1 Corinthians 15:20–34
Paul shows us that the resurrection is a picture of our future. Those who belong to Christ will be raised as Christ was raised one day. Not only that, Christ will remake the heavens and the earth as a returning King claims his kingdom. Seeing this future gives you a hope that can make you incredibly secure, incredibly sacrificial, and incredibly honest in your life now. Application Questions: 1. When you think about heaven, what do you picture? How does the resurrection affect your vision of the future? 2. Where could you use more security or more courage in your life? How does resurrection hope provide what you need to grow? 3. Are you more prone to blind optimism or cynicism? How can resurrection hope make you both realistic and hopeful?
40. The Reality of the Resurrection
August 20, 2023 • Brian Colmery • 1 Corinthians 15:3–20
Paul puts all of his passion and skill into this final chapter about the resurrection so we might see its importance for our world and our lives. Before he starts in on the effects of the resurrection, he gives us three realities of the resurrection that serve as the foundation for its hope-giving, life transforming power. Application Questions: 1. How much of a role does Jesus’ resurrection play in your life? 2. Do you tend to think of the resurrection more as a theory or more as a fact? How does that impact you practically? 3. How does the resurrection show Jesus’ transforming love for you? How have you experienced that personally?
39. The Gospel
August 13, 2023 • Matt Kleinhans • 1 Corinthians 15:1–11
The gospel is of first importance because it is the center of God’s plan for all of creation. So what is the meaning of the gospel, and how do we see its majesty? Application Questions: 1. In what way is the gospel “good news”? How are both words necessary to understand the meaning of the gospel? 2. What makes the gospel majestic to you personally? How might you explore the majesty of the gospel more in your heart and life?
38. Men and Women in Ministry
August 6, 2023 • Brian Colmery • 1 Corinthians 14:26–40
In one of the most challenges passages in 1 Corinthians, we find a deep lesson in a difficult package. Paul’s commands to the Corinthians contain a rich and even beautiful understanding of how men and women complement each other in ministry. If we take time to listen to the passage closely and put it in conversation with the rest of Scripture, we find a better way for men and women in the church. Application Questions: 1. How do you normally handle “tough” passages in scripture? 2. Are you more likely to emphasize the differences between men and women or the similarities? How does the Bible challenge and enrich that perspective? 3. How is the gospel necessary for us to understand and grow in a topic like this? 4. What are some examples you’ve had of spiritual mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters in the church community?
37. The Spirit and the Church
July 30, 2023 • Brian Colmery • 1 Corinthians 14:20–33
How do we think about the Spirit and the church? Church is a place to expect the Spirit to move, typically through others around us—and not just Sunday services, but smaller gatherings throughout the week. Yet this isn't excess, emotionalism, or spiritual experience for its own sake—it's done in order, because it's done in love. Application Questions: 1. Do you expect God to be at work when you are gathered with the church community, on Sundays or throughout the week? 2. What are different ways you can participate in the Spirit’s work when we gather as a church? 3. Why is Jesus the heart of church gatherings? How can we focus more on him on Sundays and throughout the week?
36. Tongues, Prophesy, and Love
July 23, 2023 • Brian Colmery • 1 Corinthians 14:1–33
Paul gives the Corinthians a better way for church: one not focused on flashy spiritual experience but on genuine spiritual substance. Spiritual gifts are not meant for showing off but for building up, which puts a culture of love at the heart of the church community. Application Questions: 1. Do you have any experience with prophecy or tongues? Is it positive, negative, or both? 2. Do you treat spiritual gifts more as tools or trophies? 3. How can the gospel free you to pursue building up the church community? What would that look like practically for you?
35. Love and Our Future
July 9, 2023 • Brian Colmery • 1 Corinthians 13
Paul pushes us even further in our understanding of love when he tells us it “never ends.” This is more profound than we realize, showing us how love is the foundation and culture of heaven, transforming our lives now on earth and pointing us to the never failing love of Christ. Application Questions: 1. When you think about heaven, what comes to mind? 2. How can heaven as a world of love guide you in your life now? 3. How does heaven as a world of love help you understand more deeply what Christ has done for you?
34. What Is Love?
July 2, 2023 • Brian Colmery • 1 Corinthians 13:1–7
This passage is famous as sweet and inspiring, but the more we listen to it, the more we are confronted by the size and importance of love. Love is what we want and need, but also what we don’t have on our own. Jesus does have it, and enough for us that we can be transformed to love like he does. Application Questions: 1. Why do you think this passage has become so sentimental for so many people? 2. How does this passage confront you personally? 3. How does this passage show you Christ and prompt you to practical ways of showing love to others?
33. Interdependence in Christ's Body
June 18, 2023 • Reggie Austin • 1 Corinthians 12:12–31
As the recipient of the free gift of God by grace, through the atoning work of Jesus, you are the body of Christ. This identity provides us with a greater appreciation of our unity and diversity, a greater belonging through our interdependence, and a greater understanding of God's love and care for us. Application Questions: 1. In what ways are you tempted to feel that you are not a part of the body? 2. How can you move towards esteeming more those who are different than you in Christ's body? 3. How can the reality of your identity as a member of the body of Christ lead you to greater fellowship with others and communion with God this week?
32. What are Spiritual Gifts?
June 11, 2023 • Scott Mehl • 1 Corinthians 12:1–11
What are your spiritual gifts? Do you know? How do you find out? How do you exercise them? If we've each been given special gifts by God for the benefit of those around us, these are important questions we all need the answers to. But before we can answer any of these questions we need to know: what are spiritual gifts in the first place? Application Questions: 1. What have you previously understood spiritual gifts to be? 2. If spiritual gifts aren't simply special abilities, but are instead the activities and areas of service God has called you to (and empowered you for), how does that change how you understand your gifts? 3. How might our hearts be misled if we assume spiritual gifts are special abilities that we can utilize according to our own wills? 4. What are your next steps in identifying your spiritual gifts at use in our local church?
31. Baptized Into Christ
June 4, 2023 • Brian Colmery • Romans 6:1–4
Like the Lord’s Supper, baptism is powerful but often neglected. In Romans 6, Paul shows us how baptism connects us deeply to important spiritual realities, that can help us navigate life even decades after our baptism. Application Questions: 1. How have you thought about baptism in the past? 2. What stands out to you about baptism as a picture of the gospel? 3. If you haven’t been baptized, what’s preventing you from taking that step? 4. If you have been baptized, how might it help you to remember your baptism this week?