Bible Reading Challenge #34
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says, “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except in the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Spiritual gifts are divine enablements for ministry that the Holy Spirit gives to all believers, and they are used for the building up of the church.
Before diving into the main section of this passage, Paul gives us a warning to remember: there will be many false teachers seeking to deceive for their own gain. Whether it is prosperity preaching, healing hoaxes, or money manipulation, many have used the umbrella of religion to dupe and exploit people searching for hope and help. If Jesus is not Lord in the teaching you are listening to, then the teaching you are taking in is false!
From this point on, Paul speaks very practically about the makeup of the church. Two main truths stand out in verses 4–7.
First: while there is great diversity in the church, there is only one God. We all have different skills, passions, and opportunities, but we are knit together by the same God. This same God does not play favorites, but loves all equally, even if we are not gifted the same way. We must focus less on comparing our gift and more on using our gift.
Second: the gifts given by the Holy Spirit have one purpose—the common good. You are not gifted by God to make your name great. You are not gifted by God to lead the biggest group. You are not gifted by God for your own glory. You are gifted by God for the common good. Yet it is common for us to exalt certain gifts and look down upon others. But while that may be common, it is not correct.
Before we dive into what your gifts may be, I encourage you to consider this: the God of the universe has specifically gifted you for a specific purpose. He made you unique, and your uniqueness matters. Take time to sit in the enormity of that truth—that the infinite God deals personally with you!
Bible Reading Challenge #33
1 Corinthians 11:29-34
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.
Paul’s words to the Corinthians are heavy. He warns that taking the Lord’s Supper carelessly or selfishly brings real consequences. Some in Corinth were experiencing weakness, sickness, and even death because of their disregard for the holiness of God’s table. That may sound more like the Old Testament God of judgment than the New Testament God of grace—but Paul is reminding us that they are one and the same.
God is holy. He does not treat sin casually, and He does not allow His people to treat His presence as ordinary. Divine discipline is real. Yet we must remember—discipline is not the same as condemnation. Paul clarifies: God disciplines His children so that they will not be condemned with the world. In other words, His discipline is an act of mercy.
Think of it like a loving father. A good father does not ignore harmful behavior in his children, but neither does he discipline to destroy them. He corrects in order to mature them, so they might flourish in the long run. In the same way, God disciplines us—not because He delights in punishing, but because He delights in us. His goal is holiness, maturity, and restoration.
So how should we respond? With humility. With self-examination. With a heart ready to honor God and love others. The table of the Lord is not a place for selfishness or pretense but for honesty, gratitude, and unity.
Response:
Worship God honestly.
Honor God with your actions.
Place others above yourself.
Receive His discipline as an expression of His love.
When we approach Him rightly, the Lord’s table becomes not a place of fear, but of grace—a reminder of the price Jesus paid, the holiness of God, and the love that keeps shaping us into His likeness.
Bible Reading Challenge #32
1 Corinthians 11:27–28
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
How we approach the sacred things of God matters.
In Corinth, the people were approaching the holy things of God carelessly—what was meant to be hallowed had become haphazard.
Unworthy Manners:
Ritualistically
Simply repeating something over and over can cause it to lose its weight.
If we treat the Lord’s Supper as a mere ritual, we rob it of its meaning, its message, and the power of what it represents.Are you tempted to treat this meaningful meal as just another tradition? Pause and consider its true significance.
Indifferently
Some come to the table simply because “that’s what Christians do.” They take it without reflecting on what it represents.
Instead of being moved by the sacrifice of Jesus, they’re more concerned with not being embarrassed by staying seated when others get up.Have you grown numb to the wonder of Christ’s sacrifice?
Remember: we must never “graduate” from the gospel. The cross must never become common.
Unrepentantly
Others partake with no intention of turning from sin. To take the Supper while refusing to repent is to misunderstand what it means to follow Jesus. We do not “sin so that grace may abound”—we fight sin because Christ died to set us free from it.
While Paul’s immediate focus here is on the Lord’s Supper, these same dangers apply to how we approach God in general.
So let me ask you:
Are you a ritual Christian, going through the motions?
An indifferent Christian, careless with holy things?
An unrepentant Christian, unwilling to turn from sin?
Paul says, “Examine yourselves.” That’s the invitation—to come to Christ honestly, reverently, and repentantly, so that the meal becomes once again what it was always meant to be: a proclamation of His death, a celebration of His grace, and a renewal of our devotion.
Bible Reading Challenge #31
1 Corinthians 11:23–26
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
The Lord’s Supper is not simply bread and juice.
This meal is the Gospel in tangible form.
In it, we see the body—the fully human body of Jesus—represented. The One who lived among us, who stepped down from heaven into our neighborhood, who died for us. His body was broken for all to see. His blood was poured out to cover our debt. He became the once-and-for-all sacrifice for the sins of all humanity.
Paul reminds us that this ordinary meal carries extraordinary meaning. These simple elements encapsulate the very heart of our salvation.
The body and blood of Jesus, offered to us, give us access to God’s grace, goodness, and promises. When we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim not only the Lord’s death but also His resurrection. It is an ordinary meal with eternal significance.
Michael Green beautifully summarizes the Lord’s Supper as causing us to:
Look back – at Christ’s death.
Look up – to fellowship with God.
Look around – to fellowship with others.
Look forward – to Christ’s return.
Look outward – to those who still need to hear the Gospel.
Bible Reading Challenge #30
1 Corinthians 11:17–22
17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
Over the first eleven chapters, Paul has addressed many serious issues in the Corinthian church—immorality, idolatry, and improper worship. But now he pivots to perhaps the most frustrating of them all: the abuse of the Lord’s Supper.
Paul essentially says, “Yes, you’re gathering—but it’s not for good. Your gatherings are actually doing more harm than good.” Instead of building unity, they were exposing and enlarging inequality.
What was happening?
The divide between the “haves” and “have-nots” was mostly along economic lines. The church was made up largely of hardworking, poorer believers who clung to Jesus in hope, despite their difficult circumstances and even persecution. These “have-nots” had no official day off under the Roman calendar, so they arrived at the Lord’s Supper late—tired and hungry—only to find that the wealthy members had already eaten their fill and, in some cases, gotten drunk.
The wealthy, with leisure time and resources, did not wait for their brothers and sisters. They indulged while the food was hot, consuming so much that nothing was left for others. Meanwhile, the working class showed up to scraps—and shame.
Paul’s anger was not simply about the food or drink. It was about their self-centered attitude. Their selfishness turned something sacred into something sinful.
On a personal note: I am grateful that this is not the spirit I see in our church family. While I know of many churches that struggle with these same kinds of divisions, thanks be to God that at FBCFB there is a genuine spirit of unity, fellowship, and encouragement. I especially want to celebrate the women of our church who have been catalysts in creating and protecting this kind of culture. My prayer is that God would continue to bless us with this spirit—and grow it among our entire congregation.