Bible Reading Challenge #55
1 Corinthians 16:1–4
1 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.
2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.
3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem.
4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
Returning to the Plate
After nearly four years of directing people to give online or to use the boxes at each sanctuary exit, we are beginning to pass the plate again in our services.
You may think this is a reactionary move to increase giving due to potential budget shortfalls — but that is not true.
Why We Give
We’ve begun passing the offering plate again because giving to the Lord is an act of worship.
God calls and commands us to give from what we have received. He is the true giver of all things, and in giving to the church and its ministries, we are obediently returning a portion of what He has so generously blessed us with.
Giving is an act of worship that every Christian should take part in.
Giving is an act of discipleship expected of all who claim Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Giving is not optional for those who have much — it is an expectation for all who follow Christ.
Giving Options
Give Online or By Mail
Many of you give online, and you may feel awkward when the plate comes by. You might even wish you had a sign that says, “I give online!”
During this time, simply pray that God uses what you’ve already given for His Kingdom purposes.
Give In Person
Some of you appreciate the weekly reminder and accountability that comes with the plate being passed.
Take out your checkbook if you have one, look in your wallet, or even log on to our website to make a donation in the moment.
Closing Thought
The work of God is supported by the people of God
as they take steps of obedience to God
with their God-given blessings.
Bible Reading Challenge #54
1 Corinthians 15:50–58
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
This chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, can be quite challenging to understand, but as we conclude it today, I want to bring one thing to mind: Resurrection.
The fact of the resurrection is exactly what Paul has been teaching throughout this discussion. Jesus was raised from the dead. Many saw Him die on the cross, and many saw Him alive again. The resurrection of Jesus is a truth that must be embraced by all who believe, for without it, we would be utterly hopeless.
The fact that Jesus has been raised gives us the hope that we, too, will be raised. Most simply, this means that death is not the end of our existence. We live now in a perishable state—our bodies fail, and we all will die. However, the hope (and promise) of the resurrection is that we will be raised with imperishable bodies that will never fail.
The quotation from Paul in verses 54–55 celebrates this truth: while death may have once stung, the stinger has been removed—its power is gone, and it is no longer to be feared.
Today, I encourage you to rest in the reality of the resurrection. Though we worry and carry burdens in this life, we can hold fast to the promise of eternal life with God—life free from the pain, sorrow, and struggles of this world.
Bible Reading Challenge #51
Christ Has Been Raised!
Warning: There’s a lot included in these verses below, so I encourage you to read them slowly—and then read them again—to help you process what Paul is teaching and correcting.
1 Corinthians 15:20–34
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under His feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that He is excepted who put all things in subjection under Him. 28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
Takeaways:
While many struggle to believe that a dead person could come back to life, this is what Paul is driving home to the Corinthians: In fact, Christ has been raised!
Not only has Jesus been raised from the dead, but He will also rule over all things. He will put every enemy under His feet.
The discussion of baptism relates back to the resurrection—it would make no sense to be baptized in the name of a dead man. But Jesus is not dead!
If there were no resurrection, we might as well live like the world does: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. Satan thought he had won as the Son of God hung on the cross, yet God was doing through Jesus what we could never do for ourselves. God used the death of His Son to bring life to the sons and daughters of faith.
Bible Reading Challenging #50
If Christ Had Not Been Raised
Take a moment and consider what life would be like if you were not a Christian.
How would life be different?
How would you live differently?
How would your view of aging, sickness, and death change?
For many of us, we grew up in a world that assumed some concept of Christianity. When we watch or read the news, we often hear phrases like, “He’s looking down and smiling.” Whether or not the person professed faith in Jesus, there’s an assumption that everyone goes to heaven. In fact, I have never heard someone suggest that a recently deceased person is in hell.
But if we did not believe in a God who came to us and made a way for us to come to Him, then what would be the purpose or goal of life?
This is what Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians 15:12–19:
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Why does the resurrection matter?
If Jesus was not raised, then your faith is futile.
We would have no hope.
Tomorrow, Paul will assure us that Christ has indeed been raised. But before we get there, I want you to sit with the devastating reality of what it would mean if Jesus Christ had not risen from the dead.
Bible Reading Challenge #49
The Heart of the Gospel
Do you ever fear that if you had to explain the Gospel, you might struggle with it?
Do you ever wonder what all needs to be included if you were to summarize what matters most?
I want you to remember 1 Corinthians 15:1–10, because it has all you need!
1 Corinthians 15:1–11
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
This is the heart of what we believe as Christians. Two thousand years ago, God sent His Son to live among us and die for us, granting us victory over sin and death.
After teaching on a wide array of topics through the first fourteen chapters, Paul now centers on what matters most: Christ crucified for me.
This morning, I want you to reflect on verse 10, where Paul declares:
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain.”
I am loved because of His grace.
I am saved because of His grace.
I am redeemed because of His grace.
I will be with God forever because of His grace.
I am what I am not because of what I do, but because of what Christ has done.
Say that a few times as you end this time of reflection:
I am what I am not because of what I do, but because of what Christ has done.