Scripture Reading(s)
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus,
1:5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind
1:6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you
1:7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1:8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1:9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Reflections
Taking the time to encourage other fellow believers is not something that we as Christians think about on a daily basis. Being involved in a church can sometimes include the very important act of needing to encourage others who are in ministry also. Paul had a skill of always taking the time to write to other church’s to encourage them to keep pressing on in their faith.
Not only was Paul skilled at encouraging other church’s and followers of Christ, he always made sure to cover some of the most important foundations of a healthy church. Paul began by wishing them God’s Grace and Peace upon them and their lives. He then touches on the fact that the work they are doing to have a good standing testimony for Christ is what they should keep on pursuing and rely heavily on Christ’s strength to keep pushing them to grow.
Paul commends the church for being strong in their faith, yet he also very much brings it back to the point of relying fully on Christ and not themselves to keep growing as church and community. Encouraging one another is not a small or unimportant act. Other fellow believers need daily encouragement and reminder that it is God who will continue to give them strength to keep pressing on in spreading the message of Jesus Christ.
Take the time to encourage and pray for believers around you. We are all part of one body of Christ and as such we share in the same goal in preaching the gospel whether or not we are in the same church, city or country. Stand firm on God’s faithfulness to keep using you and others to do His work.
He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul had some church members in Corinth that were a little more than troubled. There was infighting, sexual immorality, and leadership factions pitted against each other. Paul opens the letter to the Corinthians in an interesting way. He tells them that God will provide them with the strength and spiritual gifting that they seek but He will do so in order purify themselves and move into a mature Christian walk. This was an important reminder for the Corinthians; that their are supposed to be seeking the Lord first among any other thing.
We also can get caught up in life and forget what God is calling us to be more than just Christians but to mature each day by seeking Him. As with the Corinthians God will be faithful to give us strength as we need, so that we can walk in the Spirit and move towards a more righteous living every day.
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