Devotions

network management

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

WE NEED MORE ON THE LIST AND LESS ON THE ROLL

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

1Co 5:9 In the previous letter, I wrote to you not to network with those who commit sexual sins–

1Co 5:10 not everyone in the world who commits sexual sin, nor those who are greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

11 So, just now I wrote to you not to network with anyone who names himself a brother if he commits sexual sin or is greedy, or is an idol worshipper, an abusive person, an alcoholic, or a swindler– not even to eat with such a person.

12 Because who am I to be judging the outsiders? Is it not the ones within whom you are to be judging?

13 God is judging those outside. “Remove the evil person from among you.”

network management

Our tendency is to do exactly the opposite of what Paul recommends here. Because we are anxious to get more numbers in our group, we will want to include all the creeps who choose to associate with our church, regardless of their lifestyle or level of commitment. And, we will want to disassociate with anyone socially who has the slightest sinful habit – because they do not go to our church.

We need to reverse that trend. We need more room in our personal networks for the outsiders who need Jesus, and less room on our member lists for the pretenders who are giving him a bad name.

LORD, give us the courage to reverse the trend!

Posted in church, discernment, evangelism, fellowship, genuineness, judgment | Tagged 1 Corinthians 5 | 1 Comment

insulting the Lamb

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

WHO’S IN THE PEW?

1 Corinthians 5:4-8

1Co 5:4 My judgment is this: In the name of the Lord Jesus, after you have been assembled and per approval of my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,

1Co 5:5 to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, in order that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

1Co 5:6 Your arrogance in this matter is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole product?

1Co 5:7 Thoroughly cleanse out the old yeast, so that you may be a new product, because you are unleavened. Since Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed,

1Co 5:8 so that we can celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of evil and wickedness, but with the unleavened product of purity and truth.

insulting the Lamb

In Corinth, a professing believer is having an affair with his stepmother. The other believers know about it, but they are bragging about their toleration, rather than disciplining the man. Paul has already passed judgment as the founding missionary, so he instructs the congregation to get together and formally expel the offender. His life of sin while he professes to be a believer is like yeast, which defiles the Passover bread, making it impossible to celebrate the feast.

The church is an open family of believers, and we must be tolerant of all kinds of differences among us. But we cannot afford to be tolerant of those claiming to be believers who live lives of blatant sin. Our responsibility in such matters is clear. Bragging about extending “grace” to those who profess faith, but have immoral lifestyles is an insult to Christ himself.

LORD, give us the courage to keep our fellowships free from hypocrisy and immorality.

Posted in discernment, holiness, hypocrisy, purity | Tagged 1 Corinthians 5 | 1 Comment

prideful porneia

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

WHAT BLATANT SINS ARE WE TOLERATING?

1 Corinthians 5:1-3

1Co 5:1 It is actually being heard that there is sexual sin among you, and such extreme sexual sin that is not even tolerated even among the Gentiles, because a man is having sex with his father’s wife.

1Co 5:2 And you are being arrogant about it! Should you not rather have mourned, so that he who has done this would have been expelled from among you?

1Co 5:3 Because I, even though absent in body, am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who has been doing such a thing.

prideful porneia

A sexual sin (porneia) is being committed by one of the members of a Christian fellowship in Corinth. He is having sex with his stepmother. The other members know about it. They are not in anguish over it. In fact, it seems that they are showing off their toleration of such a thing, as if it somehow makes them more Christian to allow this sin within their ranks. Meanwhile, Paul is incensed. He had no need to even deliberate over this. He told the Corinthians that they should mourn this person’s presence as a death, and immediately expel him from their ranks. There is no room in a Christian church for blatant rebellion against Christ, and that is what a wilful sin lifestyle is.

LORD, wake us up to what our rebellion means to you. Purge us of our prideful toleration of sin.

Posted in church, depravity, discernment, holiness, pride, sexuality, Uncategorized | Tagged 1 Corinthians 5 | 1 Comment

showdown

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

DO YOU WANT THE ROD?

1 Corinthians 4:18-21

1Co 4:18 Thinking that I no longer plan to come to you, some have acted arrogantly.

1Co 4:19 But I will come to you at once, if the Lord wants me to, and I will know not just the word about these arrogant people but their true power.

1Co 4:20 Because the kingdom of God does not just reveal itself with a word, but in power.

1Co 4:21 What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or with love in a gentle spirit?

showdown

Paul has gone from ranting about these jealous leaders to threatening them with a showdown. He is matching their words of criticism with words, so far, because he knows that is what the Lord wants. But he is letting them know in this letter that he is capable of demonstrating his authority if they insist on it. He had taught the Corinthians with love in a gentle spirit, and would prefer to do that again. But if need be, he can take on the role of disciplinarian, because sometimes a loving parent has to do that.

All of us in Christian leadership can be tempted to overstep the boundaries of our own authority. It is a good thing to keep in mind that the kingdom of God is about more than just words. If need be, our Lord can get down the rod, and discipline us. He does not want to, but he is not helpless.

LORD, give us all the wisdom to discipline ourselves, so that you do not have to discipline us.

Posted in criticism, humility, maturity, rebellion | Tagged 1 Corinthians 4 | Leave a comment

limits to leadership

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

ARE WE LEADING OR STEALING?

1 Corinthians 4:14-17

1Co 4:14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to offer constructive counsel to you as my dear children.

1Co 4:15 Because although you have countless guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Because in Christ Jesus through the gospel I fathered you.

1Co 4:16 I encourage you, since this is true, become imitators of me.

1Co 4:17 That is the reason that I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, just as everywhere in every church I am teaching.

limits to leadership

In the first century Greek economic system, a father would hire a slave to manage the schooling and rearing of his son, until the son became of age. Then the father would train his son in his own trade, either himself, or with the help of his other sons. Paul utilizes this analogy to talk about his missionary purpose for sending Timothy to Corinth. The elders who are leading the fellowships at Corinth are like the guardian slaves. Their responsibility is to mature the congregations in the faith. But Timothy has the responsibility to train them in the skills and character so that they do what Paul is doing.

But, in Corinth, the plan went wrong. The elders had started bad-mouthing Paul and the other founding missionaries, in an attempt to gain a following for themselves. They had transgressed the limits of their leadership authority.

LORD, may we lead others, to you – not steal them for ourselves.

Posted in church, discipleship, leadership, Uncategorized | Tagged 1 Corinthians 4 | Leave a comment

wiping rag

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

HOW DO YOU TREAT THOSE WHO BROUGHT YOU TO CHRIST?

1 Corinthians 4:9-13

1Co 4:9 Because I think that God has displayed us – the missionaries — last, as if sentenced to death, because we have become a theatrical show to the world, and to angels, and to human beings.

1Co 4:10 We are stupid for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are highly esteemed, but we are dishonoured.

1Co 4:11 To this hour just now we are hungering and thirsting, we are being poorly clothed and battered and homeless,

1Co 4:12 and we are labouring, working with our own hands. When insulted, we bless; when persecuted, we bear with it;

1Co 4:13 when being slandered, we keep encouraging. We have become like rubbish of the world, the wiping rag of all things – up to this point.

wiping rag

Paul is ranting here – and for good reason. Paul and his fellow missionaries are responsible for planting churches all over the empire. But they are now being treated like a wiping rag. They were useful for a time, but now the Corinthians want to throw them away. The churches now feel they are way past the need for their ministry, and are much more mature in their thinking than the ones responsible for bringing them to the faith. What is the cause of this disrespect? The Corinthians have been exposed to different teachings, and they now want to follow new leaders.

A truly wise person can learn new things without disrespecting her old teachers.

LORD, make us people who are thankful for all who minister among us, and always respectful of those who brought us to you.

Posted in church, consideration of others, leadership, missions | Tagged 1 Corinthians 4 | Leave a comment

crossing the line

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

ARE YOU LISTENING TO THE MINORITY REPORTS?

1 Corinthians 4:5-8

1Co 4:5 So before the Lord comes, you should wait a while before passing judgment. He will bring to light the things now hidden by darkness and will disclose the purposes of the hearts. Then the appropriate acclamation will come to each one from God.

1Co 4:6 I have patterned all these things to myself and Apollos for your understanding, brothers, so that you may learn through us not to go beyond what is written, so that none of you may act arrogantly in favour of one leader against another.

1Co 4:7 For who discriminates in your favour? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast like you did not receive it?

1Co 4:8 Already you have enough! Already you have become rich! Without us you have begun to reign! And I wish that you really did reign, so that we could reign with you!

crossing the line

The Corinthians were crossing the line. They were going beyond what is written in the scriptures, and favouring one set of leaders who agreed with their interpretation, discriminating against the others. The result was an ever-growing polarization in the church fellowships, with new rivalries starting every day.

Paul had to stop this, because he knew it would destroy the church. He encouraged the Corinthian Christians to stop passing judgment. He wanted them to stop picking their favourites and ignoring the other leaders. He told them that the scriptures had to be the limit of their discrimination, not one particular viewpoint endorsed by a particular leader.

He accuses the Corinthians of an over-realized eschatology. That is, they think they have progressed beyond needing the help of those very missionaries who planted their church. Paul wishes that they had already begun their millennial reign, but the fact is, they hadn’t. They are still being prepared, so they need to stop discriminating against the leaders with the least votes.

Posted in Bible, church, criticism, leadership, Uncategorized | Tagged 1 Corinthians 4 | Leave a comment

the boss is watching

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

ARE YOU AWARE THAT YOU ARE BEING SUPERVISED?

1 Corinthians 4:1-4

1 Cor. 4:1 This is how a person should think about us, as officers delegated by Christ and stewards of the mysteries belonging to God.

1 Cor. 4:2 From now on, in this case, it is expected of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

1 Cor. 4:3 But is a very small thing with me it if I am investigated by you or have a day in any human court. In fact, I do not even investigate myself.

1 Cor. 4:4 Because I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not justified by that fact. It is the Lord who is investigating me.

the boss is watching

Paul had so far spent a good portion of his letter warning the Corinthians that their leaders are making mistakes and causing jealousy and rivalries in the fellowships. He naturally assumes that some of these leaders are going to feel offended by the suggestion that they have failed in any way. He expects to be subjected to the same kind of scrutiny that he recommends. So, he tells the Corinthians to bring it on. He and Apollos and Sosthenes are “officers delegated by Christ and stewards of the mysteries belonging to God.” They answer to a higher authority. That higher authority is Christ himself. Christ is the boss, and he is constantly investigating them. So, Paul does not fear any accusation that might arise from an investigation by the Corinthians.

LORD, may we live with awareness of your divine supervision, and so never fear any human investigation.

Posted in discernment, judgment, leadership, obedience, presence of God, responsibility, servanthood | Tagged 1 Corinthians 4 | Leave a comment

it’s all for us

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

BE GRATEFUL, BUT NOT IDOLATROUS

1 Corinthians 3:21-23

²¹ So no one should brag about human leaders, because all things are for you, ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future– all are for you, ²³ and you are for Christ, and Christ is for God.

it’s all for us

The perspective Paul urges the Corinthian believers to adopt is this: all the wonderful and terrible things that happen in our lives are orchestrated by a sovereign God to bring him glory, to lead us to Christ, and to build us up. Everything is for our benefit as his church. That is why we should not make too much of a particular leader. Our leaders are given to us by God. We are the purpose for them, not the other way around.

LORD, give us the wisdom to be grateful for our leaders, but to be careful not to idolize them.

Posted in discernment, idolatry, leadership, ministry, Uncategorized | Tagged 1 Corinthians 3 | Leave a comment

a strange path to wisdom

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

OUR ONLY BOAST, OUR ONLY PLAN

1 Corinthians 3:18-20

¹⁸ No one should deceive himself in this matter. If anyone among you thinks that he is a wise leader for this age, let him become stupid so that he may become wise. ¹⁹ Because the wisdom of this world is stupidity with God. Because it is written, “He catches the wise in their cleverness,” ²⁰ and again, “The Lord knows the

arguments of the wise, that they are worthless.”

a strange path to wisdom

Paul suggested a strange path to wisdom for the leaders in the Corinthian fellowships. He suggested to those who were tempted to put “wise leader for this age” on their business cards, that they should put “stupid idiot” on them instead. The reason is that those of us wh0 actually seek wisdom are so far from it compared to God that our wisdom is actually worthless. So, the last thing anyone should do is listen to us.

Again, you have to remember the context to understand Paul’s statements here. He is speaking to those aspiring leaders who are gathering followings for themselves, and creating jealous rivalries among the believers in Corinth. They are convinced that their theological views are correct compared to the others, and that their plans and strategies are worthwhile, but everybody else’s plans and strategies are worthless. Paul is warning those aspiring leaders that God actually works against people who display that attitude.

LORD, may our only boast be the cross of Jesus Christ; may our only plan be to follow him.

Posted in humility, leadership, Uncategorized, wisdom | Tagged 1 Corinthians 3 | Leave a comment