1 Corinthians 12:1-31

How does a christian community look like? 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 describe a christian community as a group of people having different rule and task to help and support each other.

Verse 4-6 state that are various gifts, ministries, miracles but in one spirit and one God. Most importantly, as it's stated in verse 7 that all of them are for our own good. We can't rely individually but everyone has to help each other to achieve one goal (v.7-11). What's the goal??...that's a christian community.

Paul describe this relation in a christian community with an analogy of a human body. A human body can do different thing but each part has their own function and one part of it can't replace the task of others' part. It's sometime hard to understand why other members of the church react and think differently in a christian community. It's simply because other members aren't like ourselves. Even in verse 22-23 state that we need to take care of the weakest members of the church.

God doesn't want dissension in His church. He requires us to help and support each other (v.25). If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it (v.26).

What we learn from v.1-26 should be an example of a christian community. In order to create such community, we need to be humble toward each other and get the greatest give of all...that's love (v.31).

The passage in 1 Corinthians 12 describe the important of cooperation in humbleness and love to build a healthy christian community.

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Psalm 13

We normally start a prayer with some good sentences as to praise our God. Firstly with tend to express God as heavenly father, good father, our great savior, and other good words. However, David started his prayer directly in Psalm 13 without any "good opening", but directly a complain (v.1-3).

It seemed that David had been suffering for a long time and yet God hadn't answered his prayer. In very extreme situation, we also can start our prayer in the way David did. But, what made David started his prayer with complaining or should we say lamenting???....it's because he was on the first of dead (v.3).

What did David want God to do from his prayer???. Actually, he wanted God to enlighten his eyes and not let his enemies overwhelm him. What David meant about enlighten his eyes?..it meant that he didn't want to loose his hope in God. David said that if he had lost faith / hope in God, he would have died.

How many times have we been in patient with God and asking for quick solution for our problems? Perhaps we rarely ask God for keeping our hope instead. God doesn't want us to be spoil children..that's way, we seem that God postponed His action. But, that's not true!! God will absolutely help us, but at the same time He wants us to trust Him and not loose our faith in Him.In this way, our faith will grow and that's what He wants. With our faith, we can also defeat our enemies and win a victory in our life.

At the end of Psalm 13, David praised God again as a closing of his prayer. What ever happened to him, he would not loose his faith and hope in God (v.6). It didn't mean at that time David wrote Psalm 13...God already answered his prayer, but he wanted to show to us that we should praise God not only after he answered our prayer but also in the time we are waiting the answer from God.

Those experience with God made David believe in God salvation even in the very hard time. So, no matter how hard he complained about what's happening in his life...he still praised God. David chose to believe in God in spite of his situation...what about us???

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The essence of christian faith will keep us appreciating our life

Today’s sermon was taken from 1 Corinthians 15: 1-34. The sermon talked about apostle Paul came to the faith in Christ Jesus and salvation of his life radically. He once persecuted the church eagerly and brought the believers to jails and even to death. After his life have been comforted to the new life in Jesus, he began to work out his salvation by preaching, praying and supporting churches in Rome and many other areas. Apostle Paul had set his mind up to the essence of Christian that met drove him serve the Christianity. What was the essence of Christian faith that drove Paul’s life to bring God’s glory for his life and others: that Christ died for our sin and was buried and then was raised on the third day by God himself and Christ appeared to the twelve and more than five hundreds of brothers and sisters at that time (15:3-6). Some of the witnesses were still alive at Paul’s time (15:6).

His personal “meeting” with Christ Himself on the way to Damascus and the witnesses that Christ was raised strengthened him to serve the Lord, even harder than the other apostles (15:10). His past “mistakes” also made him more eagerly serve the Lord and strengthening other believers as he seemly tried to compensate those “mistake”. His experience with God had composed Paul’s faith and the new life that Jesus had offered gave Paul new hope to overcome his painful past “mistakes”. This new life and new hope were very important to Paul as for us today. There is eternal life-phase not in this world but after death and Jesus Christ has brought it into the human life through his resurrection. That was what Paul believed: the new and eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Why is the new and eternal life so important? It becomes important because the new life gives us new hope in our current life. If we know that death is the end of everything (and there is nothing we can do of it), we could be tempted to spent our life irresponsibly and follow our selfishness. That’s human nature and we must acknowledge it. The new life also brings the meaning and spirit to our current life. If we are suddenly ill and judged to have an incurable disease, we still have hope in the One that gives the new and eternal life. In case we (at the end) have to die, we know where we go and with who. If there was no resurrection of Christ, we are the most pitied people in the world that believe in such thing that never exist. But Paul says that there was a resurrection and has composed Christian faith since (15:16-20).

The new life that Paul had received from the Lord made him appreciate his own life. He appreciated his life in this world by serving Him and not by wasting it. This was the only way to give thanks to the Lord for what the Lord did to Paul’s life (giving him new hope and chance through resurrection, salvation, and eternal life). Therefore Paul warned those who did not regard life by saying (15:33-34): “Do not be misled: bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought and stop sinning.

There are some reasons why we have to regard and appreciate this life:
1. God exists and His creation is wonderful.
2. As to show our gratitude to God.
3. As to show that our life is a meaningful one.

Eventually, Paul rebuked those who did not regard life by saying that they were ignorant of God (15:34). We have seen many people around us who do not regard their life and that means that they at the same time ignore God. We should appreciate our life by doing things that pleased God and not things that displeases Him. That’s the only response to the salvation that He has given to us.

How far have you appreciated your life?? God is ready to give a new life to you if you accept Him personally. Keep appreciating your life and being a God's light with your life^^.

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God sees our heart..not our outward appearance

Today is a long day for me..but God did a lot of amazing things. I was so lazy to go to church this morning because I catched a cold..but once again, God reminded me through my mother that it's so important to go to church. Then I went to church with my lovely husband. I got a lot of things from today's sermon. The priest discussed about Mark 11:12-26. He said that God sees our heart...not our outward apperance. Mark told about 2 important things: Jesus cleared the temple and the withered fig tree. For the first thing, Jesus was so angry when he entered the temple area and he looked at those who were buying and selling there (11:15). From the story, we know that a lot of tradesmen in the temple courts would help a lot of people in preparing their offerings for God..but, that's not the right way. What kind of offerings that is great in God's eyes? We should not just give our material offerings, but also our heart offerings for His glory. We can give a lot of money, we can use a beautiful dress in church, we can bring a lot of expensive things for God, but that are not enough. God wants our heart, He sees deep down on our motivation in worshiping Him. Do we come to church as a daily activity or our heart is longing to Him?. We need to contemplate those questions in our heart^^.

The second things, Jesus said about having faith in God (11:22). If we have already purifed our heart and motivation, we could have big faith in Him. We know that He holds our live & He knows the best things for ous...so we can depend on Him without any doubt. It's so easy to be talked, but we must train ourself to do it in our daily life...having faith in God! We know that our life is getting difficult each day, but we should face it by having faith in God. We do not know about our future, but we surely know that God will lead us to our future. Every trial and difficulty will help us to improve our character to be more like our God.

God demands our faith to be fruitful in life. Like the fig tree of today's sermon, it did bear fruit when Jesus was hungry. It remains us that God may ask the fruit of our Christianity and our faith anytime. When it is said that the fig tree didn't bear fruit because it's not the right season, Jesus cursed the fig tree and it then whitered. Our faith may whitered if our faith is not fruitful. We cannot say to God to come next year or next month to see our fruitful faith. God wants it now not in right "season" like the fig tree.

Today's sermon reminded me again about my motivation and my faith. I hope that this sermon also can remind all of you who read it. God bless...

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