(Repentance must precede restoration!) 1 Corinthians 5 is one of those painful, difficult chapters of scripture, because it makes us deal with uncomfortable issues. Our nature is to be non-confrontational when it comes to other people’s lives. When it comes to the purity of the church, mature believers have a responsibility to obey the … Read more
It was so great to be back in class after being away for 2 weeks, with the snow storm on the 8th, and then in Cleveland last Sunday at a convention. I want to apologize from the outset, about not turning on the recorder until about 1/3 of our class. I put some of the … Read more
Happy New Year! I trust that your 2017 has begun just they way you wanted it. We began studying 1 Corinthians 5 this morning, where Paul begins dealing with his spiritual children about a difficult issue. It is never an easy task to confront anyone about open sin, let alone in the public forum of … Read more
We have finally reached the end of chapter 4! Paul gives us incredible insight into what it means to be a mature believer and accountable to the body of Christ. It is God’s purpose for all of us to be conformed to Christ and become mature believers. John explained that there are 3 basic maturity … Read more
Paul challenges us in 1 Corinthians 4:14-16, to be equipped to be spiritual “fathers & mothers” to assist younger believers to grow in Christ, and equip them to engage in the ministry of reconciliation — 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. V.16 culminates the treatise in a simple term — follow me. Philippians 4:9 and 2 Timothy 2:2 reinforce … Read more
It is not a popular study to go through so many verses that warn us about how the world hates Jesus Christ, and in turn hates us because of our association with him. We see persecution so infrequently here in the states, that when it is revealed through a news story, it is almost unbelievable. Then, we are reminded, in … Read more