Weaknesses

1 Corinthians 1

Background:
In Paul's time, Corinth was the finest city in Greece. It was a seaport city, the center of industry and trade, the capital of Achaia. It was known for its sexual immorality where a thousand priestesses served in the temple of Aphrodite as sacred prostitutes.

Paul spent 18 months in Corinth (A.D. 50-52). He founded a large congregation of believers on his first missionary journey (Acts 18). Paul wrote the letter from Ehpesus, probably in A.D. 57. He heard about problems that were tearing at the unity of this large body of believers. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians is a problem-solving letter It deals with issues that trouble many churches today. He addressed the letter to Sosthenes and the church.
(Resource: Nelson's Illustrated Bible Handbook)

According to David Guzik's Commentary, Sosthenes may have been the head of a Corinthian synagogue who was beaten because he persecuted Paul.

In Liberty Bible Commentary, Jerry Falwell said,"Sosthenes is the man who had been elected to take his (Crispus, Paul's first convert in Corinth) place, and subsequently, in a display of anit-Semitism in Corinth, had been beaten. Now he appears as a fellow Christian and minister of the gospel."

There were divisions and disputes in the church concerning families breaking up, law suits, immorality, doctrinal disputes, speaking in tongues, customs, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection. This background gives us a better understanding of why Paul wrote the letter and what issues he addresses.


LET IT GLOW


Verse 9 states,"God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord."
John Wesley said,"God is faithful to keep all His promises."
1 Thess.5:24 says," Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."

How true. God was faithful Noah, saving his household; to Abraham and gave him a son of promise, Isaac; to Isaac, Jacob, Joseph in preserving the Israelites; to Moses in delivering the Hebrews from slavery; to Rahab in  rescuing her family from Jericho's destruction; to protect David from his enemies and establish him as king of Israel; to Daniel and the three Hebrews in Babylon.  The list goes on.

God has been faithful to me and my family. He keeps His Word. He has provided for us many years now.
"For in Him we live and move and exist," Acts 17:28 states. I'm sure you can testify, also.

Isaiah 46:11b states,"I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it."

Do I look for His faithfulness and unfailing love?

LET IT GROW

Verse 27-29 say,"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which ar mighty; And the base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence."

Verse 31 says,"That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." (Jeremiah 9:23 is quoted here. Boast is another word used for glory.)

What did God choose? He chose the foolish, the weak, and things which are not.
Falwell said,"The selection of God is designed to bring to silence the wisdom of man. He selects the foolish to shame the wise; the weak to shame the strong; and the "nobodys" to shame the "somebodys."

In his book, The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren said,"Your weaknesses are not an accident. God deliberately allowed them in your life for the purpose of demonstrating his power through you. The Bible is filled with examples of how God loves to use imperfect, ordinary people to do extraordinary things in spite of their weadnesses. A weakness is any limitation that you inherited or have no power to change. It can be a physical, emotional, or intellectual limitation. God is not limited by our limitations. In fact, He enjoys putting His great power into ordinary containers. (2 Cor.4:7) If God only used perfect people, nothing would ever get done. Jacob walked with a limp so he could never run away again. It forced him to lean on God whether he liked it or not. If you want God to bless you and use you greatly, you must be willing to walk with a limp the rest of your life, because God uses weak people."

Thank You Lord for my weaknesses. Use them for Your glory.


LET IT GO

Trust God because He is faithful.

Thank God for my weakness so He can use me for His glory.