LORD’S SUPPER.
An unhealthy culture makes for unhealthy people. People create cultures but, once created, a cultural mould tends to shape everyone into itself. We are shaped into community, which is why the church community is so important.
As we create a culture of love, grace, honour for one another in our church communities we will grow into the people God wants us to be.
The Corinthian church had created a culture of pride, competition and control. Each person was focused on their own importance and each person used his gifts not to serve others but to exalt himself. This situation expressed itself when they celebrated the Lord’s Supper together. Each person served himself and some went without while others gorged themselves and even got drunk.
Jesus had instructed his followers to share bread and wine together as a sign of their unity as participants in the New Covenant. The chief blessing of the new covenant is of course the Holy Spirit who now indwells our hearts. God’s Spirit is a spirit of commission, leading us and equipping us to serve each other and the world around us.
The Corinthians, however, were using the gifts of the Spirit to create recognition for themselves and so they formed a culture of competition and pride. The Spirit of God is given to us to serve others in selfless love and humility, not to wear as a badge of importance.
Let us take off our badges of self-importance and together create a culture of love. Who can you love and honour today?
Read 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Think about whom you can love and honour today. Start by praying for them now.
5ive Pty Ltd
Published 2017 by 5ive Pty Ltd.
Used with permission
Matthew Jacoby’s central passion is for communicating the Word of God. His desire is to learn what it means to live life by the Spirit of God, to learn to listen to God constantly and to be a transparent and honest witness to the faithfulness of God. He is the author of the daily devotional Thrive.
Thrive (February-April 2017) Corinthians and Galatians – Letter of Life
In this issue of Thrive we will be working through three of the letters of the Apostle Paul. The letters to the Corinthians and the Galatians are the most controversial of Paul’s letters since he deals with some of the complex issues facing the early church. Throughout this correspondence is some profound teaching that is as relevant now as it was then. Join us again in this issue as we continue to read the Bible together.
If you would like to receive a copy of the devotional Thrive which is distributed each quarter to 96three members please email listen@96three.com.au
An electronic version is available from 5iveonline
