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Scripture Reading        : 1 Corinthians 16

Theme                            : Final Exhortation   

After discussing the resurrection in great details, Paul ended the letter with several exhortations in regard to giving, doing the Lord’s work, faithful living and love within the Christian fellowship.

1. Giving (16:1-4). The primary purpose of giving is to support the saints, particularly the poor saints in Jerusalem. Besides meeting the economic needs of the Jerusalem believers, Paul also want the collection to express the spiritual oneness of Jews and Gentiles in the church (Rom. 15:27).
2. Doing the Lord’s work (16:5-12). The work that Paul speaks of is not merely keeping busy, but dedicated spiritual service. This involves having a vision for the future (v.5), flexibility to God’s revision (v.6), thoroughness in working (v.7-8) and accepting opposition as a challenge (v.9).
3. Faithful living (16:13-14). After telling the Corinthians what not to be in the earlier chapters, Paul now gave five final commands to the Corinthians on what to be: alert, firm, mature, strong and loving.
4. Love within the Christian fellowship (15:50-58). Christ’s resurrection had broken the power of death for those who believe in Him, and death is no longer master over them (Rom 6:9). Though death still impacts us while we are mortal, yet we no longer need to fear death because Christ has conquered death by being raised from the dead (cf. Rev. 20:14; 21:4).

Praying the Scripture

1. The Christian’s first obligation in giving is to support fellow believers through the church. Giving should not be done only when we feel generous or “as the Spirit leads”. Though Scripture here mentions giving every week, Paul is not prescribing a legalistic requirement of parceling out our money so that we can be sure to have something to put in the offering plate every Sunday. Giving is part of worship – how believers handle their money is inextricably related to the depth of their worship. Weekly worship, thus, should remind us of our continual stewardship of the possessions the Lord has entrusted us. If we do not give properly, we cannot worship properly. Let’s pray that we will be faithful in the use of money, so that we will be entrusted with true riches one day (Luke 16:10-11).
2. Each of the last five commands to the Corinthians can serve as a point for reviewing the epistle. The first was to be alert, as opposed to being spiritually indifferent and listless. As the Corinthians were not alert in their spiritual walk, they allowed their previous pagan ideas and habits to invade their lives (1 Cor. 1, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13). The second was to be firm in the truth and not be carried about by every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14), as the Corinthians had tried to combine human wisdom with God’s wisdom. The third was to be mature, which is to have a sense of control, confidence and courage. Again the Corinthians were characterised by anything but maturity, as seen in their lack of love (cf. 1 Cor. 13:11). The fourth is to be strong, which is to be strengthened in our inner spiritual growth through the Lord (Eph. 6:10, 2 Tim. 2:1). Only a strong spirit can successfully battle and overcome the flesh – an area where the Corinthians were weak (1 Cor. 3:3). The last is to be loving, which complements and balances all other virtues. Let’s pray that our spiritual walk will also be characterised by these five commands.

经文：哥林多前书16

主题：最后的劝诫 

详细将复活谈论一番后，保罗以劝诫的话总结了这封书信，内容包括：奉献、做的主工、忠心的生活及基督徒团契里的爱。

Scripture Reading        : 1 Corinthians 15

Theme                            : Resurrection           

This whole passage is an entire doctrine on resurrection.

1. The evidence for Christ’s resurrection (15:1-11). The doctrinal problem here is not the Corinthians’ disbelief in Christ’s resurrection, but confusion about their own due to influence from Greek philosophy. Therefore, to lay the foundation for his teaching, Paul first presented the evidences for Jesus’ resurrection.
2. The importance of bodily resurrection (15:12-34). If Christ had not risen, all preaching and faith in Christ would be worthless (v.13-14), all witnesses and preachers would be liars (v.15-16), all believers will eternally perish in their sins (v.17-18) and Christians would be the most pitiable people on earth (v.19). It is the resurrection that gives us the greatest motivation to come to Christ and living for Christ.  
3. The resurrection body (15:35-49). Like a seed which die before it comes to life, we too must die before we can participate in the fruit of Christ’s resurrection. Resurrection body will differ radically in earthly body, which will be glorious, imperishable, powerful and spiritual.
4. The victory over death (15:50-58). Christ’s resurrection had broken the power of death for those who believe in Him, and death is no longer master over them (Rom. 6:9). Though death still impacts us while we are mortal, yet we no longer need to fear death because Christ has conquered death by being raised from the dead (cf. Rev 20:14; 21:4).

Praying the Scripture

1. The resurrection was the focal point of Christianity. Without the resurrection, the gospel would be an empty and hopeless message, the hall of faithful in Hebrews 11 would be the hall of the foolish and Christianity would be pointless and pitiable. To have hoped in Christ in this life only, we would have lived for nothing, hoped for nothing and died for nothing. Do you believe in the resurrection? Does it impact the way you live your life? All human power, beauty, wealth and glory will end at the grave, but the hope of a Christian should be like the epitaph expressed by Benjamin Franklin: “The body of Franklin, printer, like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out and stripped of its lettering and gliding, lies here food for worms. But the work will not be lost, for it will appear once more in a new and more elegant edition, revised and corrected by the Author.” Let’s pray that we will always “set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2), “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
2. There are two types of resurrections in the Bible: one is the resurrection of the righteous (Rev. 20:6, 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Cor. 5:1-5; Luke 14:14; John 5:29), and second is the resurrection of the unrighteous (John 5:29). The first resurrection at Christ’s coming will be the resurrection of the church, made up of believers from Pentecost to the rapture (1 Thess. 4:16). Next will be the resurrection of the Tribulation saints (Rev 20:4) and Old Testament saints (Dan. 12:2; Is. 26:19-20) at the Millennium. The only resurrection remaining will be that of the unrighteous who will be raised to eternal damnation at the end of Christ’s thousand year reign (Rev. 21:8). Which resurrection will you belong to? Let’s pray that we will examine ourselves regularly to see if we are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).

经文：哥林多前书15

主题：基督的复活

这整篇经文是关乎基督复活的教义。

Scripture Reading        : 1 Corinthians 14

Theme                            : Tongues and Prophecy      

After presenting love as the “more excellent way” above all ministries and gifts, Paul now confronted the Corinthians in regard to their sin against love in misunderstanding and misusing the gift of tongues.

1. The position of tongues and prophecy (14:1-19). Much of the tongues-speaking in Corinth had taken the form of pagan ecstasies and was counterfeit of the true gift. It is an interpretive key to note that the singular tongue (v.2, 4, 13, 14, 19) indicate the counterfeited gift because gibberish is singular while the plural tongues (v.5, 6, 18, 22, 23, 29) indicate the true gift because it involves various languages. Unlike prophecy (used here as speaking forth God’s Word) which edifies the whole congregation, tongues are unintelligible and its effects are emotional rather than rational.
2. The purpose of tongues and prophecy (14:20-25). The true purpose of tongue can be found in Is. 28:11-12 – the strange tongues mentioned refer to the gift of languages, which God gave as an impending sign of judgment to the unbelieving Jews. When that to which it pointed has been passed in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70, there is no longer a purpose for the gift. God’s prophesies had also closed since the Bible is completed. However, although foretelling has ceased, prophecy continues in the form of forth-telling (proclaiming) God’s revealed prophesies to edify believers and to evangelize to unbelievers.
3. The procedure of tongues and prophecy (14:26-40). Those true gifts must be ministered in a systematic and orderly manner because God is a God of propriety and order. Therefore, all things that His children do should also reflect those divine characteristics.

Praying the Scripture

1. As with Corinthian church, many Pentacostal and Charismatics today have misunderstood the gift of tongue. Using verse 4 as their support, they claimed that God is still giving the gift of tongues to believers this day for private devotional use, even if what’s spoken is gibberish. Some had even gone to the extreme to say that all Christians must have the gift of tongues in order to be a true believer. However, spiritual gifts are always used for ministering to others for God’s glory (1 Cor. 12:7), not to selfishly minister to oneself as some people thought they were doing by speaking in tongues. However, if even true tongues must be interpreted in order to be understood, how can gibberish possibly edify anyone, including the person speaking, without interpretation? Scripture is clear that Christians are only built up by the Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and this is the tool which every believer should be skilled in. Let’s pray that we will not clamor after the gift of tongues, but we will desire to build up one another through the Word of God (cf. 1 Thess. 5:11).
2. In light of the confusion and disorder that the Corinthian believers seemed to do everything, Paul gave a clear command for things to be done in an orderly manner, for God is not a God of confusion but of peace (v.33). Therefore, our worship of God should reflect the character and nature of God: that He is the God of peace and harmony, not of strife and confusion (Rom. 15:33, 2 Thess. 3:16, Heb. 13:20). Let’s pray that we will always worship God in an orderly manner whenever we gather as a congregation.

经文：哥林多前书14

主题：说方言与做先知讲道        

保罗将爱呈现作超乎众事工和恩赐之“最妙的道”后，现在要指责哥林多教会悖逆这爱，因为他们误解并误用了说方言的恩赐。

Scripture Reading        : 1 Corinthians 13

Theme                             : Love

This passage is the central chapter in Paul’s lengthy discussion of spiritual gifts, that is, the “more excellent way” in which God has planned for all of the gifts to operate.

1. The importance of love (13:1-3). The health of spiritual living is not reflected in spiritual gifts, but in spiritual fruit, the first and chief of which is love (Gal 5:22). It is through the fruit of the Spirit that God gives the motivation and power to minister His gifts. Without the motivation of love, all the things that we do – be it prophecy (proclaiming God’s truth), knowledge, faith, benevolence or martyrdom – is counterproductive and is all nothing.
2. The qualities of love (13:4-7). Love is active, not abstract or passive. Only when love acts, then it is fully love (1 John 3:18). Here, Paul focuses on what love does and does not in order to help us understand how to apply it in our lives. This beautiful portrait of love is a portrait of Jesus Christ, who has lived out in perfection all of these virtues of love.
3. The permanence of love (13:8-13). In contrast to spiritual gifts which are temporary, partial and elementary, love is permanent. It cannot fail because it shares God’s nature and eternity. Gifts, ministries, faith, hope, patience, all one day will cease to exist because they will cease to have purpose or meaning. But in that perfect day when we see our Lord “face to face”, love will just be a beginning for us.

Praying the Scripture

1. In contrast to the world’s definition of love as “romantic feeling” or “attraction”, true love (agape) is above all sacrificial. It sacrifices self for the sake of others, even for others who may care nothing at all for us and who may even hate us. It is not a feeling, but a determined act of will, which always results in determined acts of self-giving. This supreme measure and example of agape love is God’s love, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Love is so much an absolute of the Christian life that Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another (John 13:34) as the supreme mark of discipleship to Him. We do not have to manufacture love, we only have to share the love we have been given “because the love of God has been poured our within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom 5:5). Let’s pray that we will be determined to do everything in love as prescribed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
2. Paul strengthens his emphasis on the supreme nature of love by comparing love’s permanence to the impermanence of three spiritual gifts: prophecy, tongues and knowledge. Though we are told here that all three gifts would someday cease to exist, two different verbs are used to indicate their cessation. For the gifts of prophecy and knowledge, they will be made inoperative (“pass away”) by something outside themselves one day. But the gifts of tongues will stop (“cease”) by itself like a battery with limited lifespan. Let’s pray that we will seek love as the greatest gift by practicing and living love now in our temporal life.

经文：哥林多前书13

主题：爱

这篇经文是保罗对属灵恩赐的冗长论述中的核心篇章。这就是神策划所有恩赐当行的“最妙的道”。

Scripture Reading        : 1 Corinthians 12

Theme                            : Spiritual Gifts         

This passage introduces the section (chap 12-14) that focuses on spiritual gifts. Like much of the church today, the Corinthian church was seriously affected by counterfeiting as well as by misunderstanding and misuse of spiritual gifts. Such perversion of spiritual gifts was largely due to ideas and practices they had dragged from their pagan society into the church.

1. True spiritual gifts vs counterfeit gifts (12:1-3). Spiritual gifts are special equipment for ministry that the Holy Spirit gives in some measure to all believers and that are to be wholly under His control and used for Christ’s glory. A way to determine which gifts are true and godly and which were counterfeit and satanic is to compare if it agrees with Scripture.
2. The source and purpose of spiritual gifts (12:4-7). Spiritual gifts are not given as privilege or prestige, but as tools of ministry. The Lord gives them to His servants so they can serve, and He gives them for a limitless variety of services to manifest the Holy Spirit and edify the church.
3. The diversity and unity of spiritual gifts (12:8-31). Spiritual gifts fill two major purposes: the permanent gifts edify the church and the temporary gifts are signs to confirm the Word of God. Each gift is supernaturally given by one and the same Spirit, who also energise and make effective the gifts He sovereignly gives. The diversity of spiritual gifts are to express and strengthen the unity they have in their Lord Jesus Christ. However, unless each diverse member recognises and accepts his part in the whole body, diversity will divide rather than unite.

Praying the Scripture

1. Spiritual gifts are special capacities bestowed on believers to equip them to minister supernaturally to one another. There are a multiplicity of gifts which falls into two general types – speaking or verbal gifts (prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, teaching and exhortation) and serving or non-verbal gifts (leadership, helps, giving, mercy, faith and discernment). It is best to see each person’s gift as a unique blend of the categories of giftedness. Every gift is spiritual and important and each person is to exercise his / her gifts to serve one another (cf. 1 Pet. 4:10). However, there are two primary reasons some Christians never get involved in ministry. Some feel they have no gifts or abilities that are worthwhile and so they sit back and let others do the work (12:15-17) while some feel so highly qualified that they do not need the help of others to perform their ministry (12:21). Such individualism of inferiority or individualism of pride is never biblical or pleasing to God. Rather, all of us are responsible to discover and gratefully use the gifts that the Lord has given to each of us. Let’s pray that we will faithfully use the spiritual gifts that God has given us to serve Him and the church.
2. Permanent gifts are given to believers for the duration of the church age while temporary sign gifts were limited to the apostolic age and therefore cease after that time. These temporary gifts include healing, miracles, languages and the interpretation of languages. As B.B. Warfield wrote, “these miraculous gifts were part of the credentials of the apostles, as authoritative agents of God in founding the church. Their function confined them distinctly to the apostolic church, and they necessarily passed away with it.” Let’s pray that we will be able to discern between true and counterfeit spiritual gifts.

经文：哥林多前书12

主题：属灵恩赐

这段经文既是对12-14章有关属灵恩赐的介绍。如今日的许多教会一样，哥林多教会受到假教导的严重影响，并对属灵恩赐有错误的认识及应用。这歪曲大部分是因着他们把外邦社会的思想及做法搬入到教会而造成的。

Scripture Reading        : 1 Corinthians 11

Theme                            : Order in the church           

In this passage, Paul gave instructions on how order in the church is maintained by 1) subordination of women in the church and 2) proper celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

1. The subordination and equality of women (11:1-16). One foundational way that Satan feverishly tries to upset the divine order is by perverting the male-female roles and relationships, which has found its way into the Corinthian church. However, men and women were not on the same level of function in God’s design. In setting the divine order in male-female roles, Paul established that women are to be submissive to men because of the relationship in the Godhead (v.3), the divine design of male and female (v.7), the order of creation (v.8), the role of woman (v.9), the interest of the angels (v.10) and the characteristics of natural physiology (v.13-15). Yet as far as saving and sanctifying grace is concerned, a woman comes as deeply into communion with God as a man.

2. Celebrating the Lord’s Supper (11:17-34). The early church had special fellowship meals called love feasts (Jude 12) which usually closed with the observance of Communion. Though the Corinthian church followed this custom, yet they had turned the meals into gluttonous, drunken revelry which involved selfish indulgences, shaming the poorer brethren, mocking the Lord’s sacrificial death and scandalizing the church before the unbelieving world around them. Such abuses of the Communion had obscured its divine purpose and destroyed its sanctity. Therefore, Paul admonished the Corinthians to come worthily to the communion by examining themselves and to honor Christ in order to avoid God’s chastening.

Praying the Scripture

1. The principle of male authority and female subordination is not a traditional custom, but a principle established by God for the purpose of order and complementation. In God’s unique design, man is to be the head, leader and provider while woman is to be the helper (Gen 2:20), supporter and companion. However, the man’s proper authority does not make him independent of woman, nor does her proper subordination make her alone dependent. Therefore, man as a fellow creature has no innate superiority to woman and has no right to use his authority tyrannically or selfishly. Let’s pray that the men and women in our church will lovingly follow the divine order in order for us to be a strong and effective church.

2. When we come to the Lord’s table, we remember Christ’s work on the cross (11:25), proclaims salvation in Christ (11:24-25) and anticipates the return of the Lord (11:26). If we come with anything less than the loftiest thoughts of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, anything less than total love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we come unworthily to the Lord’s table. Therefore, we must always give ourselves a thorough self-examination before we partake, looking honestly at our hearts for anything evil. If we confess our sins, wrong attitudes and motives, God “is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Let’s pray that we will not come to the Communion unworthily and ritualistically, but to come with proper discernment and response to the holiness of the occasion.

经文：哥林多前书11

主题：教会里的秩序

在这段经文中，保罗给予指示，吩咐教会秩序包括：1）妇女在教会中的顺服；及2）庆祝圣餐的正确方式。

Scripture Reading        : 1 Corinthians 10

Theme                             : The Proper Use of Christian Liberty       

After explaining how using our freedom affects others in chapter 8 and 9, Paul now shows how our use of freedom affects our own life.

1. The abuse of liberty (10:1-13). Though all Israel had been graciously liberated and blessed by the Lord, most of them had failed the test of obedience and service by abusing their freedom and blessings. They had not brought their bodies under control, but had indulged their every desire, lust and craving by falling into idolatry (Ex. 32:6), immorality (Num. 25:1-2) and rebelliousness (Num. 16:41, 21:5). Therefore, they were disqualified in their spiritual life and lose their usefulness as their bodies scattered about the wilderness like pieces of broken vessels.

2. The forbidden use of liberty (10:14-22). Christians have no liberty in regard to outright sins such as idolatry, immorality and complaining against God. It is not a moral issue to eat something offered to an idol, but it is a serious sin to engage in any form of idol worship. With strong words, Paul rebukes those who would take their liberty too far and became involve in the evils of idolatry, which is an abominable sin before God.

3. The honorable use of liberty (10:23-11:1). The proper use of our liberty is to give glory to God. Though all things are lawful (i.e. gray areas of Christian living not specifically forbidden in the Bible), yet not all things contribute to our spiritual growth and to the good of others (cf. Phil. 2:3-4). Therefore, we are to use our liberty selflessly and carefully by imitating Christ, the supreme example of One who set aside His rights for the sake of others (Phil. 2:7-8).

Praying the Scripture

1. One of the surest ways to fall into temptation and sin is to become overconfident (cf. Prov. 16:18). As some Christians may say today, “This is the age of grace. We are free and God is forgiving. We can’t lose our salvation so why not get everything out of life that we can?” When we push our liberty to the limits to see how much of the flesh we could indulge, we are trying God and risk severe discipline from Him. Let’s pray that we will seriously give thought to the warning “let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12), so that we will not be disqualified from effective service to Christ.

2. The basic meaning of temptation is simply to test or prove. Whether it becomes a proof of righteousness or an inducement to evil depends on our response to it. God’s faithfulness promises us that He will not let us experience any test we are not able to meet and has provided the spiritual resources to help us endure through temptations. Let’s pray that we will be proven faithful by relying on God’s resources to endure temptations – prayer (Mark 14:38), trust (Prov. 3:5-6) and focus on our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 12:3-4).

3. The first question and answer in The Shorter Catechism are: “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” This is the pinnacle of man’s being. There is no higher purpose for any individual than to be totally absorbed in the person of God and to view all of life through eyes filled with His wonder and glory. Anything and everything a Christian says and does should thus be to God’s glory. Let’s pray that this will be our life commitment even in the most mundane, routine and non-spiritual things of life such as eating or drinking (1 Cor. 10:31).

经文：哥林多前书10

主题：信徒自由的正确使用        

保罗在第八和九章解释了我们的自由是如何影响他人后，他现在要阐明我们对自由的运用会如何影响我们自己的生活。

Scripture Reading        : 1 Corinthians 8

Theme                            : Christian Liberty

Continuing his answers to the Corinthians, underlying the question on food offered to idols is the wider issue of “Christian liberty”. In this passage, Paul gave the first principle in enjoying our Christian liberty with respect to other believers: knowledge must be balanced by love.

1. Knowledge (8:1-2). Knowledge can be a weapon to fight with or a tool to build up, depending on how it is used. The strong believers in the church had knowledge that idols could not contaminate food, but they were not using their knowledge in love. Instead of building up the weak saints, the strong Christians were only puffing up themselves.

2. Love (8:3-6). Paul’s great concern was that the strong saints help the weaker saints to grow and to stop being weak saints. It is here that love enters the picture, for “love builds up” and put others first. When spiritual knowledge is used in love, the stronger Christian can take the hand of the weaker Christian and help him enjoy his freedom in Christ. Knowledge must be balanced by love if we are to use our Christian freedom in the right way.

3. Conscience (8:7-13). Conscience is the internal court where our actions are judged and are either approved or condemned (Rom. 2:14-15). Conscience is not the law, but conscience depends on knowledge. The conscience of a weak Christian is easily defiled (v.7), wounded (v.12) and offended (v.13) because they lack knowledge. For this reason, the stronger saints must defer to the weaker saints and do nothing that would tempt them (v.11) and to help him mature.

Praying the Scripture

1. A know-it-all attitude is only an evidence of ignorance. The person who really knows truth is only too conscious of how much he does not know. Furthermore, it is one thing to know doctrine and quite something else to know God. It is possible to grow in bible knowledge and yet not grow in grace or in one’s personal relationship with God. The test is love. Are we loving our brothers and sisters and seek to edify them, or are we puffed up by spiritual pride with our knowledge?

2. “We love because He first loved us. If anyone says ‘I love God’ and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:19-20) Jesus commands us that we love one another in order to testify that we are from God. Love builds up and put others first. Let’s pray that we will love one another in our church just as Christ loves us and gave Himself up for us.

3. We are free in Christ, but we must take care that our spiritual knowledge is tempered by love and that we do not tempt the weaker Christian to run ahead of his conscience. Let us be sensitive to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ and seek to help them grow, for he or she is a brother for whom Christ redeemed by His precious blood.

经文：哥林多前书8

主题：信徒的自由

保罗继续回答哥林多教会的疑问。这里，吃祭偶像之物的根本问题是对“信徒自由”的了解。保罗在这段经文中给予享受信徒自由的第一原则，即与其他信徒有关：知识要与爱平衡。

Scripture Reading        : 1 Corinthians 4

Theme                            : True Servants of Christ     

This is the concluding passage regarding divisions in the Corinthian church over different ministers.

1. The right way of viewing God’s ministers (4:1-5). Christian ministers are, above all else, servants of Christ. The term “servants” literally means the lowest galley slaves, which were the most menial, unenvied, and despised of slaves. Because all ministers are no more than servants and only God alone can judge the true spiritual value of that service, it is not only destructive, but ridiculous to cause divisions in the church by arguing over who is the most honoured servant.

2. The wrong way of viewing God’s ministers (4:6-13). In contrast to the humility of God’s faithful servants, the Corinthians were full of worldly, carnal pride. They had gone far beyond scriptural respect for ministers (cf. 1 Thess. 5:12, 1 Tim. 5:17) and had developed factions that were virtually sects. Such pride deceived them into thinking that they had everything in themselves. Yet there are no good thing that they did not receive (cf. James 1:17).

3. The godly example of God’s ministers (4:14-21). The apostle has been stern in rebuking the Corinthians’ sins. Yet, he is harsh to them because he loves them as a father loves his children. As their spiritual father, he was responsible for their spiritual welfare and could not bear for them to be straying from God’s Word and the fullness of Christian life (cf. 3 John 4, Gal. 4:19, Phil. 1:23-27). Therefore, he admonishes (v.14a), loves (v.14b), fathers (v.15), sets an example (v.16-17a), teaches (v.17b) and disciplines them (v.18-21) for an effective discipleship relation.

Praying the Scripture

1. A popular game played by many Christians is that of evaluating pastors. All kinds of criteria are used to determine who are the most successful, the most influential, the most gifted, the most effective. However, servants of God should not be ranked at all, by others or by themselves because no human being is qualified to examine and evaluate God’s servants. Only God alone is the judge of their spiritual service and will give them their commendation in the last days (cf. 1 Pet. 5:4). Nevertheless, God’s faithful servants are to receive proper honor and respect (1 Thess. 5:12, 1 Tim. 5:17). Let’s pray that we will be submissive to our leaders within the bound of Scripture and also pray that our leaders will be obedient to God’s Word and faithful in feeding His flock.

2. The whole foundation of the Corinthians’ boasting was nothing more than a fabrication of their pride. Like the Laodiceans, they considered themselves rich and in need of nothing. Also like the Laodiceans, however, they were really “wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” (Rev. 3:17) The life of discipleship is the life of servanthood, and the life of servanthood is the life of humility. Therefore, no one has reason to boast in himself. That which the Lord loves in His servants, and that which eventually will bring them reward and glory, is a humble and obedient spirit (1 Pet. 5:6). Let’s pray that we will not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to think with sober judgment (Rom. 12:3).

经文：哥林多前书4

主题：基督属实的仆人     

这是对哥林多教会因各别事工而起的分歧的总结段落。

Scripture Reading        : 1 Corinthians 7

Theme                            : Marriage and Singleness   

Chapter 7-11 comprise Paul’s answer to practical questions which the believers in Corinth had written him (7:1), the first of which had to do with marriage and singleness.

1. Of marriage and singleness (7:1-7). Paul acknowledges that singleness is good, but does not support the claim that it is a more spiritual state than marriage. Unfulfilled sexual desires can be very strong, which pose the danger of fornication for those who are single. However, marriage cannot be reduced simply to being an escape valve for the sex drive as there is a much higher view of marriage than that (Gen. 1:28, Eph. 5:22-23).

2. Divine guidelines for marriage (7:8-28). Paul advised believers to remain as they were when they came to Christ. Staying single was not wrong; becoming or staying married was not wrong. Married Christians are not to divorce their believing partners; if they do (except for adultery), neither is free to marry another. If an unbelieving spouse is willing to stay, the believer is not to seek divorce; a believer can sanctify an unbelieving home. However, when an unbelieving spouse is determined to go, the Christian should not insist on the marriage and is free to remarry.

3. Reasons for Remaining Single (7:29-40). Being married or single has nothing to do with spirituality. However, there are many practical advantages of remaining single. It is easier for a single person to be more devoted to the Lord’s work because of fewer family demands and obligations. The married person has no choice. His interest must be divided and he cannot be faithful to the Lord if he is unfaithful to his family (1 Tim. 5:8).

Praying the Scripture

1. Scripture gives numerous reasons for marriage. First, marriage is for procreation (Gen. 1:28). Secondly, marriage is for pleasure (Prov. 5:18-19). Thirdly, marriage is a partnership (Gen. 2:18) and fourthly, marriage is for purity. In all, marriage is a picture of the church. Husbands are to have authority over and to love their wives as Christ has authority over and loves the church (Eph. 5:23-32). Let’s pray that the married couples in our church to have a godly marriage which testifies of our Lord’s saving grace towards us.

2. Though a Christian single may want very much to be married, he or she should be careful. It is never God’s will for Christians to marry unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14) nor is it right just to marry the first believer who say yes. Strong feelings of any sort tend to dull judgment and make one vulnerable and careless. There are several things that Christians in this dilemma ought to do. First, they should not simply seek to be married, but should seek a person they can love, trust and respect, letting marriage come as a response to that commitment of love. Second, it is fine to be on the lookout for the “right person”, but the best way to find the right person is to be the right person. If believers are right with God and it is His will for them to be married, He will send the right person, and never too late. Third, until the right person is found, their energy should be redirected in ways that will be the most helpful in keeping their minds off any temptations. Two of the best ways are spiritual service and physical activity. Fourth, they should realize that until God gives the right person, He will provide strength to resist the temptation (1 Cor. 10:13). Finally, they should give thanks to the Lord for their situation and be content in it.

经文：哥林多前书7

主题：结婚与单身

在7-11章中，保罗对哥林多教会所提问（7:1）的一些实际生活问题给予答案；首要的是与婚姻和单身相关。