Category Archives: Worship

Church, Colossians, Firm Foundation, Worship

Firm Foundations – Study 3 – Colossians 1:15-23

Jesus Christ is LORD and Saviour

Topics covered:
Our hope is found in Christ alone
The Trinity
What is the church?
Glossary: reconciliation; church.

Discussion Question

What are some things that you absolutely could not do without?

Context

The Christians in Colossae received a letter from Paul which begins by reminding them of how they received the true message of the gospel and how their reputation of faith in Christ and love for one another was generated by that gospel. Paul’s prayer is for God’s will to be fulfilled in their lives now. That is, for continuing to grow in their knowledge of God and to live out good godly lives because they have been saved from darkness and into the kingdom of God. They have been saved, not by their own good works, but because of the Son of God. They have God the Father to thank for his blessing on them, they have the Spirit of God to thank as they learn from Him through the scriptures, and they have the Son of God, Jesus Christ, to thank for his great sacrifice for them. Jesus Christ is the subject of Paul’s letter in this lesson.

Read Colossians 1:15-23

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

What did you see?

Structure

  • The Son is first in the world (15-17)
  • The Son is boss of the church (18-20)
  • The Son is the object of our faith (21-23)

The Son is first in the world (15-17)

“The Son…” Colossians 1:3 helps us to link ‘the Son’ as Jesus Christ, the Son of God the Father. The bible teaches us that God is one but that the Father, the Son and the Spirit are all God and that all three are unique. Our God is three-in-one. Tri-unity – Trinity. That word does not appear in the bible but the truth behind that word is clearly taught in the scriptures.

Here is a PDF lesson on why we worship God as three in one. This could be handed out or used for a leader’s own learning.

“…is the image of the invisible God…” When we say that God is invisible, there’s no surprise there. We don’t see him but we see what he has created and we come to believe that the bible is his word. The concept of Jesus being the image of God is a statement like, ‘if you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God.’ Mankind was described as created in the image of God  (Genesis 1:25) which to men and women being something of a mirror reflecting the glory of God. We fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and have Paul presents Jesus as the perfect image of the invisible God. John 1:18 says, ‘No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.’ This is the same sentiment that Paul is describing.

“…the firstborn over all creation.” This phrase is not to be confused with any concept that the Son of God had a time when he was not. It does not mean that the Father gave birth to the Son. The Father and Son titles describe their relationship but not their origin. So too, ‘firstborn’ describes the position that the Son holds throughout eternity. There is no other Son other than this firstborn Son over all of creation. Before anything else was, the Son was there. Let’s refer again to John Chapter 1, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. […] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.’ (John 1:1-2, 14) Jesus is the heir of everything – not from the mercy of God but because he is God.

“For…” because. What follows in Verse 16 is an expansion and something of an explanation of Verse 15.

“…in him all things were created…” Everything and absolutely everything that is has come because of Jesus. Look out your window right now and you will not be able to find anything that is here apart from Jesus causing it to be. That brick house – thank Jesus. That sky – thank Jesus. That grass and those insects – thank Jesus. Paul makes sure we know that all things is all inclusive by his list: things in heaven and things on earth – things that you can see and things that you can’t even see – think of the most powerful thing or being or object in the universe and it is not more powerful that Jesus because he put it there! He is the first! Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega”, says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Paul is saying that the Son is the Almighty God.

“…all things have been created through him and for him.” Not only is he the creator but he is also the reason that everything exists. It is all for him. That means that you and I have been created through him and for him. We exist for Jesus Christ! Whether you are a Christian or not, this is the reality. Sin is a three letter word for: I don’t care that this is all about Jesus ‘cause I choose to make it all about me! But Jesus is the boss of everything and everyone.

“He is before all things…” This speaks of Jesus’ eternal nature. He always has been and nothing in this universe is older than him. This is significant because we must not speak of ‘mother nature’ or ‘the universe speaking’ and phrases like that which push God out of the equation. Before anything was, Jesus was. He hinted at this himself in John 8:58, “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” This is saying more than that he is older than Abraham but he is picking up a phrase that Yahweh (the LORD) said to Moses in Exodus 3:14 – that HE IS! It’s a reference to his eternal attribute.

“…and in him all things hold together.” Paul takes this whole God-ness of Jesus to the next level! Not only is everything here because he put it here and because it is made for him – but it is all held together through Jesus too! The reason that we are here right now, still breathing, still standing, still reading words on a page/monitor – is because Jesus wills it! Our existence is due to him from beginning to end. And the fabric of the universe is in his hands. So, when we sing that childish song: he’s got the whole world in his hands – it is a figure of speech but it is not untrue!

As we close this section – thank God that you exist. Thank God that it is by his will that we exist and have our being. Revelation 4:11 says, “You are worthy our Lord and God to receive glory and honour and power for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

The Son is boss of the church (18-20)

“And he is the head of the body, the church…” Obviously the ‘he’ is referring to the Son of the Father who is Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:3). Having established his authority over all of humanity for all of time, now Paul focuses on the importance of Jesus to the Christian church. The word ‘church’ means gathering or  assembly rather than a club, organisation or society. So, it refers to people who gather for a common reason. They are people who Jesus has assembled through faith in him. This gathering is described as a body which has Christ as the head! Without Christ, there is not church. The church is not a building – that is just a building. It is not a denomination either, although under God a good denomination will manage the people of God and their affairs faithfully. Christians believe and become members of one universal and spiritual church when they turn their lives to Christ. But the local church that you attend is a manifestation of the universal church. When people gather together in the name of Christ, they are gathering with Christ as the head and they are the body (Matthew 18:20). The head of the church is not a Pope or a Bishop or a Minister or a Pastor – the only head of the church is Christ. Paul described himself and Epaphras as servants of Christ. They will oversee and protect and teach a church but they are fellow servants like you and I but fulfilling their particular role as God has gifted them. It has been said that we don’t go to church – we are the church. And Christ is the chief.

“…he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead…” To clarify the meaning of ‘head’, Paul expands firstly that Christ is the starting point among the dead. The Christian faith is all about the resurrection – both Christ’s resurrection and the promise of our resurrection because of his. Being described as the beginning brings in the notion of being foundational. His resurrection comes first and stands before all resurrections that will follow because of his. So, the use of ‘firstborn’ here does not refer to his origin but to being the established one of the church.

“…so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” Paul uses words like ‘firstborn’, ‘beginning’, ‘head’, and ‘supremacy’ to describe the position and rank of Jesus in the world. He must not be our afterthought in life nor in religion.

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him…” This refers to God the Father and reminds us of his opening statement that ‘the Son is the image of the invisible God’ so that everything between Verses 15 and 19 have been describing the supremacy of Jesus over the universe and over eternal life. God the Father delights to have all of his character represented and present in the Lord Jesus.

“…and through him to reconcile to himself all things…” Paul is transitioning his comments from the WHO of Jesus to the WHAT of Christianity. All of humanity is at odds with God because of our innate refusal to serve him. Jesus Christ is the means of us being reconciled in relationship back to God. The Father is reconciled with us because the Father is pleased to make Jesus the mediator. Christ doesn’t force God to love us. God is pleased to make reconciliation happen by the means of the cross of Christ. When he says ‘all things’, he does not mean that everybody is reconciled, but that everything is put in the right place because of Christ. True order is set as all will see Jesus as Lord one day, willingly or unwillingly. But there is nothing or no-one outside the scope of God’s reconciliation. You are either made right or you remain un-right. Either way, it is through Christ that all things are reconciled. Think of a financial statement where everything is accounted for. Everything is reconciled and nothing is left overlooked. Whether for Christ or against him, this is how everything is reconciled.

“…by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” This is the moment in all of history where things are set in order by God. No other event has the same level of impact as the crucifixion. Coming close are the moments of Creation and the moments when God promises to set things right. But the crucifixion is the watershed moment in all of history for everybody. By this one act, he has made peace. Colossians 2:13-15 describe this moment as the separation between death and life for everybody.

We bring this section to an end by admiring how supreme Christ is over all and are left with the question: ‘Is He Lord in my heart?’ Paul moves us to ponder this further in the next section – the resurrection and salvation will be real and established in you if you prove it by your perseverance. In other words, if you believe this, then you will hold tight to it!

The Son is the object of our faith (21-23)

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour.” What a neat description of someone who is not a Christian. It is not about being a ‘bad’ or ‘wicked’ human being. It is about being alienated from God and about being on the opposing side to him in your mind. The most gentle and sweet human can still live life apart from God as their Lord. If they salute themselves, or Mother earth, or science, or family, and continue their lives apart from God, then they are not allied with him. Take up the two imageries here: 1) alienated – like you are not from the same planet or country as God and 2) enemies – you are not allied with Him and therefore you are on the wrong side. Paul lastly blames it on evil behaviour. True, there are evil behaviours like greed, sexual immorality, drunkardness, selfishness, anger, jealousy and so on which we can all shake our heads at as ungodly. But the very act of Adam and Eve eating fruit from a tree that God told them not to is regarded as evil because at the heart of their action is their disobedience to God. Romans 3:10-18 draws quotes from the Old Testament to conclude that everybody sins (Ecclesiastes 7:20). We are all guilty of excluding God from our lives, denying Jesus as head over us, and living self-centred lives while only pretending to be sacrificial in love and relationships.

“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight…” How does God perform a magic trick where he views wicked enemies as his pure and holy friends? The cross of Christ is the answer. What Jesus did for us on the cross was to take the penalty of sin for us. His clean record is given to us while the punishment we deserve is dished out on the Son of God. And it happened at a real time and place in human history – on the cross at calvary. Christ did not wave a magic wand and make us pure. He took on the pain and physical misery to save us.

“…without blemish and free from accusation…” Paul expands on his description of ‘holy in his sight’. When we invite someone over for lunch, we may overlook some dirt on their trousers or some slightly crued manners so that we can enjoy the meal together. We look past things. But God does not look past sin. Rather, he changes our state. When he sees us, we are without blemish and with no residue of guilt. He does not ignore our sin. He transfers it from us and onto the Son he loves.

“…if you continue in your faith…” It seems like this might be the catch in the Christian faith. We have talked about grace and salvation by the works of Christ but now we see the IF statement. But this is perfectly right and to be expected! We are asked to do one thing – to believe with faith – to trust. This is an action word. We don’t simply hear the gospel and make a note of it in our diary and then forget it. Jesus becomes the object of our hope for the future. The proof of our conversion is that we continue in our faith. This is called perseverance. Paul will talk about this more in chapter 2.

“…established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.” Being a Christian is like building a house that will stand forever. It begins with a good, firm, established foundation. This foundation is Christ crucified. Christ the head over everything. Christ the firstborn from the dead. Christ the substitute for my sins. My hope for the future begins with Christ. It is a strong conviction that is needed if we are going to continue on in the faith. If it is shallow or unresearched, then it will falter and fail when the storms of life hit it. Jesus told a parable of four soils that each heard the word of God but only one of the soils grew real fruit. Mark 4:1-20. 

“This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven…” This does not mean that every ear on earth has heard this gospel but that there is no other gospel for this earth. When we talk about Firm Foundations of the Christian Faith, we are talking about the same gospel that has been laid down by Jesus Christ through the Apostles. There is only one way to be reconciled to God and it is through Christ. Being established and sure of our faith is the most important thing to do in life. It all comes down to knowing God in truth and trusting your future into Christ’s hands – always.

“…and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.” Paul was not born into a Christian family. When he was a young man, he was fiercely and violently opposed to the Christian faith. But when he encountered Jesus and was given a second chance to consider who Jesus is and what the gospel is, then he gave his life to Jesus Christ and the gospel. He describes himself as a servant of the gospel. Every part of his life is now in service to spreading the gospel. Paul was convicted of this truth and his prayer to the Colossians is that they would be established and firmly rooted in the gospel of Christ.

What did we learn?

When it comes down to who the most important person in the world ever was, the answer was and is and will always be Jesus Christ. He deserves our reverence because every single thing ever made was made because of him. And he deserves are dedication because only through him can we be made right with God. There is no human institution or club that you can follow to be right with God. But being sure of who Jesus is and deciding, forever, to follow him – to serve him – is the only right way to be blameless before God.

Now what?

Topic A: Do you honour Jesus as king over everybody, whether they like it or not? Verses 15-17 establishes the truth that Jesus is Lord over everybody. When we see people walking down the street, we must remember that their boss is Jesus. But everybody begins as aliens and enemies of God until they see Christ for who he is and put their trust in him for salvation. Christianity is for everybody.

Topic B: Jesus is the head of the church. Preachers and teachers and ministers and pastors are all significant roles that God uses in the church (see Ephesians 4:11-13) but none of them are Jesus. They must give an account one day for their life and they must trust in the physical death of Jesus Christ on the cross for their salvation. Be sure that your involvement in church is as a fellow member serving Jesus Christ as the head. Our trust and hope is in him alone. We will discuss the concept and importance of church again in lesson 5. But right now and always, our faith and hope is in Jesus Christ.

Topic C: Our firm foundations. Verse 23 gave us the challenge to be established and firm and unmoving from our hope in the true gospel of grace through Jesus Christ. It’s a description of a tree that must be planted well for the long haul. We cannot meet this challenge unless we understand what a Christian is, who Jesus is, and how to grasp the gospel for ourselves. Ideally, a church will provide great resources for growing its members up in the faith. Things such as daily bible reading assistance, regular church services that preach the word of God and small groups that meet for Christian encouragement and training in bible reading. When a tree is left without water, without good soil, and perhaps even removed and dumped on the roadside, it will not stand. But firmly planted and established, the Christian can grow and mature in the right direction – the way that God meant for you to be.

Church, Holy Spirit, Judgment, Kingdom of God, Resurrection, Revelation, The Last Days, Visions, Worship

Revelation 1

A vision from God to the churches

Discussion Question

What would you rather: to know all the details of a holiday before you go on it (the events of every day right down to all the problems that will occur) or to have a guide that promises you will be fine and to just go on the journey?

Background (Context)

We are at the very end of the bible and in a book that gets way too much attention for the wrong reasons. Being the last book of the bible, we must consider all that has gone before it! Creation, the Fall, the promise of salvation, the suffering servant-king, the gospels, the spread of the church with the message of resurrection, forgiveness of sins and persecution. The Bible, as a singular book, ends with a vision of all that is and will be. Whenever it is treated as an isolated book it is mistreated by the reader.

The scope of these notes will not be exhaustive on the book of Revelation. As we have always done, we will take each chapter at a time, each section at a time and uncover what the author wants us to see and hear and how to respond. There is no end to the amount of commentaries written on parts of the bible but there is no substitute to the bible itself for gaining understanding and good context.

A note on apocalyptic writing. Readers can get stuck in this book whenever symbols and ideas emerge that spark our imagination. While the genre of Revelation is different, it still uses the same constructs of language. Words build up sentences which build up a message which, in context, can be understood when we look for the clues. We will see in chapter one that questions are raised in the text and then resolved – in the text! We may not always know what exactly is meant but we will avoid jumping to whimsical conclusions.

So, Jesus has come to this earth and laid down his life. John 3:16 is not a prophecy but history. In this book we will remember that there is no greater truth than that Jesus is King and He’s going to take care of everything.

Read Revelation 1

Follow this link to read the passage on BibleGateway… 

What did you see? (Observation)

Structure

  • The revelation (1-3)
  • Grace and peace from the Triune God (4-8)
  • Write what you have seen (9-19)
    • The writer to the churches (9-11)
    • What he saw (12-16)
    • How to respond to Revelation (17-20)

Part a (1-3)

The revelation (1-3)

“The revelation from Jesus Christ…” The bible does not waste words. These three verses and the rest of this chapter give us great insights to uncover the whole of this book. We start by reading that this book is about a revelation from Jesus Christ. A revelation is simply the uncovering of something previously unknown. Jesus is revealing something to John, the writer, and to us. The whole bible is a revelation – knowledge of God that would otherwise be unknown to us.

“…which God gave him…” So the revelation is from Jesus but it was given to Jesus from God. The doctrine of the Trinity does not simply state God is One but that God is One and Three. Throughout the book of Revelation we will be amazed at the revelation of the Trinity in action! Jesus is a servant of the Father.

“…to show his servants what must soon take place.” It is a little bit exciting to know that we read this book knowing that certain elements of it are still yet to be fulfilled. We are reading the finished bible with still hope for what God has promised. We will see, I hope, that the book is not forecast for a sequence of events that will devastate us all but that the events to take place all involve the consummation of the work on the cross. This is a book filled with hope for those who love Jesus and fair warning for those who do not. 

“He made it known…” John, an angel, Jesus Christ and God are all involved in the writing of this book. John’s hand is used to give exactly what he heard from the angel/messenger sent by Christ to convey the word of God. Although there are many hands in this kitchen, the authority of God is not bent. Again, the whole bible follows this kind of pattern.

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud…and who hear it and take to heart what is written in it…” We hold in our hands a message from God that is promised to be a blessing to those who take it to heart. We may very well pray for our church right now that we will take these words to heart and do more than treat it like a toy or puzzle to solve but to love God more dearly as we hear him speak to us.

“…because the time is near.” Jesus claimed not to know the hour when he would return but told his disciples to be ready. They died before his return. Many have died before Jesus’ return. The time is still near. We must not get trapped in the popular thought that the days are getting closer now. Everyday is one day closer of course. But the day has been near even in 90AD.

So, The Revelation is new and it is more of the bible. God has spoken, Jesus has served as the Word of God and with the help of messengers and writers, the things that God wishes to reveal to us have been made known.

Grace and Peace from the Triune God (4-8)

“John…” This is John the disciple whom Jesus loved. Perhaps not that Jesus had a special relationship with John but that John, the author of the 4th gospel, loved that Jesus loves him, and chose to refer to himself by that identity rather than just his name. Tradition tells us that John was the last disciple to die and died of old age, although suffered as much as the other apostles. He wrote three epistles and is known to have been ‘imprisoned’ on Patmos for his faith.

“To the seven churches…” The churches are listed in Verse 11 and are the focus of Chapters 2 and 3. The whole letter of Revelation is addressed to these churches. 

“Grace and peace to you from…and from…and from…” Like many of the letters in the New Testament, grace and peace set the tone of the greeting. This means that there is no war between the writer and the recipient. Even when Paul writes stern words to a church and when John here writes rebuking words to the seven churches, it is in the context of grace and peace. You see, we are not at war with one another. The gospel sets us free from that. There are no higher and lower orders of people but we are all servants of Christ and indebted to him for the grace received. We are at peace now with God and must be at peace with one another. The status we share is grace and peace – the reality must be matched as far as we are able.

“…from him who is, and who was, and who is to come…” This can be applied to Jesus specifically and will be done later on, but because Jesus is mentioned a few clauses later, this must refer to God – Father and Trinity. The eternal one. Probably no simpler identifier of God is that he just is. He is independent in every sense of the word. See Exodus 3:14-15.

“…from the seven spirits before his throne…” What is this? With the mention of the eternal One before and the Christ after, it is tempting to see this as somehow the Holy Spirit. And  perhaps it is. The term, “seven spirits” appears in 3:1 held along with the seven stars (which are the angels of the seven churches according to 1:20); in 4:5 described as seven lamps; and in 5:6 described as seven horns and seven eyes which are sent out into all the earth. You would know that seven is a perfect number in Revelation but what do we make of all this information? We may not be able to conclude that this refers somehow to the Holy Spirit but there is a will of God behind every metaphore provided in this list. Grace and peace are sent from the seven spirits and they seem tightly bound to both God and to the church. I won’t speculate any further.

“…from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” Jesus is the promised Messiah, the one who does everything that the Father desires, the resurrection and the Lord of Lords. This is Jesus. Let’s not overlook this person. He is God’s promise. He is God’s faithful one able to represent God and man. He conquered death in a way that promises the same resurrection to us and he is the boss. Jesus is number one. In Bible study, this is not something to treat as theory but we follow Him, we praise Him and we thank Him. While He is the messenger and faithful witness here in Chapter one, He will continue to take centre stage in the story of salvation and the end of all things as we know it.

Write what you have seen (9-19)

The writer to the churches (9-11)

“… on the Lord’s day, I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.” There is not much normal about this although it sounds normal coming from John’s mouth! The Lord’s day? Is this Sunday? Is it, like many will content, the Sabbath? In the Spirit? Was he in prayer? He pre-empty the rest of the story with the classification that he was not just sitting in a cave but he was engaged with God somehow – not with reality but with God.

“…write what you see and send it…” The vision is not intended for John to keep to himself. This vision and Revelation is not for John’s personal spiritual benefit alone. John is a messenger and scribe for the benefit of the church who are firstly the seven churches (that number seven again – why these seven and why only seven except that it represents the whole of the worldwide church) and then us.

What he saw (12-16)

“…I saw seven golden lamp stands…His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” There are two many elements to list and go through. We will hear these elements reappear. It is easy to see, however, the imagery of purity and power at the same time. There is strength but life giving – not entirely terrible. Jesus is of course standing in the middle of the churches. What John saw was a kaleidoscope of imagery mashed together to tell a story of one who upholds and speaks, he is nothing like a human and yet is one like a son of man. This is Jesus.

How to respond to Revelation (17-20)

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.” One might expect John to respond in reverence and awe but he is stunned into submission – like one who is dead!

“Do not be afraid.” This is the juxtaposition of Revelation: at the same time terrifying and peaceful. When you are on the side of Jesus, you are on the side of the one who stands with his face as brilliant as the sun!

“I was dead…I am alive for ever and ever.. I hold the keys of death and Hades.” The whole New Testament teaches this. Jesus is the centre of our faith because he died and is NOW alive and wil never die BUT he holds the key to the eternal death of others. There is not rival to Jesus’ power and authority. Our God does not fight with other gods for who owns hell etc. Jesus is the king of everything. The book will talk more of death and Hades later. Who wouldn’t want to know the One who has the key to death in their hands?

“Write, therefore…” Again, this vision is not for John’s binge watching alone but news to be written down. What we find in this book, however, is not a brand new ending but the ending that the gospels and Epistles point to also.

“The mystery of the seven starts that you saw…” Here we have some clues provided. Not everything in Revelation is like this. We need to listen to the imagery, sometimes referenced elsewhere in the book, sometimes it is an Old Testament reference we need to relearn. It is helpful to know the overall story of the bible when reading this book and it is helpful to have a bible word-search tool.

“…angels of the seven churches…” It is not for us to conclude that every church gets its angel. An angel is a messenger and the whole book is metaphor, simile and apocryphal/pictorial language. The churches do not stand in isolation but are provided for by God by messengers. Jesus is at the center and He holds all the ingredients in his hands: the church which is purchased by his blood (to come later in the book), the messengers of the church who presumably bring the gospel, and the keys to death and hades. Jesus is not a spectator but the power behind what is, what was and what will be.

We respond to Revelation by avoiding mystery and fear and running to Jesus in awe and wonder. The imagery is out of this world but that is also the future that we are called to. Keep in mind that everything is picture language that point to real truths. 

What did we learn? (Meaning)

Christianity will not die out with the last remaining Apostle. God has got more to say to the church of Christ to confirm that Jesus is still alive, he is the king and he holds everything in his hands. We are not to be afraid when there is someone eternal and all powerful who has already provided victory over death and Hades. We must be ready to listen properly to this book so that we can be blessed by it.

Now what? (Application)

Topic A: Reflect on the person of Jesus. Take a breath and reflect on how central Jesus Christ is to all eternity. Take your eyes off your worries about tomorrow and consider that Jesus holds tomorrow in his hands. Ask yourself, is there anybody else in all the world and time and space worth knowing more than Jesus Christ? Respond to these reflections with praise and prayer.

Topic B: What questions do you have of God? As we get ready to read the rest of the book, what do you want to know from God about the future? If he were to list you a chain of events to be prepared for or give you confidence in a Person who has already defeated eternity, which would be better information to hold? Will it disappoint you to not have every question you have answered but be assured that God has already won? The image of Jesus in Verses 12-18 is of a divine man who has already won. He is to be feared but touches us gently and says, do not be afraid.

Topic C: Because the time is near. This is scary and comforting. Jesus warned his disciples while in Judea that they need to be ready. He told parables about bridesmaids and invitations to feats. He warned us that if we get distracted by this world and forget the kingdom of God then the kingdom of God may forget us. And so, Revelation instructs us to hear this word and to take it to heart. Pray that we will do just that.

1 Corinthians, Church, The Word of God, Worship

1 Corinthians 14:26-40

Order in the house of God

Discussion Question

What would be worse: someone bringing their own sense of order to your house or someone packing up your house in their own way? Why?

OR

Share an experience of being in a noisy, busy place. What did you love about it; what frustrated you? 

Background (Context)

1 Corinthians 14 continues the discussion Paul began at 1 Corinthians 12:1 about spiritual gifts (or spiritual things). Building on the reality that everyone in the church has been given gifts from God (12:7, 27) and the importance of each other and the inter-relatedness of each other (12:14, 20, 25), Paul turned his mind to the antidote to much of the Corinthian dramas in chapter 13 – love. The first part of chapter 14 then dealt with (what looks like) a specific problem in Corinth – they have become enamoured with tongues speaking which is of detriment to the church because it does not build them up (14:12). Having unpacked the theology and usefulness of tongues and prophecy, from 14:26 Paul turns his mind to exactly how they ought to be used in the body of Christ so that everything is done in accordance with the character (14:33) and will of God (14:40).  

Read 1 Corinthians 14:26-40

Follow this link to read the passage on BibleGateway… 

What did you see? (Observation)

Structure

  • Practical outworkings for the church  (v.26-33)
  • Particular outworkings for women (v.34-36)
  • Practical warnings and encouragements for the church (v.37-40)

Practical Outworkings for the Church (v.26-33)

“What then shall we say…” (v.26) – Paul starts a new section dealing with the practicalities of tongues and prophecy. It looks like the Corinthians all come with a desire to exercise their different speaking gifts (hymn, word, revelation, tongue) and now Paul practically applies both the way of love and the need to build up the church (14:12) to their convoluted and chaotic gathering.

“…someone must interpret.” (v.27) – this is the outworking of 14:23. If there is no interpreter (v.28) then there ought not be any tongues because the church cannot be built up and unbelievers cannot be built in. This is a clear word of Scripture but there are churches where tongues speaking happens without interpretation in a chaotic fashion (ie. everyone prays in tongues simultaneously). Such practices would appear to be in clear contravention of the Scriptures. Speaking in tongues is never noted as a mark of true salvation or a special presence of the Spirit and should always be interpreted. 

That said, note that tongues speaking is interpreted but not weighed. You may want to ponder this and what you would do if someone spoke in tongues in church and said something contrary to the scriptures. Does the lack of necessity to weigh tongues interpretations mean they ought never be weighed?

“Two or three prophets…” (v.29) – again, two or three. You can see the orderliness of speaking in church without the theological justification being yet stated. Your group should have discussed the meaning of prophecy last week. To be completely practical, what a good service leader does is prophecy; same with a good song leader, a person giving a testimony or sharing a story of a conversion or something that happened for them as a Christian. So in the public gathering that we call church, when someone speaks a word of encouragement, male or female, they are prophesying. Not everyone can or should but many ought to.

“…the others should weigh carefully what is said.” (v.29) – the goal of prophecy is that people may be instructed and encouraged and if people are being instructed or encouraged in such a way that is contrary to God’s word then that must be countered in the church. The responsibility for this lays with other prophets but not all the prophets (v.34-36). The orderliness of the process is emphasised in v.30-32.

It is interesting to ponder how we might utilise prophecy more often in church. As far as can be seen, we don’t have prophets getting up to speak and we don’t weigh the words of those who do… or do we? 

I know of one church where at the end of each sermon series they have prophesy week and people are encouraged to come with a story from their life, a point of application or something they have learnt and been changed by from the series and they all share and are encouraged and pray. I don’t know about you but in some of our congregations that may be worth considering.

It is also worth noting that ministry staff do listen to what is said from the front; the people who speak are chosen for their wisdom and clarity and when they say something awry, it is often subtly corrected later in the church and brought to the speakers attention afterwards. Should this be more formal in our church? 

It is also worth noting that in an environment where the Word of God was not so readily available, prophecy was more necessary.  There was not a “bible” when Paul was writing 1 Corinthians and encouraging applications from the stories (written and passed on) of the life of Christ may well have been much of the content of prophecy. Would we expect or do we need so much prophecy today given that we have the Word of God in Scripture?

These are all good questions it is worth getting your group to chew over.

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace…” (v.33) – Don Carson writes on this verse: This truth does not of course sanction mere traditionalism in worship or sanctify stuffiness;  but it does warn us sharply about the dangers of the opposite end of the spectrum. Wise worship does not pursue freedom at the expense of order or spontaneity at the expense of reverence. This reality flows into v.34.

Particular Outworkings for Women (v.34-36)

If you are looking for a controversial part of the Bible, you have found it! However, the heat and confusion is all taken out of this verse if we remember our basic skills of reading in context and being thoughtful and careful with the text. Like last week, encourage your group to grapple with the meaning rather than throw this text in the bin, refine it to some archaic mistake or simply ignore it. 

You will be helped in guiding the group on the meaning by going back to 1 Corinthians 11:4-5. You will see there, and elsewhere (Ephesians 5:18b-20), that Paul expresses no reservation about women praying or using prophetic speech in the church. So 14:34 cannot be a blanket ban on women making noise in church. It must mean something else.    

Look back into v.29-33 and see that prophecy needs to be weighed – checked, evaluated – as to whether it is true and accords with what God has said. Thus, prophesy in NT is not authoritative in and of itself, it is a word that must be weighed carefully and in an orderly fashion for the Glory of God.

In the context then, two things are true; (1) we have already seen that women are not to remain silent as they pray or prophesy, and (2) in the weighing of prophecy being discussed here (which necessarily involves authority and teaching); it is this weighing/ evaluating’ sifting that women are not to engage in inside the church. Not having a husband does not change the meaning of the situation here. It may mean that a person can ask and discuss a matter later but not in the public setting. The Bible is clear that we should teach and admonish one another.  

It is the teaching of the Bible that in the public church setting, the only limitations on the participation of women seem to be in teaching and weighing of prophecy. Prophecy itself, singing, praising, encouragement and praying are all gifts women have and are able to exercise for the benefit of others in the church. 

“As in all the congregations of God’s people” (v.33) – this is not just a Corinthian issue but a principle issue that applies across all churches in all places and times based in the order of creation and authority in men and women.

“…as the law says” (v.34) – this sounds like strange reasoning but Paul has already used it in 14:21 by which he meant the OT Scriptures. Paul is probably referring to Genesis 1-2 (2:20-24) for it is that passage that Paul quotes explicitly on two other occasions when discussing female roles in church and marriage. Paul means here that because man was made first and women was made for man, a pattern has been laid down reading the roles the two should play in family and church.   

“…speak in the church.” (v.35) – again, there is difficulty here with such an unqualified statement but you should guide your group to again see context and the importance of extracting meaning from context. You might argue that you could include the words “in such a way” in v.35 to fit the context because it is certainly not shameful for a woman to pray or prophesy. 

“Or did….” (v.36) – this verse bridges v.34-35 with the conclusion. It is a rebuke of the Corinthians with Paul saying “Did you write the Bible? Are you able to make your own rules?” The answer is of course no! They must sit under the authority of the Word like everyone else, everywhere, for all time.

Practical Warnings and Encouragements for the Church (v.37-40)

“…ignore…ignored..” (v.37-38) – those people who are working in line with the Word and work of God will acknowledge all that has been said as good and true because they will want to sit under God’s authority and not wrestle it for themselves.  

“…be eager…fitting and orderly…” (v.39) – Paul ties together all he has been saying from 12:1, through 12:31, through 14:1, through 14:21 and encourages them towards orderly, intelligible worship. 

What did we learn? (Meaning)

The Body of Christ ought to reflect Christ himself and the nature of the God who is worshipped. Words ought to be used to build people up and speakers should not seek to push their own agenda or their own personhood but to speak God’s words in God’s way to benefit God’s people for God’s glory.  To do church in a worldly way (that appears to be a significant Corinthian issue!!) is contrary to the nature and purpose of church and must be stopped. The enthusiastic language of v.39 (be eager to) ought not be underestimated. Paul wants people to hear the good news of Jesus and respond with delight saying, God is really among you!

Now what? (Application)

Topic A: The Place of Prophecy in Church. You may discuss this when you get to v.29. See the notes above. Do you think our church should open up to more prophecy? What might this look like? How can we maintain order and truth in a chaotic world? What place truth in a world of freedom?

Topic B: The Way we do Church. Our church services are carefully planned with songs and readings; leaders and musicians are trained and given feedback and encouragement. But sometimes, there is laughter and hilarity; sometimes boredom and sombreness. Is there enough order in our gatherings? Could there be more? Is there disorder? Should it be repealed? What would Paul say is missing from our gatherings?

Topic C: Ordering of men and women. The Bible is clear that God created men and women equally but differently. The pattern of marriage is that men and women have different roles. The difference does not make one inferior to the other. The difference does not make one better than the other. The difference does not negate all that is good about the other. The difference is something God created us to be and it’s for our good that he has given us different responsibilities in our relationship with each other. It is the same in the church. How can we show this equality and difference in such a way as to help people rejoice in the goodness of God’s creation?