1 Corinthians 14-16

Watch the video presentation on YouTube at: 1 Corinthians 14-16 Video

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NOTE

And wow, only 3 chapters to cover this week. My video is actually going to be a bit shorter for once. But there are some big ideas here. Personally, I would spend the bulk of my time in chapter 15, but I’d also love to give you a few brief additional thoughts on chapters 14 and 16 as well. But chapter 15 is the place where we’re going to begin today.

ICEBREAKER

For an icebreaker you could play the “What’s Missing?” Game. And the way you do this is you display a slide with a bunch of random pictures on it like this and tell your class that they have 30 seconds to study it, but after the 30 seconds you’re going to show them another picture with all the objects mixed up and one of them will be missing. Their job will be to identify which picture it is that’s missing. And depending on the age of your class, you could do a more difficult one like this. Or an easier one like this.

TRANSITION

With that, do you remember how we said that Corinthians was a book of problems? Well, Paul has saved one of the biggest and most serious ones for last. The Corinthians also have a doctrinal problem. Their faith is missing a key truth as they are doubting and denying one of the core doctrines of the gospel. And my question for you is: Which doctrine is “missing” from their faith according to vs. 12?

12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

What doctrine is missing? The doctrine of the resurrection.

And I don’t know about you, but my reaction to that is really? Of all the doctrines of Christianity you’re going to deny, the resurrection is the one that you choose? I mean, that’s one of the beliefs that makes us Christian, THE greatest miracle Christ ever performed. You take away the doctrine of the resurrection and the whole rest of our faith and grasp of the plan of salvation kind of crumbles. And I think that their problem is that they really haven’t thought it through. They haven’t followed that line of reasoning to its logical conclusion and made the connection between that doctrine and everything else that what we believe.

Now that begs the question: Why would they deny the resurrection? What’s the draw or motivation for denying that particular doctrine? Verses 32-33 may contain a hint. Paul says:

32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

So, if you deny the resurrection, then that means that there is no afterlife—that this life is all there is. And if this life is all there is, and there’s no judgment or repercussions to our decisions here on earth, then what becomes the most tempting philosophy on how to live your life? Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. That’s what Paul says here. And we’re not totally sure what incident he’s referring to here when he says he has fought with beasts at Ephesus. That could be figurative language meaning he faced a lot of opposition to the people in Ephesus which you can read about in Acts chapter 19. Or perhaps there’s some story we’re not aware of where he did face wild beasts while there. But his point is, what good is all the opposition and challenge I’ve faced in teaching the gospel if there’s no resurrection after this life. I might as well just give all that up and seek a life of ease and pleasure. And remember that Corinth is a very hedonistic society, a “live in the moment”, do what feels good today and let tomorrow take care of itself kind of society. And I really like Paul conclusion about this in vs.33, “evil communications corrupt good manners.” Or in other words, bad doctrine leads to bad behavior. Now that’s a fascinating statement. I think that helps us to understand why Satan attacks our doctrine so fiercely. If you can destroy an understanding of the doctrines of the gospel then a person’s behavior is likely to soon follow. I think it’s interesting that enemies of the church don’t usually criticize our behaviors. I mean, it’s kind of hard to criticize our devotion to family, service, honesty, and hard work. So they don’t really go after those things, Instead, they attack our doctrine. Our belief in priesthood, the way we see the Godhead, man’s divine potential, the Restoration, and our understanding of the plan of salvation. And if you can get somebody to doubt or deny the doctrines of the Church, then that foundation crumbles and everything else, such as commandments and standards begin to crumble as well. And perhaps you’ve even seen that in somebody. As soon as a person loses their doctrinal footing in the church, it’s amazing how quickly their behavior can change too. So, if we can keep our doctrinal foundation firm, we will be less likely to be deceived. Paul’s going to try to shore up their faith to keep this from happening. Therefore, he’s going to take the entire chapter, all 58 verses of 1 Corinthians 15 to defend the doctrine of resurrection. He’s just going to hammer away at it, giving them reason after reason for why it just doesn’t make sense to deny the resurrection.

SEARCH

I’ve found that a good way to approach this chapter is to invite my students to begin with this resurrection TRUE/FALSE handout first. Not only will it help you to cover the major principles of the doctrine of resurrection, but it helps give a nice framework to the lesson and maintains interest. Give them a couple of minutes to go through and answer the questions based on what they know and then you tell them that we’re going to let Paul correct our answers. We’ll take each statement and allow him to teach us the answers. Then, as the teacher, go question by question pointing them to the specific verses I highlight in 1 Corinthians 15 to correct their answers. So here we go:

Statement #1 The only witnesses of the resurrected Jesus we know of are Mary Magdalene, the original 12 apostles, and Joseph Smith.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

FALSE, and this one is really false, there are so many more. According to 1 Corinthians 15, we can add “more than 500 brethren at once, and Paul”. But is that even it? Here you could ask your students who else could we add to this list?

The other Women at the tomb

Two disciples on the road to Emmaus

2500 Nephites at Bountiful

The lost tribes of Israel

Mormon

Moroni

Sidney Rigdon

Oliver Cowdery

This miracle that we assert to be true is not something that we have to accept on the word of a small handful of people. This is a well-documented event. In many court cases, just two witnesses are enough to convict somebody of a crime, here I’ve counted well over 3000 witnesses of the resurrected Lord. That’s a very strong case for the Resurrection.

STATEMENT #2 No one was resurrected before Jesus was resurrected.

1 Corinthians 15:20

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

TRUE, verse 20 tells us that Jesus was the first fruits of them that slept. So, as far as this world is concerned, Jesus was the first to be resurrected. Now sometimes I’ll have a student say “What about Lazarus? Wasn’t he the first to be resurrected?” And the answer to that is no, Lazarus was not resurrected, he was raised from the dead and brought back to his mortal body, but eventually, Lazarus died again. But to be resurrected is to be reunited with a perfect eternal body that will never die. So in that sense, Jesus was the first.

STATEMENT #3 Everybody who has ever lived will be resurrected, whether good or bad.

1 Corinthians 15:22, 51

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

TRUE. The key word in vs. 22 and 51 is ALL. Everybody gets resurrected. We shall ALL be changed. This blessing is given to all that have kept their first estate, or who did not rebel in the premortal world. So all mortals will be resurrected regardless of how they lived. Everyone from Mother Theresa to Osama Bin Laden is going to be resurrected, From Celestial beings to Sons of Perdition. Christ overcame death for all people.

STATEMENT #4-Except for Jesus’ resurrection, everybody will be resurrected at the same time.

1 Corinthians15:23

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

FALSE. Verse 23 tells us that everyone is resurrected in his own order. There is more than 1 resurrection. Doctrinally speaking, I can think of at least five different resurrections. And here they are with scripture references for support.

The resurrection of celestial-quality people at the time of Christ’s resurrection. D&C 133:54-55/Matthew 27:53

The resurrection of celestial-quality people at the Second Coming. D&C 88:97-98

The resurrection of terrestrial-quality people after the righteous are resurrected at the beginning of the Millennium. D&C 88:99

The resurrection of those who led a telestial life at the end of the millennium (the resurrection of the unjust) D&C 88:100-101)

The resurrection of the sons of perdition after the telestial resurrection (D&C 88:102)

STATEMENT #5-Those that die without baptism have no hope for exaltation.

1 Corinthians 15:29

29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

FALSE. That’s why we have baptism for the dead. Sometimes people of other faiths are surprised to see a biblical precedent for the practice of baptism for the dead, but here we have one clearly indicating that they did indeed perform baptisms for the dead in the early Christian Church. In fact, I’ve often wondered what other Christian faiths do with that verse. Like, what’s their explanation for it. And they, for the most part, accept that that’s true. I have a special Bible called the Oxford Study Bible, and in a footnote for verse 29 it says: Apparently Christians underwent baptism vicariously for previously deceased loved ones to insure their resurrection. And I admit that this verse is a little hard to understand out of context. But remember the premise of the chapter. Paul is defending resurrection. So here he’s saying, look, if there’s no resurrection then what is the use of these baptisms for the dead you’re doing, if they rise not at all. Without resurrection, baptism for the dead is pointless. Why are they then baptized for the dead? But, there is a resurrection, and therefore, baptism for the dead makes sense. And this is a real faith builder for me personally. The only Christian faith that I know of that practices baptism for the dead is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This stands as another indicator to me that the church truly is the restored church that Jesus established in his day.

If you would like, since this is the only verse in the Bible that specifically refers to baptism for the dead, you could go a little deeper on this topic by saying: In D&C 128:17 Joseph Smith said that baptism for the dead is “the most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel”.

Well: Why do you think he would say that?

And: What is “glorious” about baptism for the dead to you?

Additionally, there’s a great video on the history of baptism for the dead that you might consider showing. I’ll provide a link to it in the video description below. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2013-08-0001-glad-tidings-the-history-of-baptisms-for-the-dead?lang=eng)

STATEMENT #6 There are different levels of resurrected bodies. Not all resurrected bodies are created equal.

1 Corinthians 15:38-42

38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one-star differeth from another star in glory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

TRUE. Paul is going to use three different metaphors to explain this principle. The metaphor of seeds, flesh, and astronomy. And each metaphor basically makes the same point. There are different kinds of seeds that grow into different plants. There are different kinds of flesh, or types of creatures on the earth, you have people, and then beasts, and fish, and birds. Then you have different levels of glory or brightness in the heavens. The glory of the sun, and the moon and the stars. Each one differing in the amount of glory or light it produces. Now as members of the church we usually like to quote verses 40-42 as a support of our view of the final judgment and the three degrees of glory, which it certainly does, but it’s not necessarily the context that Paul is speaking about here. He’s focused on the resurrection part of that equation. The kind of resurrected bodies that individuals receive based on the judgment will be different in and of themselves. How different? A Celestial body is as different from a Terrestrial body as wheat is compared to a carrot, or a dog compared to a seagull, or the light of the sun is compared to the light of the moon. In other words, not all resurrected bodies are created equal. They are different, very different. There are things that a Celestial resurrected body can do, that a Telestial resurrected body cannot. Now I know that begs the question, what are those differences? And we could speculate, but there just isn’t much clear doctrine on that question. But there is at least one thing for certain that sets a Celestial body apart from Terrestrial and Telestial bodies. And that’s found in D&C 131:1-4 which tells us that a person cannot enter into the highest degree of the Celestial kingdom without entering the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, and if not, he cannot have an increase. Increase in this sense would mean children. So, a resurrected Celestial body can have children, but no other kind can. I can also think of another difference and that would be what members of the godhead those bodies can stand in the presence of. A Celestial resurrected body can abide the presence of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. A Terrestrial body can abide the presence of the Son and the Holy Ghost, but not the Father, and a Telestial body can only abide the presence of the Holy Ghost. And this is laid out in the following verses (D&C 76:62, 77, 86, 112) Other differences in the bodies? I don’t know, I’m sure there are, but I don’t want to speculate on what those may be.

STATEMENT #7 A resurrected being is glorious and powerful.

1 Corinthians 15:43-44

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

TRUE. Our bodies will be amazing and glorious. Here are a few scriptures and quotes that give us an idea of that glory and power.

Alma 40:23

23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.

So a resurrected body will be in it’s perfect form and proper frame. What does that mean? I don’t think it means that we will all look really, really different than we do now. I believe that we will continue to look like ourselves, our facial features, and unique physical characteristics but I imagine it will be us in a healthy state of being at the prime of our age. What’s the prime of our age or our perfect frame? I don’t know for sure, but I would imagine our 20’s or 30’s, but don’t quote me on that. And of course, we will not carry the effects of any injuries, scars, sicknesses, deformities, or illnesses, whether physical or mental, that we’ve suffered during our mortal lives. We will be in our perfect form.

I love this quote from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

“I bear witness of that day when loved ones whom we knew to have disabilities in mortality will stand before us glorified and grand, breathtakingly perfect in body and mind. What a thrilling moment that will be! I do not know whether we will be happier for ourselves that we have witnessed such a miracle or happier for them that they are fully perfect and finally ‘free at last.’”

(Conference Report, October 2013, Like a Broken Vessel)

And then this from Lorenzo Snow:

“In the next life we will have our bodies glorified and free from sickness and death. Nothing is so beautiful as a person in a resurrected and glorified condition. There is nothing more lovely than to be in this condition and have our wives and children and friends with us.

Lorenzo Snow | Conference Report, Oct. 1900, 63

And one more from Brigham Young. I thought I’d add this in there. Something that he taught a resurrected being has the ability to do.

“The brightness and glory of the next apartment is inexpressible. . . If we want to behold Jerusalem as it was in the days of the Savior; or if we want to see the Garden of Eden as it was when created, there we are, and we see it as it existed spiritually, for it was created first spiritually and then temporally, and spiritually it still remains. And when there we may behold the earth as at the dawn of creation, or we may visit any city we please that exists upon its surface. If we wish to understand how they are living here on these western islands, we are there; in fact, we are like the light of the morning

(Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1854-1886], 14: 231.)

Brigham Young

So kind of a cool idea of what we may be able to do as resurrected beings.

And you might even consider sharing a few other abilities a resurrected body apparently has or that have at least been demonstrated by those who have been resurrected:

Resurrected people can eat (Luke 24:42-43). Sometimes I have students that are really worried about that. Mostly the teenage boys. Now, we won’t necessarily need to eat to stay alive, but we can. So that’s comforting. Jesus ate fish and honeycomb in front of the apostles after his resurrection.

Resurrected people can appear or disappear from view (Luke 24:36). Jesus did this with the apostles. At one moment he wasn’t in the room with them, and then the next, he was.

Resurrected people can fly or hover in the air (JSH 1:17, 30/3 Nephi 11:8/Acts 1:9) There are many examples of the Savior ascending or descending from heaven. And then Moroni was standing above the young Joseph Smith in his room.

So just a few additional thoughts on what a resurrected body can do.

STATEMENT #8 A resurrected body has blood in its veins.

1 Corinthians15:50

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

FALSE. This is a really interesting one. Paul says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and he’s right, but flesh and bone can. Resurrected beings apparently have something else flowing through their veins. Blood is what makes us mortal. Joseph Smith had something to say about this. He said:

Concerning resurrection, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, or the kingdom that God inherits or inhabits, but the flesh without the blood and the Spirit of God flowing in the veins instead of the blood, for blood is the part of the body that causes corruption. Therefore we must be changed in the twinkle of an eye or have to lay down these tabernacles and leave the blood vanish away. . . . Blood is the corruptible part of the tabernacles.

Joseph Smith | The Words of Joseph Smith, pp. 370-71

STATEMENT #9 The process of an individual’s resurrection will require many hours to complete

1 Corinthians 15:52

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

FALSE. vs. 52 reveals that the process of resurrection happens in the twinkling of an eye or the blink of an eye. The change apparently, is instantaneous.

A Glorious Resurrection

Well, I believe that with this activity we’ve done a good job of looking at the resurrection from a doctrinal standpoint. Hopefully we’ve really touched the minds of our students at this point. Resurrection really is a wonderful and fascinating doctrine. But I’m not sure we’ve really touched their hearts yet. And part of my philosophy of teaching is that in every lesson we should strive to reach the head, the heart, and the funny bone. If we can reach all three, chances are, the lesson is going to be memorable and effective. So for the heart, you could try this activity. It’s simple, but effective:

Just ask:

How many of you have ever lost a loved one before?

How do the following verses help or comfort you or how could they help someone who has lost a loved one?

And then let them express their thoughts and feelings on those verses.

15:22

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

15:25-26

25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

15:54-57

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Personally I really love that last one—this triumphant proclamation in vs. 55 O death where is thy sting, O grave, where is thy victory. As tragic and difficult as death of a loved one is to accept and cope with, death will lose in the end. Jesus swallowed it up in his victory over it. Death will come to be seen as only a temporary separation from the ones we love. I think that it’s interesting that we all want to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. Death is simply a transition from one state of existence to another. Truly there is no tragedy in death, only sin.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

So to liken the scriptures. After all that we’ve talked about today, what do you look forward to most about the resurrection?

CONCLUSION

For me, I can’t wait for the resurrection! What a remarkable doctrine. You know what it most gives me? Hope. The doctrine of the resurrection is a doctrine of hope. I can’t wait until the day when the pains and sicknesses and limitations of this mortal body will be gone. I know my problems are very small compared to many of yours, but I get terrible migraines. I can’t wait until the day when I don’t have to deal with that anymore. My wife suffers from chronic back pain, what a wonderful thing it will be when that’s no longer a problem for her. I think of a family in my ward who lost their little boy in a car accident, how they will see him again, what a reunion that will be. I think about my dear mother who died of brain cancer much too young, how I will see her again, and spend time with her, and laugh, and talk, and rejoice in her company. And I could go on and on about many people in my life whose problems, challenges, and losses will all be swallowed up in Christ’s victory over death. Perhaps my favorite quote about the resurrection comes from Joseph Smith

“Those who have died in Jesus Christ may expect to enter into all that fruition of joy when they come forth, . . . Lay hold of these things and let not your knees or joints tremble, nor your hearts faint; and then what can earthquakes, wars and tornadoes do? Nothing. All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful. By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it. …”

Joseph Smith Jr.

History of the Church, 5:361–62; paragraph divisions altered; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on Apr. 16, 1843, in Nauvoo, Illinois; reported by Wilford Woodruff and Willard Richards.

So is there such a thing as a panacea? A cure all? Yes. It’s called the resurrection. Let’s make sure that that doctrine isn’t missing from our list of beliefs.

1 CORINTHIANS 14

Well like I said earlier, I would spend the majority of my time in chapter 15, but here are two quick thoughts from chapters 14 and 16.

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 14 addresses a problem that the Corinthians are having with the gift of tongues and really would probably have gone better with last week’s lesson on spiritual gifts. I’m not quite sure why they chose NOT to include it in last week’s block of chapters. But in Corinth, the gift of tongues apparently was the most desired gift to possess because it was the most showy or popular of all the gifts. And this was the kind of speaking in tongues where you were speaking a language that no other person could understand-which is a manifestation of that gift, but probably meant to be a fairly rare one. And more likely than not, they’re desiring this gift for self-serving reasons-to draw attention to themselves. You know, hey look at me, I’m so spiritual I can speak in tongues. That’s the context of this chapter. Read it with that in mind and it will make more sense to you. But the value of this chapter to us, in my mind, is in what Paul teaches us about the purpose of spiritual gifts within our church meetings.

ICEBREAKER

So for an icebreaker, something super simple. Hangman. Why not? With the word being the word that best describes what the purpose of spiritual gifts is all about.

And what is that word? EDIFICATION. The purpose of spiritual gifts is to edify or build up the church and each other, not ourselves. Maybe you’ve heard somebody refer to a building as an edifice. Well, that’s a clue to what that word means. It’s to build others up into something beautiful and useful.

SEARCH

Now go into chapter 14 and try to find as many verses as you can with some form of that word in them. Either edify, edifying, or edification. Then I might throw a small treat out to anyone who finds one.

And they’ll find them in verses:

14:3, 4, 5, 12, 17, 26

So edification is what it’s all about. God wants us to go to church, so that we can edify each other. That’s why Paul declares that the gift of prophesy is a greater gift than the gift of tongues because people could actually understand what was being said. Just watching somebody else speak a language that nobody gets, doesn’t really help anybody much. It doesn’t edify.

So verses 1-4

Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.

2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

And this in vs. 19:

19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.

Do you see his message here? Yeah, speaking in unknown tongues is great and all that, but I’d much rather teach people understandable things. Speaking just five understandable words about the gospel is going to do so much more good than ten thousand words spoken in a language that nobody in the congregation understands. Paul’s point is clear. Edification is what matters most.

TRUTH

The purpose of our church meetings is to edify each other and not just ourselves.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

How could this truth change the way we see and experience church meetings?

I believe that can make all the difference. It can change the very nature of the experience you have at Church. Rather than going to church with a, “what’s in it for me” attitude, we start asking, “How can I bless others today?”

I remember a talk that Dallin H. Oaks gave years ago that really drove this principle home for me. In that talk he said this:

“Some say, “I didn’t learn anything today” or ,“No one was friendly to me” or “I was offended” or “The Church is not filling my needs.” All those answers are self-centered, and all retard spiritual growth.

In contrast, a wise friend wrote:

“Years ago, I changed my attitude about going to church. No longer do I go to church for my sake, but to think of others. I make a point of saying hello to people who sit alone, to welcome visitors, … to volunteer for an assignment. … In short, I go to church each week with the intent of being active, not passive, and making a positive difference in people’s lives. Consequently, my attendance at Church meetings is so much more enjoyable and fulfilling.”

All of this illustrates the eternal principle that we are happier and more fulfilled when we act and serve for what we give, not for what we get.”

Dallin H. Oaks

(Conference Report, May 2009, Unselfish Service.)

Brilliant! What a wonderful attitude to have. That paradigm shift can fundamentally change our outlook and our experience of church attendance. If we go looking to bless others then we probably will. If we go only looking for how others can bless us, it’s very possible that we come away disappointed.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, let’s go to edify! Let’s go to any Church gathering with the intention of building others. And I’m sure that as we build, we will find that our testimonies, our faith, our love, our happiness will be built as well.

PARTING THOUGHTS

And now one very brief thought from chapter 16

This is a concluding chapter with a number of personal farewells and parting instructions, so not as much depth and relevance as other chapters here in 1 Corinthians, but I do like vs. 13-14. It’s a good parting exhortation.

And as a brief activity, you could ask what are some of the ways the members of your class might end a letter, an email, a text message, a phone call, or saying goodbye to someone?

Goodbye!

Take care!

See you soon!

Farewell!

All the best!

Regards!

Ta ta for now!

Well how about Paul’s here? Instead, he says goodbye with some faith promoting appeals. He says:

13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

14 Let all your things be done with charity.

Or more easily stated: Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be men and women of courage, be strong in obedience, and make sure that whatever you do, do it in the spirit of love.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Which one of Paul’s exhortations there do you need most in your life right now?

What could you do this week to follow it?