First Corinthians: Idols, Sex, and the Undivided Church: Fighting for Unity

God has clearly spoken. We must flee sexual immorality and run to holiness. 

God commands us to live lives that are holy and pleasing to him. We fight for unity in the body of Christ by inviting discipline and pastoring into our lives. 

The issues that threatened to divide Corinth threaten the Church today. Our prayer is, “Lord, make us one!”

On the road to Emmaus, two disciples had an encounter with the resurrected Jesus that changed everything for them.

The parable of the ten minas shows that what we do with our money reveals what we believe about God and His kingdom. 

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus teaches that repentance needs to include a change of heart behavior, including the use of wealth and possessions for the care and well-being of those who are poor and needy like Lazarus.

In the parable of the dishonest manager, the way to serve God rather than money is to put one’s resources to the service of others and the work of the kingdom.

The parable of the prodigal son may be the most well-known parable of Jesus. The generosity of the Father, the selfish frugalness of the older brother, and the repentant recklessness of the younger brother reveal what they believe about the kingdom of God. 

Jesus warns against making a hasty decision to follow Jesus. Potential disciples must first count the cost to see if they will persevere in the faith. We must trade in our discount discipleship for a lifetime of carrying our cross to follow Him.

Jesus warns of the danger of possessions coming between us and the kingdom. He teaches that we must use our money to serve God, not use God in order to serve our lust for money. How we manage the money God has given us allows us to be rich toward God.