1 Corinthians Book Assignment

1) Read page 389 "Pauls Q&A Letter"

2) Answer the following questions:
How does Paul answer the following questions from the Corinthians?

a. Who's the spiritual leader of our church?

1 Cor. 3:6-7 "I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. "

b. What should we do with the church member living in sin w/his stepmom?

1 Cor. 5:4-5 "in the name of the Lord Jesus. You must call a meeting of the church.[a] I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus. 5 Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed[b] and he himself[c] will be saved on the day the Lord[d] returns."

c. Is it okay for church members to sue eachother?

1 Cor. 6:1 "When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers"

d. Can we do anything we want?

1 Cor. 6: 12 "You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. 15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never!"
e. Should we get married or live celibate lives?

1 Cor. 7:7 "But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. But God gives to some the gift of marriage, and to others the gift of singleness"

f. Is it okay to eat meat sacrificed to idols?

1 Cor. 8:8-9 "It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do. 9 But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. "

g. Is it okay to turn Lord's Supper into potluck?

1. Cor. 11:20-22 "20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. 21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. 22 What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!"

h. Will Christians really be raised from the dead?

1 Cor. 15:13-14 "For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. "

i. What kind of resurrection bodies will we have?

1 Cor. 15:49, 53 "49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like[a] the heavenly man. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies."

3) Read page 390. How does "celibacy beat marriage" - according to Paul?

1 Cor. 7:8-9 " 8 So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 9 But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust."

4) Read page 391 "Chaos In The Worship Service"
a. How have worship services gotten out of hand concerning
i. Worship fashions

Some women in church removed their head scarves when they prayed and prophesied, which was considered immodest.

ii. Communion vs. Potluck

People brought their own food. The rich would bring a lot of food and end up getting drunk. And the poor brought what they had. Paul called it disgraceful and told the people to leave their food at home.

iii. Speaking in tongues

Paul didn't want speaking in tongues to take over a service. He limits it to two or three people, speaking at different times. He didn't want anyone to speak in tongues unless their was an interpreter.

iv. Women Speaking in Church

"Women sould be silent in church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak." (1 Cor. 14:34) Many scholars believe that Paul is telling women not to question their husband's prophecies.

5) Read page 392. Which spiritual gift is "tops"- according to Paul?
Apostles