1 Corinthians 1

I am excited to get out of the Gospels for a time and enjoy one of Paul's many letters to the different churches. This one is to the church in Corinth which was situated South of Greece and 45 miles west of Athens. Already, the early church, here in 55 AD, was already corrupted. "Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, 'I am of Paul'. and ' I of Apollos', and 'I of Cephas (Peter)', and 'I of Christ'. Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? v. 12-13

The church members had started forming into cliques following one favorite pastor or another. (I can see how it can happen because the human pastor is here/ now, more tangible than Christ.) We've seen it in our churches as well as the destruction that comes from the likes of a Jim Jones. I personally saw it when a very gifted pastor had half the church break-away with him, which was fine at first, until he took a very misguided, "cult-like" step to oblivion and they all went with him! Christ Only!

The Corinthians's young church had trouble of letting go of the world, separating themselves from the culture around them. The Corinthian culture was haneous, filled with moral depravity and the worship of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. So much of Paul's letters to them were filled with correction, instruction in turning their backs on sin. I love this, "One way or another, wrong living always stems from wrong belief."

Paul promised them that God would give them all the tools they would need to follow Christ and speak the Word. "I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerl7y the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ...God is faithful..." v. 4-9

My day should always start with prayer following along the lines of these previous verses.

"Where is the debater of the this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" v.20 This text made me think of science. Having just watched "Contact", the movie about life in space. Hmmm. Between the talk of the 'big-bang' and evolution...I don't know. It's a marvelous mystery.

"For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God..." v. 21