Prepare your heart for Sunday by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together.
You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and tangibly putting scripture to action in your personal life, and in our corporate body.
Carefully Think
- Read 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, focusing on verses 4-9.
- Notice the repetitious use of “you” in these verses. Trace that back up to who Paul is addressing in the letter, is it singular or plural?
- Why is Paul thanking God for in verse 4? Why? What does it mean “the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus”? What is given?
- Why would this enrich speech and knowledge? Why is that important?
- Why would the testimony of Christ be confirmed? What impact does verse 7 say that has on believers? Why does Paul combine having gifts and waiting for the revealing of Jesus? Is there a connection drawn between action and waiting?
- The Lord Jesus will sustain us to the end, how? What were the verses before saying? How can we be guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ? What day is that referring to?
- Why does it matter that God is faithful in relation to the preceding verses? Look back to verse to see how Paul links being called. What are we being called into?
- Notice how many times Paul names Jesus in verses 4-9 and 1-9.
- The Sermon Study equipping class notes are available online for anyone wanting to dig deeper. Please review this week's notes to help study the text. Click here for the notes.
Prayerfully Meditate
- If Christ Jesus is the repeated focus in this passage, around what else should we be unified? How easy is it to get distracted from a singular focus of Jesus Christ in how we operate daily, individually, and more importantly corporately as a local body of believers?
- Paul referenced being thankful for this church. How can Paul be thankful for a church like Corinth? Are others thankful for you for the reasons that Paul lists being thankful for the recipients of this letter? Conversely, who are you thankful for in that regard?
- Do you wait expectantly for the revealing of the day of our Lord Jesus Christ? Does it encourage you to act in the body using your gifts for building up the body? Is the waiting enough to sustain you to the end?
- Consider how what Paul rights in this passage might flavor your prayers for others.
- fReflect on your own attitude toward God over the past few days. How does it match with what Paul says about God in this passage?
Intentionally Act
- Prayerfully examine yourself in light of Christ’s work in you. Now look at those who you find hard to love and examine them in light of Christ’s work in them.
- Look for those members this Sunday that you see but do not talk to and find at least one to have a conversation with. Remember we are all in Christ and that is the greatest unifying conversation topic that crosses all boundaries.
- Briefly write out verses 4-9 in your own words with specific believers in mind. Use the flow of thought in these verses as a template of thought to pray for fellow believers in your life.
- Think of two or three people in your own life who have not been reborn through Christ. Plan on intentionally sharing the gospel with them this week.
- Read through the lyrics and practice the songs with a mind towards unity in the church, not creating divisions in the church based on preferences, but one mind and one body in Christ worshipping in unity to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
- Pray for those leading our corporate gathering this week and for the Holy Spirit’s work as the Word of God is further explained and applied: Dawson Bryant, music; Adam Naler, Elders' prayer and Scripture reading; Bret Capranica, teaching.
Songs for Sunday
- Great One in Three (Video)
- Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
- Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Video)
- My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness (Video)
- O Great God (Video)