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 or listen to the entire book of 1 Corinthians 1-16 (approximately 45 minutes on audio book, click here to listen online). Focus and read 1 Corinthians 5 for this Sunday.
- What is Paul referring to and calling for in verses 1-5? How can this be helpful?
- Do the following verses give any help in understanding why Paul would hand someone over to Satan from the church?
- How do verses 9-11 relate to the main point of this chapter? Paul calls for some drastic action in these verses as well; who are they directed at, believers or unbelievers?
- In verses 12-13 Paul commands us to judge others within the church and leaves judging outsiders to God. What is meant by this judgment? How does this compare to the judgment Jesus speaks against in Matthew 7? What are the similarities and differences?
- What is the main point of this entire chapter? How do you know?
Prayerfully Meditate
- Why do we not see any activity like Paul is calling for in this text in the church today? Do we see similar acts of sin committed? What type of correction is done?
- How do we view unrepentant sin in the church today? How do we respond to it? What is the difference between unrepentant sin and "indwelling" sin?
- Prayerfully examine your heart and see if you have unrepentant sin in you and ask God to reveal any such activity to you.
- Prayerfully and lovingly examine one another's sin in this body and look to confront other believers who are in unrepentant sin to bring them back to God and into the fellowship of believers.
- Prayerfully consider the importance of Church discipline and Jesus' instructions in Matthew 18. Focus on why it is important to consistently and lovingly apply this discipline in the church.
Intentionally Act
- Find help in killing sin in yourself and engaging others in helpful books like John Owens, Overcoming Sin and Temptation.
- Plan to meet with other believers to engage in one another's lives and hearts and ask the Holy Spirit through the Word of God to illuminate darkened areas of your heart for confession and repentance.
- Thank God for faithful preaching from our Elders.
- Pray that your hearts would be receptive to the word and that hearts would be changed to the image of Christ and softened for salvation.
- Pray for your heart to become receptive to all circumstances God brings to you daily. Pray that in those circumstances He would bring opportunities for you to strengthen the church in unity and to evangelize the lost.
- Pray for those who will be leading our gathering this week: Dawson Bryant, music; Todd Arnold, Elders' prayer and Scripture reading; Brett Harris, teaching.
- Prepare for our gathering on Sunday by reading through the lyrics of the songs and reflect on them, so that you can focus on edifying one another through song and give praise to the King.
Songs for Sunday
- His Name Is Jesus (Video)
- Jesus Messiah (Video)
- Have Mercy on Me (Video)
- Man of Sorrows (Video)
- Not In Me (Video)