Friday, December 9, 2016
Read Scripture: 2 Corinthians
Published on Nov 3, 2016
The Book of 2 Corinthians explained with illustrations
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Thursday, December 8, 2016
1 Corinthians 16 NLT
VIII.
- Conclusion: Practical and Personal Matters (ch. 16)
1 Corinthians 16 NLT
1 Now regarding your question about the
money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same
procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia.
2 On the first day of each week, you
should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until
I get there and then try to collect it all at once.
3 When I come, I will write letters of
recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to
Jerusalem.
4 And if it seems appropriate for me to go
along, they can travel with me.
5 I am coming to visit you after I have
been to Macedonia, for I am planning to travel through Macedonia.
6 Perhaps I will stay awhile with you,
possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next
destination.
7 This time I don’t want to make just a
short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord
will let me.
8 In the meantime, I will be staying here
at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost.
9There is a wide-open door for a great work
here, although many oppose me.
10 When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate
him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am.
11 Don’t let anyone treat him with
contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I
expect him to come with the other believers.
12 Now about our brother Apollos—I urged
him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right
now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity.
13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be
courageous. Be strong.
14 And do everything with love.
15 You know that Stephanas and his
household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece, and they are
spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and
sisters,
16 to submit to them and others like them
who serve with such devotion.
17 I am very glad that Stephanas,
Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been providing the help you
weren’t here to give me.
18 They have been a wonderful encouragement
to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who
serve so well.
19 The churches here in the province of
Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others
who gather in their home for church meetings.
20 All the brothers and sisters here send
greetings to you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss.
21 HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN
HANDWRITING—PAUL .
22 If anyone does not love the Lord, that
person is cursed. Our Lord, come!
23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with
you.
24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
1 Corinthians 15 NLT
VII. Instruction on the Resurrection (ch. 15)
- The Certainty of the Resurrection (15:1-34)
- The Consideration of Certain Objections (15:35-57)
- The Concluding Appeal (15:58)
1 Corinthians 15 NLT
1 Let me now remind you, dear brothers and
sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and
you still stand firm in it.
2It is this Good News that saves you if you
continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed
something that was never true in the first place.
3 I passed on to you what was most
important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins,
just as the Scriptures said.
4 He was buried, and he was raised from
the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
5 He was seen by Peter and then by the
Twelve.
6After that, he was seen by more than
500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though
some have died.
7 Then he was seen by James and later by
all the apostles.
8 Last of all, as though I had been born
at the wrong time, I also saw him.
9 For I am the least of all the apostles.
In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted
God’s church.
10 But whatever I am now, it is all because
God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have
worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was
working through me by his grace.
11 So it makes no difference whether I
preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already
believed.
12But tell me this—since we preach that Christ
rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of
the dead?
13 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.
15 And we apostles would all be lying about
God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be
true if there is no resurrection of the dead.
16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead,
then Christ has not been raised.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, then
your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
18 In that case, all who have died
believing in Christ are lost!
19 And if our hope in Christ is only for
this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.
20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from
the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
21 So you see, just as death came into the
world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through
another man.
22Just as everyone dies because we all belong to
Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
23 But there is an order to this
resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who
belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
24 After that the end will come, when he
will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and
authority and power.
25 For Christ must reign until he humbles
all his enemies beneath his feet.
26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is
death.
27 For the Scriptures say, “God has put all
things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his
authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his
authority.)
28 Then, when all things are under his
authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who
gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything
everywhere.
29 If the dead will not be raised, what
point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it
unless the dead will someday rise again?
30 And why should we ourselves risk our
lives hour by hour?
31 For I swear, dear brothers and sisters,
that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus
our Lord has done in you.
32And what value was there in fighting wild
beasts—those people of Ephesus —if there will be no resurrection from the dead?
And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we
die!”
33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such
things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”
34 Think carefully about what is right, and
stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at
all.
35 But someone may ask, “How will the dead
be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?”
36 What a foolish question! When you put a
seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first.
37 And what you put in the ground is not
the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are
planting.
38 Then God gives it the new body he wants
it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed.
39 Similarly there are different kinds of
flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another
for fish.
40There are also bodies in the heavens and
bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the
glory of the earthly bodies.
41 The sun has one kind of glory, while the
moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each
other in their glory.
42 It is the same way with the resurrection
of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they
will be raised to live forever.
43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but
they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be
raised in strength.
44 They are buried as natural human bodies,
but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural
bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man,
Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a
life-giving Spirit.
46 What comes first is the natural body,
then the spiritual body comes later.
47 Adam, the first man, was made from the
dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven.
48 Earthly people are like the earthly man,
and heavenly people are like the heavenly man.
49Just as we are now like the earthly man, we
will someday be like the heavenly man.
50 What I am saying, dear brothers and
sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These
dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful
secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!
52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink
of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those
who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also
be transformed.
53 For our dying bodies must be transformed
into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into
immortal bodies.
54 Then, when our dying bodies have been
transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting? ”
56 For sin is the sting that results in
death, and the law gives sin its power.
57 But thank God! He gives us victory over
sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be
strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know
that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
1 Corinthians 14 NLT
VI. Instruction on Public Worship (11:2;14:40)
1 Corinthians 14 NLT
1 Let love be your highest goal! But you
should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the
ability to prophesy.
2 For if you have the ability to speak in
tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to
understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will
all be mysterious.
3 But one who prophesies strengthens
others, encourages them, and comforts them.
4 A person who speaks in tongues is
strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire
church.
5 I wish you could all speak in tongues,
but even more I wish you could all prophesy. For prophecy is greater than
speaking in tongues, unless someone interprets what you are saying so that the
whole church will be strengthened.
6 Dear brothers and sisters, if I should
come to you speaking in an unknown language, how would that help you? But if I
bring you a revelation or some special knowledge or prophecy or teaching, that
will be helpful.
7 Even lifeless instruments like the flute
or the harp must play the notes clearly, or no one will recognize the
melody.
8 And if the bugler doesn’t sound a clear
call, how will the soldiers know they are being called to battle?
9 It’s the same for you. If you speak to
people in words they don’t understand, how will they know what you are saying?
You might as well be talking into empty space.
10 There are many different languages in
the world, and every language has meaning.
11 But if I don’t understand a language, I
will be a foreigner to someone who speaks it, and the one who speaks it will be
a foreigner to me.
12 And the same is true for you. Since you
are so eager to have the special abilities the Spirit gives, seek those that
will strengthen the whole church.
13 So anyone who speaks in tongues should
pray also for the ability to interpret what has been said.
14 For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is
praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying.
15Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the
spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit,
and I will also sing in words I understand.
16 For if you praise God only in the
spirit, how can those who don’t understand you praise God along with you? How
can they join you in giving thanks when they don’t understand what you are
saying?
17 You will be giving thanks very well, but
it won’t strengthen the people who hear you.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more
than any of you.
19 But in a church meeting I would rather
speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an
unknown language.
20 Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be
childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it
comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.
21It is written in the Scriptures : “I will
speak to my own people through strange languages and through the lips of
foreigners. But even then, they will not listen to me,” says the LORD .
22 So you see that speaking in tongues is a
sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for the
benefit of believers, not unbelievers.
23 Even so, if unbelievers or people who
don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone
speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy.
24But if all of you are prophesying, and
unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your meeting,
they will be convicted of sin and judged by what you say.
25 As they listen, their secret thoughts
will be exposed, and they will fall to their knees and worship God, declaring,
“God is truly here among you.”
26 Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s
summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another
will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and
another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must
strengthen all of you.
27 No more than two or three should speak
in tongues. They must speak one at a time, and someone must interpret what they
say.
28 But if no one is present who can
interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to
God privately.
29 Let two or three people prophesy, and
let the others evaluate what is said.
30 But if someone is prophesying and
another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking
must stop.
31 In this way, all who prophesy will have
a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be
encouraged.
32Remember that people who prophesy are in
control of their spirit and can take turns.
33 For God is not a God of disorder but of
peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.
34 Women should be silent during the church
meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as
the law says.
35 If they have any questions, they should
ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church
meetings.
36 Or do you think God’s word originated
with you Corinthians? Are you the only ones to whom it was given?
37 If you claim to be a prophet or think
you are spiritual, you should recognize that what I am saying is a command from
the Lord himself.
38 But if you do not recognize this, you
yourself will not be recognized.
39 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be eager
to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking in tongues.
40 But be sure that everything is done
properly and in order.
Monday, December 5, 2016
1 Corinthians 12 and 13 NLT
VI. Instruction on Public Worship (11:2;14:40)
1 Corinthians 12 NLT
1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding
your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you
to misunderstand this.
2 You know that when you were still
pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless
idols.
3 So I want you to know that no one
speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is
Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of spiritual
gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.
5 There are different kinds of service,
but we serve the same Lord.
6 God works in different ways, but it is
the same God who does the work in all of us.
7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us
so we can help each other.
8 To one person the Spirit gives the
ability to give wise advice ; to another the same Spirit gives a message of
special knowledge.
9 The same Spirit gives great faith to
another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.
10 He gives one person the power to perform
miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the
ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another
spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown
languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.
11 It is the one and only Spirit who
distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should
have.
12 The human body has many parts, but the
many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.
13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,
some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body
by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
14 Yes, the body has many different parts,
not just one part.
15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of
the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the
body.
16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of
the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the
body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, how would
you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell
anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God
has put each part just where he wants it.
19 How strange a body would be if it had
only one part!
20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one
body.
21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I
don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that
seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.
23 And the parts we regard as less
honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect
those parts that should not be seen,
24 while the more honorable parts do not
require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra
honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.
25 This makes for harmony among the
members, so that all the members care for each other.
26 If one part suffers, all the parts
suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body,
and each of you is a part of it.
28 Here are some of the parts God has
appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are
teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those
who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in
unknown languages.
29 Are we all apostles? Are we all
prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles?
30Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all
have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to
interpret unknown languages? Of course not!
31 So you should earnestly desire the most
helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.
1 Corinthians 13 NLT
1 If
I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others,
I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If
I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and
possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains,
but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.
3 If
I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast
about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love
is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
5 or
rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no
record of being wronged.
6 It
does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins
out.
7 Love
never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every
circumstance.
8Prophecy
and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless.
But love will last forever!
9 Now
our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals
only part of the whole picture!
10 But
when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become
useless.
11 When
I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up,
I put away childish things.
12 Now
we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we
will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and
incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows
me completely.
13 Three things will last
forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
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