Plymothian

Although the examples that Paul sited were from 2,000 years before he wrote, the hearts of people had not moved closer to God.  Although Paul wrote 2,000 years before our time, his words are still relevant.  Of course, Paul carefully selected the vignettes that he recalled for the Corinthian audience.  Corinthians struggled particularly with idolatry, pagan revelry, sexual immorality, and testing the Lord.  In western civilization we do not worship gods carved from stone, however our lives are still governed by material wants and desires.  We may not party in the same exact way as the pagans.  However, as our leisure time has increased we do not sit as a society to contemplate deep questions of existence.  We ‘entertain ourselves to death.’  Since Freud postulated that sexual repression was the foundation for neuroses, sexual fixation and experimentation has exploded.  There are many high profile cases of people who walk away from God when he fails to supply their wants and perceived needs.  People who live in such a pattern of life can not claim to walk with God.

1 Corinthians 10:6-10

⁶Now these things occurred as examples^[a] to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.”^{[b] 8}We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

Questions

1. What should examples keep us from doing?
2. What were some of the people?
3. How many things in this paragraph should we avoid doing?
4. What is Paul’s purpose in recounting the fate of people in the past?
5. How might your actions be changed when you look back and see the fate of those who have gone before?

Going Deeper

Observation

1. What occured as examples?
2. On what were people’s hearts set?
3. What did the people do before they got up to indulge in pagan revelry?
4. How many died in one day?
5. By what means were people killed?

Interpretation

1. What exactly is ‘evil’ and when do you know that someone’s heart is set on it?
2. What are the differences and similarities between ancient near eastern paganism of Moses’ time and the Greco-Roman paganism of Paul’s time?
3. Paul says that 23, 000 died ad the Old Testament says 24, 000 died.  Is that a problem?
4. Are Corinthians meant to live in fear?
5. How does God have the right to destroy people?

Application

1. If the Americans talk of an ‘Axis of Evil’, what are they describing about the hearts of those ruling those countries?
2. Why do modern intellectuals distance themselves from terms like ‘good and evil’?
3. How does replacing the term evil with mistakes affect how a western world perceives itself?
4. How can fear be healthy to personal development?
5. How does a person alleviate guilt and not live in an egocentric entitlement?

People seem to like a Sugardaddy God.  He views the world with all the warm-fuzzies that they have and then gives them pizza and ice-cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  When people suffer injustice the perpetrator should be punished by God.  When they do misguided things, there is to be no talk of evil or sin, just a self-help chat on how to become a lovelier me.  The God of the Old Testament is harsh an cruel in the eyes of many.  The God of the New Testament is lovely and fuzzy, talks about lambs a lot, and wants group hugs and group therapy.

Fortunately God does not live by our self-satisfied, weak, and manipulative ideas.  He wants the best for us and his world.  He wanted the best for His people Israel.  There is continuity between the God of the Old and New Testaments.  God does not have a personality disorder.  Is your God the God of the Old and New Testament?

1 Corinthians 10:1-5

¹For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. ²They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

Questions

1. Which two images, connected with water, were the Israelites baptized into?
2. The Israelites were baptized through water and into whom?
3. Who was the rock that traveled with them?
4. What was left scattered in the desert?
5. How might disobedient people today need to take note of a righteous, good, all-powerful God?

Note:  Rabbi’s from Paul’s time saw that a rock was in the Israelites Exodus story at its start and finish.  They therefore concluded that it was the same portable,  potable rock.  This idea is reflected in the spiritual reality that te eternal Christ was with them.

Going Deeper

Browse some of the earlier postings from Exodus or Numbers.

Paul confidently asserts his opinion and then backs away from dominating those who oppose him.  Although Paul could eat any food, he chooses to eat nothing offered to idols so as to maintain the peace.  Although Paul could receive pay for his work, he chooses to receive nothing for his preaching so that he is not a burden.  Although Paul is free to be whomever he chooses, he adapts his identity to best serve those he is with.  You have so many things that God has given you.  As a human being, redeemed by Christ to be a co-heir with him, limitless riches and resources are yours.  Is your ego so frail that you must win every argument?  Is your security so unsure that you need all of your rights acknowledged? 

1 Corinthians 9 (Review)

¹Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? ²Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

 ³This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. ⁴Don’t we have the right to food and drink? ⁵Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas^[a]? ⁶Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?

 ⁷Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? ⁸Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? ⁹For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”^[b] Is it about oxen that God is concerned? ¹⁰Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. ¹¹If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? ¹²If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

   But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. ¹³Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? ¹⁴In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

 ¹⁵But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. ¹⁶Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. ¹⁸What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.

 ¹⁹Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

 ²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

 ²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. ²⁷No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Questions

1. At which verse would you divide the chapter in two?
2. What point is Paul making in each half?
3. What underlying principle connects this chapter with the previous one?
4. How is Paul meek but not weak?
5. How could you be assertive without being demanding at home, work, or church?

Going Deeper

Make sure that you understand ‘meek’.  It’s important.

Paul continues the theme of reward, but now emphasizes each person’s role.  In most races there is one winner.  Paul brings to mind all the training that goes into winning a race.  However, in his picture of competing it is more like the modern marathon.  Everyone taking part in a marathon must train, however everyone who completes the race receives a medal.  The training is disciplined and focused.  I found this out when I ran my first marathon in 2007.  It was quite a jump from 5k’s and half marathons.  However, I was thrilled when I crossed the finish line holding my wife’s hand.  I now have a medal and a T-shirt that remind me of what I did.  The crown of eternal life is so much more than a medal and a t-shirt.  Do you live life in a disciplined and purposeful way?  Do you look forward to living a life in the very presence of God forever?  If you fix your eyes upon Jesus, it should be easier to go through the rigorous disciplines we all encounter on this earth (cf. Hebrews 12).

1 Corinthians 9: 24-27

²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

 ²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. ²⁷No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Questions

1. How would a runner run differently if they are running to win?
2. What is the prize that lasts forever?
3. How might you cut down meaningless activity that just spends energy (i.e. beating the air)?
4. How could you discipline yourself a little more so that your are healthier in mind, body, and spirit?
5. Who could hold you accountable to reach your goals?

Going Deeper

Buy and read a book on ‘Spiritual Formation’.  Dallas Willard and John Ortberg are two authors to consider.

These pictures just represent some of the ways I have changed to fit in with my context.  I was a pastor at a black church in Chicago for two years.  I had to be careful how I spoke about Democrats.  I saw a dark side to Chicago law enforcement.  I started to expect a response when I preached.

I was a teacher in Pakistan.  I wore Shelwar-kameez.  I started to sound Pakistani when I spoke.  I talked about Jesus in classes with Muslims. 

I was a teacher in Japan.  I learned some Japanese.  At Christmas and Easter I talked about the reason for the seasons.

In England I was a rocker for a while.  I wore the denim.  I listened to the music and headbanged.

Would the apostle Paul have changed his appearance in this way for the sake of the gospel?  I believe that he would have changed his appearance.  I believe he would have accepted local customs.  I do not believe he would have changed the content of his message, only the delivery.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

¹⁹Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Questions

1. Is Paul a slave or is he free?
2. How does Paul behave around Jews?
3. How does Paul behave around the weak?
4. Which sentence sums up Paul’s main point?
5. How have you adapted yourself to the different environments that you move in?  How does it hinder the gospel if you are inflexible in your dress, culture, attitudes and behaviour?

Going Deeper

This is an image of ‘Saddleback Sam’.  Rick Warren’s church created a profile of the type of person who lived in Saddleback.  How is this image the same as those in your neighbourhood?  How is it different?

Think of your neighbourhood and your place of work.  How is creating a Saddleback Sam kind of profile helpful?  How can it be unhelpful?  How would a ‘Downer’s Grove Dave’ or a ‘Grayslake Gary’ look?  Would a ‘McHenry Martha’ look the same as a ‘McHenry Michael’? 

How would you need to change for the people in your community to welcome you more easily?

Paul wants a reward.  He receives the reward if he is unpaid for his services.  His reward is that the gospel is offered free of charge.  People here in America are very attuned to their rights.  They are frequently embroiled in arguments about financial rewards for their services.  In a heavily industrialised country, people are more alienated from their labour.  The best way to get them to work on mindless, repetitive jobs is to pay them.  So the reward for education is to get a job.  The reward for a job is the salary.  The reward for the salary is the pursuit of shallow pleasures.  This should not be the life of a Christian.  Why does getting an education have value to the Christian?  Why does a job have value to the Christian?  Why does a salary have value to the Christian?  The answer is always the gospel.  This does not mean that my reward is a new venue to tell people about Jesus.  This means that each life experience is a place to experience fulfillment in the moment living for Jesus.  The gospel is a new life in Christ which reverses the alienation of the worker from their labour.

1 Corinthians 9:15-18

¹⁵But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. ¹⁶Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. ¹⁸What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.

Question

1. What has Paul not used?
2. What is Paul compelled to do?
3. Because Paul is a volunteer, what is his reward?
4. If you have volunteered for a job, what was your reward?
5. How could you bring the joy of volunteering to your regular job?

Going Deeper

Observation

1. What does Paul not hope for?
2. What would Paul rather do than have anyone deprive him of his reason to boast?
3. Does Paul boast?
4. If Paul is not a volunteer, what is he simply doing?
5. What is Paul’s reward?

Interpretation

1. To which rights is Paul referring?
2. Isn’t it wrong for a Christian to be boastful?
3. What is the gospel as a whole?
4. Is Paul laying a foundation for a volunteer society?
5. Why is it rewarding to Paul to offer the gospel free of charge?

Application

1. In the opening paragraph I talked of workers being alienated from their labour.  This is an idea that Marxists frequently agree with.  How should a Christian dialogue with Marxists?
2. Satisfaction should be found in the work itself.  When you do anything it should be done ‘as unto the Lord.’  How does not being able to see the value in a job affect the way a worker works?
3. How can a shoe maker preach the gospel through the way they make shoes?
4. If God is the author of mathematics, the sciences, language arts, and the fine arts – how can a student study them in such a way that it preaches the gospel?
5. How are you preaching the gospel through the way that you are working this week?  Would you volunteer for the kind of job you are doing?
6. Can you volunteer your time, like Paul, for God’s work?

In the first part of 1 Corinthians 9, Paul has spent a lot of time explaining why a minister should receive a salary.  Now he switches his line of argument completely.  Although Paul is free to receive payment from those to whom he ministers, he chooses not to.  He is afraid that if he is in the pay of someone in Corinth, the gospel will be hindered.  To Paul the gospel is more than a message ending in a strained altar call, where the unsaved in a congregation are willed toward the front by the faithful.  The gospel to Paul is a complete way of life.  There is one way to live which is bad news, saddens the soul and destroys it.  There is another way to live that is eternally significant, leads to trials of the will, and reconciles a wayward soul to God.  Paul wants nothing to stand in the way of communicating the truth of the gospel.  So, he gives up his rights.  Is there anything that important to you that you would easily give up things that you are entitled to so that it is protected?

1 Corinthians 9:12b – 14

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. ¹³Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? ¹⁴In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

Questions

1. What didn’t Paul use?
2. What example does Paul give to emphasize the contrast of his own position?
3. How can Paul live in contradiction to God’s command?
4. When have you seen someone give up what they are entitled to?  Why did they do it?
5. Is the gospel more important to you than anything else?

Going Deeper

Make a list of things that you value.  Where is God on the list?  How many of the things on the list, that you feel entitled to, would you give up for the gospel of Christ?  Have you placed more value on temporal, or material things, than eternal things?  Talk to God about your priorities.

In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul makes the argument that those who are commissioned with a responsibility should receive pay for that responsibility.  Soldiers are paid by the government.  Planters of grapes get free grapes.  Goat herders drink goat’s milk.  This common sense is rooted in Hebrew law.  While an ox is treading the grain, God says that it is only right to feed it.  However, we know of those who have asked for money at every opportunity on T.V.  We know of pastors who have stolen from their congregations.  Some churches bypass the issue, by having no paid pastors.  Unfortunately, the quality of the preaching varies wildly from week to week and no-one is on call to visit those who are struggling.

So, a Christian worker should receive some reward for their efforts.  It isn’t just a spiritual reward, but a material reward for their work.  The problems with corruption should be addressed.  Also, the laity should be ministering as much as they can, not just leaving it to church professionals.  So how do we decide a minister’s pay scale in the 21st century?

1 Corinthians 9:7-12a

⁷Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? ⁸Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? ⁹For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”^[b] Is it about oxen that God is concerned? ¹⁰Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. ¹¹If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? ¹²If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

Questions

1. What examples of remuneration does Paul draw from everyday life?
2. What example does Paul draw from scripture?
3. What is Paul’s argument meant to prove?
4. How do you think a pastor’s pay should compare with other professionals?
5. How would you negotiate your salary if you were interviewing with a Christian charity?

Going Deeper

Observation

1. From what point of view does Paul start?
2. Is it about oxen that God is concerned when he gives the Old Testament example?
3. Which analogy does Paul make when talking of his own work?
4. If spiritual seed is sown, what can be harvested?
5. Who has drawn support from the Corinthians?

Interpretation

1. How does Paul use logic to build his argument?
2. Why does Paul start with ‘common’ sense and then move to scripture?
3. How is Paul’s appeal to foundational principles stronger than arguing from his unique personal experience or an emotional appeal from pity?
4. Does God care about oxen?  Why does Paul say that a law concerning oxen is not about oxen?
5. How does Paul’s command of rhetoric help him in his argument?

Application

1. Do you appeal to common sense when making an argument?  How do you tend to build an argument?  What is the role of empathy and other emotion in arguing well?  What is the role of logic?
2. What groups in society have used media to make arguments without an appeal to common sense, or examples from nature?  Be sure to include Christian interest groups in your critique.
3. What would happen if a pastor or other minister dedicated their time to Christian work with no income or material reward?
4. How do people tend to divide spiritual from material in their daily living?
5. How do you support Christian counseling, youthwork, missionaries, teachers, administration, or outreach?

As I was surfing the web the other day I found a site that said you should not pay people for ministry.  It cited the words that Jesus said, “The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep” (John 10:13).  The author of the site went on to say that pastors and ministries that pay their workers develop workers that care nothing for their sheep (congregations).  Therefore, ministers should not be paid.  I know that the church I grew up in  k with suspicion on salaried pastors because of their understanding of the priesthood of all believers.  However, Paul makes the point a couple of times that those who work for the gospel have a right to receive a salary.  Today’s passage shows simply that the interpretation of Jesus’ words to mean that a minister should not receive pay is false. 

1 Corinthians 9: 3-6

³This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. ⁴Don’t we have the right to food and drink? ⁵Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas^[a]? ⁶Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?

Questions

1. To whom is Paul making his defence?
2. Who do the other apostles, the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas take along with them?
3. What is expected by some of Barnabas and Paul?
4. What is Paul trying to establish in this paragraph?
5. How much financial support should your pastor receive? 

Going Deeper

Take time to review your finances and ask the Lord if you can give more to ministry.  If you have time, see if your pastor’s salary is available.  In most cases you will find they are living on a little.  After seeing the salaries of ministers whom you know, decide how to act on that knowledge.

We are getting into a new problem here in chapter nine.  At the time of Paul, especially around Greece (Corinth is in Greece) itinerant philosophers would roam the land and find rich patrons.  The rich patrons would then influence the message of the philosopher to some degree.  Paul, in chapter 9, is pointing out that he is free from that kind of patronage.  He has a right to be paid, but he does not collect a salary from the Corinthians.  We know Paul received funds, but he seems to have worked part time making mobile homes (tents) and also received support from locations other than where he was present.  Because people had no financial hold over Paul, it seems they got annoyed and started to say he had no authority.  Paul argues otherwise.

1 Corinthians 9:1,2

 ¹Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? ²Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Questions

1. What two rhetorical questions does the chapter open with?
2. Do the next two rhetorical questions support his freedom or his authority?
3. What did a seal imply on an official document in ancient times?
4. Is your pastor free to minister without fear of the congregation?  Explain your answer.
5. How does a pastor’s calling show in their congregation?

Going Deeper

Surf the T.V. and find a preacher.  Listen for a while and determine if they are genuine.  How does money affect your answer?  How does testimony of their listeners affect your answer?  What else leads you to decide if they are genuine or charlatans?