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zachary snow
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Day 81 Part 2: Gifts, Discipline, and Temples, Oh My!
1 star|2 comments|September 18, 2007|892 reads
 
Gifts 
In chapter 4 of 1Corinthians we see this verse, "For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" (NASB vs.7). This verse says a whole lot. What do you have that you didn't receive? Is there anything you have spiritually that wasn't given to you? Is there something that you've earned? According to this scripture...NO! So...why do we boast? Why do we act like we've done something amazing or like we're entitled to God's gifts? We've done and can do nothing to earn gifts. May God give me grace to stop boasting in what I've done and to start boasting in what He's done!

What do you think of this verse?
"For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power" (NASB 4:20).

Discipline
In chapter 5 we see an example of what church discipline should be. Instead of leaving churches when we don't agree with something, we should "remove the wicked man" from our midst. When we know someone in the church is practicing immorality and is unrepentant, we should remove them. We shouldn't let them back into our fellowship until they have shown fruits of repentance. How much do you think Sunday morning attendance in your church would drop if the church started practicing discipline?

Temples
In chapter 7 we have the other famous "your body is a temple" passage, again, usually taken out of context. The verse in question is verse 19.
6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

This is another verse used to tell people that they should eat right and not do things that might harm their bodies, but if you look at the context that is not what this verse is about at all. I'm not saying you shouldn't eat right...I'm just saying that thats not what this passage is about :-) This passage is referring specifically to sexual sin. Go back and read verses 15-20 again and see what it says. Verse 18 says "Every other sin is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body." What do you think?

 
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Barrett Young
 Barrett Young
September 19, 2007
Discipline:
I think there are a precious few churches in every community that are being faithful and practicing church discipline. I think this explains the rise in attendance at the larger churches, since very few of them practice it. When was the last time you were in a membership meeting and the candidates were asked "Are you currently under church discipline at another church?" In fact, for that matter, when was the last time you ever heard a serious inquiry about where they came from and why they left that church? The bigger churches in our area boast of "growth", but they truly know that they are just shuffling Christians around church to church.

As far as my church goes, my pastor told me a year ago that I couldn't attend yet. He knew where I was coming from and why I was leaving, and he honestly told me that I could not come to the church until my reasons for leaving my other were more honorable and less messy. So I had to return to my other church for a year, until I could have the conversations with the pastors and leave with their blessing. Weird. Other-worldly even.
zachary snow
 zachary snow
September 19, 2007
You've definitely had a rare experience. I just wish it wasn't quite so rare :-)