Christmas is a wonderful, amazing story. We are thrilled to hear it every year. Yet this surprising story didn't just happen. There were reasons God did what He did, when He did it.

Today we look at the 400+ years of silence He was finally breaking - so speak with the WORD.

Corinth had so many problems in their worship services, Paul needed four chapters to deal with them all. We needed two sermons! In this second sermon we look at the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts - what was wrong - and how to make it right.

Worship can be controversial today - people have strong opinions about most everything. The same thing was happening in Corinth! Paul gives them some sound advice. Two of the issues involved what women were doing in the services - which remains an issue today!

Paul has a challenge for us. It isn't enough to just be in the race, to be a Christian. We need to take our faith seriously. It is more than just words, it is how we live.

We all know our rights - we want them, we deserve them, we even demand them. But what about when our rights harm someone else? What then?

Marriage in Corinth was a real question. People were trying some really "new" ideas and asking Paul if it was OK. Paul has a lot to say about not only marriage but also engagement and divorce.

Conflict is something almost everyone wants to avoid. Yet it happens, even in the church. The challenge is not to avoid conflict but to handle it in the correct way. The Christians in Corinth failed to do that, and Paul challenged them!

Some things were WRONG in the Corinthian Church - the problem was that some were proud of what they were doing wrong! Paul challenged this thinking - and urged them to take sin seriously.

While those who don't know Jesus may see us as weak and even foolish, the opposite is in fact true. We possess Divine wisdom and super-human power - not because WE do, but because God has given us His Spirit!

Leadership is critical for any group or church. Yet it can also be a problem. It was in Corinth! Paul has some correction for us all: We have only one real leader - and leadership in God's Kingdom is about serving, now climbing the ladder.