Spiritual gifts are a matter of great interest in the church today. Many are confused - uncertain as to their applications-operations. Wondering, are they for today - in what way do they evidence themselves when at work--

In Ch 12 we find the endowment of spiritual gifts, Ch 13 gives us the energy of spiritual gifts - Ch 14 will speak to the exercise of spiritual gifts.

What Paul had established as that time of commemoration,-celebration - anticipation, essentially disintegrated into a time of separation - self gratification. They had managed to take this sacred rite that the Lord had entrusted to His own - somehow twist it into sacrilege

From creation to salvation, we serve a God who is structured - orderly. Even so, when it comes to the home --or the corporate assembly -which is what Paul points out today- there is order - authority that He has established. - - In many ways it flies against the spirit of our age today, to which we are neither shocked nor surprised because worldliness is opposed to godliness on virtually every level.

Overconfidence creates weakness. That was the basic principle Paul put forth as we were ending our time together last week. The Corinthian Christians had experienced blessing after privilege after blessing from God. Baptized into Christ, provisions - protection from Christ, yet not really living lives that expressed gratitude toward or love for Christ. Thinking that because they'd believed in Jesus, they'd been baptized, they partook of communion that they were safe from any real form of discipline or disqualification.

The best way to learn-- Some would say, -Experience.- I would agree. However, does it always have to be your experience that you learn from-- - I would say, no. Perhaps you've heard the phrase, -Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.- - The idea being that the experience of others in the past should serve to save us some heartaches or repeating the same mistakes in the present-

We continue our journey through 1 Corinthians

Confusion - controversy are the topics of the hour. In Ch 7 Paul dealt with Corinthian confusion. Questions concerning marriage-singleness - serving the Lord. In Ch 8 we begin leaning into Corinthian controversy. There was some tension concerning the topic of eating meat offered to idols. Is that something a Christian could do, or should do-- - Obviously, for you - me -culturally- this really isn't something that applies to us. However, the principle in play regarding Christian liberty very much does. For instance, people have questions about Christians - movies, or television, or smoking, or drinking or dancing... Things that the bible may not layout in black - white. They linger in -the gray- - so people-volley back - forth as to what's the appropriate response of the believer regarding these kinds of things. It's in Ch 8 that Paul outlines the principle that should guide-govern our lives when it comes to questionable things.

Beginning in Ch 7, Paul the apostle is resolving issues revolving around Corinthian-confusion. - What we have are his answers, what we don't have are their questions. They-had written him a letter because they had questions, evidently revolving around married-life, single life, sexual intimacy - spirituality.

Up to this point, the things he's addressed didn't really have anything to do with what they wrote to him, but what he'd come to learn about them- But here in Ch 7 he-begins to bring clarity in some of these, their areas of confusion.