The Apostle Paul used an athletic illustration to talk about the Christian life. He called it “running a race” that has permanent ramifications! We don’t run race for a crown, a trophy or a medal; we run it for eternity’s sake. It was a metaphor that he not only understood; his readers at the church of Corinth would understand it as well!

The word is “witnessing”. Churches have turned the act of witnessing into a formal exercise that requires experience and training. Witnessing is simply being a person who shares what he or she has heard, seen, or experienced. We actually witness every day to people by the way we interact, speak, or reflect another person’s encounter with us! The Apostle Paul told the church at Corinth that he became all things to all people in order to win some!

One of the most significant problems in the church at Corinth had to do with food! Sacrifices happened around the clock in pagan temples of Corinth. They were offered up in sacrifice to a pagan god or deity. Paul would say bluntly in chapter 10 that were really offered to demonic spirits! That was no small thing to some people. Some Christians had no problem eating the meat; others struggled with doing that. Both views were to be respected!

The Bible actually offers great marriage counseling in First Corinthians 7! Read it and I promise it will speak to you and your spouse in some way. God instituted marriage; He might have something to say about it. This week on CrossHope, we study this very important chapter. Let it speak some truth, hope, and conviction into your marriage.

When I started in the ministry, a professional counselor in a seminar told me that most of the counseling you do will fall under one of three “root problems”. I thought at first that it was pretty simplistic to say that, but I’ve found it to be surprisingly true! This message is about people in Corinth suing one another in court. I will suggest there were root problems underneath the legal issue at hand.

We look at the most politically incorrect passages out of First Corinthians this week on CrossHope. They’re words that have to do with one of most sensitive subjects in 2018: personal morality and behavior. Most people like to separate their personal lives from their spiritual lives. The only problem with that is that the Bible doesn’t do that! Scripture speaks as if my personal life is the same as my spiritual life. That’s new territory for some people. Let’s talk about that this week!

Because of Easter coming up this week in the series, we move ahead in this series from First Corinthians to the famous passage about the resurrection. If there is one chapter in the New Testament that is fully dedicated to this subject, it’s the 15th chapter of the book where Paul make a dynamic case for believing and trusting in the resurrection of Christ, and ours as well. If you know someone who needs some assurance about life after death, introduce them this chapter of this book!

Dr. Paul Pearsall was a psychologist years ago who died in 2007. I’ve quoted him often over the years. He’s not without controversy, but I still quote his thoughts on family. He believes that the family hasn’t failed; rather we have failed the family. The Apostle Paul in First Corinthians 4 gives some family lessons from a spiritual father.

How important is faithfulness in your life? Probably more important when you are on the receiving end of someone else’s faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Paul tells the church at Corinth that they have all been given a “trust” individually as well as corporately. He then charges them to be faithful to that trust personally and as a body of believers known as the church.

Sometimes in life, the least noticed thing in a person’s life turns out to be the most important thing in their day to day living. For instance, some people never mention the chronic pain in their body; yet it drives every moment of their lives. The foundation of your life is like that. Maybe no one knows what the most important thing in their existence is. We talk about that spiritually in your life and mine.