The foundation of our faith is the resurrection of Jesus! 

Jesus' resurrection was a preview for the eternal life we have in Him. 

Jesus' resurrection gives us purpose, informing how we live. 

Jesus' resurrection is a promise for us - for new bodies and new life together.

Jesus' resurrection is a victory proclamation.  Death has been defeated! 

Hallelujah, what a savior!  The resurrection of Jesus is the bedrock of our faith.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells the church to desire gifts, but then in 1 Corinthians 13, he tells them the greater gift to desire is love.  God's agape love validates all other spiritual gifts.  Paul only uses one word here - "agape" - the sacrificial, life giving love of God.  It's not an emotion- it's an action!  The cross is the true definition of this love. 

We see in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 that without love, all the other spiritual gifts amount to nothing.  God's love illuminates and brings light.  The more we give, the more ourselves we become.  Paul uses 15 verbs in 3 verses to show us that love is an action!  We fall short, but as we grow in love, God is patient with us.  We can't love on our own, only through the Spirit can we love others.  We have the perfect example of this love through the cross.  Love is the more excellent way.  Let's unlearn the world's definition of love and learn to love like Jesus.  

On one hand, there are passages of Scripture, taken in isolation, that appear to prohibit women from leading or even speaking in worship (1 Timothy 2:11-12). On the other hand, there are passages of Scripture, taken in isolation, that appear to allow women to express a full range of giftedness by the Spirit for ministry (Acts 2:17-18). Therefore, believers can honestly and diligently engage with God’s Word and be led to different conclusions- and still cooperate together on our witness and mission. 

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female for you are all one in Christ.” Galatians 3:28

Two books of the Bible are named after women, there were at least three women prophetesses, Deborah was a judge and leader of Israel, the Samaritan woman proclaimed Jesus as Messiah, Mary was a disciple, the first witnesses of the resurrection were women, Phoebe was a deacon (Romans 16:1), Priscilla was a coworker in Christ (Romans 16:3) and a teacher of Apollos (Acts 18:26), and Junia was outstanding among apostles (Romans 16:7). 

We can disagree and work agreeably for God’s Kingdom and Jesus’ Great Commission.  We should diligently seek God’s truth in Scripture with humility.  We’ve seen women teaching, praying, witnessing, serving, leading, and prophesying in Scripture and we’ve seen the fruit of that in our lives.

The Body of Christ is living and connected, doing unseen work, unnoticed and unpraised, making the wheels turn. 

If you have professed Jesus as Lord, then the Holy Spirit is at work within you.  You've been given a gift and a calling. 

Without you and the application of your gifts, the Body of Christ is not whole. You are capable, wanted, and part of the work we are doing here at FB Shreveport. 

All of our gifts come from the same God.  In discovering our spiritual gifts, first pray and listen.  Try things out.  Seek guidance from other more seasoned believers. 

Paul uses the imagery of the body to illustrate how we are supposed to operate as the Body of Christ- in harmony, functioning together, with one mission.  Our gifts are not in competition, but cooperation.  Each of us has a role to fill.

Following Jesus in isolation doesn't work. Don't bury your gifts. We need you!  YOU are the Body of Christ!

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 we are called to run our races in such a way to get a prize.

1 - Prepare 

Corinthians were having a problem with their freedom in Christ- they heard about love and grace, but didn't understand that because of that grace, love, and freedom, we were meant to give up our freedoms to love and serve others.  The race of the gospel is the only race that matters.

2 - Participate 

Show up to run.  Put some miles on your tires.  Get in the race like your life depends on it.  We are not bystanders.  Run the gospel race and not the "me" race. 

3 - Prevail 

We run for a crown that will last forever.  Jesus gives the gift of life, love, peace, and presence. The race is worth it.

In 1 Corinthians 10:11-13, we find this bedrock promise:  God is faithful.  He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear and always provides a way out.  

The struggles of the church in Corinth point us to two truths:

1.  Temptation often comes disguised as freedom.  We have rights, but what is the impact on others?  It is better to be loving, to love our neighbor, than to insist on our freedoms (1 Corinthians 8:13).

2.  Temptation often grows through self justification.  God does not owe us based on who we think we are.  We must examine our hearts because idol worship can sneak up on us.  

You are not trapped.  No temptation has overcome you except what is common to humanity.  God is faithful.  Let's choose love over rights.  Choose worship over idols.  Choose the glory of God over the excuses of our hearts, to follow Christ and the example of His love to lay down his life for us. 

What matters is the work of the gospel, not the personalities or people doing it.  God is the one who makes things grow!  

Our work's foundation must be Jesus.  We are social, but we are not a social club- we are disciples of Jesus Christ.  

What we are building is a temple and we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  

Let's all be farmhands and construction workers- giving together, serving together, all doing our part in growing God's kingdom.  

What are we building here?  In our worship, in our Sunday School, in our giving, in our service, in our mission?  We are building a place where we kind find hope in Jesus.  We trust in the Lord for the harvest.  

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? 

  1.  You have to be part of a “WE.” You cannot have the mind of Christ without the people of God. 
  2. It’s not a human achievement but a divine gift of the Holy Spirit.
 3. We have the mind of Christ when we are focused on God’s glory instead of our own. 
  4. The mind of Christ stays close to the cross of Christ. 
  5. The mind of Christ unifies. 

Where is your mind being shaped more by the world than by the cross?  Is it shaped by comparison rather than by grace?  By self promotion rather than service?  By grievance than forgiveness?  More by fear than resurrection and hope?  Bring it to Jesus. The worst can always be overcome by the power of Christ.  We can rejoice saying together that we have the mind of Christ.

Paul's letters to the churches in the New Testament can be great guidance for our lives and there are many parallels between the church in Corinth and us today:  they were in a new nation, there were divisions between people, and there was great tension between culture and faith. 

In 9 verses, Paul mentions Christ Jesus 9 times!  Clearly, Jesus was his great passion.  He reminds them of his authority and then reminds them of who they are in Christ. 

They are sanctified in Jesus, set apart, saints, blessed with GRACE (given to us before we clean up our act - a divine yes) and PEACE (wholeness). 

What could a church like this look like?  We can embody grace and peace every day.  The church of grace and peace is a church with a short memory without marks and scars and scorekeeping.  We don't take ourselves too seriously- forgiveness is freely given and honesty is welcome.  It's more concerned with hearts than appearances.  It's about connecting the hurting and hopeless with God's goodness, mercy and grace.  It's less anger and more passion for loving the world whether the world loves us or not- living like Jesus lived because we are Jesus people.