Sermon: Eat and Drink Worthily
Posted by godsman1985 | Filed under Sermons
“But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment.” (1 Cor. 11:34 NKJV)
Observe the Lord’s Supper solely in remembrance of what Jesus did.
Disorder was the name of the game in the city of Corinth in the first century. Like so many Christians today, they tried to integrate the teachings of Paul with the traditions of their culture. Corinth at this time was an extremely divided city. There were almost two and a half times more slaves living in the city then there were free people. This led to many degrees of separation.
One of the big areas that the separation of the classes was evident was in the practice of the Lord’s Supper. The church in this era did not gather to meet in buildings, rather they gathered together in each other’s homes. The Lord’s Supper was when the Christians came together for a “communal meal” (Alexander and Alexander 1999, 701). Everyone was to bring what they could afford and everyone was to eat together; however, the rich in Corinth “ate their food without sharing it with others and without even waiting for everyone to arrive” (Fleming 1994, 510). By doing this, they were boasting of their wealth. At many of these meals “one is hungry and another is drunk” (1 Cor. 11:21). The rich were both bring their food and eating it as well and the poor left hungry. Paul was shocked to hear this was going on. He questions, “What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing” (1 Cor. 11:22)? Paul goes right for the heart of the matter. By the rich eating all they bring and leaving nothing for the poor, they shame those who have nothing. In the same sentence he calls them out on their pride he also equates it to despising the church of God.
After exposing the attitude the Corinthians had assumed towards the Lord’s Supper, Paul explains the Lord’s Supper as the Lord had revealed it to him. He includes only the bread and the wine as important factors regarding the Lord’s Supper, not the entire meal. He also dictates the timeframe and order of the meal that Jesus was part of. While everyone was eating the Passover meal Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples. He told them to repeat this in remembrance of Him. After they had finished eating, Jesus took the wine and explained the significance and purpose of the wine as a symbol of the blood He knew He was going to lose.
Following the explanation of the proper order of communion Paul issues a challenge to the church. He states that anyone who partakes of communion “unworthily” will be guilty of the blood and body of Christ. In translation and our current understanding of the word worthy this statement has cause some modern Christians to believe that they have to be without sin in order to partake in the Lord’s Supper. According to Strong’s Concordance, the word used in this scripture actually means “in an unworthy manner” or “irreverently” (Strong’s). This speaks to the attitude assumed while partaking in the Lord’s Supper. Those who came to “shame those who have nothing” would reap destruction on their bodies.
Finally , after bringing attention to the attitude of the church, educating them in the order if the Lord’s Supper, and pointing them inwards; Paul concludes his exhortation on the matter of the Lord’s supper saying, “But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment.” This passage in 1 Corinthians reveals three purposes of partaking the Lord’s Supper; “Look backward. ‘ For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death.’” Look inward. ‘But let a man examine himself’, and “Look forward. ‘ Till He come.’” (Willmington 1981, 428)
When you partake in the Lord’s Supper, remember, the condition of our hearts towards our fellow Christians needs to be one of unity, sharing, and love.
Devotional: Faith Requires Action
Posted by godsman1985 | Filed under Uncategorized
Faith Requires Action
“Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did” (Exodus 2:28, New King James Version).
The children of Israel were just given a strange task, they were living in a foreign country as slaves with no formal religion or rites; yet, when they were told to take an unblemished lamb, sacrifice it, eat of its flesh, and spread some of its blood on their doorposts so that they may be spared the tenth plague, they unquestioningly “went away and did so”. When Moses and Aaron first came to them with the message that God was going to deliver them out of Egypt, the people did not believe them and complained because Pharaoh had made their work more difficult. They had no faith.
God, however, was not dismayed by their doubts. He moved against the house of Pharaoh demonstrating His power and authority. While the mere occurrences of the plagues might not have been enough to raise the faith of the Israelites, the fact that they were spared the worst of them served only to bolster their faith; therefore, when the outcome was yet again looking bleak, and Moses came to them telling them how they may be saved from the curse of the tenth plague, there was no hesitation on their part to go out and do what God had commanded.
The story of the Exodus gives us an example of what faith in action can achieve. God has given us similar commands that we ought to follow. Some are simple and logical such as turning away from things we did before He saved us while others require that our faith be stretched. God may ask us to sell all our possessions as He did with the wealthy young man, or He may tell us to go to a mission field we do not want to go to. Thankfully we have the same advantage the children of Israel did. We have all seen God intervene in our lives on our behalf. We have seen the benefits of obedience; therefore, we can be confident that God will see us through anything He asks of us.
Research Essay: How young adults are sometimes overlooked in the Church and how to fix it.
Posted by godsman1985 | Filed under Uncategorized
Introduction
Partiality, or the showing of favoritism towards or against a specific group of people, is sin according to the Bible. While most churches do not intentionally show bias against members of their body, young adults are a group that the church has overlooked. Why are young adults overlooked in the church and what can the church do to reverse this unfortunate trend? In this paper, I will discuss how young adults feel about church, the traits of the current generation of young adults, and how to include young adults in the current ministry of the church.
How Young Adults Feel About Church
Know your audience. This is advice that public speakers, comics, and anyone who tries to influence an audience lives by. Is the church an exception to this wisdom? If a church wants to reach out to young adults, they need to understand what they think about the church and how they relate to the body. According to Campbell, “One of the trends we’re noticing, [is] people are looking for something that’s real.”[1] Young adults in an era with churches that are only concerned about having a big church and not about nurturing the people who attend are looking for authentic people who truly care for them. Many young adults who grew up in the church face with different perspectives. Churches traditionally have the youth separated off into a youth program that can “fragment the church,” according to Meyers.[2] By separating the youth from the “intergenerational church” [3] it can create an “us versus them mentality”[4] which can cause the youth to feel like they are viewed as unnecessary. Although these two groups of young adults received different messages from their church experiences, or lack of them, the church that understands their desire can effectively minister to them.
Bringing a Generation Into the Church
As society evolves, organizations that hope to flourish need to be aware of not only how to draw a generation in, but how they are able to contribute once they are in. Ircel Harrison discusses four tips on connecting with the current generation of young adults. [5] The first thing he talks about is to “listen and don’t talk”.[6] Unless dialogue takes place, the church cannot learn the issues and point of view of their target audience. He further states that they are “far more exploratory than any other generation.”[7] He also discusses the importance of relevance of what is spoken to young adults as well as being willing to change the approach of ministry rather than try and force the generation into pre-molded boxes. As a consequence of their exploratory nature, young adults are passionate. They are “looking for someone or something worthy of dying for.” [8]Due to societal influences, young adults experience delays in their development into adulthood; because of this Drury states that churches should “delay the expected age of ordination.” [9]According to Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook, “fewer than seven percent of the clergy are under the age of 35.”[10] This is causing a gap between current clergy and the next generation of ministers. The decline of young clergy is the fact that often young adults are often “urged to wait to go to seminary until they were older.”[11] However, the young adults that are clergy “believe they have something valuable to offer the church,” such as “insights into what is needed to attract young people to the church.”[12]
How to Include Young Adults in the Church
Once young adults are in the church, the body of Christ needs to nurture them and understand how to incorporate them into the church. Spring comments that “young men and women are “increasingly willing to commit to lifelong demands on their income, housing, transportation, clothing, and even the church they attend, as long as it brings personal and global fulfillment of God’s Kingdom work.”[13] Many older generations have grown up focusing on spiritual formation without it leading to “local and global transformation.”[14] The increasing financial drains on young adults put them in a position where they “may not be able to be churches’ major financial supporters,” but “they’re often in a prime position to volunteer their time.”[15] In order to tap into the support potential of young adults, mentorship is extraordinarily effective. Lottes demonstrates this by discussing the traits that Jesus portrayed demonstrating His own mentorship of the Disciples.[16] He claims that “the critically important role of the mentor, the mentoring environment, and mentoring communities as contexts that nurture the vital growth of young adults towards maturity and wholeness in becoming at home in the world.”[17] Mentoring young adults ensures a strong church that is wholly using all of its parts.
Conclusion
Once the church understands how young adults view the church, how they relate to the world and the importance of mentorship, the body of Christ can become more complete. Campbell reveals that young adults are looking for something that is real. Spring claims they desire to participate in the church. John Lottes details how to mentor young adults following the example of Jesus. Therefore, a true understanding of young adults and how they relate to the world can unite the body of Christ without partiality.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Campbell, Kristen. “Young Adults Missing From Pews.” Christian Century 121, no 3 (2004): 16.
Drury, Keith. Emerging Adults: The Coming New “Youth Ministry?” http://www.drury
writing.com/keith/emerging.adulthood.htm (accessed February, 5 2011).
Fields, Doug. Purpose Driven Youth Ministry: 9 Essentials Foundations for Healthy Growth. Grand Rapids, Mi: Zondervan, 1998.
Harrison, Ircel. Ethics Daily “Four Steps to Get Young Adults in Church.” http://www.ethicsdaily.com/four-steps-to-get-young-adults-in-church-cms-17372 (accessed February 6, 2011).
Kujawa-Holbrook, Sheryl A. “Looking Forward: Theological Education, Young Adults, and the
21st Century Church.” Congregations 32 (Spring 2006):16.
Lottes, John D. “Jesus as Mentor: Biblical Reflections for Ministry with Young Adults.”
Currents in Theology and Mission 32 (2005): 128.
Myers, William R. “Youth between Culture and Church.” Theology Today (January 1991): 409.
Seely, Edward D. “Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church.” Calvin
Theological Journal 40, no 2 (2005): 397.
Spring, Thad. Myths of Young Adult Ministry Uncovered. Wesleyan, http://www.wesleyan.org/
wlonline/article? id=186&src=home (accessed February 6, 2011).
[1] Kristen Campbell. “Young Adults Missing From Pews.” Christian Century 121, no 3 (2004): 16.
[2] William R Myers. “Youth between Culture and Church.” Theology Today (January 1991): 409.
[3]Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ircel Harrison. Ethics Daily “Four Steps to Get Young Adults in Church.”
http://www.ethicsdaily.com/four-steps-to-get-young-adults-in-church-cms-17372 (accessed February 6, 2011).
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8]Edward D. Seely. “Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church.” Calvin Theological Journal 40, no 2 (2005): 397.
[9]Keith Drury. Emerging Adults: The Coming New “Youth Ministry?” http://www.drurywriting.com/keith/emerging.adulthood.htm (accessed February, 5 2011).
[10] Sheryl A Kujawa-Holbrook. “Looking Forward: Theological Education, Young Adults, and the
21st Century Church.” Congregations 32 (Spring 2006):16.
[11] Sheryl A Kujawa-Holbrook.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Thad Spring. Myths of Young Adult Ministry Uncovered. Wesleyan, http://www.wesleyan.org/wlonline/article?&src=home (accessed February 6, 2011).
[14] Ibid.
[15]Kristen Campbell. “Young Adults Missing From Pews.” Christian Century 121, no 3 (2004): 16.
[16] John D Lottes. “Jesus as Mentor: Biblical Reflections for Ministry with Young Adults.”Currents in Theology and Mission 32 (2005): 128.
[17] John D Lottes. “Jesus as Mentor: Biblical Reflections for Ministry with Young Adults.”Currents in Theology and Mission 32 (2005): 128.
Start
Posted by godsman1985 | Filed under Uncategorized
I am just starting this blog and it will include research projects and Bible Studies that I compose and work through.
