Will be posting this devotion later in the day. Sadly, I must go help a friend pour concrete this AM. (The down side of having nice weather this late in the year).
I jotted a couple of notes I want to think about later. If I have time, I will come back and fill these thoughts out a little more.
Who is Sosthenes?
the church has “all” spiritual gifts. They apparently are eloquent speakers
Apollo is there. Remember him? Apparently he is so gifted some are “following him”
1:21 we will never know God through human wisdom
1:26-29 God chose the foolish things to shame the wise
Reading 2:1-5, I was thinking about Pauls comment regarding their eloquent speakers and Apollo, and worldly wisdom. Paul says he spoke plain and simple, which doesn’t sound like the culture of the area. I think they were more familiar with “lofty speeches”.
Comment on the idea that “we have the mind of Christ”
3:1-2 here again, Paul is explaining why he didn’t speak differently to them. There must have been some discussion in the church about the tone and manner of Paul’s preaching. It sounds like some of them liked Apollo’s delivery better, and now Paul is defending his approach in an explanatory sort of way.
3:17 We are God’s temple. further on, everything belongs to us.
4:1-2 I wonder what the church in Corinth thought of Paul? I mean, if you couldn’t agree with what the Apostle Paul said…..
4:6 Don’t be proud of one leader at the expense of another
4:8-10 further evidence that the church in Corinth had a high opinion of themselves
19 there were arrogant people giving pretentious speeches. Paul isn’t angry for himself, he is concerned about their spiritual development.
I almost never see Paul make a threat, and he doesn’t mean to here… He’s simply saying that they have a choice in what way he will approach them when he returns.
Faithfully,
PR