Whether you are a lifelong member or a newcomer, when you come through the doors of Good Shepherd Church our prayer is that you are made to feel like family. As forgiven people, living in the grace of God, we want more and more people to experience the joy and freedom that can only be found in Jesus Christ. We hope to see you this Sunday!
As we finish chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians, Paul compares the Christian life and our Gospel mission to an athletic event. In order to race well and finish well, we are called to live disciplined lives. We are called to be willing to give up things that we are actually free to do. However, the beauty of this race is that as we sacrifice - and as we point people to the ultimate sacrifice - more and more people win.
As Christians, we have freedom and we have rights. As Americans, we have freedom and we have rights. In our text for this Sunday from 1 Corinthians, Paul is going to be talking about his rights. But as he does, he's going to let us know that sometimes the most important thing we can do is to give up our rights - both for the sake of our neighbor and for the sake of the Gospel.
There are a lot of things we know. Sometimes we encounter people that are not in on what we know. It can be challenging to know how to help these people. In our text for this Sunday from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, there was a lot of knowledge but not a lot of loving. They knew that God created all things and eating food sacrificed to idols is nothing. So they were free to eat without sin. But some didn’t know this, so when they ate, they were caused to sin. So, what is all this knowledge for? Is it for ourselves…or something more? Where does love fit into all this?
