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 Gospel ExpenseThe presentation of the gospel must be freed from the encumbrances of the inane and petty dung that has captured church pulpits. Necessary FreedomPaul was compelled to preach freely. So, out of necessity he preached freely. But which is it? Did Paul preach out of freedom or out of necessity? The answer, of course, is yes. Pay The PiperIn spite of that rightful claim upon the Corinthian purse, Paul did not request or receive any such care. Why not? Because he did not want to give the impression that his ministry was motivated by monetary concerns. He did not want to be perceived as a hired gun that had come in to clean up the Corinthian church. He did not want to put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Freedom's LimitsAgainst the tide of unrestrained freedom, Paul argued for caution and restraint. Here and elsewhere Paul argued that freedom in Christ did not mean that Christians were free to do whatever they wanted to do, even if there was nothing ultimately wrong with some particular action. But rather, Christians were free in Christ to live in obedience to Christ, free to care for and model behavior suited to the least discerning of Christ's people. Morality and MaturityFalse gods are powerless because they are not real. And yet, people falsely believe they are real, and establish very real and destructive behaviors on that false basis. Consequently, the more mature are bound by the weaknesses of the less mature as a matter of service to the weaker brothers. Unbelievable TruthToo many of the Corinthians who now associated themselves with Jesus Christ had not made a clean break with their former beliefs. They brought many of those former beliefs -- false beliefs and the false worldview of Greek philosophy -- into the Corinthian church with them. Still happens. Happy Holiday!Thanksgiving and Christmas are soon upon us. For most people they are a time of pain and difficulty for many reasons. They are family celebrations, but our families are mostly broken and the holidays remind us of this painful fact. They may remind others of their failure to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior -- and of the implications of that failure. For many embattled Christians the holidays bring the culture war to the front burner. Ethics, Morality and LoveThe ethical person has abstract knowledge about what is right and wrong and has an intellectual understanding. Whereas the moral person has concrete or visceral knowledge about what is right and wrong and has a behavioral understanding. Biblical edification is not always positive, nor does the word mean to encourage. It is not that we must understand God before we can love Him, but that our love for God is dependent upon His knowledge of us. The Illusion of KnowledgeKnowledge based upon personal experience is neither objective, nor trustworthy. But because the Bible has been vetted by many people in many different cultures over many thousands of years, it's knowledge is as close to being objective as is humanly possible. Sexual IgnorancePaul gives advice about marriage during periods of social upheaval, the marriage bed, difficulties related to child rearing and God's care that supersedes it all.
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