1 Corinthians (Program #24) – Transformation for the Building

In the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians we are told specifically and clearly that every believer during the course of their days on the earth is engaged in a building work.

How we build, what we build and what we build with are the crucial questions that we all must explore during our course of days on this earth.

1 Corinthians 3 tells us very clearly, ” ……let each man take heed how he builds upon it. For another foundation no one is able to lay besides that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds upon the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, stubble, The work of each will become manifest; for the day will declare it, because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will prove each one’s work, of what sort it is.”

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Exodus (Program #134) – The Sanctification of Aaron and His Sons to be the Priests (5) Universal Priesthood, Redemption, Peace and Burnt Offerings

As genuine born-again Christians, we need to realize that it is possible to be saved and even forgiven of our sins yet fall short of God’s goal for our salvation.  What is this goal?  Revelation 1:5-6 tell us Jesus Christ has lose us from our sins by His blood and make us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father.  Yes we are saved, but can we boldly declare that also we are priests to God?   To see what it really means to be a priest, we have to look into the types and pictures in the Old Testament.  We will, on today’s life study of the Bible.

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1 Corinthians (Program #23) – God’s Farm and God’s Building

The sequence in 1 Corinthians is really marvelous. Most readers of the Bible are aware that the church in Corinth was full of problems. The very same kind of problems that may plague our church today; division, jealousies, strive and ambition just to name a few.

In short the Corinthians were lacking in the genuine experience of Christ as life. So the apostle Paul after pointing out these problems then points them to life and building. Actually this loving care of the apostle in the word of God is for all of us.

1 Corinthians 3:9 “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s cultivated land, God’s building.”

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Exodus (Program #133) – The Sanctification of Aaron and His Sons to be the Priests (4) God’s Food, Anointing and Peace Offering and Blood

The gospel of John 1:29 contains a well-know phrase to most Christians, “behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  If we’ve ever enjoyed this verse, we’ve enjoyed Christ as the fulfillment of the offerings described in the Old Testament.  This realization of Christ as seen through the Old Testament in a general way is very precious to us.  But even more precious is to see the details associated with many of these Old Testament offerings.  For each of them display another marvelous facet of God’s Lamb and our Savior Christ.

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1 Corinthians (Program #22) – Feeding, Drinking, Eating, Planting, Watering, Growing

The believers in the church of Corinth that Paul was writing to in 1 Corinthians had a number of problems. But not just problems that could be remedy by giving them advice or spiritual counsel. The apostle spoke to them in a very strong way in chapter three telling them that they are infants, fleshy and even fleshly. These are symptoms of a very poor spiritual condition.

But after such a sober word he proceeds to show them the way out of such spiritual poverty not by teaching them but by giving them many marvelous expressions all pointing them to their real lack which was to eat and drink of Christ and to become planters, feeders and waterers in the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:2 & 6, “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. ….. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. ”

We can’t have too much eating, drinking, enjoying of our dear Lord Jesus.

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Exodus (Program #132) – The Sanctification of Aaron and His Sons to be the Priests (3) Redemption and Germination, Sanctification by Hands Filled

The record given in Exodus is very detailed about many spiritual matters, like the service of the Old Testament priesthood.  Chapter 29 in fact began this way “And this is what you shall do to them to sanctify them to serve Me as priests..”.  The following verses gave items after items of instructions.  But no where in the New Testament do we find such an account of how to sanctify the New Testament priests or even how to serve as the New Testament priests.  Yet the Bible clearly tells us that all the believers in Christ are the real priests.

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1 Corinthians (Program #21) – The Building Work with Natural Materials

In the realm of Christian service and ministry many things are done in the name of Christian work.  But 1 Corinthians 3 is a key chapter that points out absolutely clearly that the unique work all of us as the believers should be engaged in is a building work.  Verse 11 and 12 in this chapter say it:

“For another foundation no one is able to lay besides that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds upon the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, stubble, “

Two categories of materials. And the first category, the materials are mineral, very precious and enduring gold, silver and precious stones.  In the second category however the materials are all perishable and natural  wood, grass and stubble.  The significant of these two categories becomes very relevant for us and the Christian work in the very next verses.

“The work of each will become manifest; for the day will declare it, because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will prove each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward;  If anyone’s work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. “

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Exodus (Program #131) – The Sanctification of Aaron and His Sons to be the Priests (2) Sin Offering and the Way to Feast on Christ

Many items of the Old Testament are later associated with Christ in the New Testament.  Among the most frequently discussed items are the offerings that became part of the service in the tabernacle and later the temple.  What do these Old Testament animal offerings have to do with our Savior Christ and with our own experience of His divine life in us?

We are in the section of the life study of Exodus now that touches the offerings.  The offerings of the Old Testament have long been connected to, or associated with Christ.  The New Testament does make it clear that Christ on the cross was the real fulfillment of many of these offerings, like the sin offering and trespass offering that we will see today.

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1 Corinthians (Program #20) – The Building Work with Transformed Materials (1)

The goal of the Christian life is not merely to live a proper and upright life, died and then go to heaven. The goal as presented in 1 Corinthians has to do with being built up into a spiritual building that ultimately becomes God’s dwelling place on earth with His people. In short this building is the church becoming the real temple of God on earth.

What a high calling, our real work in the Christian life is a building work.  And to this end Paul instructed the Corinthians believers and us in chapter three of 1 Corinthians :

“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s cultivated land, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation, and another builds upon it. But let each man take heed how he builds upon it. For another foundation no one is able to lay besides that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds upon the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, stubble, the work of each will become manifest; for the day will declare it, because it is revealed by fire. ”

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Exodus (Program #130) – The Sanctification of Aaron and His Sons to be the Priests (1) Sin Offering, Empty Hands

The priests in the Old Testament had to meet three basic requirements to qualify for their lofty service.  First they had to be born of the proper lineage then they needed to be clothed with the priestly garments and finally they had to have their hands full of the offerings.  What’s interesting is that requirements for being a priest today in the New Testament are really the same.  This is mysterious, yet it is too marvelous.

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