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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1 Corinthians (Program #19) – Growth in Life Needed (2)

In first Corinthians the apostle Paul confronts the difficult situation in the church there in a very wise way. He first identifies that their problems would due primarily to a shortage of the growth in the divine life. Although they had received the initial gifts of the divine life and the Holy Spirit they were still infants or babes in Christ.

He then unveils to them the marvelous progression of God’s economy. First they need to realize that they are all plants growing on God’s farms. Then the goal is to be built up together into a building and finally that this building is destined to become God’s dwelling place, His temple.

How about you and me? Have we received such a vision, such a revelation or are we like the Corinthians satisfied to remain in our spiritual infancy and hang on to personal preferences in our own traditions?

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Ezekiel (Program #16) – The Dry Bones, the Two Sticks, and the Army

Ezekiel chapter 37 is one of the three great chapters in the book of Ezekiel because it uniquely reveals how God’s spirit comes into us in order to enliven us that we may become a corporate Body formed into an army and also built up as God’s dwelling place.

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Colossians (Program #34) – Rooted and Built Up in Christ With the Processed God

Here’s a question for you to ponder, “Does God have a history?” What does the Bible say? Of course it says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” and that’s clear enough. But, in the New Testament’s first book Matthew, we discover that God is not just simply God; He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – God. And even more incredibly, He has become the enter-able God. Our God does have a history, a mysterious history. And to unlock it, Colossians gives us the key in chapter 2:2, “That their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together … unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ.” Christ, the mystery of God is also the history of God.

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