Four Points Church

1 Corinthians 12:12-19 - ”Members of One Another - The Gifts, Part 3” - Brent Stephens / September 24, 2023

It’s not very hard to snap a single pencil in half. But have you ever tried breaking 15 pencils at one time? It’s a much different scenario. Pencils are not very strong alone, but when you have a bunch of them together, they become virtually unbreakable with human hands. This is God’s design for His Church. The Old Testament teaches us that “two are better than one” and “a threefold cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). There is strength in numbers. It is why wolves travel in packs and zebras in herds. Christians working

together can do more than one person by himself. Christians working together are stronger than one person by himself. The metaphor Paul uses to teach this truth to the Corinthians is that of a human body. The body has many members. A foot is not a hand, but the body needs both to be healthy and complete. God does not save us to be islands unto ourselves. The gifts He empowers us with would not be effective if we were alone. Rather, He places us, saved and gifted, as one member among many other members that make up one body, with Christ Himself being our head. Our dependence on Jesus is paired with our interdependence on one another. Paul’s rhetorical question in verse 19 proves the point, “If all were a single member, where would the body be?”

1 Corinthians 12:8-11 - ”The Varying Gifts of Grace - The Gifts, Part 2” - Brent Stephens / September 17, 2023

Paul mentions nine gifts of grace in these verses. However, this list is in no way exhaustive. He will add four more gifts to this list later, in verses 28-30. Further, three other texts in the Bible add to our understanding of spiritual gifts. In fact, there are just over 20 unique gifts mentioned in the New Testament. It is important to realize that these gifts are spread throughout the individuals within the church and not simply all given to one person or leader. This is shown through the continued use of the words “to another” found after each gift given in today’s passage.

1 Corinthians 12:1-7 - ”Unity in Diversity - The Gifts Part 1” - Brent Stephens / September 10, 2023

In the last chapter, we read about Paul’s concern for the socioeconomic disparities that existed in the church. The members of the church needed to see the table of the Lord as a place of unity in Christ, regardless of social status. All are equal at the foot of the cross! Paul now turns his attention to another disparity that exists within the church. It seems the church in Corinth has several members with a wide array of spiritual gifts. The word “gifts” in Greek is charisma and can also be translated as “grace” (v. 4). Not only is our salvation an act of grace that we receive from God (Ephesians 2:8), but our very talents used to advance His kingdom also find their genesis in His grace! This is a truth that every modern “Charismatic” Christian should take note of and remember. In chapter 12, Paul begins to address this new topic, spending quite a lot of time on it. He won’t finish until chapter 14. Paul begins this section with the words “Now concerning”—words we have seen before in this letter (7:1; 8:1). This gives us an understanding as to why so much ink is spilled on the topic of gifts. Paul is answering specific questions that have been sent to him by the church. They seem to have lots of questions and Paul wants them to have the correct information and understanding that they seek (v. 1).

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 - ”The Lord’s Supper” - Brent Stephens / September 3, 2023

In the first century when Christians would come together as a church, a meal was a part of their gathering. And when the early Christians took the Lord’s Supper, often it came after they shared that meal together. Luke wrote in Acts 2:46, “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.” Jude 12 speaks about “love feasts” where the church was almost certainly partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

1 Corinthians 11:2-16 - ”The Beauty of Complementarianism” - Brent Stephens / August 27, 2023

This is one of the most challenging passages in the New Testament to interpret. Paul is speaking to a cultural situation that we find difficult to reconstruct and hard to understand. However, the principles we can glean from this passage on women’s head coverings and propriety in corporate worship are very helpful for our world, which is confused on the subject of gender. Paul is teaching us about God’s pattern for men and women. In this passage, we see God-ordained differences and complementary designs. When we align ourselves with God’s truth, humanity flourishes.

1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 - ”Freedom for God’s Glory” - Brent Stephens / August 20, 2023

Paul continues his instruction on meat sacrificed to idols, which he began in chapter 8. Here, he helps the Corinthians navigate two challenging issues before the culture at large. How can they maintain a consistent witness about God alone deserving worship, while exercising their freedom to enjoy God’s good gifts? Must they investigate the history of every piece of meat that comes before them, to ensure that it has never been a part of a religious ritual? How can they be both faithful and free in this situation?

1 Corinthians 10:14-22 - ”The Emptiness of Idolatry” - Brent Stephens / August 13, 2023

At the beginning of chapter 8, Paul began the discussion about food being sacrificed to idols. Some within the Corinthian body had no problem with eating food that had been sacrificed to idols. Earlier, Paul dealt with their lack of love for their brothers in prioritizing their own desires to eat that food over what was best for their brothers (see previous section in this study guide). Now, Paul condemns eating the sacrifices, saying those who do are participating in the idolatrous services (1 Corinthians 10:18). Paul condemned this practice by giving two reasons, one positive and one negative. The positive reason is a reminder of the beauty of God’s people participating in right sacrifice. The negative reason is that participating in idolatrous sacrifice is actually demonic.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 - ”The Dangers of Overconfidence” - Brent Stephens / August 6, 2023

This passage opens with a summary of some of the ways God cared for His people in the Old Testament, as they left Egypt, wandered in the wilderness, and eventually entered the Promised Land. Paul relates several ways that God provided for their physical needs, including leading them through the Red Sea, feeding them manna, and giving them water from the rock. These were visible and tangible means that God used in the Exodus of His people. In verse 6, Paul is clear that one of the reasons we have such passages is as “examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.”

Justified: Studying the Five Solas - ”Soli Deo Gloria” - Daniel Pernell / July 30, 2023

Soli Deo Gloria - To the Glory of God Alone

Justified: Studying the Five Solas - ”Sola Scriptura” - Jerermy Brannon / July 23, 2023

Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone