1 Corinthians 4:20

"For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." 1 Corinthians 4:20

How often do we come to the word of God and see it just as words on a page?  How often can you see in your own life that reading of the word does not change/move you in some way?  What is the power in God's word?

"For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe." 1Thessalonians 2:13

It performs work in those who believe.  So there is power in God's word to work in us, who believe.

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 

So the word of God has power to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Christ says that those who hear his word and acts on it is like a wise man who builds his house upon a rock versus a fool who builds his house upon the sand (Matthew 7:24).  Christ says that we can miss what the word is truly about: him (John 5:39).  Summing up: God's word has power.  We can miss this power and the work it does on our lives.  

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5 

Praise the Lord for this promise.  Let's make this our prayer that in whatever we read, the Lord would give us wisdom that we might be moved to action from a sincere faith!

1 Corinthians 4:15-16

1 Corinthians 4:15-16
"For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me."

Christ redefined how we think about family and relationships when he made it clear that those who do the will of the father are his sister, brother, mother (Matthew 12:47-50).  Those, like Paul, who take time to disciple and make disciples become the father's of those they disciple.  The disciple becomes the imitator of the father, however we must be careful in how we approach this thought.  We are not called to worship man or hold him any higher than our Lord.  Consider Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 18:4-9
"Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die. But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness, and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period-- if a man does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, if he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he keeps his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between man and man, if he walks in My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully--he is righteous and will surely live," declares the Lord GOD."

Our faith must be sincere before God and not before those that may disciple (1Timothy 1:5; 2Timothy 1:5; Hebrews 10:22).  God is the keeper of our soul's and the judge (Hebrews 9:27; 2 Peter 3:7).

1 Corinthians 4:6

1 Corinthians 4:6

"Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other."

What things?

1Corinthians 1:12

"Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, 'I am of Paul,' and 'I of Apollos,' and 'I of Cephas,' and 'I of Christ.'"

Paul & Apollos: figuratively any teacher other than Christ.


1Corinthians 3:4-6
"For when one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth."

Paul & Apollos: figuratively any teacher other than Christ. 

1Corinthians 3:22
"whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you,"



Paul & Apollos: figuratively any teacher other than Christ. 

What is Paul's purpose in applying these things to him and Apollos? So that they may not exceed what is written (that greek word there for 'written' - grapho; it appears 209 times  in the new testament and 208 of those times, it is translated as a form of write; so I think Paul meant to say 'written').  What did Paul just finish speaking on? He tells us that God's wisdom is far better than man's wisdom; there's no comparison! 1Corinthians 1:25, 2:11, 3:19.  Consider yourself blessed to have the scripture, so that we might not have to exceed what is written: and specifically the old testament which is what they had to work from as first century believers!  

This verse also reminds me of this scripture: ""It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel." Deuteronomy 17:19-20

Both verses bring us to what is written so that pride will not overcome us.  Let us look to the scriptures as the thing on which we stand, not missing the fact that it is these that tell us of Christ!

1 Corinthians 3:6&8

1 Corinthians 3:5-9

"What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building."

We are called to labor as Christians, planting seeds in people's hearts from the scripture just as Christ describes in Matthew 13:19-23.  Have you ever seen a seed planted in the ground?  Does it make a difference if someone twirls around, jumps up and down and drops the seed behind their back to plant it or if someone just simply puts it in the ground?  The manner in which a seed is planted matters nothing, but rather God who causes it to grow.  

1 Corinthians 3:1-4

1 Corinthians 3:1-4

"And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men?"

What is the place of a denomination but to say "I follow these sets of principles."?  Are you not following mere men?  

"As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him." 1 John 2:27

""But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." John 16:13

"In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation --having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,"  Ephesians 1:13

1 Corinthians 2:2,6,10-11

1 Corinthians 2:2

"For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." 

How are we to make disciples?  Do you teach all the mysteries of God and wisdom from the Lord to a new believer?  Do you make known to an unbeliever the knowledge of how the body of Christ works in the church?  By no means!  Preach Christ to those who have not the Lord and who are new to the Lord.  "If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?" Psalm 11:3

Consider the soil: "Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away."  Luke 8:13

Christians should be firmly rooted in the Gospel.  They should be able to exhort, teach, encourage, etc. others in the Gospel.  They should be able to pull from their hearts (Psalm 119:11) verses from the scriptures that describe the Gospel.  I don't picture someone firmly rooted in math and not having a full memorization of the times tables or how to do long division.  I don't think someone is firmly rooted in English literature that doesn't have some of Chaucer committed to memory.  Why is it any different when we come to the Gospel?

1 Corinthians 2:6

"Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;"

There is a place for wisdom among the mature in Christ.  However someone is not mature in the Lord (no matter how long they've been born again) if they do not have the knowledge and ability to speak and share the Gospel (Hebrews 5:11-14).

1 Corinthians 2:10-11

"For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God." 

Here's a fact that should encourage you in your understanding and ability to memorize and share the Gospel: You HAVE the spirit of God living inside of you if you believe that Christ, by grace, has saved you from the wrath of God, and pulled you from a life of corruption, to live not for yourself but for him (1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 1:13, Revelation 20:15, 2 Corinthians 5:15)!  He will equip you for every good work (Hebrews 13:21).

1 Corinthians 1:17-18,25,30

1 Corinthians 1:17-18

"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Paul's main point in being among the Corinthians was not to do some religious act (which Christ's actually commands in Matthew 28:19), but it was to preach the gospel! Can you preach the Gospel? It should be of the utmost importance in a new believers life: learning & speaking the Gospel of Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:25
"Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

Just a reminder that if you do look like a fool among men for preaching the Gospel, it is not you that they consider a fool but rather God himself.

1 Corinthians 1:30
"But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,"

God has called you to his wisdom that which has been known since the beginning of time (John 1:1) and never shall fade (1 Peter 1:25).  Consider Romans 12:2.  Why would we be called to renew our minds if we already understood?

1 Corinthians 1:10&13

1 Corinthians 1:10

"I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you..."

The Division in which he speaks:

1 Corinthians 1:13

"Has Christ been divided?"

Believers at Corinth claimed to be of a certain 'sect' under Christ: 'of Paul', 'of Apollos', 'of Cephas'.  Christ has not been divided.  Let us as believers at least agree that we are not of a certain sect under Christ, but that we are under Christ and Christ alone.

Other verses I think of:

1 Corinthians 11:3

"But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ."

Romans 14:4

"Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."

Matthew 15:3

"And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?"