I have a confession to make. I had never considered how busy restaurants were on the weekend after Thanksgiving! It seems that everyone woke up from their turkey comas and decided they were done with leftovers as they had made every variety of turkey dish known to mankind. We, and many others in our community, wanted Mexican food, others wanted pizza, and still others, GASP, even wanted McDonalds! Folks' appetites were no longer desiring the culinary delights of the season nor the mess that comes with preparing and cleaning up leftovers so they hit the local eating establishments. Did you experience something similar as you took to the streets avoiding that questionable cranberry sauce?
Just as our taste buds tire of the same thing repeatedly, so do our brains. It seems that every day we are inundated with some trauma and drama that always bends toward the negative. Just like no one wants a steady diet of the same food, we tire quickly of the same news story that usually winds up seeming to be negative. We grow weary of continual reports about fighting in Congress, wars all over the place, and even as fascinating as it can be, the approaching political season. I don't know about you, but every once in a while, I would love to hear reports like this: "... nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town. Nobody OD'd, nobody burned a single building down. Nobody fired a shot in anger nobody had to die in vain..."
This week's featured song is one of those that ranked on multiple charts at Billboard Magazine, including going all the way to #1 on the Country chart. It was Murray's 7th #1 hit on the Country chart and spent an impressive 20 weeks there proving so popular that it crossed over to #10 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #74 on the Hot 100. The 1984 Grammy Award winner (Best Country Performance, Female) would later be recorded as a duet with folk music darlings, Indigo Girls for the 2007 album: Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends.
The song's premise is a simple one, voicing the frustration of living in the world with its seeming 24/7 news cycle that rarely picks up anything resembling good news. Interesting that this sentiment still exists and perhaps is even more appropriate 40 years later. The old tagline, "If it bleeds, it leads" sure does seem to be the mantra of many of the national and world news organizations.
Don't get me wrong. We need to be an informed people. We need the news to influence actions in our own lives. But we can not allow the bad news of the day to squelch our perspective.
The Apostle Paul knew a little something about that as he wrote a stern but encouraging letter to a church he assisted in starting.
As we are attempting to chronologically travel through the Bible, we find ourselves with the Apostle Paul during his third missionary journey. One of his stops was the city of Corinth. Unlike Ephesus with its devotion to the goddess Artemis, which was the topic of Paul's letter last week, (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "A.D. 1928/Rockin' The Paradise" (Styx)) the city of Corinth was one which celebrated a plethora of deities. Because of this, the distractions for new believers in the city were exacerbated causing confusion and some of them to incorporate practices into their gatherings for which Paul writes his admonition.
There were five specific areas that Paul focused on as the new believers needed a shot in the arm and the corrective movement Paul was providing. Those areas of concern for Paul were divisions in the church, sexual impropriety among the new believers, confusion about food sacrificed to idols, what should happen as they gather in the church, and questions regarding the resurrection.
Paul unpacks each of these "bad news" items and places them in the perspective of Jesus, the ultimate "Good News". He informed them that the Gospel of Jesus should be the benchmark by which all of these issues were resolved. The same applies to us today. Let's see how this happens for the church at Corinth and let Paul's words ignite our own fire of love for Jesus and for one another.
First of all, there were divisions in the church regarding leadership. The church at Corinth had a local body of leaders but would have speakers like Paul, Apollos, and Peter come through to encourage them. As each of these preachers came through, they developed a following that favored them over one of the other speakers. Lines were being drawn in the church as to whose leadership they would follow, creating the division to which Paul refers.
Ever had a division in your church regarding something? The matter doesn't matter, what does matter is the fact that believers are divided in their love for each other and love for Jesus. Jesus has to be the center of everything including our concepts of who is leading. Jesus must be more popular than any other thing in our church. Jesus must be the foundation and loving Him and His people must come before any "animated conversation" regarding who is leading. Divisions evaporate when we look at Jesus instead of looking at popular preachers or ourselves. "We sure could use a little Good News today."
Sexual misconduct is the next topic on Paul's agenda. With the pantheon of deities in the city of Corinth, the temptation to be promiscuous was a constant. There were those even inside the church that were diluting the church with lurid behavior and saying that it was acceptable because of our salvation once and for all through Jesus. Their thought process was since we have been saved, we are free to do whatever our hearts or bodies desire. Paul quickly reminds them that their salvation is not something that is free. They were bought with a precious price and they should have enough respect and love for that cost that they understand that they are no longer their own, but they belong to Jesus. What they do with their bodies matters as they are Jesus' representatives to the world. Yes, they are free from their sin forever, but because of that, they should desire to no longer live like themselves but live like Jesus.
"Christian divorce rates are at an all-time high of 40%, up from 25% just a decade ago." ("50 Shocking Facts: Christian Divorce Rates Unveiled - 2024" - atonce.com) According to the article, "15 Mind-Blowing Statistics About Pornography And The Church" - missionfrontiers.org, "68% of church-going men and over 50% of pastors view porn on a regular basis. Of young Christian adults 18-24 years old, 76% actively search for porn." While Christians today aren't fraternizing with temple prostitutes, sexual misconduct is obviously just as prevalent in the church as it is outside the walls and it is equally heretical. The above statistics show that churches are waging an uphill battle against sexual promiscuity in their own ranks.
How can this idolatrous activity be stopped? Paul reminded the Corinthians with some advice that should be shouted from pulpits much more often than it is. Jesus died for us, our souls, as well as our physical bodies. The Bible tells us that the physical bodies of believers will be raised at the return of Jesus. What we do with our bodies now matters a great deal! Sexual misconduct evaporates when we seek after Jesus instead of seeking after our own desires. "We sure could use a little Good News today."
Food is a topic in which the Bible has much more to say than what we may think. Directly or indirectly what we put in our bodies is addressed in God's Word. Paul learns that there were conversations in the Corinthian church regarding the topic of eating food that had been sacrificed to idols. This act was prohibited by the law of Moses. His input into the conversation was that believers ought to have love for everyone. What Paul means by this is that if what we eat becomes a stumbling block to someone else, we shouldn't eat it in front of them. Paul directs them to always be aware that their actions with regard to eating are also a testimony to what they believe. They should have such a spirit of love that they are aware of who is in their gathering and they should eat and drink in accordance with the respect of those who may differ in their choice of food.
We are currently in a season where food and drink are the centerpiece of many of our gatherings. We also live in a world where there are many different ideas as to what we should or should not eat. Paul is telling us today to love the folks we encounter so much that if we are enjoying their company at an event where a meal is served, we may want to go vegan just this once. Be so in tune with your surroundings that you even know the eating choices of those who are in your circle. Be respectful and love them in public. Eat what you want in the privacy of your own home. Being offensive to those with other eating habits evaporates when we love Jesus and love others as we are commanded. "We sure could use a little Good News today."
Paul continues his letter with a conversation regarding the conduct of the body of believers when they gather. It seems that some in the church wanted to interrupt others while they were speaking, and some wanted to speak in languages that no one understood. Chaos ensued as a result of these incidents of disrespect. Paul uses the example of a body's parts to show the believers how they are to function in the body of the church. Each person has a part to play that is no more important than the other. Paul calls anything that keeps them from functioning as a unified body a distraction that should be eliminated from their gatherings. He encourages them to have orderly meetings and get along with each other.
Have you ever experienced "THAT" business meeting in your church? It seems there are times when today's churches are known more for their infighting than their outgoing! This ought not to be. Paul's instruction in this letter is for a body of believers to be so unified in their gathering times (worship, business meetings, fellowships, etc) that it is an attraction to the outside world instead of an object by which we can be derided. Jesus died for the church. We really need to act like that means what it means. Confusion and derision evaporate when we are being respectful to others and understand what part of the body of Jesus we are. "We sure could use a little Good News today."
Finally, Paul addresses the confusion that the Corinthian church was having regarding resurrection. Just like the Sadducees of Jesus' time, there were those in the church who discounted the fact that believers at some point or another will physically be resurrected after our bodies die. Paul reminds them that Jesus promised a resurrected body and served as a supreme example by showing His victory over death when He was seen physically by over 500 folks after his death and burial. Paul further clarifies that without the resurrection of the body, all of the other things we believe about our Christian walk are meaningless. Physical resurrection of the body has to be an important part of what we believe as followers of the risen Jesus.
Today, people will do anything to discount the things that we believe about Jesus. We must have a Hebrews 11 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV type of faith as we encounter these criticisms. This certainty of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen must be the mantra by which we live our lives and encourage everyone, including those who would deny the tenets of our beliefs. Disdain and disrespect evaporate when we lovingly stand on our faith in what the Bible says did happen, is happening, and will happen. "We sure could use a little Good News today."
So you see friend, in the face of some really bad news about the church in Corinth, Paul takes the opportunity to frame each one in THE Good News, the Gospel of Jesus. He encourages believers in the standards by which they should live. These standards are predicated on their love and respect for those in their church as well as those outside of their church. Paul lovingly admonishes them and provides for them exactly the perspective they need...and the perspective we need to successfully live out our activities as our specific part of the body of Christ. It's a message that shows the good news of how....everybody learned to care...Could you use a little Good News today?
'Til Tuesday,
Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
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