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1Cor 2,1-5

(56h) Paradox >> Opposites >> He must increase, but I must decrease – Paul stripped away all the glamour of his speech and spoke in simple terms so as not to obscure the gospel. His demeanor was not a man of power and prestige and great persuasion, but one of weakness and fear and much trembling. He did this to prove that his message originated from God and not from his flesh. However, preachers today use much pageantry in their speech, glamorizing the gospel as though it proved that God was using them. In contrast, Paul wanted to dissociate himself from the glorious message he brought and be content as a mere vehicle upon which God would transport the gospel throughout the world. The power that God wanted to demonstrate among the people was in Paul's boldness to take the gospel in places that put him at risk of injury and death, and through that boldness proved his words originated from heaven. This manner of delivering the gospel had the effect of focusing people’s attention on the message of Christ, and directing people's attention from Paul, resulting in reaching a higher percentage of people in the known world than anyone before or after him. The fact that there are not statues of him erected on every street corner is a tribute to Paul’s dedication to remain below the radar. Paul was born with zeal in his blood, so when God combined His power with the Paul’s character, He got an evangelist who left the world in a different state than he found it. This was an act of God, and Paul played a part in it, being willing to become the person of God’s vision. Knowing the power at Paul’s disposal, he knew that people would be tempted to glorify him instead of Christ, so he was careful not to draw attention to himself but always exalted Christ. He did everything in his power to become transparent in order that the glory of Christ might manifest through him, as John the Baptist said, “I must decrease, but He must increase,” and as Paul said, “So that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”

(66i) Authority >> Jesus’ authority >> Jesus is the power of God >> Demonstration of His Spirit – Demonstration of the Spirit does not necessarily pertain to signs, wonders and miracles, though it may play a part in it; the demonstration of the Spirit was the manner in which Paul preached the gospel. There is a saying, ‘It is not what you say; it is how you say it.’ Paul came to people mostly who viewed themselves as poor in terms of how society viewed them. The rich view themselves with great pompous, and since that view is taken, the poor got the opposing view that they were useful as slaves to work in the rich man's sweatshops. Paul, in contrast, came and said to them, ‘I probably have less money than you, yet I don’t feel that way about myself, and here’s why....' Paul was a man without money, honor and authority, except for what God gave him, which was all the wealth, honor and authority of Christ. He came demonstrating the gospel in weakness and fear and much trembling, saying, ‘This is the gospel outwardly, but inwardly is a God who loves us that transcends anything the world can offer, all the wealth and riches of Christ, in addition to the hope of eternal life.

(85g) Thy kingdom come >> Words that are spoken in faith >> Testify of God’s works – Paul wasn’t trying to impress anybody with his knowledge; had he come to the Corinthians like so many of their philosophers, the poor would have assumed the gospel was not for them and closed their ears to the message. Instead, he came with a simple gospel to the poor on their level according to the wisdom of God, who were the very people that God had in mind for salvation and become part of His heavenly kingdom, and he preached the message of Christ crucified, raised from the dead, those believing in Him obtaining eternal life. Had he come to them with superiority of speech, people would have thought that only those of high intellect were welcome to the gospel or understand its message.

(96h) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Having an attitude of humility

(115e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through your ministry >> By the word of God

(129b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing the fruit of evangelism >> Spiritual fruit

(129k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Being in one accord >> Single minded >> Determination – Paul determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He determined not to get involved in conversations rambling about peripheral issues unrelated to the gospel, but came as a preacher of righteousness, unswayed from his purpose. He wanted people to know that nothing else mattered to him; he had no temporal interests or hobbies. When people saw Paul, all they could see was the gospel of Jesus Christ, because there was noting else about him. The point that Paul wanted to convey was that this should be the level of commitment that others should have too. Although this may never happen, at least Paul set the standard of faith, commitment, loyalty and conscience. He was a single lump of dough, no added ingredients, no special sauce or seasoning, just Paul and the gospel of Christ.

(147i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Solemnly testify about Jesus

(148d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Natural advantage in the flesh regarding evangelism – Paul was a highly talented person, but he was also gifted, and Paul chose to emphasize his gifts over his talents. His natural born talents are what allowed him to speak in different languages and to understand the word of God better than the greatest theologians of our time. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He had gone to school for years, learning the Law of Moses inside-out, fully committed to God’s word as a zealot of zealots. These were his talents, and he used them to persecute the Church before he met Christ. Once he met Jesus, he received spiritual-born gifts that God used in him to turn the world upside down for Christ. Paul was God’s right-hand man, who went from persecutor of the saints to leader of God’s Church in the blink of an eye.

(227i) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >> Depending on Jesus to impart His gifts into us >> He gives us what we give to the world

1Cor 2-1

(166e) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the world >> Nature Of Man’s Wisdom >> Man’s wisdom is fixed on gaining personal advantage

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1Cor 2,2-8

(89h) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom of the Spirit

1Cor 2-2

(37h) Judgment >> Redemption of man >> His blood delivered us from destruction

(216c) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >> God takes advantage of your love for Him >> He forces you by your desire for His calling – Paul said in 1Cor 9-16, “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” That is what a drug addict would say, ‘Woe is me if I do not pump heroin into my veins.’ When Paul came to Corinth with the gospel, he put his life on the line and placed himself at their mercy. Had they been unresponsive to the gospel, all Paul’s efforts would have been in vain. They could have reported him to the authorities, and he would have been publicly beaten and then jailed, yet if Paul did not preach the gospel, his life would be utterly meaningless to him. He was brutalized many times, yet he was compelled to continue; it was not his call to suspend his ministry. He was as though addicted to preaching the gospel, and the only way to get a fix was to tell someone about Jesus. Seeing people getting saved was worth the risk of the beatings he received and the extended jail times; the drug of the Holy Spirit would pump through his veins again and his life would return to him as he opened his mouth in the proclamation of the gospel.

1Cor 2,3-5

(53m) Paradox >> Opposites >> God is made strong in our weakness

(62j) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Being clever >> Let the Holy Spirit vindicate you

1Cor 2-4,5

(111b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit and evangelism – The Holy Spirit is the persuader of truth, and for this reason Paul didn’t come to persuade anybody with fancy words. If he could persuade them to believe in Jesus, someone else could dissuade them from believing. Instead, he came with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so if anyone tried later to dissuade them from the truth, they would know it was God who talked them into believing in Jesus and not Paul. While Paul demonstrated the Kingdom of God in the weakness of human flesh, the Holy Spirit worked in the minds and hearts of his listeners. Paul wasn’t interested in assuming the Holy Spirit’s role as persuader of truth, for persuasive people are often charlatans, and Paul was unwilling to hone the gift of persuasion so as not to give the impression of a fraud. People know the difference between a polished act and one who speaks by the Spirit of God.

(123a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Boldness to speak the word by the Spirit

(71a) Authority >> Believer’s authority >> We have authority from God to evangelize the world >> We have an anointing to preach the gospel – Paul had a ministry of evangelism to the world, which is the only ministry of the Church dedicated to the world; all other ministries and resources are directed to the Church so the saints can grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, and part of that resource is prayer. Jesus did not waste His prayers on the world in His high priestly prayer, but prayed only for those who belonged to Him (Jn 17-9), but the world belongs to the Father (Jn 3-16). This means when evangelists go into the world and preach Jesus among the lost, they are performing the ministry of the Father, and for this reason the ministry of evangelism can be very powerful, often associated with signs, wonders and miracles; the world needs these things to believe.

(246e) Demonstration of God’s Kingdom (Key verse)

(246f) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Demonstration of the Spirit – How often do we see the demonstration of God’s Kingdom through the power of the Spirit? Some people say that we have entered a new dispensation when miracles don’t happen anymore. What is more likely is that the Church doesn’t know the truth anymore and is too disobedient for God to work with them. Still, many have prayed over the sick and seen them are healed. Performing miracles through the Spirit is not the only way to demonstrate the Kingdom of God. We might know the truth, but to effectively speak the word when the opportunity arises requires the Holy Spirit's anointing. When we are around certain people and we’re trying to tell them about Jesus and the words just don’t come, we must stop and think about every phrase. There’s no flow. There are other times when we open our mouth and the word of God comes cascading from our lips. This is just as much a demonstration of the Spirit as performing miracles, and they can be life-changing moments, both for the listener and the speaker. Whenever we sense the flow of the Spirit, we should flow with Him in whatever He is saying.

1Cor 2-5

(86e) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> God’s works act as evidence to support our beliefs – The world’s value system has a ceiling that cannot rise above the value of money, but God wants us to value Him in a way that far exceeds the value system of this world. When Paul came and offered the Corinthians the gospel, he did not teach them how to be millionaires or how to be successful in this world. He came to offer them the hope of eternal life. We have the Spirit of promise dwelling in us, who teaches us about God and guides us into all the truth and leads us into unity with the brethren. Our hope is that others will give their lives to Jesus, that Christianity will flourish in the world and many souls will be saved. Paul didn’t want to give the impression that he came to offer the Corinthians something that would help them succeed in this world. Instead, he wanted them to understand that with enough food, clothing and shelter they can be content. We may be poor by the world’s standard, yet we are whole and complete. God promises to provide our basic needs as one of the many benefits of believing in Jesus. Therefore, if any Christian suffers hunger or exposure to the elements, he should know that God is not punishing him. On the contrary, when this life ends, his eternal reward in heaven will be greater because of the suffering he faithfully endured.

1Cor 2,6-16

(156h) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> Understanding wisdom is evidence of salvation – Paul speaks wisdom to those who are mature with the hope of maturity. There are many Christians who don’t have an interest in wisdom or learning about their eternal salvation. However, being that wisdom is evidence of salvation, we should not consider them Christians who do not seek the wisdom of God. It is not good enough just to say we are Christians; we must also show evidence of it, and if there is no evidence, then we shouldn't believe they are Christians. The biggest issue between brothers is trust; if we can’t trust one another, we can’t build unity. We may inhabit the same building, but without unity we might as well be in different towns. God didn’t create the Church for people to fellowship apart from each other. The only way the Church will flourish is through unity, and unity is foremostly built on trust, and trust is based on evidence of faith, and one of the evidences of salvation is our love of the truth.

(19g) Sin >> Having the mental disease of the world >> Man’s twisted understanding -- These verses go with verse 14

(26j) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Curse >> Deeds that return to the doer >> Sin backfires on you

(61i) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> The rulers of this age do not understand the wisdom of God: Human authorities / Demonic authorities – There is wisdom among those who are mature in Christ that transcends the wisdom of this age. When Paul mentioned this wisdom that even the rulers of this age didn’t understand, he was referring not only to human authorities, but also to demonic principalities and powers. Not even the demons understand God's wisdom. They claim to have superior knowledge, yet they do not understand the wisdom of God, reducing their so-called knowledge to mere lies. This suggests that when the demons deceive mankind, they are filling their minds full of junk that they (the demons) actually believe. They do not understand God's wisdom any more than the Jews understood God’s plan to sacrifice the Son of God during Old Testament times. It is a wisdom hidden in plain sight. Paul said that this wisdom is in Christ, who discloses Himself to those who believe Him through the Holy Spirit.

(71b) Authority >> Believer’s authority >> We have authority in the wisdom of God

(109h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit the teacher >> Spirit teaches us about the word of God >> Spirit teaches us about Jesus – What is this mysterious wisdom that only the mature can understand? It is the anointing! It is the very substance of Christianity, making the many concerns of the Church peripheral by comparison. The anointing is something that only the mature can receive, incorporating every aspect of Christianity into singularity with obeying the Holy Spirit. Doing this requires knowledge, faith and obedience; that is, it requires a deep understanding of the truth. Jesus reiterated this statement in the Book of Revelation seven times: “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.” Nevertheless, there are many who opt out of possessing this spiritual knowledge, yet the only people who are fulfilling their calling and purpose from God are those who faithfully acquire this knowledge and walk in it. How else can we know the truth unless we listen and let God speak to us? Once we develop a well-rounded understanding of the Scriptures, we seek His personal will, by listening for the Holy Spirit and doing what He says, and in that process we will learn the many mysteries of God. This is the trademark of the true Christian: the one who has a deep understanding of the Bible (that's good), the one who has a close walk with God (that's better), but the one who obeys the Holy Spirit has both, plus fulfills his purpose and calling from God. This is the one who truly knows God, but there are very few people in the Church today matching this description, very few who even know about these things, let alone are doing them.

(134c) Abortion (Key verse)

(135d) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Abortion >> Consequences of abortion >> People have abortions for the same reason they crucified Jesus Christ

(138a) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturity >> Maturing by the word of God

(154e) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> God bears witness against the world >> Witness that the world is godless >> Witness that the world hates God

(156l) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Living an ungodly lifestyle >> Associating with the world -- These verses go with verse 14

(164i) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world is at enmity with God >> The world hates God – The wisdom of God teaches to live for the life to come and not for this life. We hear the wisdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount in so many things Jesus said that fly in the face of conventional wisdom. Paul compared the wisdom of God to the rulers of this age and found them deficient (Daniel 5-27). The wisdom of the world says that the strong are strong and the weak are weak and that appearances are real, but the wisdom of God says that the strong are weak in faith and the world is just a facade. For example, the strong are weak in hope of obtaining a body that cannot die, and the strong are weak in love for God’s children. In short, they are weak in the knowledge of God. They only understand the wisdom of the flesh and the passing pleasures of sin that are propelled by demonic forces. That is, the things we enjoy the most in this life are addictive and seek to enslave us, such as seeking power, pleasure and prestige, creating circumstances that combat against God and turn us in the opposite direction of His will, until our lives begin to unravel, but the wisdom of God leads us in ways that satisfy the soul, but the world cannot satisfy the flesh, much less the soul. The Spirit of God leads us in ways that we will enjoy in heaven, a life of joy and peace, but living this way comes at a cost; we must crucify the wisdom of this world that we naturally understand that conflicts with the wisdom of God. While we are going in the opposite direction of the world, people scratch their heads and wonder what we are doing, because they don’t understand anything spiritual about us. They ask, ‘You are living contrary to the world because of faith in a god that supposedly exists?’ We know that they know there is a God, and so the atheist lies to his own heart. He knows that life cannot spontaneously generate, even if they are able to get amino acids to combine in a laboratory. This does not prove that life can create itself through time and chance, and for this reason the Bible says that the atheist is a fool (Psalm 14-1).

(166f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the world >> Nature Of Man’s Wisdom >> Man’s wisdom does not know God -- These verses go with verse 14. Man is unwilling to admit that he is ignorant of God's wisdom, that he is incapable of comprehending it, that it is off-limits to him. Unbelievers are slaves to their darkness. They don’t have an option to understand the light of God’s truth. They think they could read the Bible and understand it if they wanted, but it would do them no good. They think their rejection is based on unbelief, but their rejection is actually based on ignorance. The wisdom of God is locked from them, protected from their minds until they give their heart to Jesus and commit their lives to following Him and doing His will; then God will release His truth and wisdom to their hearts so they can believe it. Jesus said in Mat 7-6, “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine.” Unbelievers cannot understand the wisdom of God because they don’t have His Spirit. His Spirit is what unlocks the wisdom of God. Unbelievers can read the Bible, but it is the Spirit who must reveal the truth to them. It is the combination of the Spirit and the word that brings about the wisdom of God, not the Spirit only and not the word only, but both working together, and only His believers understand this, because only they possess His Spirit.

(167g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It does not understand the word of God -- These verses go with verse 14

(169g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world is blind to God >> God blinds their eyes

(177i) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Misunderstanding the word of God

(183k) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Truth is the enemy of the spirit of error >> Spirit of error rejects the truth

(199i) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Rejecting Christ >> World rejects God because it does not know Him

(212e) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> Evolution (Defaming God) >> The scientific mind cannot know God

(221d) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides from the mind of man >> He hides behind man’s intellect -- These verses go with verse 14. The wisdom we have from God is above the wisdom of the world. Many say they are simply not interested in God; they say they don’t know much about the Bible because they never really studied it, but studying the Bible and possessing the wisdom of God are two different things. Actually, many unbelievers study the Bible, but they don’t understand what they are reading, for if they did, they would get saved. Even if we taught unbelievers the wisdom of God, they wouldn't get it, because the Spirit Himself must reveal Christ to them. We belong to a kingdom that is hidden from the world and revealed only to His children through the Spirit.

(223f) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Miss God >> Missing the point >> Miss the meaning of the truth

(230k) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Solving the mystery of godliness >> The love of Christ is the mystery of godliness – This mysterious wisdom can be summed up in a single word: Love. It is the fullness of God’s mystery. The love of God is as much a mystery to demons as it is to mankind, "for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." Love is the wisdom of God. We understand emotional and erotic love, and we understand loving someone who loves us, but loving our enemies is incomprehensible to the natural mind. It is abhorrent to our flesh, and is very difficult to manifest even as Christians. It clashes with our worldly understanding and fleshly impulses, yet it is the greatest testimony of God’s truth in the world. If the mystery of God is love, then the mystery of Babylon, mentioned in Rev 17,5-8, is the absence of love. Satan epitomizes the opposite of God’s mystery, involving a level of hatred of all creation, especially of mankind and including self, which rivals the human imagination, and that is saying a lot! Jesus, who came to show us the love of God, epitomizes this mysterious wisdom. Had people been fascinated by the love of Christ in a way that they will be dazzled by the antichrist when he comes, there would be hope for the world, but that the world was unimpressed by the love of Christ compared to the antichrist exposes the darkness of this world and explains all the blood that was shed throughout the ages.

1Cor 2-6,7

(214e) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> Dispensation of God’s revelations >> Dispensations of revelation knowledge

(220a) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> Predestined before the foundation of the world – Paul opened a can of worms when he said, “Had [they] understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory,” in that he implied the word "predestination". That is, Jesus was predestined to be crucified, and the fact that the rulers of this age did not understand this was the cause of them crucifying Him. In other words, the result of their ignorance was the crucifixion of Christ, meaning their ignorance was predestined. Unbelief produces disobedience, and these two feed on each other, so that the only thing they are able to accept are principles based on them. The opposite is also true, which is what Paul hypothesized: had the leaders of this age understood the wisdom of God, "they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." This paints a completely different picture of the world, a mural that is virtually opposite from the one that we see today, a world where people are obedient and faithful to God and love one another from the heart. Had Jesus come to a world like this, they would have accepted and received Him.

1Cor 2-6

(170f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Temporary >> Whatever is temporary will perish

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1Cor 2,7-13

(109c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelations of the Holy Spirit >> Things revealed by the Spirit – Paul said that God’s wisdom is a mystery, hidden and predestined for us to our glory. These two words: “mystery” and hidden, appear in Jesus’ explanation for speaking in parables. When He finished speaking to the people, they were just as clueless as they were before His speeches. He spoke in parables because He knew they would not believe His words if He spoke plainly to them, and so there was no point in talking to them at all, except that the Old Testament prophesied He would. So by this He was obligated to speak to the people, according to the will of His Father, but He was not obligated to speak plainly to them. In fact, the psalmist prophesied He would speak in parables, “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will tell riddles of old” (Psalm 78-2). Moreover, in His Sermon on the Mount He said, “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Mat 7-6). This is what happens when we preach the gospel to unbelievers who reject our message; for this cause Paul was mercilessly beaten many times. The mystery of the wisdom of God that is hidden from the world is this: God has prepared a place for us called paradise where we will live with Him forever, a place so perfect and beautiful that no one can conceptualize it. Encased in sinful flesh, we can hardly appreciate it, but with a soul that has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and given a body that is superimposed over the soul to become one, we will enjoy God and His world that He has made for us forever.

1Cor 2-9,10

(132f) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> God gives his spirit as a pledge >> God pledges His Spirit -- These verses go with verse 16. Paul talks about some of the wonders of God’s love and all that He has prepared for those who love Him. He says we can enjoy fellowship with Him, that we can experience the better part of heaven in this life. We have the opportunity to experience heaven on earth, not physically but spiritually, for the physical wonders of heaven are sure to pale against the spiritual wonders of knowing God. We have been called to get a head start knowing Him through the Spirit that He has given us, “for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” Since the Holy Spirit searches the depths of God and knows the thoughts of the Father, then the Holy Spirit truly is God, who lives in our spirit. His purpose in our heart is to reveal the mind of God; we have all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge abiding in us, and it is up to us to pull them out and have a look at them through the word of God and prayer. This is the means by which we have fellowship with Him; and as we do, He will disclose Himself to us. 

1Cor 2-9

(74e) Thy kingdom come >> Heart is man’s central value system >> Where man interprets worth

(226d) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> Our inheritance is reserved in heaven

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1Cor 2,10-16

(6i) Responsibility >> Ministering to people by being in the Spirit – Everyone who is a believer in Christ has a responsibility to manage his own unique ministry in the Church, but these verses describe our primary ministry in our relationship with God. We all have a duty to minister to Him before we minister to anyone else; and when we do, He will reveal His mind to us, that we may disclose it to others and help them grow in the faith. This word “spiritual” has the connotation of mysticism, but that is not at all what we mean by “spiritual”. Nevertheless, when confusion replaces knowledge, people attribute “spirituality” to the darkness of their understanding. God has caused us to understand all things through the Spirit. Before we became Christians we were separate from the spiritual realm, but since we were born-again and were introduced to the Spirit of God, He began to reveal Himself to us. Prior to the apostles’ demise they wrote the New Testament from the Spirit of God within them, and Paul described this indwelling as the pledge of our inheritance (2Cor 1-22), meaning there is more to come in eternity.

(69b) Authority >> Discernment >> Discerning the Truth

1Cor 2,10-13

(33l) Gift of God >> Believers are special to God >> He has given us all things – On the day of our death when we breathe our last and our soul is evicted from the body, we will go somewhere else, and those of us who are born-again, who have the Spirit of God, will have the honor of an angelic escort into the Kingdom of Heaven. This retrieving angel is a gift freely given to us by God. Once in heaven we will meet many people we used to know and many others we will meet for the first time, all of whom believed in Jesus in this life and were born-again, and there will be many missing we expected to be there. At some point we will meet Jesus, who will formally receive us into His kingdom, again because of the Spirit of God who dwells in us. This too is a gift freely given to us by God. It is very likely that the moment we meet Jesus we will go through the believers’ judgment, which will amount to comparing His plan that He had in mind for us, with what we actually did in this life, and where those paths run parallel, He will reward us; and where they deviate, we will lose reward. So there will be a loss of reward at the believer’s judgment. Some will walk away with nothing, but they will still have heaven, which is more than anyone could possibly ask, while others will come away with a jewel-studded crown, which will be yet another gift that we received through the Spirit who dwells in us. God will append our reward to our resurrected bodies, and it will cause us to shine with the glory of God at a luminosity conditional to our reward. See also: God Judges the wicked through the cross; Mat 12-41,42; 40a

(35f) Gift of God >> God gives Himself to us >> Father sends the Holy Spirit

(68f) Authority >> Jesus delegates the Holy Spirit to us >> He guides you into all truth – This is our assignment: put the thoughts of God into words. Sometimes we feel the Spirit of God welling deep inside us, and we want to splash exhortations onto everyone to help build them in the faith, but we can’t find the words. Our job as Christians is to bring them to the surface, and convert them into words so that we may comprehend their meaning, and we do this also for the purpose of sharing His thoughts which are now our thoughts. The way to understand the thoughts of God is to commit ourselves to the word of God and prayer, giving time and energy to them, pouring over the Scriptures, until His word becomes part of us. Then things will surface. God wants our heart and His word to converge so there is no disparity between who we are and whom He has given us, and prayer is the only way to become spiritual.

(110l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spiritual substance and truth >> Spiritual substance follows the truth – It is no coincidence that Paul combined spiritual thoughts with spiritual words, for the Holy Spirit and the word of God in context is reiterated innumerous times, creating a major theme that runs throughout the New Testament. God works in us as we study His word through an attitude of prayer. If we remain diligent, we will develop gifts to help us live for God the way He intended, and we will be prepared to accomplish whatever He calls us to do. This is what transpires in the mind of a mature Christian: he combines spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. Until then, we don’t yet know what we are thinking. Often we feel thoughts, but we can’t quite grasp them, but it is not good enough to leave them half-thought; we must put them into words before we can own them.

(152i) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Prophets >> The Church holds the position of a prophet >> Church operates under a prophetic anointing >> Receiving a prophetic word from God

(213e) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> We are his instruments >> We are tools in the hand of God >> We are transmitters of His kingdom – The Spirit of a man knows his own thoughts and so does God, and He has given us His Spirit, so we may know His thoughts, and every thought in the mind of God is an aspect of His wisdom. He doesn’t have regular thoughts as we do. Our knowledge is based on fact and fiction, but His knowledge is based on Truth, which is a higher form of knowledge. Only God knows the Truth, and those to whom He has chosen to reveal Himself. Man claims to know the truth, but all of man’s truth is overruled by God’s Truth. Man has a tiny mound of knowledge that cannot rise above an anthill, compared to God’s truth, which is higher than Mount Everest. When we compare the two and plot them on a graph, we see man’s truth as a mere bump, indicating that he knows nothing compared to God. Man has a lot of facts and information that will one day become obsolete even by his own standards, but God’s Truth is eternal. He never has to go back and amend His knowledge. Everything God knows will remain true forever, and we have the mind of Christ.

1Cor 2,10-12

(255f) Trinity >> Father, Son and Holy Spirit >> The process of imparting the substance of God >> Father discloses the word by the Spirit -- These verses go with verse 16

1Cor 2-10

(213a) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> God is all knowing >> God knows everything about everything

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1Cor 2-12

(119b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Law of the spirit >> Law of the Spirit of truth -- This verse goes with verse 16

(132a) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> Spirit of God in the spirit of man >> Spirit of the Father – Whenever the Bible uses the generic word “God,” it is referring to the Father. In other places it speaks about the Spirit of Jesus, suggesting that the Holy Spirit refers to both the Father and the Son, but in this case Paul is speaking about the Father. It says that we have received the Spirit of God so that we may comprehend our eternal inheritance; His purpose is to disclose to us what we have freely received from God. Paul said in another passage that the believer possesses all things. Our inheritance encompasses the new heavens and the new earth in eternity; in fact, Paul said that we are the first fruits of the new creation. Therefore, our inheritance from God consists of literally everything! We own everything, but our first possession is the Spirit of God Himself, which means that everything we possess after Him comes through Him.

(183g) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of error (anti-Christ / anti-Semitism) >> Spirit of the broad road >> Spirit of the world

(225a) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The holy of holies >> The Kingdom of God is in your spirit – The Holy Spirit will forever dwell in us, and He will continue to lead us and forever reward us for our faithfulness. Faithfulness is our greatest badge of honor, daunting all other honors that He will bestow on us, because we served Him in faith. In heaven we won’t need faith, because heaven is made of faith, just like there is no need for gold, for the streets will be made of gold. As God continues to unfold His plan for us in eternity, all the things we will receive from Him will freely come through the Spirit who dwells in us. How important is the indwelling Holy Spirit? He is our ticket to heaven, our ticket to everything.

1Cor 2-14,15

(17c) Sin >> Unrighteous judgment >> Judging in the flesh >> Evaluating circumstances by the carnal mind – Worldly people like to judge us, but they do it by the flesh. The judgment calls that the godless heathen places on those who are faithful in Jesus are completely hollow even if their estimates are correct, for in the eyes of God it is no different than judging Christ, and Jesus doesn’t care what the heathen think of Him. They might have all kinds of excuses for rejecting Him at the White Throne Judgment, but none of their excuses will hold under scrutiny when Jesus opens the books and reads their long list of sins and asks them a lot of embarrassing questions, and then sends them to their designated place.

1Cor 2-14

(19g) Sin >> Having the mental disease of the world >> Man’s twisted understanding -- This verse goes with verses 6-8. Paul was not just talking about worldly people who have rejected the message of the gospel; he was also talking about those in the Church who do no listen to Him. For this reason even they remain in the natural realm of the flesh, bound to the earth, because they do not believe in the voice of the Holy Spirit who seeks their faithfulness. The one who listens to Him and does what He says, this one is spiritually up-raised.

(64j) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Weaknesses of God >> Foolishness of God

(156l) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Living an ungodly lifestyle >> Associating with the world -- This verse goes with verses 6-8

(166f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the world >> Nature Of Man’s Wisdom >> Man’s wisdom does not know God -- This verse goes with verses 6-8. Tell these things to someone who does not believe in God, and he will reject what we say under the premise that we cannot prove any of our assertions, but the unbeliever is a hypocrite in that neither can he prove any of his assertions against God, but he believes them anyway, because he is not searching for truth, but for a belief system that sits comfortably with his flesh. He looks into the heavens and sees the universe staring at him and rejects God to His face. What more evidence does he need? When God gives us His Spirit and we look to the heavens and see the handiwork of Him who dwells in us, we are grateful what God has done. It scarcely takes any faith to believe in God, “but the natural mind does not accept the things of the Spirit, for they are foolishness to him,” not from a lack of evidence, but from a spirit of error so strong that the unbeliever actually believes the spirit of unbelief. This creates a paradox in his soul and hardens his heart to the true faith. They cannot believe, because the spirit of error will not let them.

(167g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It does not understand the word of God -- This verse goes with verses 6-8

(221d) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides from the mind of man >> He hides behind man’s intellect -- This verse goes with verses 6-8. The unbeliever prides himself in knowledge, so when we say he is unable to understand the wisdom of God but we do, it enrages them. They might complain that we are describing the gospel as it were an exclusive club for members only, and they would be exactly right! All this time they thought they were rejecting God and then discover that God has rejected them. They want the upper hand; they want to be the ones to reject God; it makes them feel powerful, like they’re stronger than God. This is the only thing man has over Him, but in the life to come there will be hell to pay. They think they are exercising authority over Him, but when we tell them that God has chosen us and that we are predestined to receive eternal life and the rest of mankind is slated for eternal damnation, that the decision it is really up to God who goes to heaven and who doesn't, it enrages them. They say that God is evil because He has taken away their will to choose, but this is merely a matter of perspective, for there is another perspective that says man is deeply involved in his salvation or rejection of God, and both standpoints are equally true, though they seem contradictory.

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1Cor 2-15,16

(35g) Gift of God >> God gives Himself to us >> Jesus sends the Holy Spirit

(6e) Being Spiritual / Ministering to God (Key verse) – To be spiritual is to be spiritually minded and spiritually guided. To be spiritually minded is to saturate your mind with the word of God, and to be spiritually guided is to be led by the Holy Spirit in all aspects of life through the agency of prayer. Although this topic is found in the chapter "Responsibility", it is an Old Testament priesthood term and would fit just as well in the "Temple of God" chapter. It makes perfect sense that we have a responsibility to minister to God, but it makes just as much sense that our ministry to Him describes our priestly duties. Going back to the Old Testament, the priests would perform all the designated rituals within the temple keeping with old covenant laws and regulations. Although the days are over for sacrificing heifers, doves and goats, the time when it was done was used as a representation of the kind of new covenant ministry that we now enjoy through the knowledge of God's word and prayer.

(69i) Authority >> Righteous judgment (Outcome of Discernment) >> Judging the flesh by the Spirit – The NASB phrases it like this: “he who is spiritual appraises all things.” That word “appraise” is most often used nowadays to determine the value of a house, and Paul is using it the same way to determine the value of "all things," yet we who are spiritual are judged by no one. In a practical sense people judge us all the time, but in a spiritual sense, God recognizes none of their judgments. We are to place a value on everything, determining what is worthless and what is priceless according to God’s set of priorities. Knowing what is valuable and what isn’t takes discernment, which is a spiritual gift, and spiritual gifts are incomprehensible to the flesh. We cannot value spiritual things by the flesh, yet people regularly place value on worldly things using their fleshly minds as a standard, centering mostly around money and materialism as a top priority. Paul is urging us to appraise all things by the Spirit as a way to stop the flesh from assigning inflated values to things of little or no importance. The moment we point out our flesh and name its sin, we put it under arrest, because then we can no longer perform its works with a clear conscience. That is, the moment we judge the flesh by the Spirit, we must repent or our sins will take us down with them.

1Cor 2-16

(42i) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Conform to the mind of Christ 

(59h) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Knowledge of the written word / Knowledge of the heavenly word

(78h) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind by the word of God >> Be of one mind, his mind

(119b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Law of the spirit >> Law of the Spirit of truth -- This verse goes with verse 12. We can discern the thoughts of God, and with this knowledge judge all things, yet we are judged by no one. People have a right to judge us in the flesh, though the spiritual side of us is immune to their censorship. They may not believe it, but God overrules their judgments.

(132f) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> God gives his spirit as a pledge >> God pledges His Spirit -- This verse goes with verses 9-10. How do we have the mind of Christ? The Spirit of God dwells in us who also searches the mind of God to the depths of His being. We have His Spirit who knows God in all His intimate details, and His Spirit belongs to us, enabling us to know Him in this life, much more in eternity, for it will take that long to fully understand God. We have an introduction to Him through His grace, and it is this pledge that will continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ throughout the eons to come.

(255f) Trinity >> Father, Son and Holy Spirit >> The process of imparting the substance of God >> Father discloses the word by the Spirit -- This verse goes with verses 10-12

1Cor 3,1-5

(196d) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Immaturity >> Not mature enough to die to self >> Unable to put down the flesh – Paul talked about some of the most profound thoughts about God in the first two chapters, and then switched gears and began addressing the immaturity of the Corinthian Church and left the deep things of God behind. Paul would have loved to speak more to them about the greatness of God, but he had to deal with their issues, suggesting that our conduct toward one another is important as our faith. This reveals Paul’s reason for first discussing the vanity of worldly wisdom in chapters one and two. They were using it to construct their distorted viewpoints, eliciting Paul to say that God offers something better, but they were not ready to receive it. Instead of growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, they were quarreling with one another about petty things, steeped in carnality, refusing to renew their minds in the Scriptures. Strange beliefs kept cropping up, and like undisciplined children they were ready to receive them, leaving the truth unpalatable.

(199d) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Frustrating the grace of God >> Frustrating Jesus >> Frustrating the apostles

1Cor 3,1-4

(167f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Carnal mind is fueled by our emotions

(169l) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Seeking the glory of man >> Stepping on people to get to the bottom >> Those who seek their own glory idolize men – In Christendom this is the biggest insult we could give someone: walking like mere men. This is how high a calling from God we have received; no matter how noble or how great a person in this world, the man of God is dimensions higher without the need for social accolades. In this world the highness of our calling is apparent in the values we hold, in the words we speak and in the gospel we believe. This in the eyes of God makes us dimensions higher than mere men (disobedient Christians and unbelievers), but in heaven these simple traits will translate into great power, glory and divine authority, because we were willing to accept a lowly position in a world of high-mindedness, and we have recognized God’s values and priorities as infinitely greater than the elementary principles of the world.

(197a) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Rebelling Against what God wants you to do >> Refusing to renew your mind – Paul asked the Corinthians a question, “Are you not walking like mere men?” Based on that choice of words it seems that God is expecting us to be more than mere men and women; He is expecting us to be superhuman! Well, why not, since we have the Spirit of God abiding in us, isn’t there something more than human about us? God wants us to focus on that which came from heaven that is above our human nature. We need to let it take precedence in our lives so we can rise above our sinful nature and behave like His children. The Corinthians acknowledged the message of eternal life, but that was far as the Corinthians wanted to go with God. They never took sanctification to heart, instead approached the gospel with mental ascent. Theoretically the Kingdom of God was supposed to be growing in their hearts, but they were not devoting any time or energy to make that happen.

(6i) Responsibility >> Spiritual >> Ministering to people by being in the Spirit – Paul called the Corinthians “men of flesh.” They had flesh on their bones, but they were supposed to be something higher than that. God has called us to live above the nature we were given at our birth, by the nature we were given at our second birth. He has called us to become “spiritual”, though that is a catchall term people use without ever defining it. It is a general term that means almost anything we want, and for that reason it means nothing. Being spiritual in the Church today has evolved to mean “religious”, the more religious, the more spiritual, we think. We go to church and if we tithe and shake the pastor’s hand and speak the nomenclature of Christianity, we are being spiritual, but what did Paul mean by spiritual (1Cor 2-15)? There is no one more spiritual than the one who loves his brother in Christ, loves his neighbor as himself, and especially loves his enemies. We are students of God’s word and disciples of prayer, and the fact that we love our enemies proves that these things are real. We are most spiritual at times when no one is watching in our prayer closet, so that our speech is seasoned with grace by an anointing, and through that anointing we love our enemies. This is what it means to be spiritual. Opposite of this is what Paul was accusing the Corinthians; they lived by the principles of their flesh.

(196c) Immaturity (Key verse)

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1Cor 3,3-5

(173d) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Scripture that contradicts the catholic faith >> Worshipping idols

1Cor 3,5-11

(13d) Servant >> Serve the body >> Promoting its health >> Building up the body of Christ

1Cor 3,6-15

(101l) Thy kingdom come >> Ambitious to promote the Kingdom of God >> Preaching the gospel

1Cor 3,6-11

(150b) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Evangelism >> Instructions on evangelism

1Cor 3,6-9

(129d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing the fruit of evangelism >> Bearing the fruit of the gospel

1Cor 3,6-8

(225i) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables about the garden of the kingdom >> Parables about plants – Paul was the planter of seeds, Apollos watered them, and God was in the background causing the growth. We work hard, but God performs miracles through our efforts, changing people’s lives and giving them a new, positive direction. The old saying, ‘people don’t change,’ is mostly true, but with the Holy Spirit they can. That is, a changed life is a miracle, but neither planter nor water-er can change anyone. Paul and Apollos worked with God to do things in them that only God could do.

1Cor 3-6,7

(111k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Living and active word of God

(140g) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Christ builds the temple from the bricks of the Church – Paul and Apollos were missionaries who journeyed from city to city preaching Jesus to the people, and at His word God called the elect whom He had prepared from eternity past to become His worshippers. They became members of the Corinthian Church that Paul planted in their city, and Apollos taught them the word of God and entrusted the people to faithful servants to continue their progress, such as Silas, Timothy, Titus, Mark and many others, until the new converts could stand on their own. In the meantime, Paul and Apollos traveled to the next town and preached Jesus to fresh ears, and in this way evangelism was a process. See also: Building the Church; 1The 5-24; 91i

(229e) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> God causes the growth >> Kingdom grows like crops in a farmer’s field – Paul said that the one who planted and the one who watered were nothing compared to God who caused the growth. This means that if God doesn’t cause the growth, then all their labors are in vain (Psalm 127-1). What they did would be worthless without God’s input, just like the farmer, “who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows -how, he himself does not know” (Mk 4-26,27). We can plant and water, but we cannot cause the growth. When we look at the first century and see the tremendous success of the Church, God was faithful in doing His part. We should remember too that the Church did not belong to Paul but to God. Therefore, if any church is not growing spiritually or numerically, we know that God would cause the growth if everything else were in place. If God is not causing the growth, it indicates that the watering phase is broken. We are poisoning God’s field with false teachings, and for that reason we need to get back to the word of God and prayer and rediscover the truth, and then God will cause the growth. What we see in churches these days is stagnation; very few are growing, and the few who are growing are on their own.

1Cor 3-7

(31k) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Grace is the work of God

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1Cor 3,8-17

(139g) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> We build the temple through Christ – We must be careful how we build upon the foundation of Christ. How careful are we in our teaching of the gospel? How diligently have we studied the Scriptures? We know what the First Century Church taught because it is contained in the New Testament, but what do we teach? What the Church teaches and what the Bible says are often two different things, and some of the differences are fallacious and toxic to building a genuine faith in Jesus Christ. We know that there are many religions and denominations in the world today, and some of them are easy to identify as cults; for example, anyone who would say that Jesus was nothing more than a prophet obviously is a cult. We don’t need to think twice about it, but what about the Mormons, for instance; are they a cult too? What did Paul just say? Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Church! Mormons believe that scoundrels have edited the Holy Bible, and for this reason they don’t believe hell exists, and they cut whole doctrines from the Bible they don’t like using the same premise. If they don’t believe the Bible is reliable, why would they read it? For the most part they don't! They have their own Bible, in which Jesus Christ has been dethroned and another man put in his place, Joseph Smith in all his fanciful writings. Joseph Smith is the foundation of the Mormon Church and not Jesus Christ. No one else believes in Joseph Smith; they are unique in that way, but they have inadvertently become a cult in the process of distinguishing themselves. Any religion that moves Jesus off-center of the gospel is a cult. They should repent of their false teachings and run back to Jesus, who alone can save. He is our Lord and Master; He bought us with His own blood. There are many Christian denominations: Evangelicals, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, etc.; they all have Jesus Christ front and center in their faith as their Lord and Savior, and for this reason they are not cults. The unfortunate thing about denominations, though, in these last days it is almost impossible to believe in Jesus apart from a preexistent belief system. For example, there was a time when Evangelicals were independent, but eventually they were labeled as such, and so it is almost impossible to believe in Jesus as a body of believers apart from a denomination. See also: Cults (Mormons); Gal 1-8,9; 106f

(226a) Rewards of Heaven (Key verse)

(226i) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >> Levels of reward >> God rewards us to the degree of our labors – Paul was in association with his helpers, some who planted and others who watered, but both were considered a single effort in building up the body of Christ, though each will all receive his own reward. Rewards in the Church today are spurned if not condemned, and the reason stems from a fallacy some people believe about the Bible. Many have falsified the significance of works, saying that it plays no part in our faith, so it is impossible to seek rewards from God since works are irrelevant. This is a fallacy that is killing the Church in these last days. Following is just about everybody’s favorite verse in the Bible: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” After reading this they say works are irrelevant. If this were the case, then why does the Bible talk so much about faithfulness, diligence and perseverance in the things of God? Can we fits these words into our lives apart from works? This errant position of the Church is based on the misunderstanding of a short list of verses, the leading one already mentioned in Eph 2-8,9. The very next verse (v10) says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” If we do the good works that God prepared for us, there is a reward, but how does that fit with faith? We know that doing good works is not what saves us, but they do complete our faith. What good is an incomplete faith? See also: Working the grace of God (blameless); Jd-24,25; 137k

1Cor 3,9-15

(137b) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the foundation >> Jesus is the rock of the Church’s foundation

1Cor 3,9-11

(225l) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables about the body of Christ -- These verses go with verses 16&17. The Church has two foundations, the foundation of the apostles and prophets and the underlying foundation of Jesus Christ. The analogy of the building refers to the old covenant temple of worship. It was constructed according to the specifications that God commanded Moses, suggesting that nobody can lay a foundation other than the one that has already been laid. Our job is to build upon this foundation, and the house that results is the Church. This house also represents the individual believer. Remember Jesus last statement on the Sermon on the Mount; He spoke about a house built on shifting sand on a beach too close to the ocean; it had a spectacular view but way too stormy. Jesus was saying that people should not build their house in the wrong place with a poor foundation, because the edifice won’t remain standing very long, for each foot closer to the sea is another year off the building's life. His parable about a building was with respect to establishing our theology and living according to it. If we build our house on the rock, everything works just fine; our house will remain intact worry-free, even in the most violent weather, but the person with poor theology, who comes to all the wrong conclusions about the Bible and lives accordingly, his structure will not survive the inevitable storms of life, leaving his house in tatters, even if he uses the best materials. If he knew what he was doing, He would have known that the foundation had already been poured, referring to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and that the apostles have finished the foundation, and now we must build our house upon their work. To build the house anywhere else would be foolish, since there is only one foundation though there are many builders. We see then that we are fellow workers building one structure where we will all live together. Each person has a different design in mind, different styles and methods, but when we put all our ideas together, we create an intricate house of worship. God speaks to His people as He spoke to the nation of Israel and commanded them to build a temple according to His specifications. When we think of all the denominations that have resulted from our efforts, there is not one house but many, but Paul said there is only one foundation and one temple of worship, suggesting that Paul was addressing the subject of unity, but if there are multiple houses built on a single platform, it results in a mishmash of religions that will never win the world to Christ. See also: Building the temple; Rev 3,15-18; 94n

1Cor 3,10-15

(137m) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturing with our brothers >> Employing your gifts to mature the body (Spiritual fellowship) – We of the new covenant have the foundation of both the old and New Testaments, and those who teach the word are building on that foundation. In that respect the building that is constructed upon this foundation consists of the ministries of others.

1Cor 3-10

(115e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through your ministry >> By the word of God

(239l) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Let not many of you become teachers >> Teachers incur a stricter judgment – Paul laid the foundation as the seed sower, and Apollos built upon it as he watered the seed, Paul’s contribution to our foundation consisting of all his letters in the New Testament. Therefore, those who would come after them must be careful how they build upon their foundation. Paul says to the teachers of the word who are building upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and upon Jesus Christ, the cornerstone (Eph 2-20), ‘be careful how you build.’ We must pay careful attention to what we teach, for Jm 3-1 meets the subject head-on, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.” They have a greater influence on the Church; hence they have a greater means to lead the Church astray. They also have a greater potential to benefit the Church, and God will reward them accordingly.

1Cor 3-11

(227f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Depending on Jesus to have compassion >> Depending on Jesus to receive us