Heavenly Father:

I pray as we dive into Your Word that You will make it alive and personal to us. Like the Corinthians, we too live in a culture that doesn’t see the spiritual world and You working in it. Let us use the examples we see in Corinthians as a model for our interactions with the world around us. Help us to help others see and love You.

In Jesus’ matchless name we pray, Amen

Memory Verse

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:7–8, NIV

Background

Las Vegas in its early days was known as Sin City, and this name would have been fitting for Corinth as well. Anyone displaying wild behavior in Greece during this time was, as the saying went, “acting like a Corinthian.” Temple worship was popular, the most prominent being the temple for Aphrodite where sexual immorality was commonplace and accepted. This was the setting for this young church started by Paul. Even though they were a church blessed by spiritual gifts, they struggled to resist the influence of the culture around them. They often tried to keep a foot in both worlds. They looked to worldly wisdom and considered it “superior.” Paul had his hands full as he tried to bring this church back to the basics and proper theology.

Study Guide Available

For the corresponding study guide, please contact Melissa Renner at melissar@stonebriar.org.