The Life and Times of the Early Church

A verse-by-verse study of 2 Corinthians 6:14—7:16.  Paul explains the role godly sorrow plays in salvation and appeals to the Corinthians to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 2 Corinthians 6:1-13.  Paul pleads with Christians in Corinth to “ not receive the grace of God in vain. ”  Which is another way of saying, “ Don’t accept God’s gift of love, mercy and kindness and then ignore it. ”  Are we ever guilty of that?  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.  Paul explains what it means to “live in Christ” and how Jesus has not only reconciled us with God—he has invited us to participate in his ministry of reconciliation. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 2 Corinthians 4:16—5:10.  Paul discusses some implications of our future resurrection and he points to a day when we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.   May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

Grace and peace! Episode 89 of The Life and Times of the Early Church is up on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, etc.  A verse-by-verse study of 2 Corinthians 4:1-15.  Paul moves from the general experience of all Christians to his own particular experiences, and he talks about how Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel.  May the Lord bless your study of His W...

A verse-by-verse study of 2 Corinthians 3:1-18.  Paul explains what doing ministry under the New Covenant looks like and compares himself (a minister of the New Covenant) with Moses (a minister of the Old Covenant).  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

Grace and peace! Episode 87 of The Life and Times of the Early Church is up on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, etc.  A verse-by-verse study of 2 Corinthians 2:5-17.  An explanation and an example of how Satan thinks and reasons in planning his attacks on Christians and how the power of forgiveness disarms him.  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 2 Corinthians 1:12—2:4.  Paul begins his defense of his ministry by answering three complaints his opponents commonly made: the letters he wrote were obscure , he was fickle , and he had a domineering attitude . May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

Grace and peace! Episode 85 of The Life and Times of the Early Church is up on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, etc.  An introduction to Second Corinthians and a verse-by-verse study of 2 Corinthians 1:1-11.  Paul’s opening words prepare the church for the key issues he will address in the letter. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 16:1-24.  Paul brings his letter to the church to a close with some parting exhortations and an example of what love in action looks like in the Corinthian setting. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 15:44-58.  Paul brings his teaching on the resurrection to a close by revealing a mystery—he has explained what happens to the dead when Jesus returns, but there will be many Christians who are still alive when that event takes place.  What happens to them?  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 15:35-43.  Paul has made his case for the reality of the resurrection in the first part of chapter 15. In verses 35-43, his teaching shifts from the fact of the resurrection to the nature of the resurrection body. What will it be like?  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 15:20-34.  Part two of Paul’s teaching on the resurrection.  When Jesus returns to earth, God’s people, both living and dead, will be transformed and receive new, eternal bodies. But this is just the beginning, Paul says. Christ will destroy all opposition to his reign in the universe—both human and demonic. Then death itself will be destroyed.  May the Lord...

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 15:1-19.  Part one of Paul’s teaching on the resurrection. The Corinthians accepted the fact that Jesus had been ressurrected from the dead—they just didn’t see how that would be possible for the rest of us. So Paul begins with a subject he and they are in complete agreement about: Christ was raised from the dead. Then from that fact he builds his case for t...

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 14:26-40.  Paul returns to his teaching on spiritual gifts and their place in worship. His focus is on on gift in particular:  glossolalia —what we often refer to as “speaking in tongues.” He explains how the gift can be used to strengthen and encourage others and the dangers of abusing the gift.  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 14:1-25.  In this passage, which follows Paul’s teaching on the nature of love in chapter 13, he says that the single goal of the church should be to pursue love, which is expressed in the language of “building up” the church. He then explains the importance of using the gift of speaking in tongues in a way that strengthens and encourages others.  May the Lo...

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 13:4-13.  1 Corinthians 13 is well-known but often misunderstood, so we are slowing down in order to get the full meaning of what God is teaching us here about the nature of love. In today’s lesson we will consider how to apply this passage to our everyday lives. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 13:1-7. Paul’s teaching on the nature of love is one of the Bible’s most familiar passages. It is also one of the Bible’s most misunderstood teachings. In this lesson we will look at God’s definition of love—what love is and what it is not. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Paul develops an extended metaphor of the church as the body of Christ in which he alternates between the themes of unity and diversity and interdependence.  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. Paul begins an extended teaching on the subject of the use and abuse of spiritual gifts in public worship. May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. Paul explains how the stories of Israel’s failures in the wilderness serve as examples and warnings to people today when we observe the Lord’s Supper. He explains the meaning of the ceremony and how to participate in it in a way that blesses us and honors the Lord.  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. In this passage, Paul addresses the marital relationship in terms of self-respect, respect for God, and a mutual and reciprocal respect between husband and wife.   May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 10:1—11:1. Paul uses the story of Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness to illustrate how God took care of his ancient people, and then he reveals the point of the history lesson: the things that happened to Israel serve a purpose for us . They warn us against lusting after evil things and remind us that history need not repeat itself. Here’s the promise— God...

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 9:1-27. Paul summarizes his ministry by saying,  “ I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel… ” What might that look like in today’s world?  May the Lord bless your study of His Word!

A verse-by-verse study of 1 Corinthians 8:1-13. Paul addresses an issue that on the surface may appear to have little to do with us today—eating food that has been offered to idols. Given how obscure a problem this is in our own culture it is tempting to breeze through this part, but if we look beneath the surface to the deeper truths Paul is teaching, we find several invaluable principles that ca...