Chapter 12 tells us that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to every believer for the common good.  We put out the challenge for you to prayerfully discover just how the Spirit has gifted you.  Paul gave us this powerful picture of a body joined together with each part being important.  If one part says, “I’m not important,” we all suffer.  If one part says, “I’m all important,” we all suffer.

Chapter 13 tell us that the most excellent way to use spiritual gifts is love.  If I do all these things – if I speak in tongues, or have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries, and have all knowledge and all faith – but have not love… I’m nothing.

Chapter 14 tells us that the most important goal of spiritual gifts is edification and building up of the Church.

In chapter 14 Paul tells us to “excel in building up the church” (vs. 12).  Four times in this chapter Paul uses the Greek word “oikodome”, which refers to the building up of a house from foundation up and keeping it in constant repair.

During these difficult days as a church family, the reality that we are continually being edified and built up in Christian love is so evident.  The highlight of Judy’s last days was mail call.  On Thursday when I was there she received 10 cards filled with encouragement.  There was an abundance of food from the choir and WOW friends.  The outpouring of love on the Ramirez family was just amazing.  The waiting room in the ICU was packed almost around the clock with dear friends.  Someone who lives just a few miles away from the hospital transformed a detached room of their home from a play room into a guest house for Tammy’s husband and children in a matter of hours.

It has been so very sweet to be part of the staff and be able to look out and see how the body of Northpoint has embraced being the body of Christ to these two families.  Thank you!

If we don’t start with this last phrase from Chapter 12 when we begin to read Chapter 13, we will misunderstand the entire chapter.  It is not a formula for how to have wedded bliss, or a great family reunion, or even a happy home.  In fact, it’s not a formula at all, even though it has been used for that purpose for centuries.  1 Corinthians 13, “The Love Chapter”; engraved on plaques, read at countless weddings, quoted in poetry and song, reprinted in greeting cards by the thousands.  Part of our problem is the word “love” itself.  In English we use the same word to describe our love for our spouse, our children, our parents, and even diet Pepsi.  This is not the case in the original language of the New Testament.

Classic Greek has four words for love:

Eros describes an intimate and passionate love.  Storge is the love of family.  Phileo is the love of friendship or loyalty.  Agape is a selfless, sacrificial and unconditional love.  It is the highest of all four types.  Only Phileo and Agape are used in the New Testament.

Agape is, of course, descriptive of God’s love for humanity, but also our love for our fellow man, and it is the Greek word used throughout the chapter.  Leon Morris says this about God’s love: “This love of God is a love for the utterly unworthy.  It is a love which proceeds from a God who is Himself Love.  It is a love lavished on others without a thought of whether they are worthy to receive it or not.  It proceeds rather from the nature of the lover than from any merit in the beloved.”

Romans 5:8 says it like this: “… but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

When Paul was discussing Christian liberty in his letter to the Romans, he used the word “agape” to describe one believer’s action toward another: “For if a brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love.  By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died” (Romans 14:15).

As believers God has given each of us the perfect gift.  We are probably using that gift, even if we don’t realize it.  But we will never use our gifts to their fullest if we don’t understand their purpose and know what they are.

We are entering this whole realm of spiritual gifts.  We will be on this topic for several weeks so if all your questions don’t get addressed today (which they won’t), we will be coming back to the concept of spiritual gifts throughout the month.  Notice I said we would hopefully “address” the key questions, not necessarily “answer” them.

While Paul is writing to the Corinthians 2,000 years ago, we find a lot hasn’t changed in the Church today.  In chapters 12-14 it becomes clear that the issue of spiritual gifts was clouded by some confusion and controversy in the church at Corinth.  It is much the same now.

John MacArthur said, “Perhaps no area of biblical doctrine has been more misunderstood and abused, even within evangelicalism, than that of spiritual gifts.  Yet no area of doctrine is more important to the spiritual health and effectiveness of the church.

Alistair Begg said, “The Evil One, knowing how vital the correct use of spiritual gifts is both to the health and effectiveness of the church, seeks to sew dissension, confusion, and uncertainty, in order to foster ignorance and unbelief in the Church.”

In all this controversy and confusion, we neglect and ignore spiritual gifts.  We each leave our own gift undiscovered and underutilized.

Join us at WOW the next three weeks as we unpack spiritual gifts.

For women to have their heads uncovered actually put themselves on the low level of the temple prostitutes who wore their hair cut very short.  Paul’s point here is: if you are going to disregard what is proper, why not go all the way and just cut your hair off?

Paul did not forbid the women to pray and prophesy.  This was a huge change from Jewish tradition!  Prophesying is not the same as our “preaching” or “expounding the Word” today.  Prophesying referred to inspired speech consisting of the proclamation of God’s message, directed toward the church community, for the purpose of exhortation, edification, and encouragement.

This brings us to one of the most difficult verses of the passage:

“A man ought not to cover his head because he is the image and glory of God.  But the woman is the glory of man.” (v. 7)

I think that we first need to answer the question… What does the word “glory” mean?  If you look it up in a Strongs Concordance you will find this simple but surprising definition: Opinion, judgement, view.  A good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honor, and glory.  A bad opinion concerning one, resulting in ridicule, dishonor, and shame.

We find an important clue on how to understand verse 7 in verses 8-9.

“For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.”

Each one reflects the glory of the one from whom they were created.  Now you’re thinking, “That doesn’t help me!”  Follow me for just a minute.  I have really wrestled with this concept.  There just seemed to be something demeaning about it somehow.  But I came up with an illustration that has really helped me.  I pray it helps some of you.

Man was created by God out of dust and brings God glory.  When man is what God calls him to be he brings praise, honor, and glory to God (so do we as women, by the way).

God created man and then saw him all alone in the garden with no TV, no remote, and he couldn’t decide what to do with himself.  And God said, “We can’t have this!  This isn’t good!  I know… I’ll make woman.”  So God puts man to sleep, and from his rib He fashions woman.  She is uniquely created to be man’s helpmeet.  And when woman is what God has called her to be she brings praise, honor and glory to the man.

Just so you know, that is NOT a demeaning position!  Man shouldn’t look at woman and say, “You are my slave.”  He should look at her and think, “You are my necessity!  I can’t make it without you!”

Here’s the part of the illustration I’ve been building to.  We struggle to understand this as women, but maybe this will help.  Follow me… man was created by God.  Woman was created out of man.  What was created out of woman?  Our children!

Aren’t our children our glory?  Think about it!  When your children are what God has called them to be, does anything on earth bring you more praise, honor and glory?

And isn’t the reverse true, as well?  Nothing can bring us more ridicule, dishonor and shame than a child who is not what God wants them to be.  Is it not true that people form opinions or judgments about us, good or bad, based on how our children behave?

Does the reality that your child has the ability to fill you with glory… or fill you with shame… demean them in any way? Does it mean that your child is somehow a lesser being because they can reflect on you that way?  No!  The reason they have such power over us is because they are so incredibly precious to us!

So, can you see how we as women by our disrespectful behavior bring ridicule and shame on our men – whether at home or here at church?  Not because we are second-rate, but because we are so valued!  That doesn’t demean us in any way.

Forget what the world has told you!  This is perfection!  This is order!  This is life above the chaos of a fallen world!  Our husbands and leaders living in a way that brings God glory, willing to lay down their lives for us as they follow Christ.  We as women living in a way that brings both God and the men glory, willing to be helpers, coming alongside our husbands so that together we accomplish all God calls us both to be.

No temptation is exceptional.  Don’t be filled with shame!  Temptation is common to all of us.  Have you ever been in a small group, and someone shares a prayer request related to a temptation or struggle and you think, “Wow!  Someone else has that problem, too?”

On the other hand… Don’t think you have an excuse.  Temptation is common to all of us.  Don’t think, “I know you’re supposed to be kind, but you don’t know how impossible this person is,” or “I know you’re supposed to forgive, but you don’t know what this person did.”

No temptation is beyond your ability to resist.  God is a faithful God and will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability as you humbly rely on him in faith.

God will always provide a way of escape.  Have you ever had it in your mind to commit a sin, and God takes the opportunity away at the last second?

Therefore, my beloved, flee!  Every temptation will either be acted upon or resisted.  The only way to extinguish temptation is to run – the sooner the better!  Nip it in the bud!  Refuse to sin while it is still a thought in your mind!

Sow a thought, reap an action.  Sow an action, reap a habit.  Sow a habit, reap a character.  Sow a character, reap a destiny.

The destiny Paul desired for the Corinthians and for us is that we would not be disqualified but that we would know every opportunity and every blessing that God desires for us.

Paul closes chapter 10 with this thought: Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27:  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?  So run that you may obtain it.  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.  They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

The Greeks had two great athletic festivals: The Olympic Games held in Athens and the Isthmian Games held in Corinth.  So they were very familiar with the elements of Paul’s illustration.

The athletes in the games went through rigorous training for 10 months.  Then the last month before the games was spent at Corinth with supervised daily workouts.

If you were going to compete, you had to train.  Our Olympic athletes train for years in advance of a race that may last under a minute.

As believers, we have to be in constant training before we have an opportunity to serve or witness.  We have to be disciplined in prayer.  Make time to be in the Word.  Exercise our gifts and talents.  Guarding our thoughts.  Monitoring the attitude of our heart.

A great difference between those races and the Christian “race” is that every Christian who will pay the price of careful training can win.  We do not compete against each other but against the obstacles – practical, physical, and spiritual – that would hinder us.  Paul counsels all believers to run in such a way that you may win, by setting aside anything that might hinder the reception of the gospel.

If athletes can exercise such great discipline and self-control, why can’t Christians, Paul asks.  They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

In the Isthmian Games the prize was a pine wreath that represented fame, acclaim, and the status of a hero.  Winners were immortalized, much as they are today.  But the wreath and the fame were eventually faded away and were forgotten.  Christians do not run for a short-lived pine wreath or short-lived fame.  2 Timothy 4:8 tells us that Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will award to me on that Day.  1 Peter 1:4 says it is An inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

No Christian will be successful in witnessing, or in anything else worthwhile, without discipline.  Every good thing we accomplish – whether in learning, business, artistic skill, marriage, spiritual living, witnessing, or whatever – is accomplished through discipline and self-control.

If an athlete expects to excel, he voluntarily, and often severely, restricts his liberty.  His sleep, his diet, and his exercise, are not determined by his rights or by his feelings but by the requirement of his training.

The athlete’s disciplined self-control is a rebuke of half-hearted, out-of-shape Christians who do almost nothing to prepare themselves to witness to the lost – and consequently seldom do.

Paul had a purpose in running.  He was not without aim.  He states his goal four times in verses 19-22 – to win as many people to Christ as possible.

Most people are slaves to our bodies instead.  Our bodies tell us what to do.  Our bodies decide when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat, when to sleep and get up, and so on.  An athlete cannot allow that!  He follows training rules.

Paul trained rigorously lest possible, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.  This is not referring to salvation!  This was another metaphor from the Isthmian Games.  A contestant who failed to meet the training requirements was disqualified.  He could not even run.  Paul did not want to spend his life preaching the requirements to others and then be disqualified for not meeting the requirements himself.

Many believers start the Christian life with enthusiasm and devotion.  They train carefully for awhile but soon tire of the effort and begin to “break training.”  Before long they are disqualified from being effective witnesses and servants.  They do not have what it takes, because they are unwilling to pay the price.  The flesh, the world, everyday affairs, personal interests, and often simple laziness hinder spiritual growth and preparation for service.

I have received many requests for the delicious recipes used in creating the Tea. The soup was catered by Panera Bread. However, the recipes for the salad dressing and scones follow. Enjoy!

Marti Wiegman
Director of Women’s Ministries

SALAD DRESSING
3 cups soybean, canola or vegetable oil
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup honey
3 tbsp. white sugar
1/2 oz. dehydrated onion
1/4 tsp. powdered onion
1 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. fresh chopped garlic
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. black pepper

NORTHPOINT TRADITIONAL SCONES
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In large bowl, mix following dry ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose white flour, sifted
2 tbsp. white sugar
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3. Cut in butter until fine crumbs.
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
4. In separate bowl, beat following wet ingredients together:
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)
1/4 cup cranberries, dried and chopped (optional)
5. Make a well with dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Stir with a fork (or hands) gently until dough holds together.
6. With hands, bring dough together into ball. Pour out onto floured work surface and knead gently about 10-15 times. (Handle dough as little as possible.)
7. Roll out or press with fingers to 3/4″ think circle (about 8″ diameter). Cut into 8 wedges.
8. Brush tops with water and sprinkle on raw sugar.
2 tbsp. raw sugar
9. Transfer to cookie sheets lined with parchment paper leaving 1″ space between.
10. Bake 12-14 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks and cool completely.

There is a plan that we explore which we will not understand, but it is best.  Though each segment of it may not seem fair or pleasant, it works together for good.  The disease Job endured wasn’t good in and of itself.  Hardly!  But it worked together for good.  Our perspective is dreadfully limited.  We see only a pinpoint of time, but God’s view is panoramic.  God’s big-picture, cosmic plan is at work now, and He doesn’t feel the need (nor is He obligated) to explain it to us.  If He tried, our answer would be like the confused teenager listening to his calculus teacher, “What?”  You wouldn’t get it, nor would I.  Just remember, the Father knows what is best for His children.  Rest in that realization.

There are consequences we experience that we could not anticipate, but they are necessary.  I don’t know where you find yourself today, but I would be willing to wager that most of you reading this book are going through something that is unfair.  Chances are good that you simply don’t deserve what’s happening.  The consequences may have started to get to you.  You didn’t anticipate any of this.  You didn’t think it would come to this, but it has.  Trust me here.  What has happened is a necessary part of your spiritual growth.  Yes, necessary.  I’ve finally begun to accept that reality after all these years of my life.

I want to address you who have moved onto Job’s turf.  If nothing else, it has prepared you to pay closer attention to the message of Job.  You’ve seen only a glimpse of how things started.  The story doesn’t end with Satan’s departing from the presence of the Lord.  There’s a whole lot more to Job’s story.  And the more it unfolds, the more you will realize that life is not only difficult, it’s unfair.

The silence of God’s voice will make you wonder if He is even there.  And the absence of God’s presence will make you wonder if He even cares.  He is there.  And He does care.

So what next?  Live for Christ!  God saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began – 1 Timothy 1:9.

Before time began, God set his heart on you.  He called you.  He knew where you would be right at this moment, and in grace with a purpose he made you his own to live for his glory.

Several women in leadership in our women’s ministries as well as a number of our disciplers have been through divorces.  One of them was sharing at our discipler meeting on Monday, tears of pain in her eyes,

“What I would tell a woman considering divorce is this: Fight for your marriage!  Going through divorce is like death – it’s worse than death.  You lose so much more than a spouse: you lose family, you lose friends.  You may think your marriage is a place of pain and divorce is an escape.  But it’s not!  It is a lifetime of heartache that multiplies and goes on.

“But to the woman on the other side, who is divorced, I would tell her that God has given me the most wonderful new life, and a godly husband, and so much joy.  It takes time, but eventually healing comes.  Divorce leaves a scar, but scars do’t have any pain.”

The believer’s body is a member of Christ.  How can we be joined to Christ and joined to sin at the same time?  When an individual Christian commits sexual immorality, it disgraces the entire body of Christ.  The Corinthians saw no harm in visiting the temple prostitutes.  Jesus Christ bought us with a price and therefore our bodies belong to Him.  We are to yield our bodies to Him as living sacrifices.

The word “joined” actually means to cement or glue together.  In their sexual relationship, a husband and wife become “one flesh” in a way that is under God’s blessing.  In sex outside of marriage, the partners become “one flesh” in a way that is under God’s curse.  Sex outside of marriage ultimately shatters instead of unites.

“When a man and woman join their bodies, the entire personality is involved.  There is a much deeper experience, a ‘oneness’ that brings with it deep and lasting consequences.  Sexual sin is the most serious sin a person can commit against his body, for it involves the whole person.  The sexual experience affects the total personality.  Sex outside of marriage is like a man robbing a bank: he gets something, but it is not his and he will one day pay for it.  Sex within marriage can be like a person putting money into a bank: there is safety, security, and he will collect dividends.”  –Warren Wiersbe

Paul gives us a very simple, very effective prescription for sexual purity.  FLEE!  Paul doesn’t tell us to be brave and resist the lustful passion of sexual immorality, but to flee from  its very presence.  Many have fallen because they underestimated the power of lustful passion, or thought they would “test” themselves and see how much they could “take.”  Instead we should follow the example of Joseph, who fled from sexual immorality – even when it cost him something to do so.

Paul does not say that Christians should flee sex, only sexual immorality.  God gave sex as a precious gift to mankind, and uses it powerfully to bond husband and wife together in a true one-flesh relationship.  Hebrews 13:4 says the marriage bed is undefiled – the sexual relationship between husband and wife is pure, holy, and good before God.

Although sexual sin is not necessarily the worst sin, it is the most unique in its character.  It drives like no other impulse and when fulfilled affects the body like no other sin.  I’ve heard it said by those who have lived an immoral life that you never forget those previous encounters and effects the body’s responses for life.

Illicit sex has a way of internally destroying a person the way no other sin has.  Because sexual intimacy is the deepest uniting of two persons, its misuse corrupts on the deepest human level.  Sexual sin has a unique effect on the body; not only in a physical way but also in moral and spiritual, psychological ways.