BEING FREE IN CHRIST RESPONSIBLY, 1 Corinthians 10

-
CHRIST WAS THERE
-
Israel was baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, AND THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST.
-
LESSONS TO LEARN BY
-
Nevertheless, God, You were not pleased with most of them, and they perished in the wilderness. These things occurred as examples and were written down as warnings for us to keep us from:
-
_setting our hearts on evil things
_being idolaters (we should FLEE from it.)
_indulging in revelry
_committing sexual immorality (23,000 died in one day)
_testing CHRIST (they were killed by snakes)
_grumbling (they were killed by the destroying angel)
-
May we be sensible, and receive Your warning. We cannot do these things and think we are standing firm, and we must heed these warnings, lest risk falling!
-
We are tempted as they were tempted, but YOU ARE FAITHFUL, that no temptation has overtaken us except what is common to all, and You will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear, but will also provide a way out so that we can endure it. Thank You, LORD!
-
HOLY COMMUNTION - THE BLOOD AND BODY OF CHRIST
-
The cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks is a participation
in the blood of Christ.
-
The bread that we break is a participation
in the body of Christ
-
THE CHURCH
-
There is one loaf. We who are many are one body. We all share the one loaf.
-
SACRIFICES OF PAGANS
-
The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons and not to You, LORD God. You don’t want for Your church to be participants with demons.
You don’t want to be provoked to jealousy
-
FOOD THAT WAS SACRIFICED TO IDOLS
-
Food that is sacrificed to idols isn’t anything, and an idol isn’t anything.
-
You want for Your church to eat anything that is sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for it is written:
-
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
-
SEEKING THE GOOD OF OTHERS
-
LORD, help us to obey You to seek the good of others over our own. If an UNBELIEVER invites a believer to a meal and he wants to go, the believer should eat whatever is put on the table without raising questions of conscience.
-
But if someone says, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” the believer should not eat it, FOR THE SAKE AND CONSCIENCE OF THE UNBELIEVER OR WEAK BROTHER.
-
A believer should not be judged by an unbeliever’s or weak brother's conscience or be denounced for thanking You for eating meat that was said to be sacrificed to idols. If the believer eats meat and offends the conscience of the unbeliever or weak brother, this believer will not bring You glory. It is not to Your glory for a believer to be insensitive and cause anyone to stumble.
-
FREE TO CHOOSE TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT
-
LORD, You have given us freedom in Christ, but not everything is beneficial and constructive. Therefore, You expect a believer to try to please everyone in every way, not seeking his own good, but the good of many, SO THAT THEY MAY BE SAVED.
-
BRINGING GOD GLORY IN EVERYTHING
-
So whether Your church eats or drinks, or whatever is done, You want it all done for Your glory.
-
PRAYING FOR OUR LOST LOVED ONES
-
LORD, have mercy on our lost loved ones that are living in sin because their heart is not right with you, and the fruit of their lives reveals it. From this lesson, You warn to abstain from committing the things Israel did, failing to be a godly example to the world that did not know You. We do not live to ourselves, nor die to ourselves. Others are affected by the choices we make. We ought to regard the spiritual state of the lost and not prefer to please ourselves. We don’t want to strive or be pushy. We depend in the power of Your Spirit to save our lost loved ones when they hear the message of salvation. We pray the devil will not discourage them through a bad witness. Forgive us where we’ve failed you, and we pray this is not laid on their charge. Save our lost loved ones, we pray in Jesus name.

-
(from 1 Corinthians 10)