Paul begins 1 Corinthians 15 by calling the believers in Corinth to remember the Gospel they received and ends with the reminder that it was preached so others would believe. Since the Gospel is of first importance and something that is so important, so special, we should put the focus on the story of what Jesus has done instead of what we want or have. As Paul explains the story, I understand it as an encouragement to pass it on to someone else and multiply believers in the people God has put in your life.
Think about your faith journey and who shared it with you. They probably lived in a way that you admired and so listened when they shared why their faith was important. In Corinth, Paul shared about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Two things that stood out were the forgiveness of sins and how important the verified resurrection is. Both those aspects are truly good news! Atonement allows us to be with God; Jesus made that possible for you and me. His resurrection was proof that he defeated sin and death and was the fulfillment of his promise of eternal life. It is truly amazing when we can slow down to think about what was given to us. Paul was reminding the people why their words, actions, and worship need to be corrected. It reflects who Jesus is and what he has done so his story can show in the lives of his followers.
Verses one through eleven of 1 Corinthians 15 are a beautiful reminder of how the truth needs to be preached and shared. Gospel truth needs to be lived out in the normal aspects of ordinary life. That is multiplication. I believe God will use his church to multiply followers of Jesus as long as we hold onto what we believe and then live it out. This might be checking on a friend or co-worker. Maybe it is bringing dinner to a neighbor in need. Maybe it is being open to offer prayer to the person making your coffee or at the store you shop at. It might even be sharing Jesus’ story with someone God brings across your path. Here is my encouragement for you, remember what you believe so you can be ready to multiply. God wants to use you, will you let him? Praying for you all and if you need any help please let us know.
Jeremy Johnson
Family Pastor