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No Practice

If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God. (1 Corinthians 11:16)

There was a battle during my childhood that divided friends, family, and even the church — “the Cola Wars.” Coke vs. Pepsi was a genius marketing ploy that didn’t really cause fighting, but it did illustrate how a simple product created contention in society by getting people to choose a side. Coke vs. Pepsi had been a battle since the late 1800s and it gave people a reason to at least argue why one was better, why one was their favorite and why the other opinion was wrong. Maybe that was the real issue, people just like to argue and be right. Outside of soda, this happens in churches, too. Should we allow hats to be worn in the worship service? Do we use our paper Bible or digital Bible? Is it the Family Center or the Gym? (See Scott Smith if you would like an answer!) Little things can cause a fight if we allow them.

Of course, this happened in Corinth and that is why we are still talking about it today. Culturally, there were practices that made sense for Romans, Greeks, Jews, Gentiles, etc., and those practices began to mesh and sometimes clash in the early church to the point people came to church with a grudge against one another (maybe someone has stolen your parking spot on a Sunday morning?). Paul knew Satan would take that foothold and rip a huge hole into the heart of the church. If they were not careful, a little contention over head coverings and prophesying grow into full-blown division. Paul gave some really simple advice I will sum up this way- make it work, we don’t have a standard practice established yet. I think 2,000 years later we still have to make things work for the sake of unity in some practices in the church right now.

Here is how I relate to this passage personally. God has done two funny things in my life that helped me “make it work.” There are two things I never thought I would be as a pastor, in charge of Resonate or Youth Ministry. But God put me in positions to let go of some of my practices and he blessed me beyond what I could ask for by allowing me to step into those ministries. My life has changed for the better because the Lord let me choose unity over contention, preference, and practice. In light of the passage and the heart of verse 16, where are some areas God might be asking you to build unity in the church? Praying for us all, hope God blesses you today.

Pastor Jeremy Johnson

by Jeremy Johnson

Normalized Prophecy

Every church service has a rhythm, a cadence that it follows. I can remember going to a Catholic service with a friend of mine; I was completely lost. It seemed as though everyone else knew what to do — when to sit, when to stand, when to kneel. I did my best to mimic those around me, but it wasn’t a worshipful experience because I felt so lost. Protestant churches have an order of service too. It’s not quite as complicated (or maybe I’m just more familiar with it). We sing worship songs, pray, preach the Scriptures, and celebrate Communion. The early Church had an order of service too, but they included an additional element that didn’t show up in the Catholic or Protestant churches that I’ve attended.

Listen to the Apostle Paul as he writes to the church in Corinth: Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head — it is the same as having her head shaved. (1 Corinthians 11:4-5)

Hold all those questions about head coverings for now and let’s acknowledge that Paul’s assumption was prophecy was a normal part of the worship gathering — and both men and women were participating equally in prophetic work. That word prophecy is a bit slippery, so allow me to define it. It means to foretell, as in looking to the future. But it also means to forthtell, meaning “thus saith the Lord.” Forthtelling may have looked a bit more like modern-day preaching. This was something both men and women were participating in during the worship service.

Can you imagine having a “prophecy” portion of worship? It appears the early church did. I’m not entirely sure what we ought to do with this truth, but I’m confident that we “shouldn’t despise prophecies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20). Even if it doesn’t fall directly within the public worship gathering on a Sunday morning, if we’re going to take our cues from Scripture, we must be open to prophesy, and we must position both men and women to function in the prophetic. 1 Corinthians 11 teaches us that prophecy was a normalized part of their gatherings, how might it become more of a part of our spiritual growth?

Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor

by Ryan Paulson

Submission & Authority

But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. (1 Corinthians 11:3)

This verse establishes an order of authority based on the trinity itself. The father is the head of the son. Obviously, the son is very much the father’s equal, they are one being in a mysterious way. Yet we have a very powerful example of Jesus humbling himself, relinquishing his godly form, and submitting in obedience to the Father's plan.

[Christ Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

Men have Christ as their head. We choose to submit ourselves to him and try to live our lives for him instead of ourselves. I say try because our sin makes obedience really difficult, but our gracious Lord knows we struggle and he does life with us, patiently helping us follow him.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Men are the head of women. Obviously Christ is also the ultimate head of any person, but the significance is men and women get to enter into an imperfect imitation of the communion had by the trinity itself. That is a stunningly beautiful thing, if done correctly.

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

When a woman submits to her husband and that man submits to Christ they can weather anything and there’s a foundational order there which is a source of great peace. I, myself, am not yet married, but I've witnessed good friends carefully commit to this and they reaped such benefits, it’s really a blessing to see.

Jonathan Duncan

by Jonathan Duncan

It's Not About US

by Deb Hill

It’s Complicated

“A wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels” (1 Corinthians 11:10). Anybody with me thinking: “Huh?”

And what about, “Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him?” or “For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man”? What in nature makes it obvious men should keep their hair short? And what does Paul mean by “woman is the glory of man”? Does he mean women exist to make men look good?

We know from Genesis God did form Eve from Adam’s body, but Genesis also states, “God created man in his own image… male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27), which makes it clear God created both man and woman in his image. Furthermore, Paul himself says in verses 11 and 12, “Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman.” This passage equalizes men and women by saying men need women, and vice versa. Paul reinforces this point by adding an allusion to Genesis: “woman was made from man.” He then clarifies any attempt for either party to gloat by concluding with “so man is now born of woman.”

Paul seems to be wrapping up by showing us how both men and women have important, equal roles to play in each other’s lives and in God’s kingdom. He even goes on to say, “If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.” Paul seems to be encouraging the Corinthians –- if these issues about a woman’s role and conduct in church continue to be a point of friction in the church body –- to consider forgetting about the whole thing. Dismiss the head coverings as a non-issue, since friction is not worth the cost of reaching "the right answer."

But then, what about “the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God”? Does this mean wives access Jesus through their husbands? And does this mean Christ is subject to the Father, in some sense? Does even the Trinity have a hierarchy, and does this imply the Father and Son are not equals? If they are equal, why is one called the "head"? (The "head" imagery can make for problematic symbolism. A foot and a head are necessary for a human to function fully, but a body can function without a foot. However, there’s not a body anywhere that can function without a head. Doesn’t that make a head more important than a foot?)

Despite dropping you into the exegetical quicksand of Chapter 11, I hope what this toe-dip has presented (since I can add much more!) is just how difficult this passage is. For almost thousands of years now, we have yet to make heads or tails of it, much less have any consistent consensus about what it says. Let’s not get so caught up in the trees with the right and wrong of how to read this passage, that we miss the beauty of the forest Paul is trying to help us see.

Ashley Carr
High School Teacher

by Ashley Carr

Religion, Ritual, and Relationship 

Every religion has rituals that help people express devotion or remember a key event or truth. Rituals and religion go together. And yet, even though I’m a follower of Jesus, I don’t love rituals. I’m far more concerned with relationships than I am with rituals. But I have to be honest, Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 10:15-22 is making me question whether I have given ritual too diminished a role in my own formation. Maybe there’s more to ritual than immediately meets the eye. Maybe ritual is a pathway to the relationship.

In seeking to keep the Corinthian church on track and walking with Jesus, Paul wrote,

16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)

Paul is clearly writing about what we call Communion or the Lord’s Supper. It’s a ritual or ordinance, and it’s usually described as a way to “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again.” (1 Cor. 11:26) However, here he suggests that Communion is more than remembrance or proclamation, it’s participation. The Greek word translated as “participation” is “koinonia” which literally means “shared in common or fellowship.” Paul is saying that when we celebrate communion, we fellowship with Jesus; we share in his life in a unique, real, and special way.

However, there is a second point he makes as well. Listen to 1 Corinthians 10:20,

No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.

So, it’s not only possible to have fellowship with Jesus through ritual, but also to have fellowship with demons through ritual. Pagan rituals would have been very well-known by the Corinthians as they were surrounded by them. Paul doesn’t want them to make the mistake of thinking what goes on in the pagan temple is no big deal. He wants them to realize the same thing that happens at the communion table can also happen in a pagan temple – only with a demon instead of God. This is a caution for the Corinthian church about missing out on the union possible with Jesus but also cautions about the way demons want to fellowship with them for the purpose of destruction. When we downplay the power of ritual, we miss the invitation from Jesus for union and the danger of opening our lives to communing with demons.

In all of this, Paul wants to open our eyes to the spiritual power of ritual. Both God and demons meet people as they worship. Are there any ways you have participated in demonic rituals that may have opened your life up to fellowship with evil? If so, I want to encourage you to confess and repent and even to reach out for prayer. The strongholds that have been created can be broken, but they must be intentionally brought down. Secondly, next time you celebrate communion, know that it’s truly an invitation to fellowship, not an empty rote ritual.

Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor

by Ryan Paulson

Too Close To The Sun…

As we were discussing 1 Corinthians 10:1-22 in our writing meeting, someone pointed out that this section feels like a footnote or an asterisk to Chapter 9. In this chapter, Paul makes some eyebrow-raising points about reaching people for the Gospel, but it seems in Chapter 10 he wants to conclude his point by making something very clear: don’t get too confident in your freedom. Don’t grow complacent. Don’t let your guard down. We can slip into sin so quickly and so easily; none of us are exempt. Even God’s chosen people fell, again and again, due to overconfidence or complacency.

In Monday's devotional, Lynette Fuson made some excellent observations about the Old Testament stories Paul references as warnings against this kind of fall that remind us to remain alert. But I kept thinking about another ancient story frequently cited as a warning against self-confidence, pride, and complacency that illustrates a similar theme.

Icarus was trapped with his father, Daedalus, in King Minos’ prison in Crete. Daedalus was an incredible craftsman and inventor who managed to fashion wings out of feathers and wax for himself and Icarus. He planned to escape with these wings, but for their plan to succeed, Daedalus gave Icarus a warning: “Don’t fly too close to the sun.” Icarus felt so powerful and invincible wearing his wings that he didn’t heed his father’s warning and kept flying, up, up, and up... You may already know what happens or you may have already guessed Icarus’ fate. Yep, he went too close to the sun, and the wax holding his wings together melted. Because his wings fell apart, Icarus fell to the ocean below and drowned.

The Greek word often cited when labeling the cause of Icarus’ fall is hubris. It has come to mean excessive pride or self-confidence, but one of the older uses of it meant pushing the boundaries or the limits of what humans can do (towards the gods or the ordered cosmos).

I kept thinking of this myth when I read verse 12: “Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” We have so many stories about “falling” because as humans, we’re prone to become easily complacent and overconfident about what we can do; we forget how weak we really are. This is also the warning Paul is reminding believers about in Chapter 10. The fact that we are not bound may let us slip into the illusion that we are untouchable or incorruptible with Christ, and that is why Paul is being so careful to add this footnote to Chapter 9: “Any of us could be an “Icarus,” so let’s not allow our freedom to draw us into lifestyles, habits and practices that could lead into destruction.”

Ashley Carr
High School Teacher

by Ashley Carr

Take Heed

“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13a)

Perhaps my all-time favorite critter our family ever owned was our son’s chameleon. When most people think about these lizards they probably recall the fact that they can change both color and skin pattern to blend in with their surroundings. That’s what I always thought about. But when we got the little dude, I was even more amazed by the fact that God designed him with eyes that swivel to look backwards. He could see what was in front of him, to the side of him and behind him without moving a muscle. Oh man, his poor lizard children! They couldn’t get away with anything!

In this week’s passage, one of the points Paul brings up is around the idea of resisting temptation and our need to “take heed” or “to see something physical, with spiritual results (perception)”. (The idea behind the word is that a person carries what is seen into the non-physical realm so he or she can take the needed action.) When it comes to fighting temptation there is a seeing and there is a responding. I want to think with you about the seeing part.

According to this week’s passage, being able to see all that surrounds us is part of what’s required to prevent us from falling prey to the schemes of the devil. For reasons known only to God, He did not give us eyes or heads that swivel. This then means we have to work even harder to pay attention to our setting and circumstances to avoid being overtaken. We must be vigilant. We must take heed.

But there is more to it than just seeing what is in front of us in our physical world. There is also the “seeing” that comes from perceiving what we are seeing. And this is what verse 12 is all about. All of this means we have a double challenge as we fight to live set-apart lives where we are continually experiencing growth in godliness -- we must see the obvious and we must perceive (“see”) the sometimes not-so-obvious so we can identify temptation and seek God’s help to endure it (v. 13).

I trust all of this sounds pretty cut-and-dried. We see something, we perceive it to be bad for us, and we avoid it. If only it were that simple, right? We know from this text (and personal experience) that temptation is all around us, and we have a tendency to downplay the likelihood we'll fall victim to it. That’s why Paul gives the command to “take heed lest you fall,” or to “pay attention” to what you see and to what it might mean in your life (and to then respond accordingly to prevent yourself from sinning).

Emmanuel Faith Church Family, I don’t know what temptations each of you are facing these days, but I think it would be good to pray and ask God to give us all the ability to see, perceive and remove ourselves from the things that could cause us to fall. I hope you’ll join me in praying along these lines today.

Scott Smith
Care Pastor

by Scott Smith

The Power of Story

"Now, these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come." (1 Corinthians 10:11)

When God looked out over all of the potential forms of communication that the world would ever see, he decided that the primary form he would use is narrative. That’s right … when God chose to communicate his most important message, he told a story. And that is what we have in the pages of Scripture: a lot of stories. Sure, there are other genres in the Bible, but the vast majority is narrative. God knew one day there would be an entire literary genre called "historical nonfiction" that would fastidiously document all of the pertinent details of historical figures with precision and detail. He could have chosen to communicate to us during a time when the Apostle Paul could have been live-tweeting his missionary journeys in real-time, when Moses could have had his own YouTube channel, or when David could have debuted the Psalms on TikTok. Instead, God chose to have his followers retell the stories of Israel’s heroes and villains, of great deeds and terrible mistakes.

Why would God choose to tell stories?

Maybe he told stories because it is the best way to communicate complex moral and theological principles that could stand the test of time. Think about the difference between a word and a picture. As the old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is because, within a single picture, there are tons of details that you can observe with words. Then our minds can formulate conclusions and fill in the context. Many complex ideas, emotions, and stories can be captured in one good picture. Clearly, some pictures may be worth many thousands of words. But if that is true, how much more is a good story worth? Good stories populate our minds with images and scenes and concepts that are too big for words. Think about the simple story of the Prodigal Son. In the English translation, it is a story of only 493 words. However, how many words have been written about this simple story? Millions? Billions? Whatever the number, it would take more than a lifetime to read all the words that this simple story communicates.

So, this is why Paul reminds us that the stories throughout scripture are not just there for entertainment. They are there for our instruction. Let’s continue to study them and apply them, but let’s also read between the lines and fill in the gaps, imagining what the context of the stories of scripture was so that we can mine the depths of all that they are supposed to teach us today.

Josh Rose
Teaching Pastor

by Josh Rose

Lessons From Ancestors

Paul opens 1 Corinthians 10 with some lessons from the past. Long before Jesus walked this earth, Moses led the Israelites out of slavery, through the Red Sea, and into the wilderness in search of the Promised Land. Life was not easy but their needs were met. Their food may not have been tasty, but it brought nourishment to their bodies. They continually saw God’s wonder, provision, and grace, but did it truly impact their souls? God called them a “stiff-necked” people. They were stubborn, obstinate, and disobedient. God rescued them from captivity, provided for their needs, and called them into a new life, yet they were unwilling to live out their calling to love, honor, and obey God.

The Israelites were given multiple chances to behave and work on their attitudes, but their stubbornness always got in the way. 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 opens with, “I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses.” Picture walking through the Red Sea with a massive wall of water and sea life on either side, only to then watch those same powerful waves descend upon their enemies and wipe them from the face of the earth. Should this not have caused them to trust their God who was leading them out of captivity. And he didn’t stop there. He led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night as a constant reminder of God’s glory, presence and provision. Paul reminds us that God led and provided for his people then just as he does today.

Consider verses 3-4, “All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.” Imagine wandering in the desert without a drop of water or a bite of food in sight. Then one night, after reaching a point of despair such that even captivity sounded attractive, discovering camps full of quail to eat each night and then waking up every morning to a substance that could only be defined as “what is it?” The sustenance provided for them on a daily basis traveled with them day after day and that life was provided through Christ. Again, God provided for his people then just as he does today.

This section sadly concludes with verse 5, “Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” Yikes! This is not the epitaph that any of us should aspire to! So what lessons can we learn from our ancestors? If God can free a stiff-necked people from slavery, lead them through the desert, and care for their physical needs, can he not provide for you? Don’t allow your stubbornness to get in the way of receiving God’s provision and blessings.

Lynette Fuson
Care & Counseling Director

by Lynette Fuson