1 Greetings from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am an apostle because that is what God wanted. Greetings also from Timothy our brother in Christ.
To God’s church in Corinth and to all of God’s holy people throughout Achaia.
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul Gives Thanks to God
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Father who is full of mercy, the God of all comfort. 4 He comforts us every time we have trouble so that when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. 5 We share in the many sufferings of Christ. In the same way, much comfort comes to us through Christ. 6 If we have troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is so that we can comfort you. And this helps you patiently accept the same sufferings we have. 7 Our hope for you is strong. We know that you share in our sufferings. So we know that you also share in our comfort.
Some of us thought that If God comfort us, so that our problem or trouble will be disappear. But it will become a trend that we seek God is just to solve the problem not because of his love. We can get more comfort from God if we facing a lot of trouble. When we face problem, let God comfort you and be with you. Must remember that, what ever problem we face today, your experience will help you to help others to face their problem too. Praise Lord.
8 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the trouble we suffered in Asia. We had great burdens there, which were greater than our own strength. We even gave up hope for life. 9 In fact, it seems like God has been telling us we are going to die. But this is so that we will not trust in ourselves but in God, who raises people from death. 10 He saved us from these great dangers of death, and he will continue to save us. We feel sure he will always save us. 11 And you can help us with your prayers. Then many people will give thanks for us—that God blessed us because of their many prayers.
God promised us, he will continue to save us no matter what happen. Usually we will just seek God when we face trouble but when nothing happen on us, we will just leave God and live for ourselves. But as we know we are powerless, we need God to strengthen us so we must have a relationship with him. With this close relationship, he could strengthen us. Let's learn to rely on him. Beside we also need to pray for those who work for God, our pastor, church leader, missionary... ,it because who ever work for God, That's the person satan hate the most and try hard to attack them.
The Change in Paul’s Plans
12 This is what we are proud of, and I can say with a clear conscience that it is true: In everything we have done in the world, we have done it with an honest and pure heart from God. And this is even truer in what we have done with you. We did this by God’s grace, not by the kind of wisdom the world has. 13 We write to you only what you can read and understand. And I hope you will fully understand, 14 just as you already understand many things about us. I hope you will understand that you can be proud of us, just as we will be proud of you on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
15 I was very sure of all this. That is why I made plans to visit you first. Then you could be blessed twice. 16 I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and again on my way back. I wanted to get help from you for my trip to Judea. 17 Do you think that I made these plans without really thinking? Or maybe you think I make plans as the world does, saying yes and no at the same time.
18 But if you can believe God, then you can believe that what we tell you is never both yes and no. 19 The Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one that Silas, Timothy, and I told you about was not yes and no. In Christ it has always been yes. 20 The yes to all of God’s promises is in Christ. And that is why we say “Amen” through Christ to the glory of God. 21 And God is the one who makes you and us strong in Christ. God is also the one who chose us for his work. [a] 22 He put his mark on us to show that we are his. Yes, he put his Spirit in our hearts as the first payment that guarantees all that he will give us.
23 I tell you this, and I ask God to be my witness that this is true: The reason I did not come back to Corinth was that I did not want to punish or hurt you. 24 I don’t mean that we are trying to control your faith. You are strong in faith. But we are workers with you for your own happiness.
Yes, we are chose to for his work and he put his mark on us to show that we are his. He put his spirit in our hearts as the 1st payment that guarantees all that he will give us. Amen.
Today as I pray for my colleague, thanks God, I got the chance to share gospel again with her. I started to teach her pray with Jesus name. Beside, she tell me she trust in everything, I can feel that, she didn't refuse this great gift, but yet she try to know more about it. That the good start in her. She ask me to save the praise and worship song for her and she started to ask more. Thanks God.
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to remember the Good News I told you. You received that Good News message, and you continue to base your life on it. 2 That Good News, the message you heard from me, is God’s way to save you. But you must continue believing it. If you don’t, you believed for nothing.
3 I gave you the message that I received. I told you the most important truths: that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say; 4 that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day, as the Scriptures say; 5 and that he appeared to Peter and then to the twelve apostles. 6 After that Christ appeared to more than 500 other believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James and later to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, he appeared to me. I was different, like a baby born before the normal time.
9 All the other apostles are greater than I am. I say this because I persecuted the church of God. That is why I am not even good enough to be called an apostle. 10 But, because of God’s grace, that is what I am. And his grace that he gave me was not wasted. I worked harder than all the other apostles. (But I was not really the one working. It was God’s grace that was with me.) 11 So then it is not important if I told you God’s message or if it was the other apostles who told you—we all tell people the same message, and this is what you believed.
Just like what Paul said :" I was not really the one working. It was God's grace that was with me. " As a believer, we must be humble but not inferiority, but affirm that what God has work on you and how God had evaluate you not by others and be thankful to what God had given to you and work on it.
We Will Be Raised From Death
12 We tell everyone that Christ was raised from death. So why do some of you say that people will not be raised from death? 13 If no one will ever be raised from death, then Christ has never been raised. 14 And if Christ has never been raised, then the message we tell is worth nothing. And your faith is worth nothing. 15 And we will also be guilty of lying about God, because we have told people about him, saying that he raised Christ from death. And if no one is raised from death, then God never raised Christ from death. 16 If those who have died are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised from death, then your faith is for nothing; you are still guilty of your sins. 18 And those in Christ who have already died are lost. 19 If our hope in Christ is only for this life here on earth, then people should feel more sorry for us than for anyone else.
20 But Christ really has been raised from death—the first one of all those who will be raised. 21 Death comes to people because of what one man did. But now there is resurrection from death because of another man. 22 I mean that in Adam all of us die. And in the same way, in Christ all of us will be made alive again. 23 But everyone will be raised to life in the right order. Christ was first to be raised. Then, when Christ comes again, those who belong to him will be raised to life. 24 Then the end will come. Christ will destroy all rulers, authorities, and powers. Then he will give the kingdom to God the Father.
25 Christ must rule until God puts all enemies under his control. [a] 26 The last enemy to be destroyed will be death. 27 As the Scriptures say, “God put everything under his control.” [b] When it says that “everything” is put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself. God is the one putting everything under Christ’s control. 28 After everything has been put under Christ, then the Son himself will be put under God. God is the one who put everything under Christ. And Christ will be put under God so that God will be the complete ruler over everything.
29 If no one will ever be raised from death, then what will the people do who are baptized for those who have died? If the dead are never raised, then why are people baptized for them?
30 And what about us? Why do we put ourselves in danger every hour? 31 I face death every day. That is true, brothers and sisters, just as it is true that I am proud of what you are because of Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 I fought wild animals in Ephesus. If I did that only for human reasons, then I have gained nothing. If we are not raised from death, “Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we die.” [c]
33 Don’t be fooled: “Bad friends will ruin good habits.” 34 Come back to your right way of thinking and stop sinning. Some of you don’t know God. I say this to shame you.
What Kind of Body Will We Have?
35 But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have?” 36 These are stupid questions. When you plant something, it must die in the ground before it can live and grow. 37 And when you plant something, what you plant does not have the same “body” that it will have later. What you plant is only a seed, maybe wheat or something else. 38 But God gives it the body that he has planned for it, and he gives each kind of seed its own body. 39 All things made of flesh are not the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds have another, and fish have yet another kind. 40 Also there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the beauty of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the beauty of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of beauty, the moon has another kind, and the stars have another. And each star is different in its beauty.
42 It will be the same when those who have died are raised to life. The body that is “planted” in the grave will ruin and decay, but it will be raised to a life that cannot be destroyed. 43 When the body is “planted,” it is without honor. But when it is raised, it will be great and glorious. When the body is “planted,” it is weak. But when it is raised, it will be full of power. 44 The body that is “planted” is a physical body. When it is raised, it will be a spiritual body.
There is a physical body. So there is also a spiritual body. 45 As the Scriptures say, “The first man, Adam, became a living person. [d]” [e] But the last Adam [f] is a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual man did not come first. It was the physical man that came first; then came the spiritual. 47 The first man came from the dust of the earth. The second man came from heaven. 48 All people belong to the earth. They are like that first man of earth. But those who belong to heaven are like that man of heaven. 49 We were made like that man of earth, so we will also be made like that man of heaven.
50 I tell you this, brothers and sisters: Our bodies of flesh and blood cannot have a part in God’s kingdom. Something that will ruin cannot have a part in something that never ruins. 51 But listen, I tell you this secret: We will not all die, but we will all be changed. 52 It will only take the time of a second. We will be changed as quickly as an eye blinks. This will happen when the last trumpet blows. The trumpet will blow and those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we will all be changed. 53 This body that ruins must clothe itself with something that will never ruin. And this body that dies must clothe itself with something that will never die. 54 So this body that ruins will clothe itself with that which never ruins. And this body that dies will clothe itself with that which never dies. When this happens, the Scriptures will be made true:
“Death is swallowed in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
Where is your power to hurt?”
56 Death’s power to hurt is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But we thank God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Don’t let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. You know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.
Amen, what we asking to do is stand strong and work fully for the Lord as we know that work in the Lord is never wasted.
1 Corinthians 16
The Collection for Believers in Judea
1 Now, about the collection of money for God’s people: Do the same as I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you should take some of your money and put it in a special place. Save up as much as you can from what you are blessed with. Then you will not have to gather it all after I come. 3 When I arrive, I will send some men to take your gift to Jerusalem. These will be the ones you all agree should go. I will send them with letters of introduction. 4 If it seems good for me to go too, we can all travel together.
Paul’s Plans
5 I plan to go through Macedonia, so I will come to you after that. 6 Maybe I will stay with you for a time. I might even stay all winter. Then you can help me on my trip, wherever I go. 7 I don’t want to come see you now, because I would have to leave to go to other places. I hope to stay a longer time with you, if the Lord allows it. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 I will stay here, because a good opportunity for a great and growing work has been given to me now. And there are many people working against it.
10 Timothy might come to you. Try to make him feel comfortable with you. He is working for the Lord the same as I am. 11 So none of you should refuse to accept Timothy. Help him continue on his trip in peace so that he can come back to me. I am expecting him to come back with the other brothers.
12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly encouraged him to visit you with the other brothers. He prefers not to come now, but he will come when he has the opportunity.
Paul Ends His Letter
13 Be careful. Hold firmly to your faith. Have courage and be strong. 14 Do everything in love.
15 You know that Stephanas and his family were the first believers in Achaia. They have given themselves to the service of God’s people. I ask you, brothers and sisters, 16 to follow the leading of people like these and others who work hard and serve together with them.
17 I am happy that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come. You are not here, but they have filled your place. 18 They have been a great encouragement to me and to you as well. You should recognize the value of such people.
19 The churches in Asia send you their greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you in the Lord. Also the church that meets in their house sends greetings. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send their greetings. Give each other the special greeting of God’s people. [a]
21 Here’s my greeting in my own handwriting— PAUL.
22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be separated from God—lost forever!
Come, O Lord! [b]
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.
Before Paul end his letter, he tell us to be careful and hold firmly to our faith and have courage and be strong. Besides, do everything in love. He also mention that :"brother and sister, to follow the leading of people who work hard and serve God together with them. " Yes, we must stay together with the people who work hard for Jesus and encourage each other to have passion for Jesus... never end this passion......Amen.
Today after I read the words of God, I start on my prayer. I pray for the salvation of my colleague, and 2 youths that face some kind of problem that discourage them to join our youth camp and service. I'm not going to lose them to the evil, I must win them back to the Christ that What Jesus has paid for them at the Cross. I trust nothing is impossible in God. I must pray. Beside praying, I have a thinking that to start a prayer group that's to pray for the youth. Just only youth salvation, youth's service and youth's problem. God please strengthen me and pray for that. Later I plan to discuss with my sister, Angeline. Hope God you give us wisdom and your spirit lead us. That's a new thing to us, new ministry that I wanna start with. God please Lead us....... Youth salvation and evangelism will start over by prayer. Amen.
1 I may speak in different languages, whether human or even of angels. But if I don’t have love, I am only a noisy bell or a ringing cymbal. 2 I may have the gift of prophecy, I may understand all secrets and know everything there is to know, and I may have faith so great that I can move mountains. But even with all this, if I don’t have love, I am nothing. 3 I may give away everything I have to help others, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing by doing all this if I don’t have love.
If we do all thing without love, I gain nothing. If I don't have love, I'm nothing. God give us all kind of spiritual gift so that we could help others, strengthen churches and work in his kingdom, but without love, there is nothing we gain.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits.
8 Love will never end. But all those gifts will come to an end—even the gift of prophecy, the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages, and the gift of knowledge. 9 These will all end because this knowledge and these prophecies we have are not complete. 10 But when perfection comes, the things that are not complete will end.
Love is kind not envy, not selfish but selfless. We must learn from Jesus, give and don't ask for the return. God will bless you as the return and that's please him if you doing like this. That's what he wish us to be like him and give.....Give...give.... not ASk and ask....without giving.
11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, and I made plans like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways. 12 It is the same with us. Now we see God as if we are looking at a reflection in a mirror. But then, in the future, we will see him right before our eyes. Now I know only a part, but at that time I will know fully, as God has known me. 13 So these three things continue: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.
Faith is from words of God, Hope is from our attitude and purpose of living and Love just from action. If we have faith and hope, we can love others well as we know how God loves us. Amen.
1 Corinthians 14
Use Spiritual Gifts to Help the Church
1 Love should be the goal of your life, but you should also want to have the gifts that come from the Spirit. And the gift you should want most is to be able to prophesy. 2 I will explain why. Those who have the gift of speaking in a different language are not speaking to people. They are speaking to God. No one understands them—they are speaking secret things through the Spirit. 3 But those who prophesy are speaking to people. They help people grow stronger in faith, and they give encouragement and comfort. 4 Those who speak in a different language are helping only themselves. But those who prophesy are helping the whole church.
5 I would like all of you to have the gift of speaking in different languages. But what I want more is for you to prophesy. Anyone who prophesies is more important than those who can only speak in different languages. However, if they can also interpret those languages, they are as important as the one who prophesies. If they can interpret, then the church can be helped by what they say.
6 Brothers and sisters, will it help you if I come to you speaking in different languages? No, it will help you only if I bring you a new truth or some knowledge, prophecy, or teaching. 7 This is true even with lifeless things that make sounds—like a flute or a harp. If the different musical notes are not made clear, you can’t understand what song is being played. Each note must be played clearly for you to be able to understand the tune. 8 And in a war, if the trumpet does not sound clearly, the soldiers will not know it is time to prepare for fighting.
9 It is the same with you. If you don’t speak clearly in a language people know, they cannot understand what you are saying. You will be talking to the air! 10 It is true that there are many different languages in the world, and they all have meaning. 11 But if I don’t understand the meaning of what someone is saying, it will just be strange sounds to me, and I will sound just as strange to them. 12 That’s why you who want spiritual gifts so much should prefer those gifts that help the church grow stronger.
13 So those who have the gift of speaking in a different language should pray that they can also interpret what they say. 14 If I pray in a different language, my spirit is praying, but my mind does nothing. 15 So what should I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 16 You might be praising God with your spirit. But someone there without understanding cannot say “Amen” to your prayer of thanks, because they don’t know what you are saying. 17 You may be thanking God in a good way, but others are not helped.
18 I thank God that my gift of speaking in different kinds of languages is greater than any of yours. 19 But in the church meetings I would rather speak five words that I understand than thousands of words in a different language. I would rather speak with my understanding, so that I can teach others.
20 Brothers and sisters, don’t think like children. In evil things be like babies, but in your thinking you should be like full-grown adults. 21 As the Scriptures [a] say,
“Using those who speak a different language
and using the lips of foreigners,
I will speak to these people.
But even then, they will not obey me.”
This is what the Lord says.
22 And from this we see that the use of different languages shows how God deals with those who don’t believe, not with those who believe. And prophecy shows how God works through those who believe, not through unbelievers. 23 Suppose the whole church meets together and you all speak in different languages. If some people come in who are without understanding or don’t believe, they will say you are crazy. 24 But suppose you are all prophesying and someone comes in who does not believe or who is without understanding. Their sin will be shown to them, and they will be judged by everything you say. 25 The secret things in their heart will be made known. So they will bow down and worship God. They will say, “Without a doubt, God is here with you.” [b]
Your Meetings Should Be Helpful to All
26 So, brothers and sisters, what should you do? When you meet together, one person has a song, another has a teaching, and another has a new truth from God. One person speaks in a different language, and another interprets that language. The purpose of whatever you do should be to help everyone grow stronger in faith. 27 When you meet together, if anyone speaks to the group in a different language, it should be only two or no more than three people who do this. And they should speak one after the other. And someone else should interpret what they say. 28 But if there is no interpreter, then anyone who speaks in a different language should be quiet in the church meeting. They should speak only to themselves and to God.
29 And only two or three prophets should speak. The others should judge what they say. 30 And if a message from God comes to someone who is sitting, the first speaker should be quiet. 31 You can all prophesy one after the other. This way everyone can be taught and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are under the control of the prophets themselves. 33 God is not a God of confusion but a God of peace. This is the rule for all the meetings of God’s people.
34 The women should keep quiet in these church meetings. They are not allowed to speak out but should be under authority, as the Law of Moses says. 35 If there is something they want to know, they should ask their own husbands at home. It is shameful for a woman to speak up like that in the church meeting.
36 God’s teaching did not come from you, and you are not the only ones who have received it. 37 If you think you are a prophet or that you have a spiritual gift, you should understand that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38 If you do not accept this, you will not be accepted.
39 So my brothers and sisters, continue to give your attention to prophesying. And don’t stop anyone from using the gift of speaking in different languages. 40 But everything should be done in a way that is right and orderly.
We need to serve God with what God have given to us. We do not stop anyone from using the gift of speaking. But we should know everything should be done in a way that's right and orderly. Thanks God.
Today early morning, after my breakfast I had a sharing with a bro ~ Zi Cheng. He has a passion to God. In our conversation, I refresh back that I had owe a testimony to God. Since I graduate from college of Nursing, I had promised to God that I will share what God has blessed me in college and get me through all the difficulties in the period of being a Student Nurse. I had lost the passion for quite sometimes. Recently I get back the passion. That's a good starting for me to love God each and everyday. I should maintain the passion until the end of the world. Previously I got a thinking is that I must not too passion for God as I have a thought that my passion won't last long, If my passion can't last forever, so that's will be the joke for others. That's the lies from Satan... I been cheated by him. Bible in revelation 3:16 "but you are only warm~not hot not cold, so I am ready to spit you out of my mouth." So I just realize I can't maintain it warm that God hate the most and will split out from his mouth. That's so seriously make up my mind that.... I can't stay warm... I must back to the passion. God... I worship you. I need you.
When I watch the video in fb as below, I tears beside it's so touch, I had refresh what I had done to my greatest God. Every time, I just know to ask.... but I don't know how to give, when I pray ask God help me, but when God ask me to do... Where am I? God... I'm disappointed you once again... please forgive me and strengthen my faith in you so that the rest of my life should worship you and please you... not keep asking and nagging. My mouth as you create to share your good news and glory to you not for gossiping and talk nonsense. God.Thank You.
