• Prayer is climbing up into the heart of God.—Martin Luther

  • The world will pass away, but God's Word will abide forever.

  • We love Him because He first loved us.

  • Sharing the Good News. In season and out of season.

  • Praise is the heart of worship.

Anchor

User-friendly devotionals with audio

  • God Knows What You Don’t Have

    By Abigail Dodds

    “God has promised to supply all our needs. What we don’t have now, we don’t need now.”

    When Elisabeth Elliot (1926–2015) says it, I perk up. I nod in agreement. I remember her life, her murdered missionary husband, her devotion to the gospel, her absolute earnestness about Jesus, and the congruity of her words and practice, and I say, “Amen.”

    The circumstances of her life were the stuff of legend for me as a growing girl. It was undeniably evident that God was orchestrating all the hardships and massive disappointments she experienced, at the very least, to help all the rest of us. I wanted to be like her, because I wanted to know her God as deeply as she did—the kind of God who made every trial worth it.

    But I hadn’t fully reckoned with the means of her unflappable faith in God. I thought, or at least hoped, that the intimacy and trust she had in Jesus could come through a life of ease. …

    (Read the article here.)

  • Mar 20 Overcoming Loneliness
  • Mar 17 Love at Work
  • Mar 13 Fighting the Good Fight of Faith
  • Mar 10 The Day of the Lord
  • Mar 7 Is God Real?
  • Mar 6 Keys to Forgiveness
  • Mar 4 We Are Imperfect, He Is Perfect
  • Feb 27 Learning Through Life
  • Feb 26 Shipwrecked
   

Directors’ Corner

Faith-building Bible studies and articles

  • 1 Corinthians: Chapter 9 (verses 1–17)

    Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord (1 Corinthians 9:1–2).

    Paul began this chapter by using rhetorical questions of whether he was free and whether he was an apostle. Apostles were the main leaders of the church; they, along with prophets, were the foundation of the church, and certain rights, authority, and responsibilities came with the office.

    Paul also challenged the Corinthians by asking whether it was true that he had seen Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3–8). In so doing, he was stating that no one should question whether he was an apostle. He went on to remind the Corinthians that they had come to Christ due to his work in the Lord. The Corinthian church was the fruit of Paul’s ministry (Acts 18:1–11). While those who may have been unfamiliar with Paul might have had grounds to doubt, the Corinthians knew the truth because they themselves were the seal, or proof, of Paul’s apostleship.

    Paul’s rhetorical questions in this chapter indicate that those Corinthians who opposed him might have challenged his apostleship. The power of the Holy Spirit was so strong in Paul’s preaching that the Corinthians should have respected his apostleship. Elsewhere Paul called the Corinthian believers his letter of recommendation (2 Corinthians 3:2). Their conversion should have been sufficient to satisfy the Corinthians regarding his apostolic authority in this regard.

    This is my defense to those who would examine me (1 Corinthians 9:3).

    Paul then proceeds to defend himself from the people who sat in judgment with another series of questions. From what he’d discussed in the previous chapter (1 Corinthians 8), and will return to in chapter 10, it would seem that some people were asserting their right to eat whatever they pleased, including meat sacrificed to idols in temples. They were displeased with Paul’s teaching that they should refrain from doing so out of concern for the spiritual well-being of a person of weaker conscience who would be stumbled by this practice (1 Corinthians 8:8–9). Those who judged Paul knew that he understood the practice was theologically justifiable, and a freedom that every Christian technically had. To them it must have seemed that Paul had contradicted this teaching when he insisted that stronger Christians should not eat for the sake of weaker Christians (1 Corinthians 8:10–13).

    To defend himself, Paul drew on the practices of his life. His position regarding eating meat sacrificed to idols wasn’t a sign of weakness. It was in alignment with the basic Christian principles that guided his life.

    Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? (1 Corinthians 9:4–6)

    Paul introduced his defense through a number of questions and statements. First, he asked questions about himself and Barnabas, who was an early Christian disciple and a missionary companion of Paul.

    1. Did he and Barnabas have the right to food and drink as they ministered? Yes, they did.

    2. Did he and Barnabas have the right to have believing wives with them like other apostles did? Yes, they did.

    3. Were he and Barnabas the only apostles not worthy of pay for their work? No.

    Later in this chapter, Paul explains how he forfeited some of the rights that were available to him. Apparently, those who sat in judgment of Paul thought his refusal to take advantage of these rights proved he lacked these rights. They must have reasoned that he did not exercise these advantages because he was not truly an apostle. To counter this thinking, Paul affirmed his apostolic rights. Though he supported himself by making tents, he had a right to be fed and compensated for his ministry by the Corinthians. Even though he remained single for the sake of those to whom he ministered, he had the right to be married.

    Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? (1 Corinthians 9:7)

    Paul led up to the question of why he and Barnabas didn’t accept what they had rights to have. Before he got to that point, he built his case even more strongly by appealing to the example of other church leaders and to common daily life.

    1. Does any soldier serve at his own expense? No.

    2. Do farmers eat their own produce? Yes.

    3. Do shepherds drink milk from their flocks? Yes.

    Paul used everyday examples to make the point that people have a right to make a living from their work. By pointing to the way things commonly are, he makes the case that he, too, has rights.

    Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop (1 Corinthians 9:8–10).

    Paul asks a serious question: Were these expectations just from a human point of view, or did God confirm them as well? Paul showed that these rights were granted by God, and the Scripture he cited made this point. He contended that Old Testament law undergirded his moral right to receive a livelihood from his ministry. To support his argument, Paul quoted from Deuteronomy 25:4: “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.” In biblical times, oxen or horses dragged a weighted board across the grain by walking around and around a central post. At other times, the animals simply walked on the grain with their feet. The Old Testament law didn’t allow farmers to muzzle the animals which were treading the grain.

    Paul applied the Old Testament Law to the present situation, insisting that God was concerned about more than oxen—His concern was for human beings. While the Law pertained to oxen treading on grain, a deeper moral principle undergirded this law: When the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, the expectation is that they will share in the harvest.

    If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:11–12).

    Since Paul had sowed spiritual seed in Corinth, he had the right to reap reasonable pay for his work. He pointed out that the Corinthians benefited from his ministry, and for this reason, he had an even greater right to support than the other church leaders whom the Corinthians apparently supported. Paul had every right to be paid, but he did not use this right. Rather, he put up with a variety of troubles rather than do anything that would hurt the gospel of Christ.

    Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:13–14).

    In one last effort to show the correctness of his right to be paid, Paul stated how the Jewish priests and Levites got their food from the temple and shared what was offered on the altar. He felt that in the same way, the Lord commanded that those who preach should receive their living from the gospel. This may also be a reference to Jesus’ instructions to the apostles in Luke: And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house (Luke 10:7).

    However, Paul goes on to clarify:

    But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting (1 Corinthians 9:15).

    Paul’s argument made a strong case that he should be paid for his ministry. Common fairness supported him. Most importantly, biblical law itself taught this view. There was no reason why Paul should not be compensated for his work.

    Though Paul could demand financial support from those he served, he refused to insist on his rights. He forfeited his right to make a living from his ministry, but he also countered any misunderstanding of his motivations. He didn’t defend his rights so that the Corinthians would begin to pay him, but rather to defend his apostleship. He didn’t want anyone to not receive the gospel because they thought he was preaching for the sake of finances. He wanted to keep on “boasting” about the good news of God’s grace in Jesus.

    For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship (1 Corinthians 9:16–17).

    Paul wanted to continue preaching without receiving compensation from the Corinthians. He stated that he was compelled to preach. In other words, that he had no choice, because God had called him to give the message, and he had to fulfill that command or he would fall under God’s judgment.

    Paul frequently spoke of himself and other Christians as being motivated to serve by a desire for heavenly reward and praise. He didn’t want to lose the eternal rewards he would receive for preaching willingly and eagerly and without pay. If he begrudged his preaching or received compensation for his work, he believed he would be doing nothing more than simply discharging the trust committed to him. To raise his preaching above the level of mere obedience, Paul voluntarily gave up his right to financial payment.

    (To be continued.)


    Note
    Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

     

  • Feb 25 1 Corinthians: Chapter 8 (verses 1–13)
  • Feb 11 1 Corinthians: Chapter 7 (verses 17–40)
  • Jan 28 1 Corinthians: Chapter 7 (verses 1–16)
  • Jan 8 1 Corinthians: Chapter 6 (verses 1–20)
  • Dec 10 Practicing All the Virtues
  • Nov 26 Virtues for Christ-Followers: Self-control
  • Nov 12 1 Corinthians: Chapter 5 (verses 1–13)
  • Oct 29 Virtues for Christ-Followers: Gentleness
  • Oct 15 Virtues for Christ-Followers: Faithfulness
   

Beliefs

More…
  • The Family International (TFI) is an international online Christian community committed to sharing the message of God’s love with people around the globe. We believe that everyone can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, which affords happiness and peace of mind, as well as the motivation to help others and to share the good news of His love.

Mission

More…
  • The primary goal of the Family International is to improve the quality of life of others by sharing the life-giving message of love, hope, and salvation found in God’s Word. We believe that God's love—applied on a practical level to our daily lives—is the key to resolving many of society's problems, even in the complex and fast-paced world of today. Through imparting the hope and guidance found in the Bible’s teachings, we believe that we can work toward building a better world—changing the world, one heart at a time.

Values

More…
  • The power of one

    We value each individual and his or her unique talents, skills, and strengths. We believe that every person can contribute to changing the world by changing one heart at a time.

About TFI

TFI Online is a community site for members of The Family International. TFI is an international Christian fellowship committed to sharing the message of God’s love with people around the globe.

Visit our main website if you would like to know more about what TFI is all about.

If you are a TFI member, sign in to view more content.

Latest Series

More…
1 and 2 Thessalonians
A study of Paul’s epistles to the Thessalonians and how these teachings apply today.
The Heart of It All: Foundations of Christian Theology
A book compiled from a series of articles covering the basics of Christian doctrine.
Living Christianity
Applying the teachings of the Bible to our daily lives and decisions.