Daily Bible Reading
Day 85
Today's reading: 1 Corinthians 4-6
Look for the promises in God’s word. As you read and find them, write them in your journal along with the scripture reference.
1 Corinthians 4
The Apostles’ Ministry
1. One should think about us this way – as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2. Now what is sought in stewards is that one be found faithful.
3. So for me, it is a minor matter that I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.
4. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not acquitted because of this. The one who judges me is the Lord.
5. So then, do not judge anything before the time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of hearts. Then each will receive recognition from God.
6. I have applied these things to myself and Apollos because of you, brothers and sisters, so that through us you may learn “not to go beyond what is written,” so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of the one against the other.
7. For who concedes you any superiority? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as though you did not?
8. Already you are satisfied! Already you are rich! You have become kings without us! I wish you had become kings so that we could reign with you!
9. For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to die, because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people.
10. We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, we are dishonored!
11. To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, brutally treated, and without a roof over our heads.
12. We do hard work, toiling with our own hands. When we are verbally abused, we respond with a blessing, when persecuted, we endure,
13. when people lie about us, we answer in a friendly manner. We are the world’s dirt and scum, even now.
A Father’s Warning
14. I am not writing these things to shame you, but to correct you as my dear children.
15. For though you may have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, because I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
16. I encourage you, then, be imitators of me.
17. For this reason, I have sent Timothy to you, who is my dear and faithful son in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.
18. Some have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.
19. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I will find out not only the talk of these arrogant people, but also their power.
20. For the kingdom of God is demonstrated not in idle talk but with power.
21. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline or with love and a spirit of gentleness?
1 Corinthians 5
Church Discipline
1. It is actually reported that sexual immorality exists among you, the kind of immorality that is not permitted even among the Gentiles, so that someone is cohabiting with his father’s wife.
2. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you have been deeply sorrowful instead and removed the one who did this from among you?
3. For even though I am absent physically, I am present in spirit. And I have already judged the one who did this, just as though I were present.
4. When you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of our Lord Jesus,
5. turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
6. Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast affects the whole batch of dough?
7. Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough – you are, in fact, without yeast. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
8. So then, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of vice and evil, but with the bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.
9. I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.
10. In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world.
11. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.
12. For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside?
13. But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you.
1 Corinthians 6
Lawsuits
1. When any of you has a legal dispute with another, does he dare go to court before the unrighteous rather than before the saints?
2. Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent to settle trivial suits?
3. Do you not know that we will judge angels? Why not ordinary matters!
4. So if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?
5. I say this to your shame! Is there no one among you wise enough to settle disputes between fellow Christians?
6. Instead, does a Christian sue a Christian, and do this before unbelievers?
7. The fact that you have lawsuits among yourselves demonstrates that you have already been defeated. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?
8. But you yourselves wrong and cheat, and you do this to your brothers and sisters!
9. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals,
10. thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.
11. Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Flee Sexual Immorality
12. “All things are lawful for me” – but not everything is beneficial. “All things are lawful for me” – but I will not be controlled by anything.
13. “Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both.” The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
14. Now God indeed raised the Lord and he will raise us by his power.
15. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!
16. Or do you not know that anyone who is united with a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
17. But the one united with the Lord is one spirit with him.
18. Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin a person commits is outside of the body” – but the immoral person sins against his own body.
19. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20. For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.