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"Giving Up My Rights" October 11 Corinthians 8:1-9:14

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Corinthians 8:1-9:14  In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Paul turned his attention in chapters 8-10 to "food sacrificed to idols" - a huge issue in that era, but not one we worry about much these days, at least not literally. Those who worshiped idols did so by offering sacrifices. Lo and behold, those idols did not eat much, and the leftover meat was sold in the idol meat market - the best steak at the best price. Some Christians said it was no big deal since idols are nothing. Others said that meat given over to the wor...

"Agents of Grace" October 10 Readings: 1 Corinthians 7

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Corinthians 7 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Marriage became a hot-potato issue in the early church. Some saw sex as carnal and unworthy of the Christian and thought all Christians should remain single. Others were dealing with situations such as those Paul addressed in this chapter, in which one partner was converted and found himself or herself married to an unbeliever. Should a child of God continue in a marriage with a child of the devil? The fledgling church faced so many issues, and Paul addressed many of them here. ...

"My Body, His Temple" October 9 Readings: 1 Corinthians 5-6

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Corinthians 5-6 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Evidently, one of the reports that came to Paul was about serious sexual immorality going on at the Corinthian church. This was not just the presence of people who fell into sexual sin, but those who twisted the grace of God. This was the arrogance Paul spoke of in 5:2. They proudly spoke of their tolerance and "grace" toward this scandalous sinner. Paul corrected them with clarity. He then addressed, in chapter 6, the prevalence of lawsuits among the believers. This passage h...

"Baby Christians" October 8 Readings: 1 Corinthians 3-4

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :     1 Corinthians 3-4 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Perhaps the best way to picture this book is to see Paul as a fireman and this book as the red truck. Some of the more faithful members of the church at Corinth wrote Paul to tell him of the serious issues going on, and he hopped on the truck, started up the siren, and tried to hose down the errors. In chapter 3, we find out that one of the biggest problems was schism. They had broken down into little groups - Paul, Apollos, Peter, and Jesus. Each group lay claim to bei...

"Why Don't They Understand?" October 7 Readings: 1 Corinthians 2

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Corinthians 2 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     In verses 1-5 of 1 Corinthians 2, Paul describes his entrance into Corinth. Leaving the academic debates of Athens, he determined to know nothing but Christ crucified. He entered Corinth without fancy rhetoric but with a simple message and with the demonstration of the Spirit's power. The goal of this was that their faith would rest not on Paul but on the power of Christ.  The rest of the chapter discusses the natural and the spiritual and explains how only those who have t...

"Not Many Wise" October 6 Readings: 1 Corinthians 1

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Corinthians 1 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Introduction to the Book of 1 Corinthians Paul started a lot of churches. He had great churches like Philippi and Ephesus, which brought him constant joy and demonstrated the fruit of the Spirit and a passion for the gospel. He had the Bereans who searched the Scriptures to see if what he preached was true. He started churches in Thessalonica, Galatia, and all over the Roman world. Then there was Corinth, the dysfunctional family of God. We can deduce that Paul wrote 4 letters t...

"Do Demons Know My Name?" October 5 Readings: Acts 18:23-19:40

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Acts 18:23-19:40 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     We are back into the book of Acts for one day to read about Paul's third missionary journey. As you might recall, Paul wrote three books on the third journey (one on the first - Galatians, two on the second - 1 & 2 Thessalonians). He wrote to a church he had visited, which gave him a lot of trouble, the Corinthian church, and he also wrote to Rome, where he'd never been but intended to go. Those letters were written on this trip. After today's reading, we will spend a few w...