The church in Corinth sort of thumped along, like a car bouncing down the road on a flat tire. Although Paul founded the congregation, without him his friends found it hard to settle in and grow as disciples. Paul wrote letters and even sent Timothy to help, but the struggles continued.

When he wrote, Paul both encouraged and corrected these young believers. Church members tried to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, but kept falling back into old, destructive patterns. Paul described them as still worldly—mere infants in Christ.

What were they missing?

A clear understanding and reliance on the Holy Spirit. When describing their problem, Paul remarked I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit. These followers had yet to learn to listen to and discern the ways of the Holy Spirit. Their lives showed little evidence of the Spirit’s work.

Why?

I believe the Corinthian believers failed to grasp the true life-changing force in their midst: For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

Perhaps the church members in Corinth were like church members today. It’s easy to move our eyes to prominent power centers, like the allure of politics or the joys of wealth. Too often the strengths of our world are the only ones I consider.

The kingdom of God changes lives, and saves souls, and brings life in abundance. The power centers of the world head that direction, but never arrive. If I rest my soul in this world, I’ll live with a sour aftertaste.

However, if I invest in knowing and understanding and listening to the Holy Spirit, then I move closer to kingdom of God power.

Would you like to know more about the Holy Spirit’s role in the life of a believer? Check out this resource from Cru.

I Corinthians 3 & 4 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Marek Piwnicki