Preparing for Sunday - 1 Cor. 3:10-15

November 18, 2016 by Dalton Vansell Preparing for Sunday

Prepare your heart for Sunday by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and tangibly putting scripture to action in your personal life and in our corporate body.

Carefully Think

Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-15. Thinking of the text from the sermon last week (3:1-9), what is Paul emphasizing in this section and why? How do verses 10-15 relate to verses 1-9? What is the analogy that Paul introduces in verse 9 that he continues in verses 10-15?
How does Paul describe how he laid the foundation for the church at Corinth in verse 10? Was it some gifting in Paul or the way he delivered his teaching that laid the foundation? What was the foundation that he laid? How does this relate to 1:17-25?
Who is Paul referring to that is also building on the foundation? How does the last sentence in verse 10 help us understand the rest of this passage? Who is Paul addressing in this section?
How does Paul instruct them to build on the foundation of Christ? What would it look like to build with gold, silver, and precious stones? What would it look like to build with wood, hay, and straw? What is the outcome of each of these?
The Sermon Study equipping class notes are available online for anyone wanting to dig deeper. Please review this week's notes to help study this passage. Click here for the notes.

Prayerfully Meditate

As the Lord clearly expects us all to be involved in serving in the work of ministry (Eph 4:12), that is building upon the foundation of Christ in this passage, how are we to go about doing that work in light of this passage? Are we to seek to make a name for ourselves, or strive to do things in our own strength, in our own way, or for our own glory? Search your heart, ask the Lord to search your heart and show you how you are failing to work in his grace and repent of those sins.
For Paul, the only foundation for the church is Jesus Christ. How does that shape and influence what the church is, how the church is to function, and what the mission of the church is?
Does God care about how his people carry out the work of building his church? In what ways have you sought to build the church with a disregard to the Lord’s instruction manual (his Word)?

Intentionally Act

Pray for the elders that shepherd our souls and continue to build on the foundation of Christ. Pray that they will seek to build in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord and in accordance with his Word.
Examine your thinking and search your heart to see if there are any ways that you are seeking to build on the foundation of Christ that are unbiblical. Ask the Lord to reveal these areas of sin to you that you might repent.
Follow the links below to the lyrics and recordings of the songs planned for our gathering this Sunday; sing the songs while being mindful of the lyrics.
Pray for those leading our corporate gathering this week and for the Holy Spirit’s work as the Word of God is further explained and applied: Dawson Bryant: music; Rob Stouffer: Elders' prayer and Scripture reading; Bret Capranica: teaching.

Songs for Sunday

Lyrics

Lyrics Morning Gathering - November 20, 2016 by Summit Woods Baptist Church on Scribd