Our Resurrection Weekend services begin with our Good Friday Evening Gathering, March 29 at 7:00 pm, and conclude with our regular Sunday activities on Resurrection Sunday Morning, March 31!

20170917 preparing post

Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

  • Read 1 Cor 9:1-18. Recall from this past Sunday that the thrust of chapter 9 up to v. 15 has been Paul establishing his rights to receive provision. How does this relate to ch. 8?
  • In chapter 8, Paul argued that the Corinthians shouldn’t eat food offered to idols because it destroyed the faith of a “weak” brother. So in the first 14 verses of chapter 9, Paul is establishing the case for a right of his (like the “right” of the Corinthians to eat food offered to idols [8:9]) in order to show himself an example of what the Corinthians should be doing – laying aside their rights for the sake of the gospel.
  • With first 14 verses in mind, how does the word “but” function here? Why is this significant? How does the language in vv. 15-18 show the depth of Paul’s conviction to lay aside his rights for the sake of the gospel? What do you think Paul is clearly communicating in vv. 15-18?

Prayerfully Meditate

  • Does your conviction and concern for the spread of the gospel resonate with that of Paul’s? Why or why not?
  • Do you share the willingness of Paul to lay any and every one of your rights to the side for the sake of the gospel? What are some things you can do to cultivate a heart like Paul’s?
  • Do you feel the same necessity that Paul felt about sharing the gospel? Do you see the reward of sharing the gospel in the same way he did? What motivates you to share the gospel? What is your purpose?