Corinth was a city in ancient Greece known as Vanity Fair. It was a city of:
* Materialism Antagonism
* Competition Selfishness
* Hatred Sexual immorality
In such a place a church was born. The tragedy was that instead of the church impacting Corinth, Corinth was eroding the church!
One pastor called it ‘Reverse Evangelism". The Corinthians perverse spirit had invaded the church. The Christians were:
* Carnal Worldly Indulgent
* Selfish Contentious Vengeful
* Proud Compromising
* They operated in the power of the flesh trying to do the work of God.
There was no spirit of humility. There was no sacrificial washing of one another's feet. Instead there was resentfulness, arguments, ostracism and exclusivists. They defrauded one another, sued one another, sexually violated one another and divorced one another!
They were an over spiritualized church with such bad attitudes and actions present.
Three Fantastic Elements of the Holy Spirit's Ministry
With that backdrop Paul introduces three fantastic elements of the Holy Spirit's ministry.
* He wants to transform your MINDS
* He wants to control your BODY
* He wants to reveal your MASTER
Now, join me as we find these truths:
1. The Holy Spirit wants to TRANSFORM your mind. I Corinthians 2:6-16
2. The Holy Spirit wants CONTROL your body. I Corinthians 3:16-17
3. The Holy Spirit wants to REVEAL your master through you. I Corinthians 12:13.
Galatians 5:25
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
The two most important things in our holy religion are the life of faith and the walk of faith. He who shall rightly understand these is not far from being a master in experimental theology, for they are vital points to a Christian.
You will never find true faith unattended by true godliness; on the other hand, you will never discover a truly holy life which has not for its root a living faith upon the righteousness of Christ. Woe unto those who seek after the one without the other!
There are some who cultivate faith and forget holiness; these may be very high in orthodoxy, but they shall be very deep in condemnation, for they hold the truth in unrighteousness; and there are others who have strained after holiness of life, but have denied the faith, like the Pharisees of old, of whom the Master said, they were "whitewashed sepulchres." We must have faith, for this is the foundation; we must have holiness of life, for this is the superstructure. Of what service is the mere foundation of a building to a man in the day of tempest?
Can he hide himself therein?
He wants a house to cover him, as well as a foundation for that house.
Even so we need the superstructure of spiritual life if we would have comfort in the day of doubt. But seek not a holy life without faith, for that would be to erect a house which can afford no permanent shelter, because it has no foundation on a rock Let faith and life be put together, and, like the two abutments of an arch, they will make our piety enduring. Like light and heat streaming from the same sun, they are alike full of blessing.
Like the two pillars of the temple, they are for glory and for beauty. They are two streams from the fountain of grace; two lamps lit with holy fire; two olive trees watered by heavenly care.
O Lord, give us this day life within, and it will reveal itself without to Thy glory.
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