Beyond the Weekend

December 3 | What Went Wrong

December 3, 2019

Join us as we focus each day for nine weeks on a different part of 1 Corinthians 13.
Tuesday: It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.


TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 1 Corinthians 11:17

Read: 1 Corinthians 11:17-22

Listen: 1 Corinthians 11

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Only those with equal social status shared meals together in the ancient world. People with high status gathered on the inside of the home, while people with lower status gathered in the atrium waiting for leftovers.

Paul issues a stern warning because the Corinthians’ gatherings looked no different than an average meal in Corinth. The wealthy showed up early to share a meal together, leaving the poor without food and excluded from the fellowship. The meal that represented being one-in-Christ was instead another marker of division.

Our social divisions aren’t as visible. Yet we can still get caught up in who’s in and who’s out—who belongs and who doesn’t. We might find divisions because of our education, religious upbringing, career path or marital status.

But we’ve all been invited as insiders through Jesus. We are all deeply flawed and radically forgiven. We display Christ’s love and healing when people of all backgrounds and experiences share life. We show the power of Jesus in our lives when we welcome as brothers and sisters those we might not otherwise choose to associate with.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Welcome someone new into your circle this week. Ask God who you need to invite to come to church with you, join your small group, or share a meal. Write their name in your Culture of the Cross Journal on page 68. Make it a point to start a conversation with them this week.


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.

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