This week's Bible Study - March 9, 2008
When God is at Home
 Background Scripture:
1 Corinthians 3:1-17, 6:12-13,18-20
Quote of the Week:
“Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to”
-- John Ed Pearce
What do you think of when you hear the phrase "make yourself at home"? If you are having a visitor, do you expect them to feel comfortable and act as if they are part of your family, or would you expect them to act however they acted at their house? Obviously, if someone who stays in their pajamas all day long comes to your house and makes themselves at home, you wouldn't expect them to dress down to pajamas, would you? You'd probably expect them to hopefully feel more comfortable and at ease, while still fitting into what happens in your house. I suppose this may range from feeling free to get something out of the refrigerator or sit wherever they want to looking in all of your medicine cabinets, etc.
In sports, we often hear of the home team. This is the team that has the advantage, at least in most places, because of the fans that are on their side. In some parts of the country, the home fans may be more hostile than the road fans, but that is a different story. I heard a fairly famous ex-professional pitcher speak a couple of weeks ago. In his last major league season, he was the opening day pitcher for his major league team. The stadium was very nearly sold out (and most any other game, they'd be lucky to fill 1/3 of their seats. He was pitching until late in the game and started to run into some problems. The pitching coach, who was in his first year of professional baseball, came out to 'calm him down'. This pitcher said that a question he often gets asked is what the pitching coach actually says when he comes out. Hopefully, not this. The pitching coach came out and said "Wow, do you see how many people are here today?" He had come out only because he was told by the manager to come out - not much else to say. Sometimes, the overwhelming stadium of home fans can cause someone to lose focus.
The church in Corinth had many problems. One of the problems addressed in this passage was that of divisions within the church. Apparently, they had many leaders, and the leaders began to have a following of their own. Do we have problems like this today? Unfortunately, yes.
Denominationalism in itself is not bad. There are variations in theology from one denomination to the other, based on how they read parts of the Bible. Most of the time, the variations are on non essentials, but sometimes, the very essence of scripture is lost in these divisions. I've debated at times those who said that denominationalism is wrong - but in becoming non denominationalist, one essentially becomes part of a denomination by fault (the non denominational denomination!)
We need to remember that we, as believers, are of Christ - and not of a denomination or of some other leader. There have been many great pastors and leaders in the Christian faith. Some have dived very much into theology and have come up with elaborate accounts of what scripture really says. However accurate or inaccurate, we are not of that denomination that is on our church, or of that great Christian leader with whom we may agree. We are of Christ. Whenever anything else gets ahead of that, we're falling out of fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Paul talks to the Corinthians as his fellow workers. They are working together in God's field and have become God's building. There may be divisions in your hometown, based upon high schools or college affiliations. Some people disregard those who went to the 'other' school. However, one thing I've noted when I've been on mission trips around the world. It really doesn't matter where you are from, as you begin to understand that you are tied to other believers. And, if you meet other believers who are from anywhere around where you are from, you feel a bond with them, regardless of what may seem different when you are back home. Have you ever wondered how different our communities would be if believers dropped these other distinctions and worked together to reach the community for Christ? Many great things could be accomplished and many tangible needs would be met - and we, as believers, would be seen as a body of Christ that truly cares for the needs of those around us.
Paul spoke about the foundation of our faith - the foundation that he shared with the Corinthians. This foundation is based solely upon Jesus Christ. As other teachers expand on that teaching, they are building upon that foundation. Rather than working against each other, Christian teachers and leaders should be building upon the foundation that began on Christ and may have been built on by others.
The base of our belief is in Jesus Christ. When everything else falls away, Jesus is where we turn. He is really all we have and all that we will ever need. I believe you can think about what happens when life starts crashing down around you - and determine where you will turn. If, at that point, you turn anywhere other than Christ, you have missed the point. We aren't to turn to our bank accounts or to relationships or jobs or anything else.
Just as we base our belief in Christ, we also base our salvation and standing with God on that belief. As we live our lives, we add to that foundation with the things that we do - whether good or bad. Being in Christ guarantees our salvation and standing with God, but what we build on top determines the rewards that we receive. Some are trying to live for the rewards without the foundation of belief. You can never do enough to please God on your own. Our depravity and sin cannot enter into the presence of God, but Jesus Christ serves as a filter to remove our sin so that we can enter into a relationship with God. As we live our lives, we know the rewards that we receive in blessings here on earth, as we stay true to God. They may not seem like much to those around us, but there is nothing that compares to being in a right relationship with God and following His will in your life. Our life's work - the good and the bad, will be the basis of our rewards we receive in heaven.
You are - and I am God's temple. As we go through life, we do seek identification with some others. It may be based on our work, or some team, an organization, a church, a theology, a relationship or politics. Whether a person is a believer or not, I believe they seek some form of identification with something larger than themselves. As believers, we are identified with God. We are his temple.
Do we forget the sacred nature of God's temple? We carry with us the precious nature of God. Where are we taking him? There are dangers in extremes in this area. Some desire to only be around God's people. They may go as far as joining monasteries, real or imagined. You may find them at church every time the doors are opened and around anything else that they can find that identifies them with believers. On the other extreme, there are others who become so immersed in relationships with other people that they tend to avoid relationships with God's people. They may believe they are taking a stand, but in most cases, evil corrupts good - especially when the 'good' is in the form of one person, who is basically acting on their own.
Paul talked about who the people were, before Christ. That speaks to us, as well. Unfortunately, some of that human nature that comes from the way we were before Christ takes over in the life of a believer. This especially becomes true for those who distance themselves from other believers and those who, although a believer themselves, may start to align with a particular view or theology more than their relationship with Christ.
Life is not about a list of rules. Some people would prefer that, I think. Here are the things that you can do and the things you can't do - follow that and you're okay with God. Do we see how that puts us right back to earning our salvation on our own, as opposed to faith in Christ?
There are things that we can do in life that may become problematic if they take over in our lives. We must always remember who our master is. Are we following Christ or are we trying to do it on our own sheer will? For some people, life becomes all about them. While nothing they are doing seems bad in and of itself, it can become a threat to the lordship of Christ. Some people have legitimate pursuits - in a career or in recreation. Some are very self conscious about the food that they eat. Some are very focused on proper amount of exercise. Some are all about relationships with other people. Some are focused on making as much money as possible, so that they can handle anything that comes up in life. Truthfully, none of that is bad on its own, but if any of that becomes the focus of life over Christ, the point is missed. Our lives are to be all about the Lord.
We are told in this passage, as in many others to flee sexual immorality. The word flee is often used in this context. What problem, really? Some people dabble, but they believe they can control it. I've talked to many people who have had lives destroyed by sexual immorality of different types. For most men, it becomes a problem at one level or another - but so many believe that they can control it - so nobody knows. Who does it harm? Sadly, many wives encourage some of this, thinking that it helps their own relationship.
Sexual immorality is one of the major sins that can impact you personally. Other sins may have consequences or ruin relationships or cause other problems, but this is one that can have debilitating impacts on a person throughout his or her life. We all know of some of the potential consequences - diseases have wreaked havoc in the lives of many. There have been relationships lost. One of the damages is the cheapening of what God created as sacred and fulfilling.
There is no doubt that as sex has become more prevalent in our society, there has been a lot of unintended damage. The need for enhancement drugs has increased greatly over the past couple of decades. While there are legitimate needs for most drugs, I believe that sexual immorality has caused many people to forget what God initially intended. And, this isn't just the folks that are at home or at the golf course or at the lakes on Sundays throughout the year. This has infiltrated the pews of most Christian churches.
Our bodies are temples of the Lord. They are not our own. We are to take care of it and make the most of what God has given us, but we are not to become consumed by it. Honor God with your body and with what you do with it, as opposed to making it all about you.
Closing
God is at home in your life as a believer. That may make you feel uncomfortable at times. Most teenage kids probably would be uncomfortable if their mom or dad followed them every where they went. Many adults would be uncomfortable if their child followed them - heard the words they used, saw the things they did and the places they might go. Do we forget that God is with us wherever we go?
As a child, you may have learned that you weren't supposed to run in the church, because that was God's house. Wonder what we're thinking when we tell kids that? Are they wondering what room he sleeps in? Many think of God being in that special place they seek him - at church, or in a room in their home, or on the deck or somewhere special. However, God is where you go. He's in your car, listening to your radio. He's at your work. He goes to your bank. He is in the gym. He is with you when you travel or business or for pleasure. He is in your kitchen. He is in your bedroom. He is on the TV or on the computer. When we realize that he is with us, does that make us think?
Again, this is not about a 'Thou shalt' or 'Thou shalt not' list of rules. Rules based living leads to robotic people. Our lives are to be God based. Take God into consideration when you make your decisions and in the places you go and the things you do. All of us fail from time to time, especially when we realize that God isn't just aware of our actions, but also of our thoughts.
He knows we make mistakes - it is the entire reason he sent his Son to die for us. We weren't good enough to enter God's presence before Christ, and our goodness isn't enough on its own after Christ. So, strive to follow God. When you make a mistake, acknowledge your sin to God and move on. God wants to be at home in your life, but his plan is not to terrorize, but to love and strengthen you as you live.
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