Godly Grief

2 Corinthians 7:9-10

“9 Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.”

Has someone ever spoken a hard truth to you, not out of anger or judgement but because they cared for you and wanted the best for you?  Our parents did this all the time.  Our spouses probably do this.  We do, or did, this with our children as they matured and grew up.

Paul viewed the people of the churches he founded as his flock, maybe even as his children.  He was concerned for their spiritual well being and wanted the best for them, which was salvation. So, Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was a hard letter; a letter that spoke of their sins and shortcomings. He wrote of these things in the hope that they would become better Christians, not to hurt them or cause them pain.

Paul was informed by one of his assistants, Titus, that the letter had resulted in godly grief and repentance, which was the exact reaction Paul desired.  Godly grief  is rooted in love for God, and would produce true repentance and change in the Corinthians.  Worldly grief is rooted in anger and resentment and would cause division and rebellion.

The Holy Spirit confronts believers each day with their sins.  Will we react with worldly grief that will quench the Holy Spirit…or with the grief that will change us and move us closer to the image of Christ?

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Journey

2 Corinthians 6:2

“For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!”

Paul, referring to Isaiah 49:8, wrote that now is the time for the Corinthians to follow Christ.  There may not be a tomorrow.  If they were waiting for the right time, Paul wrote that now is the right time, now is the day to be saved, now, at this moment, before the Lord returns.

Everyone has an urgent need for salvation, but for most people, salvation is not an instantaneous event as it was for Paul.  Salvation is dependent on faith, and faith is not a quick, instantaneous decision.  It is a slow series of revelations that reveal Christ to us as the Son of God and the savior of the world.  

We cannot just decide one day to be saved.  True faith cannot be rushed.  

Now, however, is the time to begin to seek, to dig, to study, to ask questions, to begin to walk the path that leads to salvation.  

And at the end of that path is Christ.  

Once you find Him, the real journey begins.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Made New

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

“16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view;even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view,we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”

Once Christians come to faith, we are indwelled by God’s Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit begins to recreate us into the image of Christ.  This is known as the process of sanctification.  This process is never complete and occurs over the course of our lifetime.  

If we allow the Holy Spirit to work within us Christians are always in the process of becoming new.  As a result, we are not the same Christian today as we were twenty years ago, and we will not be the same Christian that we are today twenty years from now.

Because of this transformation, our lives change, the way we view other people changes, even the way we know Christ changes.

In God everything old has passed away. 

And we are made new.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Glory Beyond All Measure

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

“16 So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, 18 because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.”

Christians, despite our faith, are still affected by the material world.  We grow old, we catch viruses, we suffer hardships and sadness.  We grieve and we cry.  Our faith does not protect us against these things.  

But, because we believe, the Holy Spirit of God is with us in our affliction.  The Holy Spirit comforts us when we pray, and gives us the promise of the eternal life ahead.

We may live in the material world, but our hope is in the things we cannot see; the eternal, everlasting glory beyond all measure.

 May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Let Light Shine Out of Darkness

2 Corinthians 4:5-9

“5 For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;”

The love, mercy and forgiveness of God is a gift given to us by God.   We carry this gift in our hearts so that we can shine it out into the dark world for all to see and to guide others to Christ.

God’s gift of salvation to the world is contained in us, clay jars as Paul called us.  Even though we have been given this great gift, we are still subject to the temptations, circumstances, whims, evils, and sufferings of the world.  Faith does not make us immune from these things.

But because we have God’s eternal gift, the world cannot destroy us.  We may be persecuted, afflicted, struck down and driven to despair… 

but we can never be separated from God’s love.

“Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” (Romans 8:38)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Fragrance of Life

2 Corinthians 2: 14-17

“14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not peddlers of God’s word like so many; but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in his presence.”

The fragrance that Paul refers to is the knowledge of Christ that he and those with him spread about like incense as they traveled from place to place.   

Paul saw many people who believed and many who did not.  For Paul, a believer had the fragrance of spiritual life about them and a non-believer had the fragrance of spiritual death.

As Christians, we offer others the knowledge, teachings, and example of Christ. Paul wrote that we should do this as persons sent from God, standing in God’s presence.  If we do this, then we will always be humble, and always sincere.

And our faith will be the fragrance of life in this world.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Hope

2 Corinthians 1:8-11

“8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, 11 as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”

Other than this passage, there is no other information in the New Testament about the experience in Asia that Paul is referring to.  It was obviously a terrible experience, one in which he and those with him feared for their lives.  In the end, it was not through their own power and actions that they were rescued, but the power of God through the prayers of many.

Paul’s suffering had served to show others the power of prayer and their dependence on God.

Our prosperity today causes us to think that we can handle anything that comes our way.  It has given us a false sense of security.  We feel we are capable of handling life without God.   Abraham Lincoln once said “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”

It is important that we recognize our need for God and the power of prayer, not just as a last resort, but as our hope in all of life.

“O God, our help in ages past,  our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home”. (O God, Our Help in Ages Past, UMH p. 117)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Suffering

2 Corinthians 1: 3-7

“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, 4 who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. 6 If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.”

People want to avoid suffering.  It is something we dread.  But, if we live long enough, we will all  know suffering of some kind.  Suffering is part of life.  

God is present in our suffering and is a great consolation to those who believe.  God’s presence strengthens us and enables us and gives us the endurance we need to persevere.

The result of our suffering is that we gain insight into the suffering of others and we are able to empathize with, comfort, and console those who are hurting.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (Isaiah 43:2)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Work of the Lord

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

“50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. “Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

The work Christians do is vastly important.  Eternal lives depend upon it.  It is the work of Christ, the work of salvation.  Through the work of Christians, people come to the faith and are saved; people know that they will live an eternal life, that death has no sting.

So, Paul told the Corinthians never to give up; to strive always to be strong in their faith no matter what the world threw at them.  They were to use their talents and gifts that God had given them for the glory and service of God and they were to do God’s work above all things.

Many times we may want to give up.  We may think that we are not making a difference in the world, that evil seems to flourish and good seems to be defeated. 

But in these times, remember Paul’s words, “Be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord.”

And always remember that “the work of the Lord is never in vain.”

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Building Up

1 Corinthians 14:26

“26 What should be done then, my friends?  When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”

All of our spiritual gifts should be used for building up; for the building up of Christians in the faith, for the building up of people who are not in the faith, for the building up and strengthening of our communities, and for the building up of our Church.

We are to use our spiritual gifts that have been given to us by God only in positive ways, not in tearing people down, or for the sole purpose of gaining fame, power or wealth.  Our motives in using our gifts should be spiritual, not worldly, and grounded in love.

It is easy to lose our way in this world.  The temptations are great, the distractions are plenty.

But if we remember that the giver of our gifts is God, and that He gave us these gifts to use for His glory and for building up the Kingdom of God, then all worldly things pale in comparison and significance.

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  (Ephesians 4:1)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Greatest of These

1 Corinthians 13:11-13

“11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”

Paul’s great, poetic chapter on love ends with Paul declaring that no matter what spiritual gift you have or how great and special you think that gift is, it is nothing if it is not coupled with the gift of love.

Many people have practiced their “faith” all of their lives only to find it was meaningless because it was practiced without love.  People who have never missed a Sunday worship service have never experienced God because they have worshiped without love.

Without love, all teaching and sermons fall flat.  Without love, all acts of charity are meaningless.  Without love, there is no hope.  Without love, the Christian faith will cease to exist.  

Twelve disciples changed the world…

because of their faith, because of their hope 

and because of their love.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Humility

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

“4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.”

God gives all believers gifts of the Spirit.  There are a variety of gifts and Paul listed a few, such as knowledge, wisdom, healing, prophecy, discernment, and speaking in tongues.  Some members of the Corinthian church believed that the more visible spiritual gifts (like tongues and teaching) were greater gifts than gifts that were not so visible and public (like discernment and wisdom).

The Corinthians were so prideful that instead of being thankful, they assigned a rank to the gifts of God.

Paul informed the Corinthians that all gifts were given and activated by the same Spirit for the glory of God and good of the community and the world.  No gift was to be frowned upon or looked down upon.  

All gifts of God are holy and sacred, given to us not as we deserve them… but as the sovereign God chooses.

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself or herself more highly than he or she ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3-8)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Living Our Faith

1 Corinthians 12:1-3

“1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.”

Jews who were cursing Jesus and calling him a criminal also claimed to be speaking by the spirit of God.  This worried the Christian Jews of Corinth.  How could the same spirit that indwells Christians curse Jesus Christ?

Paul’s reply was that no one who is truly speaking by the spirit of God will ever curse Christ, the Son of God.  Likewise, only those indwelled by the Holy Spirit can truthfully and sincerely say that Jesus is their Lord.  Others may lie and say that Jesus is their Lord, but only those who, because of their faith were given God’s Holy Spirit, can honestly say this.

Simply put, a person of faith will live their faith…

and their lives and words will tell us all we need to know.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Reverence

1 Corinthians 11: 21-22

“20 When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. 21 For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. 22 What! Do you not have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!”

In the early Church, Christians would come together for a meal called a “Love Feast” as well as the Lord’s supper.  Apparently, in the Corinthian church, the Love feast had become corrupted and changed in such a way that it was taking precedence over the and in some cases taking the place of the Lord’s supper.

The wealthy members of the church would bring elaborate meals and wine, while the poor members came with less or nothing to eat.  Instead of sharing their meal as a proper Love Feast dictated, the wealthy would sit among themselves and eat their meal and drink their wine while the poorer members went hungry.  In some cases, some people over indulged in wine and became drunk.

The Love Feast, in which there should have been sharing and unselfishness, which should have been a preparatory ritual leading into the Lord’s supper, had become a selfish, drunken meal of overindulgence.  

How do we approach our rituals and sacraments today?  Do we remember their purpose and significance?

Do we participate with humility and reverence? 

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Glorify God in All That We Do

1 Corinthians 10:31-33

“31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, so that they may be saved.”

There was a great and complicated discussion among the Corinthians about what they, as new Christians, should eat or drink, and how they should live.  Paul revealed to them that Christians had great freedom in their lives, compared to the Jews, because of Christ, but this freedom should not be abused.  They should live so that God is glorified in every aspect of their lives.  

We think we are living lives that are godly.  We do not hurt people, we do not drink to excess or harm our bodies with drugs or cigarettes.  We do not say bad words.   And we often wonder if this pleases God.

But the real question we should be asking is are we living in such a way that our actions and words give glory to God?  Do our lives reflect God’s love, mercy, kindness and forgiveness?  Does the light of  our lives shine forth in the darkness for others to find their way?  Is our fellowship welcoming to all?  Do we see other people, especially the least, the last and the lost as children of God and worthy of  God’s love?  Do we seek opportunities to serve others?  Do we find ways and words to encourage and build others up?

In our lives we are constantly seeking pleasure, material gain, or status. But Paul says we should shift the focus from ourselves, and glorify God….in all that we do.

“I glorified you on the earth, by finishing the work which you gave me to do.” (John 17:4)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Foundation

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

“10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. 14 If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.”

In Corinth, Paul had laid the foundation of the Corinthian church by giving them Christ.  The life and teachings of Christ were the solid rock on which the people who came after him were to build upon this foundation.

The builders, Paul warned, must be careful how they build.  If they built with eternal materials, it would survive whatever the world threw at it.  If they built with flimsy, temporary materials, then the world would destroy it.

The life and teachings of Christ are the foundation of our church.  Christ taught love of God over love of worldly and material things, love of neighbor over hate, mercy and kindness over retribution, forgiveness over revenge, humility over pride, compassion over apathy, sacrifice over worldly gain, and servant leadership over authoritarianism. 

This is our foundation.  It is eternal and will not be destroyed.

What have we built upon it?    Have we used eternal materials?

Will it withstand the fire?

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Solid Food of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

“1 And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?”

Paul wrote that the Christians of the Corinthian Church were like babies.  Despite having been Christians for some time, they had not matured in their faith.  

They have had the opportunity, offered by the Holy Spirit, to grow, but because of their pettiness and unwillingness to let go of their grudges and jealousies they had quenched the power of the Spirit in their lives.  They behaved as if they did not have the Spirit of God at all.

When they were saved, Paul had taught them the basics of the Christian faith.  This “milk” as Paul called it, was meant to inspire them to grow and mature; to hunger and thirst for God; to pursue righteousness.  Instead, they chose to remain as children, pursuing old quarrels and jealousies.

God’s Holy Spirit is given to us so that we may grow in our faith; so that we can become a new creation in God; so that our lives may reflect the fruits of the spirit.

When we get bogged down in worldly things such as divisiveness and quarrels, we quench the Holy Spirit’s work in us.

Do we need more “milk” or are we hungering for the solid food of the Spirit?

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Gifts of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:14-15

“14 Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.”

The fruits of the spirit are reserved for those who are indwelled by the Spirit.  A person who is not a believer may say they have love, joy, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, but they do not know these things in the way that Christians know them because they are not given to them in the way the Holy Spirit gives them to Christians.

When, for example, love and joy are accompanied by the presence and knowledge of God, they are very different from the love and joy that the world gives a person.

The love and forgiveness of God are reflected in every aspect of a believer's life and transforms the believer into a new creation.  Only the love of God can lift us and transform us into people who live their lives based on the teachings of Christ. 

It is as a transformed people that we know the fruits of the spirit.  

Our love is the love of God.  

Our joy is the joy of God.

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Gifts of God

1 Corinthians 2:9-13

“9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.”

Once we come into faith, God gives us His spirit.  It is through God’s Holy Spirit that we receive the hunger for God’s word, the need to search out God’s truth, and the power to live our lives in the example of Christ.  

Through these things we come to know God and our relationship with God grows ever deeper.  Gradually we are transformed by the Spirit into the image of Christ over the course of our lifetime. Because of this transformation, our lives will reflect the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).

For this transformation to happen, we must listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit over the voice of the world.  We must follow God’s spirit and not the spirit of the world.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Experiencing Christ

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

“1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.”

People can tell us about Christ, we can read books about Christ, and we can even read the gospels and still not know Christ.  We will know about Christ, but we will never know Him until we experience Him through the power of God.

We first experience this power when we realize who God truly is, who Christ truly is and who we are; that we stand before the creator as a sinful creature.  And in this realization our response is to humbly acknowledge our shortcomings and ask for forgiveness.

It is then, when we experience the love and forgiveness of God and we know that Christ is our savior, that our relationship with Christ begins.

As Christians, we are in an active, intimate relationship with Christ that transcends all worldly wisdom; a relationship that affects all aspects of our lives and runs counter to the values and teachings of the world.  

A life characterized by love, mercy, kindness, charity, and forgiveness requires a close personal relationship with Christ… and the power of the Holy Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no law against such things.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Imperfect

1 Corinthians 1: 26-31

“26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 29 so that no one might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Every Christian is called, first, into the faith and then to serve.  Some Christians do not believe that God would call them, that they do not deserve to be called, they are not good enough to be called.  They think, “God does not want me.  I do not know enough, I am not worthy to serve, I am not skilled enough.”

Paul told the Corinthians that God uses the lowly, the weak, and the reluctant to accomplish His plans.   Moses, Gideon, and Jonah were reluctant servants who asked God to consider others instead of them, but God used them to accomplish great and wonderful things. The Disciples were not educated men of high status but, through them, the gospel was spread over the known world.

The perfect God uses the imperfect to accomplish His perfect will.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1: 18-24

“18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 

Christians who follow the teachings of Christ and live their lives according to Christ’s example are foolish in the eyes of those who do not know Christ.  After all, Christ was rejected by His own people, ridiculed, arrested, and finally crucified.  What kind of savior is this?  How could such a person be the savior of the world?  How can such a weak, lowly person, who could not save Himself, offer salvation to the world?  

But this foolishness was God’s plan.  To a person of faith, it makes perfect sense and is, in fact, ingenious.  The problem of human salvation was a problem that only God could solve.  The only sacrifice that would pay the price of human sin was the sacrifice of God incarnate; God’s only son.

To the world this seems foolish.  After all,  how can death result in life?  But it was not just the death that gave us life.  

It was the death and the resurrection.

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor. 1:25)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Followers of Christ

1 Corinthians 1:11-13

“11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. 12 What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 

Paul wanted the Christians in Corinth to unite behind Christ, the living Son of God and not him or one of the other early Church Fathers such as Peter or Apollo’s.

Today, Christianity is divided into hundreds of denominations, many defined by differences of which their members are not even aware.  Many say, “I am a follower of John Wesley”,“I am a Calvinist”, or “I am a Lutheran”. 

The important question is are we disciples of Christ?  Do we follow the teachings and the example of Christ?

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Source

1 Corinthians 1:  1-10

“1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— 6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.”

In the first ten verses of Paul’s letter to the Church in Corinth,  the name of Christ appears ten times.  Paul’s letter was going to be a difficult one in which Paul was going to deal with sensitive issues.  

So, Paul emphasized Christ and reminded the members of the Corinthian church that it was by Christ that they were saved, by Christ that they were given strength, by Christ they received their spiritual gifts, and it was Christ that they served.

In our spiritual walk, it is important that we never forget the source of our salvation.  Let us never forget the wellspring of our faith, the inspiration of our love, the power of our souls. Let us never forget who and why we serve.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:13)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)