Got 15 minutes? Join us in this twelve month, in-depth study of 1 Corinthians 15. Let God's word equip, edify and encourage you as you walk through the muck of life!

Step 1:  Pray. Ask God to guide you through His Holy Spirit.

Step 2:  Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

 1  Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,

 2  by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

 3  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

 4  and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

 5  and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

 6  After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;

 7  then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;

 8  and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also

Step 3:  Answer these questions based on the text:

Step 4:  Ask yourself these questions:

Suggestion:  Keep your answers handy, as we'll put these truths into action next month.  Put your sandals on - you'll be stepping into "stuff"! 

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Spring is in the air! Getting your kids involved with spring cleaning will lighten your load and offer them valuable life lessons. If you have boys, your future daughter-in-laws will thank you!

 

Cleaning 101

• Separating lights and darks
• Using bleach (protect skin and clothes)
• Drying tips to reduce wrinkles
• Disinfecting a kitchen sink (which product would mom recommend using?)
• Disinfecting garbage can (just washing the lid is a help!)
• Changing out a dishrag (purported to be the single most bacteria infested item in house - more than a toilet!)
• Vacuuming corners
• Dusting (what products would mom recommend and how does mom dust?)
• Removing a stain (what product does Mom recommend for certain stains?)
• Pick one corner of a room and declutter that area. Find a home for everything in that corner. Make a game of it. Let the children each pick a corner and see who gets done first!
• Empty garbage cans throughout the home using used grocery bag

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then...with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:13-15

What are you standing in?

The winter storm left the landscape blanketed in crisp white. Two weeks later, as the snow melted and the spring rain arrived, I found myself dodging muddy bare patches in our lawn. It seemed my shoes were not safe from dirt and grime no matter where I stepped!

But my feet were ok. Tucked safely in my rain boots, I could walk anywhere with confidence, knowing I was covered and shielded from the elements that sloshed around me. It didn't matter what my boots were standing in, as long as my feet were standing in my boots!   

In 1 Corinthians 15:1, Paul writes about the gospel in which the Corinthians should stand. There is only one gospel that will weather every doctrinal storm that buffets them:

That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:5

There is only one gospel that will save them ultimately from their own murky, sinful demise. Where can believers walk confidently in this world and not worry about what they are stepping into? The answer is anywhere! The key is this: What kind of shoes are you standing in? Are you wearing shoes of good works? What about shoes called "praise of men"?

The shoes Jesus bought for us are called "shoes of peace". Through the cross, He made peace between us and God for all who would believe in His name. Are you standing in those shoes? If so, you no longer war with the Creator! You are at peace with your heavenly Father whom you can now call Daddy. 

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ... Romans 5:1

Is there any place those shoes can tread that your sovereign omnipresent Father is not there also? There is nowhere!

By whom also we have access by faith into this grace where in we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:2

Your shoes ground you in the wisdom of the Ancient of Days. God's wisdom fits perfectly. A soldier's sandals were constructed wide on the bottom so a soldier's foot would be steady and not slip. God's wisdom does the same for us! It keeps our feet from slipping! Our job is to walk in the direction God points our shoes. This will involve talking to people who need to hear about the Giver of these shoes, which might require stepping into some stuff. Just remember - God has you covered! 

Recall Jesus' encounter with tax collectors and sinners, those that knew they were sick. Jesus dined with such people:

But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick." Matthew 9:12

What about those that would not listen? We are instructed to shake the dust from our shoes and go - for our shoes are not worthy of those that are unrepentant. God sets clear boundaries. But they are not necessarily clean boundaries.

But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:50-52

God may have you walk straight onto a stinky garbage heap of human immorality or a flea-infested home filled with hopeless eyes and despairing hearts. He may point your shoes towards gutters and back alleys where the well-dressed and famed dare not go because their dainty heels and penny loafers are not meant for such dismal work as a soldier. 

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:14-16

How beautiful are your feet - scarred, bunioned, stinky, dusty as they may be oh, messenger of Jesus - who chooses to bring good news to a messy, muddy world. Stand in the gospel. Then walk with a readiness that comes from being at peace with God.