Outreach – Page 5 – Just Keith Harris

1 Corinthians 14 on 12/4 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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After lifting our eyes to the beauty of love, Paul brings that “more excellent way” (13:1, 13) right into the worship gathering. He urges the church to pursue love and still be eager for the gifts of the Spirit—especially prophecy, because it clearly builds up the church (vv. 1–5). Speaking in tongues is real prayer and praise to God, but when no one understands or interprets, it only benefits the one speaking (vv. 2, 4, 14–17). Prophecy, however, is intelligible speech that strengthens, encourages, and comforts others (vv. 3–5). The repeated question is: does this help other people understand and grow? Edification and clarity are the main tests for what should happen in the gathering (vv. 6–12, 19).

Paul also shows how these gifts affect unbelievers who visit the church. Uninterpreted tongues can make outsiders think Christians are out of their minds, which becomes a kind of judgment on their unbelief (vv. 21–23). But when God’s Word is clearly spoken, prophecy can expose the secrets of the heart, bring conviction, and lead someone to fall on their face, worship God, and confess that “God is really among you” (vv. 24–25). Because of this, Paul gives practical instructions: only a few should speak in tongues, and only if there is an interpreter; otherwise, they should be silent and pray quietly (vv. 27–28). Likewise, only a few should prophesy while the others carefully weigh what is said (vv. 29–31). Everything must be self-controlled, peaceful, and orderly because God is not a God of confusion but of peace (vv. 32–33). In that same spirit, Paul calls married women in Corinth to honor their husbands and not disrupt the weighing of prophecies in a way that overturns God’s good order in the church (vv. 34–35).

Paul closes by reminding them that his words are a command of the Lord, not just personal advice (v. 37). So the church should be eager for prophecy, should not forbid tongues when used rightly, and must make sure that “all things should be done decently and in order” (vv. 39–40). Love, clarity, and building up the body are to shape everything we do when we gather in Jesus’s name.

🌀 Reflection:
When you think about Sunday worship, do you primarily ask, “What will I get out of it?” or, “How can I help build others up today?” Ask the Lord to reshape your heart so that your prayers, words, and service—whether seen or unseen—aim at helping others understand God’s Word and experience His presence.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Before your next church gathering, pray intentionally for one way you can build up someone else—through a clear word of encouragement, a Scripture shared at the right time, or a quiet act of service—and then do it for Jesus’s sake and the good of His body.

1 Corinthians 13 on 12/3 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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After talking about spiritual gifts, Paul pauses to show the “more excellent way” that must shape everything: love (v. 1; 12:31). He says even the most impressive gifts—speaking in tongues, powerful preaching, knowing “all mysteries,” mountain-moving faith, radical generosity, or even dying for Jesus—amount to nothing without love (vv. 1–3). God cares not just about what we do, but why we do it. Ministry without love is just religious noise.

Paul then paints a beautiful picture of what real, Christlike love looks like. Love is patient and kind; it does not envy, boast, or puff itself up (v. 4). Love doesn’t insist on its own way, fly off the handle, or keep a running record of how others have hurt us (v. 5). Instead, it rejoices in the truth and “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (vv. 6–7). This is the love Jesus has shown us, and it is the love He calls us to show one another (John 13:34–35).

Finally, Paul reminds the Corinthians that spiritual gifts are temporary, but love is forever. Prophecy, tongues, and special knowledge all belong to this present, “in part” age; they will pass away when “the perfect” comes and we see the Lord “face to face” (vv. 8–12). But faith, hope, and love remain—and “the greatest of these is love” (v. 13). Gifts are good and needed, but love is essential. In eternity, no one will be impressed with how gifted we were—but our love will still matter.

🌀 Reflection:
Where do you see yourself using your gifts without much love—maybe in your church, home, or online? Ask the Lord to show you any pride, impatience, or scorekeeping that has crept into your heart. Pray for His Spirit to help you move toward others with the patience, kindness, and endurance described in this chapter.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Practice one concrete act of love today that costs you something—time, attention, comfort, or preference—for the good of another person, and do it quietly, without drawing attention to yourself.

1 Corinthians 12 on 12/2 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul turns to the Corinthians’ confusion about spiritual gifts—areas where pride, comparison, and misuse had fractured their unity (v. 1). He reminds them that the Holy Spirit never leads anyone to dishonor Jesus; rather, the Spirit enables believers to confess from the heart that “Jesus is Lord” (v. 3). From there, Paul lifts their eyes to the triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—who gives a rich variety of gifts but for one purpose: the common good of the church (vv. 4–7). Some believers are gifted to speak wisdom or knowledge, others with faith, healing, miracles, discernment, prophecy, tongues, or interpretation (vv. 8–10). Whatever the gift, each one is given sovereignly and intentionally by the Spirit “as he wills,” not for status but for service (v. 11).

To correct their rivalry, Paul gives the picture of the church as Christ’s body. By the Spirit, all believers—Jew or Greek, slave or free—have been brought into one body and made to drink of one Spirit (vv. 12–13). That means no Christian is unnecessary, inferior, or overlooked. A body cannot be all eye or all ear; every part is needed, and God Himself has arranged each member and each gift exactly as He intended (vv. 14–20). In Corinth, those with showy gifts were exalting themselves, while those with quieter gifts were discouraged. Paul insists that the “weaker” or less visible members are just as indispensable, worthy of honor and care (vv. 21–26). This vision of mutual concern reflects Christ’s heart for His church.

Paul closes by listing some of the church’s foundational roles—apostles, prophets, and teachers—along with other vital gifts like helping, leading, and tongues (v. 28). His series of rhetorical questions makes the point unmistakable: God never gave every gift to every person (vv. 29–30). Diversity is not a flaw but God’s design. And yet there is something more excellent than even the greatest gifts: love—the only attitude that makes any gift truly edifying (v. 31; cf. 13:1–3).

🌀 Reflection:
Do you ever look at your own gifts and feel jealous, discouraged, or proud? Take a moment to thank God for the particular ways He has equipped you—and for the brothers and sisters whose gifts complement yours. Ask Him to help you see your church family the way He does: one body, lovingly arranged for His glory.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Affirm a fellow believer’s gift today. Send a message, speak a word, or write a note that honors how God is using them in the body of Christ. Strengthen unity by strengthening someone’s courage.

1 Corinthians 11 on 12/1 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul begins by calling the Corinthians to “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (v. 1), then addresses how men and women conduct themselves in gathered worship. He reminds them that God has ordered relationships for our good: Christ is the head of every man, the husband is the head of his wife, and the head of Christ is God (v. 3). In Corinth’s culture, a wife’s head covering signaled respect for her husband and honored God’s design, while casting it off brought shame (vv. 5–6, 13–15). Paul’s concern is not about a particular piece of cloth for all times, but about honoring the Lord’s order and bearing ourselves in worship in ways that point to Christ rather than to ourselves (vv. 7–12, 16).

Then Paul turns to a serious problem with the Lord’s Supper. When they gathered, the wealthier believers were eating and drinking plenty while poorer believers went hungry—even to the point that some were getting drunk while others had nothing (vv. 20–22). Paul reminds them of what the Supper really is: on the night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread and the cup and gave them as signs of His body given and His blood of the new covenant, commanding His people to “do this in remembrance of me” (vv. 23–25). Every time the church eats this bread and drinks the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (v. 26). That means our behavior at the table must match the message of the cross—humble, self-giving, and full of love.

Because the Corinthians were treating this holy meal lightly and ignoring the needs of their brothers and sisters, many were experiencing the Lord’s discipline—even weakness, illness, and death (vv. 27–30). So Paul urges them to “examine” themselves before they eat and drink, to discern the body of Christ, and to wait for one another so that everyone may share together (vv. 28–29, 33–34). God’s goal, even in discipline, is mercy—to correct His children so they will not be condemned with the world (vv. 31–32). The Lord’s Supper is therefore not just a private moment with Jesus, but a family meal that should reflect the gospel we proclaim.

🌀 Reflection:
When you think about the Lord’s Supper, do you tend to see it mainly as a personal habit or a holy sharing with Christ and His people? Ask the Lord to search your heart for any selfishness, bitterness, or carelessness toward your church family, and to help you approach the table with humble remembrance, repentance, and gratitude for Jesus’s death for you (vv. 27–28).

💬 Mission Challenge:
Before the next time your church observes the Lord’s Supper, reach out to one fellow believer you’ve overlooked, avoided, or simply haven’t encouraged lately. Make a deliberate effort to honor Christ’s body—His people—through a text, call, or conversation that seeks their good and reflects the love of the cross (vv. 29, 33).

1 Corinthians 10 on 11/30 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul looks back to Israel’s story in the wilderness to warn the Corinthians—and us—about the danger of presumption. Israel experienced amazing spiritual privileges: they passed through the sea, were “baptized into Moses,” and received spiritual food and water from Christ, the true “Rock” who was with them (vv. 1–4). Yet “God was not pleased with most of them,” and they fell under judgment for idolatry, sexual immorality, testing the Lord, and grumbling (vv. 5–10). These events “took place as examples for us” so that we will not desire evil as they did (vv. 6, 11). So Paul warns, “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” and reminds us that God is faithful—He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear but will always provide a way of escape so that we can endure (vv. 12–13).

From that warning, Paul goes straight to the heart of the issue in Corinth: idolatry. Believers must “flee from idolatry” because we belong to Jesus and share in His death and life through the Lord’s Supper (vv. 14–17). To eat and drink at the Lord’s Table is to participate in Christ and in His people; to join idol feasts is to fellowship with demons behind false worship (vv. 18–21). We cannot “drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons” at the same time (v. 21). God is a jealous God who alone deserves our worship, so we dare not treat idol practices or spiritual compromise as harmless (v. 22; Ex. 20:4–5).

Finally, Paul applies gospel-shaped wisdom to everyday choices about food and conscience. “All things are lawful,” some claimed, but Paul reminds them that not everything is helpful or builds others up (v. 23). Believers are free to eat meat from the market without asking endless questions, because “the earth is the Lord’s” (vv. 25–26). Even when dining in an unbeliever’s home, we can eat what is served—unless someone points out that it has been offered to idols; then, for the sake of that person’s conscience, we should refrain (vv. 27–29). The guiding principle is simple but searching: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God,” seeking not our own advantage but the good of others, “that they may be saved” (vv. 31–33).

🌀 Reflection:
Where are you tempted to assume you’re “standing strong” and lower your guard—maybe with your habits, entertainment, relationships, or use of freedom? Ask the Lord to show you any areas of quiet compromise and to help you choose the “way of escape” He provides so that your life points away from idols and toward Jesus.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Choose one ordinary activity today—like a meal, a conversation, or a small decision—and intentionally aim to do it “to the glory of God” (v. 31). Ask, “How can I do this in a way that honors Christ and helps someone else move closer to Him?” Then act on it.

1 Corinthians 9 on 11/29 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul uses his own life as an example of how to lay down personal rights for the sake of the gospel. As an apostle, he truly has the right to be supported financially, to eat and drink at others’ expense, and even to travel with a believing wife like the other apostles do (vv.4–6, 11–14). The Corinthians themselves are the “seal” of his apostleship—living proof that God has really called and used him (vv. 1–2). Yet Paul refuses to claim these rights among them, working with his own hands and preaching “free of charge” so that no one can question his motives or hinder the message of Christ (vv. 12, 15–18).

Because he belongs to Jesus, Paul gladly makes himself a servant to all in order to win more people to Christ (v. 19). To Jews, he becomes “as a Jew”; to those under the law, “as one under the law”; to those outside the law, “as one outside the law”—always staying under “the law of Christ” (vv. 20–21). To the weak, he becomes weak. His aim is simple and focused: “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (v. 22). Christian freedom, then, isn’t about doing whatever we want; it’s about flexing our preferences and comforts so that others can clearly hear and see the gospel (cf. 8:9–13).

Paul finishes with a picture from the athletic games the Corinthians knew so well. Runners and boxers train hard and practice strict self-control for a prize that soon fades (vv. 24–25). In the same way, Paul disciplines his body and orders his life with purpose so that he will not be “disqualified” from the reward when the race is over (vv. 26–27). The Christian life is not casual or half-hearted; it is a Spirit-empowered, disciplined pursuit of Jesus and the salvation of others.

🌀 Reflection:
Where might God be calling you to loosen your grip on comfort, preference, or “rights” so that someone else can see Jesus more clearly? Ask the Lord to give you Paul’s mindset—a willing heart that says, “I’ll gladly adjust my life if it helps others hear and believe the gospel.”

💬 Mission Challenge:
Identify one specific person or group you want to reach for Christ, and take one concrete step to “become all things” to them today—adjust your schedule, your style, or your approach so that you can listen well, love well, and point them to Jesus.

1 Corinthians 8 on 11/28 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Some believers in Corinth were saying, “We all possess knowledge” (v. 1), meaning they understood that idols are “nothing” and therefore felt free to eat food connected to pagan temples (v. 4). Paul agrees that there is only one God and one Lord, Jesus Christ (vv. 4–6), but he warns that knowledge without love becomes prideful and dangerous. Not every believer’s conscience is equally formed; some, freshly saved out of idol worship, still feel genuinely troubled by eating such food (v. 7). If mature believers use their freedom carelessly, their example could draw a “weaker” brother or sister back toward idolatry—something Paul calls a serious sin against Christ Himself (vv. 9–12).

Because love builds up, Paul urges Christians to lay aside any freedom that endangers another believer’s walk with Jesus. Even if the meat is spiritually neutral (v. 8), participating in pagan temple meals could confuse or even “destroy” someone whose conscience is tender (vv. 10–11; cf. Rom. 14:13, 20). For Paul, the good of others is worth far more than exercising personal rights. His conclusion is simple and sacrificial: he would rather never eat meat again than cause a fellow believer to stumble back into sin (v. 13).

🌀 Reflection:
Where might you be clinging to a spiritual “right” that could actually harm someone newer or weaker in the faith? Ask God to help you desire love over personal freedom, and to make your life a steady encouragement—not a stumbling block—to those walking beside you.

💬 Mission Challenge:
Choose one area of personal freedom—entertainment, habits, speech, or online choices—and intentionally lay it down today if it might confuse or burden someone around you. Let your love build others up in Christ.

1 Corinthians 7 on 11/27 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Some believers in Corinth were saying it was more spiritual to avoid all sexual relations, even within marriage (v. 1). Paul corrects this by teaching that marriage is God’s good context for sexual intimacy and mutual care, helping husbands and wives resist temptation (vv. 2–5). Singleness is also a gift, and Paul is thankful for his own calling to remain unmarried, but he recognizes that many will rightly marry rather than “burn with passion” (vv. 6–9). He then turns to divorce: believers married to believers must not separate, and if they do, they should remain unmarried or be reconciled (vv. 10–11; cf. Matt. 19:4–9).

Paul also addresses believers married to unbelievers. If the unbelieving spouse is willing to stay, the Christian must not seek a divorce, because the believing spouse brings a holy influence to the home and there is hope for the unbeliever’s salvation (vv. 12–14, 16). But if the unbelieving spouse chooses to leave, the believer is “not enslaved” and is called to live in peace (v. 15). From there, Paul gives a wider principle: each person should generally remain in the situation in which God called them—married or single, Jew or Gentile, slave or free—and serve Christ faithfully there, knowing they were “bought with a price” (vv. 17–24; cf. 6:20). Because of a “present distress” and the shortness of time, Paul says staying single can allow for undivided devotion to the Lord, yet marriage remains good and honorable for the engaged and for widows, so long as they marry “only in the Lord” (vv. 25–28, 32–35, 39–40).

🌀 Reflection:
Where has God placed you right now—married, single, widowed, or in a complicated in-between? Instead of wishing you were somewhere else, what would it look like today to receive your current situation as an assignment from the Lord and seek to honor Him with an undivided heart?

💬 Mission Challenge:
Reach out to someone in a different life stage than you (single, married, widowed, divorced, or engaged) and encourage them with a reminder that God sees them, loves them, and can use them right where they are.

1 Corinthians 6 on 11/26 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul first rebukes the Corinthians for dragging one another into secular courts over “trivial cases” instead of settling matters within the church family (vv. 1–2). He reminds them that the saints will one day “judge the world” and even angels with Christ, so they should be able to handle everyday disputes wisely now (vv. 2–3; cf. Dan. 7:22). By taking their brothers and sisters before unbelieving judges, they have already lost, because they are harming their witness and acting more like the world than like God’s holy people (vv. 5–7). Paul even says it would be better to be wronged or defrauded than to damage the church’s testimony in this way (vv. 7–8; cf. Matt. 18:15–17).

Next, Paul warns that those whose lives are marked by ongoing, unrepentant sin will not inherit the kingdom of God—whether sexual immorality, idolatry, theft, greed, drunkenness, reviling, or swindling (vv. 9–10). Then he gives one of the most hopeful lines in the chapter: “And such were some of you” (v. 11). Their old identity is in the past. In Christ they have been washed, sanctified, and justified—made clean, set apart as holy, and declared righteous “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (v. 11; cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). Their new life should now match that new identity.

Finally, Paul corrects their misuse of “freedom.” Some were saying, “All things are lawful,” and treating sex like a mere bodily appetite, as if it did not matter what they did with their bodies (vv. 12–13). Paul insists that while many things may be “lawful,” not everything is helpful—and nothing should be allowed to enslave them (v. 12; cf. Gal. 5:13). Because God raised the Lord Jesus and will also raise believers, their bodies are eternal and are members of Christ Himself (vv. 14–15). Joining Christ’s members to a prostitute is unthinkable, because sexual sin forms a “one flesh” union and uniquely sins against one’s own body (vv. 16–18; cf. Gen. 2:24). Instead, believers must “flee from sexual immorality” (v. 18). Their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and they are not their own—they were “bought with a price,” the blood of Christ (vv. 19–20; cf. 1 Pet. 1:18–19). Therefore, they must glorify God with their bodies (v. 20).

🌀 Reflection:
This chapter presses you to ask: Do my conflicts, my habits, and my sexuality reflect that I belong to Jesus? You have been washed, set apart, and declared righteous in Him (v. 11). Your body is not cheap or disposable—it is Christ’s, a temple of the Holy Spirit (v. 19). Where might God be calling you today to let your new identity shape your choices, especially in how you treat others and how you use your body?

💬 Mission Challenge:
Choose one concrete way to “glorify God in your body” today (v. 20). It might mean seeking peace instead of pressing for your rights in a conflict, setting a needed boundary with a temptation, or using your time and energy to serve someone in Jesus’s name.

1 Corinthians 5 on 11/25 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

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Paul confronts a shocking situation in the church at Corinth: a man is in an ongoing sexual relationship with his father’s wife—his stepmother—and the church is tolerating it (v. 1; cf. Lev. 18:8). Instead of mourning over this sin, they are arrogant, acting as if it does not matter (v. 2). Paul says that when the church gathers, they must “deliver this man to Satan,” removing him from their fellowship so that his sinful “flesh” might be destroyed and his spirit may yet be saved on the day of the Lord (vv. 4–5). The goal is not revenge but loving discipline that aims at repentance and restoration (cf. 2 Thess. 3:14–15).

To explain why this matters, Paul uses the picture of leaven (fermented dough): “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (v. 6). Just as a small amount of leaven spreads through the whole batch, tolerated sin can spread its influence through the entire church (vv. 6–7). Because Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed, the church is called to live as God’s “unleavened” people—set apart from sin—putting away “the old leaven” of malice and evil and walking in sincerity and truth (vv. 7–8; cf. Ex. 12:14–20; John 1:29).

Paul also clears up a misunderstanding from a previous letter. He did not mean believers must avoid all contact with unbelievers who are immoral—that would mean leaving the world entirely (vv. 9–10). Instead, they must not continue close fellowship with someone who claims to be a brother or sister in Christ but stubbornly lives in unrepentant sin, such as sexual immorality, greed, idolatry, reviling, drunkenness, or swindling (v. 11). Christians are not called to judge outsiders—that is God’s role—but they are responsible to address serious, ongoing sin inside the church: “Purge the evil person from among you” (vv. 12–13; cf. Deut. 17:7).

🌀 Reflection:
This chapter invites you to take sin seriously—not only in “other people,” but in your own heart and in your church family. Because Jesus, your Passover Lamb, has already died to free you from the old life, ask the Lord to show you any “leaven” you’ve been excusing or ignoring, and to help you walk in sincerity and truth for His sake (vv. 7–8).

💬 Mission Challenge:
Love someone enough to care about their holiness. If you know a fellow believer who is drifting into clear, unrepentant sin, gently reach out this week—pray for them, speak with humility, and point them back to Christ and His grace, aiming not to shame them but to win them back to the Lord.