I Corinthians 1:4-9
“I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, just as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Paul has much to praise the corinthians about. That’s quite a list. He witnessed that God’s grace was poured out upon them as they were enriched in speech and knowledge. This is important. They could articulate their salvation and regeneration. I had the passion to talk about what God had become to me. But it took years to give a biblical description of what was going on. They could give testimony about how Christ had redeemed them and how they were growing in Christ. They abounded in the gifts of the spirit. They were eagerly awaiting Christ’s return. Paul validates that God will keep them until that day. God is faithful and will keep them.
This is great. God is a loving parent. They’ve been born again. All of us in Christ have been. This shows the amazing care God gives to His children. Just as us earthly parents have children and we care for them and raise them in a safe environment. God is doing that to the corinthians. They weren’t abandoned orphans, but are on a developmental path which is great.
I remember coming to Christ and not knowing any other Christians. This sounds concerning. I was a newborn without a bible based church and other believers to give acceptance and guidance. I had a hunger for Him. I would talk to many about God.
Six months later my mom and I learned about christian tv. In our case it was channel 40. We watched it nightly. We would drive there and be part of the audience. Around June I met Gordon who was a seminary student being trained to be a pastor. We met for years on Friday night for bible study. This was amazing. He was my mentor for about a decade.
After a couple of years my brother, mom and friend Rick began to attend Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. I attended a bible study at Santa Ana College. In a sense this was my church family. At this point I was at my “young man” stage in the faith.
That sounds like where the corinthians were. I praise God how He caused me to be born again and how He raised me up in Him. It was a miracle. I did have some temptations that could have knocked me off the rails. But God was good and protected me. Thank You, God.