1 Corinthians_11

Scripture 

1 Corinthians 11:33-34  So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.  If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come. Observation-What does it say?  At the very beginning of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:9-10)  From here Paul shares his purpose for writing the letter, to encourage unity in Christ and to address issues of division and moral problems.  In chapter 11, Paul addresses issues of order within the church and a misuse of communion during their gatherings.  People were being selfish when they met together, looking after their own desires, “for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk” (11:21).  At the end of the chapter, Paul reminds the reader to look out for the interests of others first and to focus on seeking God as the purpose of meeting together.   Understanding-What does it mean?  Henry Ford is often credited with the invention of the assembly line.  But, he only refined the process.  Others preceded him, such as Venetian ship makers in the 12th century who built ships along a canal, or Eli Whitney who perfected the use of interchangeable parts in succession.  Though, the importance of Ford’s contribution was perfecting the process and defining each job of the different steps.  This perfection in the order of building a car made the Ford company the most successful in the early part of the 20th century. God created an order for us, which He defined for us in the Bible.  One of the parts of the order is how our meetings and gatherings are supposed to be, with one of the parts of order placing the needs of others before our own.  In Philippians, Paul plainly states, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (2:3-4)  Our gathering together is a place for us to learn how to serve others and to focus on absorbing the word of God.  When we practice the order of things, it moves us out of the way and makes room for God to do his work.   Life Application   Jesus, help me not to be in the way of you doing your works.  Help me to look for ways to serve others and help your word go forth.  -Tyler Galloway