We Have This Treasure in Earthen Vessels

Let's Pray:

We pray that You would not only speak to us but also dispense Yourself into us through Your rich word. We want to gain You and have Your element added into us.

Hymn: 445

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 2 Cor 4:1-12

Key Verse:

2 Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not out of us.

Filling the Blanks:

In the apostles' speaking concerning their ministry for God's new covenant, ( ) very significant and expressive metaphors were used to illustrate how they, as the ( ) of the new covenant, and their ministry were constituted, how they behaved and lived, and how their ministry was carried out:(1) ( ) in a triumphal procession for the celebration of Christ's victory; (2) Incense-bearers to scatter the ( ) of Christ; (3) ( ) written with Christ as the content; (4) ( ) beholding and reflecting the glory of Christ in order to be transformed into His glorious image; (5) ( ) vessels to contain the Christ of glory as the excellent treasure . These vessels are like today's camera, into which Christ the figure enters through the flash of God's shining. (See 2 Cor 4:7 note 1)

The Ultimate Goal of God's Economy

Let's Pray:

Lord, we worship You that You are the Word and this Word is the Spirit. When the reality of this Spirit enters into us to makes us God in life and nature, but not in Godhead. Lord,Thank you.

Hymn: 445

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 2 Cor 3:7-18

Key Verse:

2 Cor 3:18 But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.

Filling the Blanks:

When we with unveiled face are beholding and reflecting the ( ) of the Lord, He ( ) us with the elements of what He is and what He has done. Thus we are being transformed ( ) to have His life ( ) by His life ( ) with His life ( ). (See 2 Cor 3:18 note 7)

The Letter Kills, but the Spirit Gives Life

Let's Pray:

Lord, we extol You again, acknowledging that You are the One who gives the Spirit, the bountiful Spirit, life-giving Spirit, the indwelling Spirit, not by measure. Oh, this really meets our need!

Hymn: 445

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 2 Cor 2:12-3:6

Key Verse:

2 Cor 3:6 Who has also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Filling the Blanks:

The Spirit of the living God, with whom the apostles ministered ( ) into the believers to make them the ( ) letters of Christ . Unlike the Mosaic ministry for the Old Testament, the apostolic ministry for the New Testament is not of dead ( ) but of the living ( ), who gives life. (See 2 Cor 3:6 note 2)

God Firmly Attaches Us with You unto Christ

Let's Pray:

Lord, be one spirit with us, and speak to us that we would see this organic union. Release the riches in Your word in a most definite way that all of us would enjoy Your sweetness.

Hymn: 445

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 2 Cor 1:15-2:11

Key Verse:

2 Cor 1:21 But the One who firmly attaches us with you unto Christ and has anointed us is God.

Filling the Blanks:

God establishes the apostles with the believers in ( ). This means that God firmly attaches the apostles together with the ( ) unto Christ, the anointed One. Hence, the apostles and the believers are one not only with Christ, the anointed One, but also with one ( ), sharing the ( ) that Christ has received of God.(See 2 Cor 1:21 note 2)

The apostles with the believers have been attached to Christ, the ( )One. This shows that the apostles ranked themselves with the believers in being attached to Christ by the ( ) Spirit, not considering themselves a special group separate from the believers in God's all-inclusive ( ).(See 2 Cor 1:21 note 3)

He Comforts Us in All Our Affliction

Let's Pray:

O Lord Jesus, we need You once again to forgive us, cleanse us, and anoint us in a rich way. Nourish us abundantly. May we be cared for, healed, comforted, and uplifted.

Hymn: 445

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 2 Cor 1:1-14

Key Verse:

2 Cor 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassions and God of all comfort;

2 Cor 1:4 Who comforts us in all our affliction that we may be able to comfort those who are in every affliction through the comforting with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Filling the Blanks:

Comfort implies being cheered. A title such asthe Father of compassions and God of all comfort is ascribed here to God because this Epistle is one of ( ) and encouragement, written by the apostle after he had been comforted and encouraged by the ( ) of the Corinthian believers. The rebuking and condemning in the first Epistle to the Corinthians were intended to cause the Corinthian believers to turn( ) to and stress Christ; the comfort and encouragement in this Epistle were intended to bring them to ( ) and enjoy Christ. (See 2 Cor 1:3 note 2)

One Man Speaking or All Prophesying?

Let's Pray:

Lord, open the secrets of Your Word so that we may learn how to prophesy that the churches may be built up. We desire to see the defeat of the enemy. even crush him under our feet.
　
Hymn: 864
　
Whene'er we meet with Christ endured,
The surplus of His plentitude
We offer unto God as food,
And thus exhibit Christ.

Let us exhibit Christ,
Let us exhibit Christ;
We'll bring His surplus to the church
And thus exhibit Christ.
　
Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 16:1-24

Key Verses:

1 Cor 14:26 What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

1 Cor 14:31 For you can all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be encouraged.
　
Life Supply:

In addition to calling on the name of the Lord, those in the early church did a great deal of speaking about the Lord Jesus. They spoke about Him to one another and to the unbelievers. Their speaking was a way of prophesying, the kind of prophesying emphasized in the New Testament. Unlike the prophets in the Old Testament, those who believe in Christ do not need to wait for the Spirit of the Lord to come upon them in order to prophesy. From the time we first called on the name of the Lord, Christ as the living Spirit has been in our spirit. For this reason, Paul could say, “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit” (6:17). How marvelous that the Spirit is mingled with our spirit! Furthermore, this spirit is subject to us (14:32). Because our spirit is subject to us, there is no longer the need to wait for the Spirit to come upon us. Instead, we simply need to exercise our spirit. Surely the Christians in the beginning of the church life exercised their spirit to speak to one another and to unbelievers on behalf of the Lord.

Whenever we gather together in the meetings of the church, we should exhibit what we daily enjoy of the Lord. In an exhibition people manifest or display something they have or have produced. It is possible to exhibit only what we have, not what we do not have. The proper Christian meeting should be an exhibition of our Christian life. It should be a display of the riches of Christ we experience in our daily walk. If we exercise our spirit to contact the Lord daily, then in the church meetings we shall have something of Christ to share with the saints.

I have the full assurance that the Lord intends to recover our intimate daily contact with Himself and our living by Him. In particular, I expect the Lord to gain the young people in this regard because they are less under the influence of tradition. Let us all rise up to repudiate traditional Christianity. If we repudiate the religious traditions and care only for the living Christ, we shall have a proper spirit, a spirit of power, love, and a sober mind. Then in the meetings we shall bubble over with the Spirit. The more we speak of the Lord, the more we shall have to say. (Life-Study of 1 Corinthians, pp.576-577, 582)
　
Questions:

1. What is the most important matter in the church meeting? (See 1 Cor 14:1 note 3)
2. How should we prepare for the church meeting? (See 1 Cor 14:26 note 1)
3. Can we all prophesy? (See 1 Cor 14:31 note 1)

The Last Adam Became a Life-giving Spirit

Let's Pray:

Lord, how we thank You that we can come to You through Your Word and Your Spirit. We thank You that today You are so much to us. You are the Spirit who gives life.

Hymn: 864

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 15:35 -58

Key Verse:

1 Cor 15:45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul''; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.

Filling the Blanks:

Through creation Adam became a living ( ) with a soulish ( ). Through resurrection Christ became a life-giving ( ) with a ( ) body. Now He is a life-giving Spirit in resurrection, with a spiritual body, ready to be ( ) by His believers. When we believe into Him, He enters our spirit, and we are joined to Him as the life-giving ( ). Hence, we become one ( ) with Him (6:17). Our spirit is made ( ) and is resurrected with Him. Eventually, our present soulish body will become a ( ) body in resurrection, just like His. (See 1 Cor 15:45 note 1)

Christ Has Been Resurrected, We Also Will Be Resurrected

Let's Pray:

Lord, we are open to You and are ready to receive You and Your word. We want to know Your resurrection in the spirit. Be one spirit with us so that we can be one spirit with You.

Hymn: 864

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 15:20-34

Key Verse:

1 Cor 15:20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Filling the Blanks:

( ) was the first One raised from among the dead, becoming the firstfruits of resurrection ... Christ as the firstfruits of resurrection is the ( ) from among the dead that He might be the ( ) of the Body (Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:20-23). Since He, the ( ) of the Body, has been resurrected, we, the ( ), also will be resurrected. (See 1 Cor 15:20 note 2)

Not I But the Grace of God Which Is with Me

Let's Pray:

Give us the word of grace to speak Your grace. And we know the reality of this grace as the processed and consummated Triune God is the all-inclusive Spirit as God¡¯s consummation.

Hymn: 864

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 14:34-15:19

Key Verse:

1 Cor 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me did not turn out to be in vain, but, on the contrary, I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I but the grace of God which is with me.

Filling the Blanks:

Not I but the grace of God equals no longer I ...but ...( ) in Gal. 2:20. The grace that motivated the apostle and operated in him was not some matter or some thing but a living person, the resurrected ( ), the embodiment of God the Father who became the all-inclusive life-giving ( ), who dwelt in the apostle as his ( ). (See 1 Cor 15:10 note 2)

You Can All Prophesy One by One

Let's Pray:

Lord, we do not like to have a doctrine or teaching in dead letters. We are here for touching You deeply in the depths of Your word. We desire to go down to the bottom to see You.

Hymn: 864

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 14:13-33

Key Verse:

1 Cor 14:31 For you can all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be encouraged.

Filling the Blanks:

This is like the Feast of ( ) in ancient times. The children of Israel brought the produce of the ( ), which they had reaped from their labor on the land, to the feast and offered it to the Lord for His enjoyment and for their mutual participation in fellowship with the Lord and with one another. We must labor on ( ), our good land, that we may reap some produce of His riches to bring to the church ( ) and offer. Thus the meeting will be an exhibition of ( ) in His riches and will be a mutual enjoyment of ( ) shared by all the attendants before God and with God for the ( ) up of the saints and the church. (See 1 Cor 14:26 note 1)

Desire Especially That We May Prophesy

Let's Pray:

Lord, open the secrets of Your Word so that we may learn how to prophesy that the churches may be built up. We desire to see the defeat of the enemy. even crush him under our feet.

Hymn: 864

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 13:1-14:12

Key Verse:

1 Cor 14:1 Pursue love, and desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

Filling the Blanks:

Since to prophesy is to speak for the ( ) and speak forth the ( ), that is, to minister ( ) to people, which is the main element in the church ( ), prophesying requires the divine ( ) to fill it as its content. (See 1 Cor 14:1 note 3)

In One Spirit We Were All Baptized into One Body

Let's Pray:

Lord Jesus, we want to be adjusted once more. O Lord, we like to be remodeled. Transform us in the view concerning Your Body, Your church, which is Your heart's desire.

Hymn: 864

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 12:12-31

Key Verse:

1 Cor 12:13 For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit.

Filling the Blanks:

To be baptized in the Spirit is to get ( ) the Spirit and to be lost in Him; to drink the Spirit is to ( ) the Spirit in and to have our being ( ) with Him. By these two procedures we are ( ) with the Spirit. To be baptized in the Spirit is the initiation of the mingling and is once for all. To drink the Spirit is the continuation and accomplishment of the mingling and is perpetual, ( ). This requires us to ( ) on the Lord continually and draw water with ( ) from Him as the fountain of living water. (See 1 Cor 12:13 note 5)

One with God

Let's Pray:

We desire to be one with You. How we thank You that You have accomplished and consummated everything so that You can be one with us and we can be one with You!
　
Hymn: 493

O Lord, Thou art the Spirit now
That gives us life and quickens us,
With all Thy riches strengthening,
O how divine and glorious!

O Lord, Thou art the Spirit now
Who in my spirit make His home;
He mingles with my spirit too,
And both one spirit thus become.
　
Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor. 11:27-12:11

Key Verses:

1 Cor 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

1 Cor 7:40 But she is more blessed if she so remains, according to my opinion; but I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

1 Cor 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking in the Spirit of God says, Jesus is accursed; and no one can say, Jesus is Lord! except in the Holy Spirit.
　
Life Supply:

In verse 17 Paul says, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” The word joined in this verse refers to the believers’ organic union with the Lord through believing into Him (John 3:15-16). This union is illustrated by that of the branches with the vine (John 15:4-5). It is a matter not only of life, but also in life, the divine life. Such a union with the resurrected Lord can only be in our spirit.

The expression “one spirit” indicates the mingling of the Lord as the Spirit with our spirit. Our spirit has been regenerated by the Spirit of God (John 3:6), who is now in us (1 Cor. 6:19) and is one with our spirit (Rom. 8:16). This is the realization of the Lord who became the life-giving Spirit through resurrection (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17), and who is now with our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22). This mingled spirit is often referred to in Paul’s Epistles, as in Romans 8:4-6.

We the believers are joined to the Lord as one spirit. This is a great mystery, perhaps the most mysterious matter revealed in the Bible. Who can explain such a mystery? Can you explain how it is possible for us to be one spirit with the Lord? Although we cannot explain it, we can surely experience it. Often I pray in the morning, “Lord, thank You for another day in which to practice being one spirit with You.” What a wonder that sinners such as we can be one spirit with the Lord! The more we consider this matter, the more we realize how wonderful it is.

We have seen that in chapter six Paul covers three vital matters. These matters are so great that it takes much exercise of the spirit for us to assimilate them adequately. How marvelous that our bodies are members of Christ, that we are one spirit with the Lord, and that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit! The vision concerning this is becoming so clear that sometimes I can hardly contain myself. Let us all look to the Lord for His mercy that we may see the vision shown to Paul. (Life-Study of 1 Corinthians, pp. 345-346, 349-350, 352)
　
Questions:

1. What is the mingled spirit? (See 1 Cor 6:17 note 2)

2. How was apostle Paul one with the Lord? (See 1 Cor 7:40 note 2)

3. How do we experience the mingled spirit? (See 1 Cor 12:3 note 3)

The Real Remembrance of the Lord Is to Take In the Redeeming Lord as Our Portion

Let's Pray:

O Lord Jesus, we worship You for what You are and for Your moving. Thank You, Lord, that You are so eatable. You are dispensing Yourself through all the Scriptures.

Hymn: 493

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 11:7-26

Key Verse:

1 Cor 10:17 Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many are one Body; for we all partake of the one bread.

Filling the Blanks:

The real remembrance of the Lord is to eat the bread and drink the cup (v. 26), that is, to participate in, to enjoy, the Lord, who has given Himself to us through His ( ) death. To eat the bread and drink the cup is to ( )in the redeeming Lord as our portion, as our ( ) and blessing. This is to remember Him in a genuine way. (See 1 Cor 11:25 note 2)

We Who Are Many Are One Body

Let's Pray:

O dear Lord, hear the singing of this hymn. Lord, You know that we sing it from our heart. We sing it with a deep longing, according to Your desire, to be built up into one building.

Hymn: 493

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 10:14-11:6

Key Verse:

1 Cor 10:17 Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many are one Body; for we all partake of the one bread.

Filling the Blanks:

The one bread signifies the one ( ) of Christ. We all are one Body because we all partake of the one ( ) . Our joint ( ) of the one bread makes us all one. This indicates that our partaking of Christ makes us all His one Body. The very ( ) of whom we all partake constitutes us His one Body.

Partaking of (that is, ( ) -- vv. 28-30) the one bread ( ) us with it. This indicates that our partaking of Christ, our enjoying of Christ, identifies us with Him, making us ( ) with Him. (See 1 Cor 10:17 note 1, note 2)

God Is Faithful, Who Will not Allow that You Be Tempted beyond What You Are Able

Let's Pray:

Lord, open Yourself to us, and open our eyes to see what is on Your heart. We want to see Your good pleasure, Your desire, concerning us.

Hymn: 493

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 10:1-13

Key Verse:

1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has taken you except that which is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow that you be tempted beyond what you are able, but will, with the temptation, also make the way out, that you may be able to endure it.

Filling the Blanks:

1 Cor. 10:13 is a continuation of the ( ) given in v. 12, indicating, on the one hand, that we should take heed not to be tempted lest we ( ) and die, and, on the other hand, that God in His ( ) will not allow any temptation to befall us beyond what we are able to endure, but will, with the temptation, always make the ( ) out for us. (See 1 Cor 10:13 note 1)

A Reward in Addition to Salvation

Let's Pray:

Lord, we thank You that Your word has never been rare among us; rather, Your revelation has come to us again and again. We worship You. Lord, help us. We need You. Amen.

Hymn: 493

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 9:1-27

Key Verse:

1 Cor 9:25 And everyone who contends exercises self-control in all things; they then, that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we, an incorruptible.

Filling the Blanks:

A chaplet made of leaves for the ( ) contests at that time. The ( ) , which the Lord will award to His ( ) saints who win the race, is a ( ) in addition to ( ) (see note 351 in Heb. 10). We, His believers, have all received His salvation through faith in Him. This has been settled ( ) . But whether we will be ( ) by Him depends on how we run the ( ) . (See 1 Cor 9:25 note 1)

God and Man, Man and God, Become One

Let's Pray:

Hallelujah! You are such a Spirit, and You are now in our spirit. We thank You and worship You for these two spirits, the divine Spirit and the human spirit mingled together as one spirit.

Hymn: 493

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 7:25-8:13

Key Verse:

1 Cor 7:40 But she is more blessed if she so remains, according to my opinion; but I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

Filling the Blanks:

In 1 Cor. 7:10 the apostle said, "I charge, not I but the ( )." In v. 12 he said, "I say, I, not the Lord." In v. 25 he said, "I have no ( ) of the Lord, but I give my ( )." In v. 40 he says, "... according to my opinion; but I think that I also have the ( ) of God." All these words indicate the New Testament principle of incarnation (that is, that God and man, man and God, become ( )). This differs drastically from the principle of Old Testament prophecy (that is, that man speaks for God). But in the New Testament the Lord becomes one with His ( ), and they become one with Him; thus, the two ( ) together. (See 1 Cor 7:40 note 2)

But He Who Is Joined to the Lord Is One Spirit

Let's Pray:

Oh, he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit! We can never forget all this. We worship You for this. Impress us and always remind us of our being one spirit with You.

Hymn: 493

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 6:17-7:24

Key Verse:

1 Cor 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

Filling the Blanks:

This indicates the ( ) of the Lord as the Spirit with our spirit. Our spirit has been ( ) by the Spirit of God (John 3:6), who is now in us (v. 19) and is one with ( ) spirit (Rom. 8:16). This is the realization of the Lord, who became the ( ) Spirit through resurrection (15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17) and who is now with our ( ) (2 Tim. 4:22). This ( ) spirit is often referred to in Paul's Epistles, e.g., in Rom. 8:4-6. (See 1 Cor 6:17 note 2)

The Solution to All Problems in the Church

Let's Pray:

Lord, we thank You for Your word. We praise You that You have shown us Your economy, with Christ as the centrality and the universality. Oh, what a Christ we have!

　
Hymn: 631

If I'd know Christ's risen power,
I must ever love the Cross;
Life from death alone arise;
There's no gain except by loss.

If no death, no life,
If no death, no life;
Life from death alone arises;
If no death, no life.
　
Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 6:1-16

Key Verses:

1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
　
1 Cor 1:23a But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness,
　
1 Cor 2:2 For I did not determine to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and this One crucified.
　
Life Supply:

I am burdened that we all understand what the Lord’s recovery really is. God’s intention in His recovery is to recover Christ as everything. It is to recover Christ as the unique center of God’s economy and as everything to us as our portion for our enjoyment.

We in the Lord’s recovery need to consider our situation with respect to the enjoyment of Christ. How much do you enjoy Christ daily? Do you enjoy Him in all the nineteen aspects revealed in 1 Corinthians? I hope that more and more the saints will be able to declare, “Lord Jesus, I enjoy You and I am very happy in You. Lord, You are everything to me. You are God’s power and wisdom. You are my righteousness, sanctification, redemption, and even glory for my glorification. Lord, you are the depths of God. I pray that You will bring me further into the enjoyment of Yourself as these depths.”

Human life is filled with problems and entanglements. Simply to be alive is to encounter problems and troubles. This is true not only in the married life and family life, but also in the church life. According to the human way, negotiation is the means of solving problems or resolving entanglements. A brother and his wife may attempt to solve problems in this way. However, this is not the divine way. God’s way is to supply you with Christ and terminate you by the cross. Whenever there is a problem in the family life or in the church life, the natural man may immediately try to negotiate and solve the problem through conversation. By the Lord’s mercy I can testify that whenever I face this temptation, deep within I have the sense that there is no need for me to talk or negotiate. My only need is to go to the cross and be terminated. Then Christ comes in with the supply to solve every problem. This is God’s way to solve all the problems in the church life.

We should pay our full attention to Christ. He is our unique preference and choice. Furthermore, we need to have a proper understanding concerning the cross, realizing that the purpose of the cross is to terminate whatever we are. We need to take this cross and enjoy Christ. This is the unique solution to all problems in the church. (Life-Study of 1 Corinthians, pp. 35, 45, 47-48)

　
Questions:

1. What is the unique solution to all problems in the church? (See 1 Cor 1:17 note 3)

2. How do we experience this very Christ? (See 1 Cor 1:9 note 2, paragraph 2)

3. What should we preach? (See 1 Cor 1:23 note 1)

　

Purge Out the Old Leaven that We May Be a New Lump

Let's Pray:

We thank You, Lord, for Your cleansing blood. This is what we trust in every day. Lord, we are still so natural, How much, Lord, we need Your cleansing, the cleansing of Your redeeming blood.

Hymn: 631

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 4:10-5:13

Key Verse:

1 Cor 5:7 Purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened; for our Passover, Christ, also has been sacrificed.

Filling the Blanks:

This indicates that the apostle considered the believers God's chosen people, who have had their ( ), as typified by the one in Exo. 12. In this ( ), Christ is not only the Passover ( ) but also the entire Passover. To be our Passover, He was sacrificed on the cross that we might be redeemed and ( ) to God. Thus, we may enjoy Him as a feast before God. In this feast no ( ) is allowed to be present. ( ) and the redeeming ( ) cannot go together. (See 1 Cor 5:7 note 2)

The Reward Is an Incentive for Our Work

Let's Pray:

We pray that You would not only speak to us but also dispense Yourself into us through Your rich word. We want to gain You and have Your element added into us.

Hymn: 631

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 3:14-4:9

Key Verse:

1 Cor 3:14 If anyone's work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward;

1 Cor 3:15 If anyone's work is consumed, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Filling the Blanks:

The salvation that we have received in Christ is not by our ( ) (Titus 3:5) and is ( ), unchangeable in nature (Heb. 5:9; John 10:28-29). Hence, those believers whose Christian works are not ( ) by the judging Lord and who suffer the loss of ( ) will still be saved. God's salvation as a ( ) gift to all believers is for eternity, whereas the Lord's reward to those (not all) believers whose Christian works are ( ) by Him is for the ( ) age. The reward is an incentive for their Christian work. (See 1 Cor 3:15 note 3)

We Are God's Cultivated Land, God's Building

Let's Pray:

Lord, save Your people so that they may be transformed and become the precious materials -- gold, silver, and precious stones-- having all the precious, transformed materials.

Hymn: 631

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 3:1-13

Key Verse:

1 Cor 3:9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's cultivated land, God's building.

Filling the Blanks:

The believers, who have been regenerated in Christ with God's ( ), are God's cultivated ( ), a ( ) in God's new creation to grow Christ that precious ( ) may be produced for God's building. Hence, we are not only God's cultivated land but also God's ( ). Corporately, we as the church of God have Christ planted in us. Christ must ( ) in us and, in the sense of this chapter, produce out of us not fruit but the precious materials of ( ), ( ), and precious ( ) for the building of God's ( ) on earth. (See 1 Cor 3:9 note 2)

Things Which God Has Prepared for Those Who Love Him Have not Come up in Man's Heart

Let's Pray:

Dear Lord, we are happy to give You thanks for bringing us into such a high level. Lord, here we can see something marvelous, excellent, something that will surprise us to the uttermost.

Hymn: 631

Today's Verses and Footnotes: 1 Cor 2:1-16

Key Verse:

1 Cor 2:9 But as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not come up in man's heart; things which God has prepared for those who love Him.''

Filling the Blanks:

To love God means to set our ( ) being -- spirit, soul, and body, with the heart, soul, mind, and ( ) (Mark 12:30) -- absolutely on Him, that is, to let our entire being be ( ) by Him and lost in Him, so that He becomes ( ) to us and we are one with Him practically in our daily life. In this way we have the closest and most intimate ( ) with God, and we are able to enter into His heart and apprehend all its ( ) (Psa. 73:25; 25:14). Thus, we not only realize but also ( ), enjoy, and fully participate in these deep and hidden things of God. (See 1 Cor 2:9 note 3)