Our common prayer is that we would understand God’s heart, will, word and plans for our lives. We all want to experience God’s blessings in our lives; and in the lives of the ones we love. It is God’s prayer. It is Paul’s prayer. It is our common prayer that we would ALL be:
The resurrection of Jesus Christ proclaims to us as believers that Jesus’ life should not and cannot be limited to one generation. The things that Jesus said and did were too awesome, too incredible, too transformational, and too important to be lost. The resurrection proclaims, by the very hand of God, this truth. His life, death and resurrection initiates a new day for creation. It invites us into a new kind of life. His commands and instructions are to be a guide for every generation as a new way of being humanity together.
Paul continues his conversation with the newly formed Corinthian church. In verse one he tells them they are at risk and that he does not want them to be unaware of this. What are they risking? They, like their adoptive ancestors the Israelites, are at risk of losing the honor of their faith. He uses analogy and allegory to help these Christians in Corinth understand two things.
In verses 1-4 He tells them that Christ’s presence was with the Israelites just as Christ’s presence is with the church. The Red Sea was Israel’s baptism, the manna was the body of Christ, the water that gushed from the side of the rock was the blood of Christ and the rock that Moses struck was no other than Christ himself! The Spirit as well was with them in the day-cloud and in the night-fire. Thus for Paul, we Christians are none other than the original Israel in contemporary form as the ecclesial people of God. Continue Reading…