1 Corinthians 16 - Final recommendations

This is the last chapter with final recommendations. The Greek culture valued the spirit but Christianity prays that the will of the Lord may be done here on earth, i.e., earth matters too. 

It is very common that pagan religions despise charity, as they view suffering as a consequence of someone's evil. Christianity is different: Paul called the Corinthians to collect money for the saints (in Jerusalem), i.e., matter matters.

He wrote:
13 Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 All that you do must be done in love.
As a soldier, he expects that a Christian is strong, but also that he loves. Generally, it is very difficult to find a strong person that loves - in general, the stronger wants to dominate the weaker; and a loving person is generally seen as weak. Certainly Jesus in earth was a loving and strong person.
 

In verse 22, Paul used a word in Aramaic: "Maranatha!". I always thought that it meant "May our Lord come!" (a prayer), but now I saw that it may also means: "Our Lord has come" depending on how the Aramaic Syllables are divided (but the text is in Greek). The gospel is all about "Our Lord/Savior has come!".

1 Corinthian 15 - Ressurection for Greek Believers

 In Greek culture, the matter is bad and the spirit is good, i.e., a person is released from the matter when he dies. It was difficult for them to understand that the Lord's creation is good. For them, Lord's creation was some kind of prison and we are set free only when dying. So, how come "we resurrect from the death"?

Jesus took the price for our sins and Jesus resurrected from the death, but it was difficult to them understand why Jesus would resurrect to this world made of matter? How come Jesus had a body?

Paul argued that there were many alive witness that they could inquire, but for me, the most intriguing was James, Jesus's brother.
Before resurrection, James and his brothers didn't believe in Jesus as the Messiah but Paul wrote:

7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 

James became the leader in Jerusalem. The epistle of James begins with:

"James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,"

What made James declare that he is a bond-servant of his brother Jesus? The resurrection.
Paul stated that it is crucial that the Corinthians believe in resurrection:

17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

To be a Christian is to believe in Jesus and his sacrifice for our sins, but it is also to believe in resurrection.
I am getting old. I was born with a problem in my heart valve that is now being calcified, i.e. it is loosing the capacity to correctly bomb my blood. I am retired and I really wanted to enjoy my retirement as long as possible; so this discovery about this valve problem was a very bad news to me. However, for me as a Christian it doesn't lead me into despair because I believe in the resurrection.

1 Corinthians 14 - In the church, you activiy edifies more the church or yourself?

Paul wanted that the Corinthians belong to a healthy church. I am from Brazil and here we have "macumba", an Afro religion, where people get in trance when they receive "spirits" loosing self control. This kind of religion was popular among many nations, particularly in the Corinth city. When the gentiles accepted Jesus, they received the gifts of tongues. They behaved as a person in transe because they didn't communicate with others in the church. Perhaps, when someone talked in strange tongues (that no one understood), he was in fact praising the Lord, but only him was "blessed" by it, not the church. Another gift was to prophecy that is to edify/strength others, to encourage/exhort others and to comfort/console others. This gift prioritize/blessed the church. Thus Paul recommends that the Corinthians seek much more to prophecy than to speak in tongues. The church must be a place of order instead of disorder.

1 Corinthias 13: Love is superior to the gifts of the Spirit

Love is superior to the gifts of the Spirit shown in the previous chapter. The gifts of the Spirit must be used in favor of others and not to make one feels superior. Besides, these gifts will cease one day, whereas love is forever. For instance: prophecy will cease and love not.
A church full of love and lack of supernatural power is superior to a church full of supernatural power but without love. 

However, don't we need power to love? Power to be kind, patient and not envy? Certainly, I need.

1 Corinthians 12 - the church must work coordinately

Imagine a church where leaders and members want to bless the each other for serving Jesus. It would be a beautiful church. In the Corinth church some members wanted to be respected by others, while others felt that they didn't deserve to be there. Paul wanted them to see themselves as the body of Jesus - where each member has its function and works coordinately with each other. Love is what unifies every one in the church, so that they work coordinately.

1 Corinthians 11: church: a place of respect and love

In the first century, a woman using a veil in public was showing that she was married. A single respectful woman should use a white ribbon(the vitta) on her hair. Today,  a woman uses a ring as such symbol. A woman with an uncovered hair would be seen as a prostitute. In a way, a woman with her hair covered was signaling that she is under authority. Imagine what message would women with her hair uncovered would send to the world at that time! Paul wanted them to show that they should be respected by outsiders.
The church in Corinth was taken the holy communion in a disrespectful way, as they were in a restaurant today. The wealthy people used to eat much more delicacies than the poor in holy communion (the wealthy would drink a very good wine while the poor a bad wine). Paul wanted them to show love (in holy communion) and respect (women with covered hair) for each other in the church. 

1 Corinthians 10: playing with God

Some Christians in Corinth thought that they could have a "normal" life in Corinth, i.e., they could consciously eat meat sacrificed to idols with their friends while sharing the holy communion in church. At that time, meat was a delicacy which was commonly sacrificed to idols. As a delicacy, people would meat when doing business, or meeting their family to commemorate something. Paul argued that "love" is above "freedom in Jesus"; so they recommend them to refrain on scandalizing others. The law per se is not what should guide the life of Christians. Perhaps, looking only the law, the meat per se is not bad because a meat is not changed into other thing when sacrificed to idols. Although we don't face the problem of meat sacrificed to idols nowadays, we must ask: "What then should be our basis of conduct?" Paul says:

31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God. 32 Do not offend Jews or Greeks, or the church of God; 33 just as I also please everyone in all things, not seeking my own benefit but the benefit of the many, so that they may be saved.