1 CORINTHIANS 11

Heart Issues
The greatest challenge to my heart today is that I need to be following so closely to Christ that others can follow my example and know that they are following Jesus. There are areas in my life I know of that this is not fully the case yet, such as my diligence in prayer. I want this to be a mark of my life that leads others to see Jesus in me. I also want to continue to stand up for God’s word even in the midst of a culture that rejects so much of its teaching. Today’s teaching on men’s and women’s roles is so true and foundational to our society. Through the feminist movement this has been shrugged off and taught as heresy even within the church. We are equal, but God has created us for different roles. This is so evident in life, sometimes I wonder why we fight it. I can’t have a baby and I am not as good of a nurturer as my wife. Finally, the Lord’s supper is such an awesome representation of Jesus’ sacrifice and I always want to reverence that event fully. I never want to take the cross lightly for the price was high and the sacrifice was great. Thank you Jesus for your grace!

Notes
The first verse in this chapter really fits better with the last chapter. After dealing with freedoms and how Paul deals with them he says to follow his example as he follows Christ. This is an awesome statement that I want to be able to say in my life. I want to be able to tell others to follow me as I follow Christ, and my hope would be that I would not be leading them astray.
-In our culture today everyone wants to reject the teaching of man’s role as leader and the woman as subordinate to him. In life it seems to play out naturally and when the opposite roles are taken something just seems off. Does the head covering or the long/short hair still apply? I really don’t think so, but it was a traditional symbol of man’s role as leader and woman’s role to follow and be his helper. Symbols aren’t always needed, but the teaching still has value.
-It is notable that even Christ was in some way subordinate to the Father even though He was fully God himself. This should help women to know that they are not thought of as less than man, but we have roles in life that when played out correctly makes more sense. God knew what He was doing when he created us.
-When I think about the Lord’s supper I am always so challenged by the sacrifice of Christ and His willingness and joy to go to the cross for us. He knew it the whole time and was unrelenting in his pursuit of it. He spoke of it for a long time before it ever happened. We should take the Lord’s supper continually in remembrance of His sacrifice.
-We don’t struggle much with the issue of the Corinthians anymore because all we get is a cracker and a swig of juice. This concept still applies though in the way we interact as the body of Christ. We are so segregated on Sundays by economic, social, and racial differences. We are to be united in taking the Lord’s supper together. We should help lift up each other and provide for each other instead or gorging ourselves.
-It is pretty intense to think of the reverence we should have for the Lord’s supper for we can eat and drink judgment on ourselves. God’s judgment for us is to lead us to repentance and discipline us not to smite us.