Prefer Order

• Look out for the unbeliever (v20-25).
• Build up believers – have order (v26-40).

Application:

• Maintain order in services.
• Encourage participation.
• Weigh up what you hear – Think!

To listen to Mark Ventham preaching at Christ Church on Sunday morning 2nd August 2015 use the player above..

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Questions for discussion in Community Groups

1. What does Paul mean when he writes, stop thinking like children?

2. What will it mean to think naïvely of evil? What will it mean in practice? How are we to engage in the world, in light of this command?

3. Why does Paul say, “in your thinking be adults”? How did this apply to them, how does it apply to us?

4. Why is it we struggle to think? How can we encourage one another to think? Why is thinking so important in the Christian faith? How do we hold the tension between emotion and thinking?

5. How are tongues a sign for the unbeliever? How does verse 21 fit? How is prophecy a sign for believers and yet also benefit unbelievers?

6. In light of the principles that Paul establishes in verses 22 to 25, how might we look out for unbelievers, how might what we do hinder them in their unbelief?

7. In verses 26 to 36, Paul lists a number of rules regarding tongues and prophecies, what principles are we to take from them? (Maintain order; participation, weigh/discern what we hear – be Berean like, Acts 17.) How might we apply these to our context?

8. Looking back over chapters 12 to 14 what has Paul’s big concern been? What has been his big lesson? How are we applying these principles?

9. What has surprised you by what we have seen in chapters 12 to 14? What has encouraged you? What has challenged you? What have you learnt about God, church life, yourself? What are you going to do now?

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Series: 1 Corinthians (2015)