Our Principle Assets(2023)-6

Our PRINCIPLE ASSETS-VI—1Corinthians 1:7a(:1-9)

ATTENTION:

Pound Cake—My wife makes a fantastic ‘sour-cream pound cake’, in the manner of Herb Traub’s ‘Pirate’s House’ restaurant in Savannah, GA. What makes the cake stand out above others is the deliciously delectable ‘crust’ that forms on the exposed surface of the cake, that has been baked in a ‘straight-sided, fluted pan.

The pound cake’s ‘crust’ is the cake’s Principle Asset. And that Principle Asset makes it noteworthy.

*And so, the Church has Principle Assets, that are absolutely essential for the Church to succeed, in eternal matters regarding the Kingdom of God!

NEED:

God’s Church, & therefore our church, must administer ‘The Good News’/‘The Gospel’ in this world!

God has blessed us with certain Assets in order to make that work possible. So, IF we ‘forget’ or ‘neglect’ or ‘discard’ those Assets, we will fail our God-ordained mission!

An ASSET— ‘A useful or valuable thing, person, or quality’; ‘An advantage or A resource.’

Paul & Sosthenes opened their letter to the Corinthian church by informing them of their most important spiritual assets.

You...the local(our) church, has important spiritual assets.

We will attempt to answer the question:

‘?What are some of our church’s most important spiritual assets?’

In previous weeks we’ve discovered, that some principle assets of the Christian church are...

1. APPROPRIATE APOSTLES(:1)

2. SANCTIFIED SAINTS(:2)...

&

3. GOD’s GRACE & PEACE(:3)

4. GOD’s ENRICHMENT--parts A & B(:4-6)

Thru Christ--The Importance of Prayer is discovered, God’s Grace is received, God’s people are Enriched in Everything,...particularly--in their Utterance, & Knowledge; & that--The “testimony of Christ” is “confirmed” in God’s people.

Today we’ll continue looking at...

4—GOD’s ENRICHMENT--C(:7a) as A Principle Asset of the Christian church...

Explanation:(:7a)

*God has “enriched” His Church in everything by Christ Jesus(:5)...

:7a—“so that you come short in no gift,...”

That the Corinthian church is “enriched in everything”(:5) “by Christ Jesus”(:4)...Ensured & certified that there would be “no” NEEDED gift” from God, that would be lacking among them!

•Here, Paul is opening up dialogue with the church, informing them that they should not expend their efforts toward looking for any “gift” that they ‘SUPPOSED’ they needed(see chapters 12-14). BECAUSE: God has equipped them ALL with ALL that they actually need thru Jesus Christ!

•1Cor. 14:1, 12—“Pursue love, & desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”.....“Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.”

*WHEREVER God calls you, & to WHATEVER task he calls you, He will also perfectly equip you!—ex: NomCom efforts.

Said another way...The church’s having a “confirmed” “testimony of Christ”(:6), GUARANTEES that they will NOT be short-changed or “come short” in regard to matters of the Holy Spirit &/or “giftedness.” God Himself will see to it! And God Himself will empower it!

Personally, “A Christian is never lacking in any gift that he/she needs to live a full & faithful life.”—MNTC

*This statement of Paul’s, plays into a major issue that the Corinthian church wrestled with!—Their covetousness regarding spiritual giftedness(see chapters 12-14). Along with many other matters that God’s people are plagued with even today, from which God’s people can learn a great deal!

Argumentation:

2Cor. 8:7—“But as you abound in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, & in your love for us--see that you abound in this grace also.”[a monetary gift to the poverty-stricken saints in Judea, by the hands of Paul & Barnabas](Acts 11:27-30)

Col. 2:1-3—“For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you & those in Laodicea, & for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, & attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father & of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge.” And IF you are ‘in Him’, then “all” Jesus’ “treasures” are also available to His people!

Php. 4:13, 19—“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”.....“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

2Cor. 9:10-11—“Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, & bread for food, supply & multiply the seed you have sown & increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.” We are NOT to keep God’s blessings to ourselves! They are meant to be shared!

1Cor. 14:20—“ Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.”

•!Allow GOD to Enrich you, rather than attempting it yourself!

Eph. 4:11-16—“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, & some pastors & teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to & fro & carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined & knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”