1 Corinthians 9; 1 Corinthians 10; 1 Corinthians 11

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1 Corinthians 9

1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord? Aren't you the result of my work for the Lord?
2 Even though others may not think of me as an apostle, I am certainly one to you! You are the proof that I am the Lord's apostle.
3 That is what I say to stand up for myself when people judge me.
4 Don't we have the right to eat and drink?
5 Don't we have the right to take a believing wife with us when we travel? The other apostles do. The Lord's brothers do. Peter does.
6 Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to work for a living?
7 Who serves as a soldier but doesn't get paid? Who plants a vineyard but doesn't eat any of its grapes? Who takes care of a flock but doesn't drink any of the milk?
8 Do I say that from only a human point of view? The Law says the same thing.
9 Here is what is written in the Law of Moses. "Do not stop an ox from eating while it helps separate the grain from the straw."(Deuteronomy 25:4) Is it oxen that God is concerned about?
10 Doesn't he say that for us? Yes, it was written for us. When a farmer plows and separates the grain, he does it because he hopes to share in the crop.
11 We have planted spiritual seed among you. Is it too much to ask that we receive from you some of the things we need?
12 Others have the right to receive help from you. Don't we have even more right to do so? But we didn't use that right. No, we have put up with everything. We didn't want to keep the good news of Christ from spreading.
13 Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple? Don't you know that those who serve at the altar eat from what is offered on the altar?
14 In the same way, those who preach the good news should receive their living from their work. That is what the Lord has commanded.
15 But I haven't used any of those rights. And I'm not writing because I hope you will do things like that for me. I would rather die than have anyone take away my pride in my work.
16 But when I preach the good news, I can't brag. I have to preach it. How terrible it will be for me if I do not preach the good news!
17 If I preach because I want to, I get a reward. If I preach because I have to, I'm only doing my duty.
18 Then what reward do I get? Here is what it is. I am able to preach the good news free of charge. And I can do it without making use of my rights when I preach it.
19 I am free. I don't belong to anyone. But I make myself a slave to everyone. I do it to win as many as I can to Christ.
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew. That was to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one who was under the law, even though I myself am not under the law. That was to win those under the law.
21 To those who don't have the law I became like one who doesn't have the law. I am not free from God's law. I am under Christ's law. Now I can win those who don't have the law.
22 To those who are weak I became weak. That was to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that in all possible ways I might save some.
23 I do all of that because of the good news. And I want to share in its blessings.
24 In a race all the runners run. But only one gets the prize. You know that, don't you? So run in a way that will get you the prize.
25 All who take part in the games train hard. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
26 So I do not run like someone who doesn't run toward the finish line. I do not fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air.
27 No, I train my body and bring it under control. Then after I have preached to others, I myself will not break the rules and fail to win the prize.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica.   All rights reserved worldwide.

1 Corinthians 10

1 Brothers and sisters, here is what I want you to know about our people who lived long ago. They were all led by the cloud. They all walked through the Red Sea.
2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
3 They all ate the same supernatural food.
4 They all drank the same supernatural water. They drank from the supernatural rock that went with them. That rock was Christ.
5 But God was not pleased with most of them. Their bodies were scattered all over the desert.
6 Now those things happened as examples for us. They are supposed to keep us from longing for evil things, as the people of Israel did.
7 So don't worship statues of gods, as some of them did. It is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to dance wildly in front of their god."(Exodus 32:6)
8 We should not commit sexual sins, as some of them did. In one day 23,000 of them died.
9 We should not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did. They were killed by snakes.
10 Don't tell your leaders how unhappy you are with them. That's what some of the people of Israel did. And they were killed by the destroying angel.
11 Those things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who are living at the time when God's work is being completed.
12 So be careful. When you think you are standing firm, you might fall.
13 You are tempted in the same way all other human beings are. God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted any more than you can take. But when you are tempted, God will give you a way out so that you can stand up under it.
14 My dear friends, run away from statues of gods. Don't worship them.
15 I'm talking to people who are reasonable. Judge for yourselves what I say.
16 When we give thanks for the cup at the Lord's Supper, aren't we sharing in the blood of Christ? When we break the bread, aren't we sharing in the body of Christ?
17 Just as there is one loaf, so we who are many are one body. We all eat from the one loaf.
18 Think about the people of Israel. Don't those who eat the offerings share in the altar?
19 Do I mean that what is offered to a statue of a god is anything? Do I mean that a statue of a god is anything?
20 No! But what is offered by those who worship statues of gods is really offered to demons. It is not offered to God. I don't want you to be sharing with demons.
21 You can't drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too. You can't have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.
22 Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? Are we stronger than he is?
23 You say, "Everything is permitted." But not everything is good for us. Again you say, "Everything is permitted." But not everything builds us up.
24 We should not look out for our own interests. Instead, we should look out for the interests of others.
25 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market. Don't ask if it's right or wrong.
26 Scripture says, "The earth belongs to the Lord. And so does everything in it."(Psalm 24:1)
27 Suppose an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go. Then eat anything that is put in front of you. Don't ask if it's right or wrong.
28 But suppose someone says to you, "This food has been offered to a statue of a god." Then don't eat it. Keep in mind the good of the one who told you. And don't eat because of a sense of what is right and wrong.
29 I'm talking about the other person's sense of what is right and wrong, not yours. Why should my freedom be judged by what someone else thinks?
30 Suppose I give thanks when I eat. Then why should I be blamed for eating food I thank God for?
31 So eat and drink and do everything else for the glory of God.
32 Don't do anything that causes another person to trip and fall. It doesn't matter if that person is a Jew or a Greek or a member of God's church.
33 Follow my example. I try to please everyone in every way. I'm not looking out for what is good for me. I'm looking out for the interests of others. I do it so that they might be saved.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica.   All rights reserved worldwide.

1 Corinthians 11

1 Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ.
2 I praise you for being faithful in remembering me. I also praise you for staying true to all my teachings, just as I gave them to you.
3 Now I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ. The head of the woman is the man. And the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings shame on his head.
5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered brings shame on her head. It is just as if her head were shaved.
6 What if a woman does not cover her head? She should have her hair cut off. But it is shameful for her to cut her hair or shave it off. So she should cover her head.
7 A man should not cover his head. He is the likeness and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man.
8 The man did not come from the woman. The woman came from the man.
9 Also, the man was not created for the woman. The woman was created for the man.
10 That's why a woman should have her head covered. It shows that she is under authority. She should also cover her head because of the angels.
11 But here is how things are for those who belong to the Lord. The woman is not independent of the man. And the man is not independent of the woman.
12 The woman came from the man, and the man is born from the woman. But everything comes from God.
13 You be the judge. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God without covering her head?
14 Suppose a man has long hair. Doesn't the very nature of things teach you that it is shameful?
15 And suppose a woman has long hair. Doesn't the very nature of things teach you that it is her glory? Long hair is given to her as a covering.
16 If anyone wants to argue about that, we don't have any other practice. And God's churches don't either.
17 In the following matters, I don't praise you. Your meetings do more harm than good.
18 First, here is what people are telling me. When you come together as a church, you take sides. And in some ways I believe it.
19 No doubt you need to take sides in order to show which of you God agrees with!
20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat.
21 As you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anyone else. One remains hungry and another gets drunk.
22 Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you think so little of God's church that you shame those in it who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you for that? Certainly not!
23 I passed on to you what I received from the Lord. On the night the Lord Jesus was handed over to his enemies, he took bread.
24 When he had given thanks, he broke it. He said, "This is my body. It is given for you. Every time you eat it, do it in memory of me."
25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup. He said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Every time you drink it, do it in memory of me."
26 When you eat the bread and drink the cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again.
27 So do not eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in a way that isn't worthy of him. If you do, you will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 A person should take a careful look at himself before he eats the bread and drinks from the cup.
29 Anyone who eats and drinks must recognize the body of the Lord. If he doesn't, God will judge him for it.
30 That is why many of you are weak and sick. That is why a number of you have died.
31 We should judge ourselves. Then we would not be found guilty.
32 When the Lord judges us, he corrects us. Then we will not be judged along with the rest of the world.
33 My brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.
34 Those who are hungry should eat at home. Then when you come together, you will not be judged. When I come, I will give you more directions.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica.   All rights reserved worldwide.