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Kyle Kauffman 3/15/26 Kyle Kauffman 3/15/26

A Cross-Shaped Life

Kyle Kauffman

One of the main problems in the church at Corinth seems to be that they were more shaped by the values and priorities of the culture they lived in then they were by the cross that they confessed to believe in. This is an ever-present danger for the individual Christian and the church as a whole. We can so easily adopt the values and priorities of the culture and simply adopt Christianity to those. But following Jesus is meant to radically change our values and priorities. We see this in the case of Paul and what he says to the Corinthians in chapter 4. He shows us what a cross-shaped life looks like and pushes us to think about where our lives may be more in line with the culture than with the cross. We are challenged to see that following Jesus is not just about adding something to our lives, it’s about a complete reorientation of our lives around the cross.

1 Corinthians 4:8-21

Kyle Kauffman 3/8/26 Kyle Kauffman 3/8/26

The Problem of Self

Kyle Kauffman

One of the most universal problems that people face in every culture and in every age is the problem of self. We may be prone to have to high a view of ourselves or too low a view of ourselves, but either way we are prone to think and focus on ourselves way too much. This was a problem in Corinth, and it remains a problem in our own day. So often we try to solve the problem of self by focusing more on ourselves with self-esteem, self-help, and self-care. This never cuts to the root of the issue and deals with the pride that is the source of all the problems with self. While we long to be free of the problem of self, none of our human solutions end up working. Only the gospel is able to liberate us from ourselves so that we can live a life of self-forgetfulness. This is what then frees us to joyfully live to glorify God and love others rather than being so focused on ourselves. This is what Paul found in Christ and this is what he invites us to find as well.

1 Corinthians 3:18-4:7

Kyle Kauffman 3/1/26 Kyle Kauffman 3/1/26

Growing Up in Christ

Kyle Kauffman

Many of the best gifts we receive in this life also come with responsibilities and challenges. Whether it is friendship, a job, marriage, children, owning a home, or any other gift, we can see how the gifts we are given also bring responsibilities and challenges in our lives. The same is true of ministry in the church. While Paul is mainly referring to himself and Apollos in 1 Corinthians 3:1-17, what he says here applies to every Christian. We are all called to minister to one another in the church. We have been given specific gifts, abilities, and interests that God wants us to use to love and serve one another. This ministry is both a gift and challenge for many reasons. And 1 Corinthians 3 is a great source of encouragement to us as we seek to do the work of ministry God has called us to.

1 Corinthians 3:1-17

Kyle Kauffman 2/22/26 Kyle Kauffman 2/22/26

True Wisdom

Kyle Kauffman

We live in a day of almost limitless information and knowledge. We can access it all at the hands of our fingertips. And the ability to know and find more information will likely only increase as our technology continues to increase. But is all this information and knowledge making us wise? Or is it making us fools? God tells us in 1 Corinthians 2 that true wisdom is not the same as simply knowing more or being culturally or technologically savvy. Rather true wisdom is found trusting God even when trusting him seems to go against the wisdom of our day. This trust should lead us to seek wisdom in what God has revealed rather than simply in more knowledge and information. And this wisdom is displayed in pursuing a life of living more like Christ. It’s this posture, source, and pursuit that define what true wisdom looks like in an age of limitless information and knowledge.

1 Corinthians 2:1-16

Kyle Kauffman 2/8/26 Kyle Kauffman 2/8/26

United by the Cross

Kyle Kauffman

The church has struggled with unity from it’s very beginning. Anytime a group of people starts to gather together there is going to be the threat of division. Paul sees this as a threat not only to the harmony of the church but also to the truth and witness of the gospel. In a church that is full of different problems and issues, it’s instructive that Paul begins by dealing with the issue of division in the Corinthian church. The things that may cause us to divide at times today look different than they did for the Corinthian church, but division remains a constant threat to the church and our witness to the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 1:10-31 Paul shows us what source of our division is often rooted in, and he shows us how the message of the cross unites us together. And the more united we are around the cross of Jesus, the more effective we will be in our witness to the gospel in our world.

1 Corinthians 1:10-31

Kyle Kauffman 2/1/26 Kyle Kauffman 2/1/26

Set Apart by Grace

Kyle Kauffman

God saves us in order to also set us apart. As Christians, we are called to live holy lives as God’s people in the midst of whatever culture or context he has placed us in. We see in Corinth that the temptation to be conformed to the culture rather than transformed by God is an ever present struggle for God’s people. But we also see that the same grace that saves us in the past, present, and future is also the grace that enables us to live holy lives. God does not save us and then leave us on our own. Rather he gives us all we need to live lives of holiness that distinct from the culture and pleasing to him. We are all people who are a work in progress in this area, but we are also people who held fast by God. As a result we can confidently work out our salvation while continuing to be daily dependent on God’s grace to us in Jesus. The more we seek to do this the more we will live as those who are set apart by God’s grace in the midst of a confusing culture.

Acts 18:1-17; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9