 Okay, I think we can begin with whoever's signed in for now. Good morning everyone. Welcome to week two of your classes in your second year here, or third year here, sorry. I'm also teaching the second year so it's a little bit confusing sometimes. But yeah, welcome to your third year for those of you who are doing the whole program and for those of you who are taking specific classes, welcome. So before we go to a small recap of what we did last week and go into our reading for today, I'd just like us to open in prayer. Is there someone online who would be willing to open us in prayer? Okay, let's pray. Heavenly loving Father, once in a while we thank you so much for this beautiful morning. Thank you for bringing us together Lord as a team, the Lord we are from different parts, India and from abroad Lord I pray that you bless us, speak to us Lord this morning and let your word always order a new heart man and soul master. I especially pray for your pastor Lord as he is a teaching Lord. Let you speak to her master and anoint her Lord so that Lord whatever she is going to speak it will not from her words but Lord it will through your spirit master. I thank you and I will ask in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Subhashis. That's very in line with what we're going to read in Corinthians today to be led by the spirit in what you're saying. So thank you. Okay, just to figure out there's something my speakers would be are not set up correctly I think. Okay, I think that should correct it. Okay, so I was just sharing with Jeffina who's here in person with us that I realized that being an online student can be a little difficult to fully stay engaged with what is happening and yeah because it's difficult to like watch a monitor and to keep listening and paying attention. I'm not sure what your experience has been so far but I really want to make it easier for you to stay focused and to stay engaged throughout the class. So I would really like it if like when there's a Bible reading or if I'm asking a question if you're able to respond that you're that you unmute and respond. If you are unable to unmute because different it depends on where you are. Yeah, your surroundings at the time. So I'm just going to ask if you are willing to read or you're okay to unmute and talk during the class. Can we just put a thumbs up next just so that I can see that or I don't know if there's a thumbs up option or is raise hand the only option. Yeah, I guess raise hand is so you can just raise your hand and keep it that way throughout the class. So I'll know that you are okay to unmute and then I may call on one of you to read the passage or something like that. If you aren't able to read then feel free to just leave that off and I'll know that you are unable to unmute. Is that clear? Yes, you can also type in chat and say yes or let me know if you're unable to read. Yeah, so anyone who's okay to unmute at any point and you're able to speak during the class, please just choose that raise hand option. You can click on it now and keep it throughout the class. Click on the raise hand option that's on the bottom. Okay, so I think Brother Lukleka is available to read. Okay, thank you. Okay, so whoever, so Sister Rosalene said that you're available at some point. So whenever you're available just keep your hand raised and if at some point you're not available just remove that raise hand thing. So I'll just look at who's hand is raised so that I know they can read at this point and if at any point in between you're not able to read just remove that. You can click on the raise hand option again and then it'll go off. Right. Okay, thank you. So, Jeffy, now you're available. Okay, so is anyone, we'll just do a small recap of what we covered last week in class. So we looked a little bit at the background and a little bit at the culture that surrounded the letter that was written to the Corinthians. Anyone remember anything we talked about with regard to the city of Corinth? Yeah, just feel free to unmute and share. I think they did. We just saw how the Corinthians are known as prostitutes and the connection between the Athens and the Corinth and how it's a coastal area. And the Corinth was like the market-based monastery over there, how the Corinth was a coastal area. And the Corinthian religions also we looked at the upper lowest and the lower part and I think Aphrodite was in the higher part. And we also looked at how the temple prostitution was built and that's how the prostitution also entered into the church. Okay, so Paul was almost doing a market-based ministry so there were no classic people who were avoided with this. Some of the Corinthians were really nondontical or it's called as I said, like that. So, Paul was, I believe, the most important in that. And we also saw that he spent 18 months in Corinth and then there's one of his second mission in Germany. And we also saw how the upper lowest came after. And there's also one letter that is not in the Bible that we know. Okay, I think that's one of the introductions. Okay, so I think Jeffina covered the main points that we talked about. Thank you. So we looked at the religious aspect, the economical aspect, the geographical aspect of where Corinth was. And we looked at also some other things about where Paul was in his missionary work when he wrote this letter. And yes, that this was not the first letter he wrote. He did a letter before this and this was his second letter to the Corinthians. But this is the first letter we have in the arch by the way. So chapter one, we did up to verse 19. Does anyone want to just give us a quick summary of what we did in those first 19 verses? Just maybe in two or three sentences. What were some of the main points we looked at? Okay, so generally would you like to give us a quick summary of the first 19 verses? Feel free to look at your to have your passage open and then you can check from there. Excuse me, ma'am, I cannot hear you properly. Okay. Is everyone else able to hear me okay? Anyone else having problems with just you can even post it on chat and let me know. If you're unable to hear me, if there's something wrong on my side that I need to correct. Okay. Pupash said you can hear. Okay. Brother Lupega said you can hear me. Okay, okay. Generally it may be your connection, your internet connection. So, yeah, if there's something that you can do to help get a better connection, then that may help. Because I think everyone else is able to hear me. So I was just asking if anyone would be willing to do a quick summary of the first 19 verses. In first Corinthians, what we covered last week. Okay. So, Jeffy, that's a cheer. Go ahead. Yeah. So, in the first Corinthians, we did a study of verse 5 verses from verse 1 to 19. I think that's talking a little bit about the greetings, the salutations of 19 to the place. And from verse 4 to 9, we recognize that God has been for us, especially the special grace that we have given to each one of us. And I don't know, we also studied about standing as a spotless being. I didn't like the verse. And then since 17 we saw how we are actually called to be united in Christ. And we also see in Corinthians background that they were actually divided according to their knowledge and religion. So Paul was actually talking about being united. And in verse 19 and 20, I think it was honest with Isaiah 29 verse 30. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. So I think it's just helpful to go back so that we remember what we were talking about. So even as we go into today's content, we're able to connect back to what had happened earlier in the letter. So some of the main things were the unity because there was division in the church based on which preacher they preferred, right? So some said they followed Cephas and some said they followed Christ. So Paul is calling them to unity. And we see a lot of this division was more based on their preference in the kind of in the way the person preached or in what appeal to their own sense of wisdom. So that was their main criteria for recording one leader over another. So let's go to verse 19. I think that we were somewhere, I think we finished 19 and 20, but we'll read that and then we'll continue from there on. So I'll just read 19 and 20. It said, it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, the intelligence of the intelligent, I will frustrate. Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? And so this actually does a good job of just summarizing that whole issue of division was over what they considered wisdom or what they appreciated as wisdom. And Paul is saying, we don't depend on human wisdom, but we go to the cross and that is where our hope is. And so he's calling them to put their faith in Christ and in the message of the cross, rather than in the leaders who God had sent to them to preach the gospel. So from there, we continue into verse 21. It says, for since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. So we see here that Paul is saying God's wisdom is not to follow the wisdom of the world. He chose something that he knew people would consider as foolishness. So that people would have to choose to believe. They would have to come to him by faith, not based on what was impressive or what seemed completely logical or understandable or what was presented to them in a very attractive way. It was not those things that were going to draw them to Jesus. What was going to draw them to Jesus was the message of the cross. And if they put their faith in Christ, that would be what saved them. And so it's intentional on God's part to choose something that he knew would be difficult for people to accept. They were going to go against the wisdom of their culture and what was valued in their culture to go after something that would seem foolish to anyone who was trying to grasp it with their own wisdom and with their own understanding. And so it did require dependence on the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who would have to give them understanding. It was the Holy Spirit who would give them the ability to respond in faith if their hearts were willing to do it. Let's go on to verse 22 and 24, 22 to 24. Can I have someone read that case? Verse 22, for Jews request a sign and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews or stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Thank you so much. So we see here that Jews, this version, so the NKJV says Jews request a sign. If we look at some other translations, it's Jews demand a sign. So it's not a kind request like please show us a sign. It's more like if you don't show us a sign, we're not going to pick. So that's the attitude with which they were coming to Jesus. And we see that even in Jesus' ministry, when he was going around and sharing, calling people to the kingdom of God. Although he was doing so many miracles, he was so often asked to show them a sign when he was already doing miracles. So it shows that they were not coming with the heart of like really wanting to see the power of Jesus. They were asking for some kind of sign that would satisfy their own hearts. But would they respond to that sign in faith? It seems doubtful because Jesus was already doing so many miracles and they were not responding to that. So a Jews demand a sign and the Greeks valued wisdom, which is what Paul is talking about throughout this. But we do not cater to what people are demanding of us. We will just reach the single message, which is Christ crucified, right? And that is the message that is foolishness to the Greeks because you're following a leader who seems like he was defeated and seems like he was put to shame. And to the Jews it's a stumbling block because the Jews always expected that God would send a Messiah who was going to be a political leader, who was going to rescue them from their oppressors in a way that was more like winning a battle. And so looking at Jesus on the cross seemed counter everything that they had expected. And so that was a stumbling block to them. So the message that we preach about Jesus Christ crucified will not change based on our audience. We will preach the same message because that is where our salvation is. That is where power is. That is where God's wisdom is revealed. And God's wisdom is not the wisdom of this world. God's power is not the power of this world. And we see in verse 24, but those who are called for Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. So we see the use of the word called here. Now if you look in 1 Corinthians that word is used a lot in chapter one. We see it in verse one where Paul is saying that he's been appointed by God to be an apostle. We see it in verse two. Here it's used more as the church is saved with the purpose that they would live a life that is holy. We see it in verse nine where believers are called into fellowship within the Trinity. So we are invited into fellowship with the Trinity. We see it in verse 24 that those who believe are the people who are called. Where their spiritual eyes will be open to the power and wisdom of the cross. But those who depend on what they can see physically will not accept the gospel. So those who are trying to pursue God with their physical sight and with their own wisdom will not be able to receive the gospel. But those who are open to what the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to them, those who are seeking something that is beyond their own understanding. Those are the people who will come to faith. And in verse 26 we see that those chosen by God will be saved not because of their merit but because of his grace. So when we use that word called it's not that God called some and he doesn't call others. The call is described goes out to everyone. The gospel goes out to everyone. But there are a few who will receive it in faith and there are few who will reject it because they are looking for things based on their own terms rather than willing to accept it on God's terms. And so the people who are called are the people who are saved not based on what they have done or what they deserve but because of God's grace. So those are the ones who are called and saved. Let's go on to verse 25. Does someone want to read that? Because the foolishness of God is wiser than man and the witness of God is stronger than man. Yes. This is why we don't move away from preaching the cross of Christ because although it may seem foolish to people, what may seem weak to people, what is wise in people's eyes is foolishness to God and what is the foolishness of God seemingly is much wiser than what we can understand. And what is the weakness of God on the cross is much stronger than anything that humans can understand. And so we will stick to the message of the cross because in that is true wisdom and true power. So we move on to the next part of this chapter. Someone read from verse 26 to 31 please. So you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. And the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen and the things which are not to drink nothing the things that are. That no flesh should glory in his presence, but of him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. That as it is written, he who glories, let him glory in the Lord. So we go back to that verse 26 what we talked about when we first began discussing the Corinthians. So there was definitely a division based on status within the church. So there were some who were from nobility from an elite background, some who were the manual laborers, the local people who were from a poor background or a lower status. And we can see that Paul is saying not many of you. So there were these people who were from a lower background, there were people who were who were of higher status, but that was not the majority of the church. And it may be because of how Paul chose to carry out his ministry doing the tent baking. So not many were wise, not many were mighty and not many were noble. So God didn't call them because of what they had achieved or who they were, God called them because of his grace. And so when they were going back to fighting over Paul or Paul or sort of relying on their status or on the wisdom that was displayed in their preaching, they were trying to go away from grace to say that human accomplishments are what we will find our identity in. So my identity is in Paul, my identity is in Paul's, my identity is in the leader I follow. And based on how impressive my leader is that I can take pride in that. So that's a problem where we have moved from I am nothing. I don't deserve to be saved, but it's God's grace that has saved me and I totally rely on God's grace for salvation to then finding human accreditation for our sense of identity or our sense of pride. So this is where Paul is saying, this is who you were when you were saved and it's so important to constantly go back to that, constantly go back to the gospel. Because when we go back to that time when we responded to the gospel and faith, we recognize that we responded to that completely out of dependence on God knowing that there is no way I can save myself. There is no way that I can live a life of holiness except by what Christ has done for me and except by the Spirit of God in me. That's how we come to this place of salvation. And so to go back to that place constantly and remember this is who I am, this is my identity as a believer. No matter how big we get in ministry, no matter how many people are applauding us, how many people are following us. When we go back to that core of I am completely and fully dependent on Christ for my salvation and for everything that everything else that I do. We can stay in a place of humility, not get distracted by the attention we are getting or the things that are happening around us but constantly remain in Christ, fully dependent on Christ. So in this verse 26 we see he's talking a little bit from Jeremiah 9 because later on he's going to go, he's going to quote a verse from Jeremiah 9, 24. So if someone can just turn to Jeremiah 9, 23 and read that and then keep that passage open because we'll read verse 24 in a few verses. Jeremiah 9, 23. Jeremiah 9, 23. Thus says the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches. So we see the same idea that we don't find our glory in human achievements in what we own, not in the material possessions that we have. And so that's the same thought that Paul is sharing here in this verse. Verse 27 to 29, God has just like God chose what he knew would be a foolish message to people, the cross of Christ. He also chose what was foolish in the eyes of the world, that is he chose the weak people, he chose the people who didn't have a high status, people who were not considered important. He chose those kinds of people and he made them great, he made them wise. He chose them when they were of no importance to anyone else, God himself chose them and he gives them value, he gives them worth. So that none of us should try to take glory when we are in God's presence. So verse 29, no flesh glory in his presence. So we don't go before God and take an act like we have a glory that is separate from him. We look a little more at that use of glory and who true glory belongs to. But none of us can boast before God. None of us can glorify ourselves in God's presence. Because when we recognize we are nothing, God is made us who we are. We recognize that he's the only one in whom we can boast, the only one in whom we can find glory. Verse 30 says, but of him you are in Christ Jesus again. So it says, but because of him, but because of God you are in Christ Jesus and Jesus became for us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. So the only reason we are in Christ is because of God. That's not because of anything we have done. There's nothing that we can boast about in our own, about what we have done to be in him. And Christ becomes everything. So he is our wisdom, these are righteousness, he's our sanctification, he's our redemption. More and more reasons why we have nothing to boast about. So if we are wise, it is because of Christ. If we are righteous because of Christ, if we are holy, it's because of Christ. If we are redeemed, it's because of Christ. So to remember that everything we are is because of Christ, because of the grace of God. And because we are now in Christ, we can, we have all of these things. We have God's wisdom, we have God's righteousness, we are holy, we are redeemed. All of that is because we are in Christ. And verse 31 says, as it is written, he who glories, let him glory in the Lord. So sister, we can just read Jeremiah 9, you read verse 23. You can read verse 24 now. Jeremiah 9. Jeremiah 9.24. But let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord exercising loving kindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight says the Lord. Yeah, so it says that the one who boasts about this, that they have the understanding to know me. That is again, the same kind of thought that Paul is communicating in verse 31. He who glories, let him glory in the Lord. So if we have anything to boast about, anything to glorify ourselves about, it is in God himself. So if we give glory, we give glory to God. If we boast, we boast in God, because everything we are is because of him. And like Jeremiah 9.24 says, that they have understanding to know me. So even the understanding to know Jesus comes from God. So because, I can't even say it's because of my own understanding or because of my willingness to depend on the Holy Spirit that I have come to faith. And I can't boast in that because that understanding comes from God. So everything is the grace of God covering us through and through in this process of coming to salvation and then living out our faith in Christ. So with that, we can move on to chapter 2. I have here in chapter, in the beginning of your notes, that chapter 2 has been divided in a few ways. So we won't, that's how we will kind of follow the notes. So it says in verses 1 to 5, we're talking about proclaiming Jesus with power. Verses 6 to 10, the Spirit, it's this Holy Spirit who unveils the wisdom of God, who helps us understand the wisdom of God. Verses 11 to 12, it's a Spirit who reveals what God has given to us. Through the gospel, what God has given to us is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. And then verses 13 to 16, it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to have the mind of Christ. So because we are in Christ, the Holy Spirit that enables us to think like Jesus does and to know the things of God. So that's a general division of this passage. So let's begin with verses 1 to 5. Anyone want to read that for us? Should I read none? Harsha, go ahead. And I, President, when I came to you did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling, and my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Thank you. So Paul says there was, I came to you intentionally, not with speech that was impressive, or with using a lot of rhetorical skills that I could have used, but I came to you just with this one goal to preach Christ crucified. So he keeps going back to that Christ crucified. That's the core of what we preach. So he didn't choose to use anything that would attract people to his words. Rather if he wanted to attract people to the person he was talking about and to the message that he was proclaiming, and he intentionally chose a very simple way of sharing it with the people. Now his reason for choosing that he says clearly in verse 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. So he could have gone. He was someone who had been trained. He was a well-learned man. And so even in this letter we can see how he is using, how he is defending what he has said, what he's done. So he is using rhetorical, using these skills of proclaiming something that he wants to say. But in that time when he took the gospel, there was intentionality in which he chose not to use that kind of language because he wanted to show people the power of God. So he preached very simply and then along with that were the signs, wonders and miracles that accompanied his preaching so that the message would be clear and simple for people to receive. But the power of the message would be revealed in what they were seeing as a fruit of the gospel, that people were being healed, that people were being delivered. So both the message and the signs that followed were important in his preaching. In verse 3 he says, I was with you in weakness, in fear and in much trembling. So it might be that was a response to some of the challenges he was facing because we see that there were people who were posing him. So when he is saying that he went in fear and trembling, it might be that because of the circumstances. So we see this or you're just trying to scroll down. So it says, if we go back to Acts 18 where Paul's visit to Corinth is recorded, it says, now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision and said, Do not be afraid but speak and do not keep silent for I am with you and no one will attack you to hurt you for I have many people in the city. So because he was facing some kind of opposition from people, it is possible that he was afraid. And so even though he continued to share the gospel, he didn't have maybe all of that power that maybe Apollos had in his preaching. And Apollos was also gifted as a preacher separate from Paul's giving. So Paul's giving was different and Apollos' giving was different. So when he says fear and trembling, it's possible that he was preaching in circumstances that were difficult so his preaching also was affected by that. But then he goes on to say verse four. So my preaching was not the persuasive words but in demonstration of the spirit and power. So when you think persuasive words, that word can also mean enticing. So some philosophers of that age, there were different views on this. Some of them would say if you're speaking the truth, you don't need to have a very convincing way to portray it because you know what you're preaching and if you're resorting to use rhetoric or resorting to use a very clear way of explaining and trying to prove to people that what he's saying is truth, then they would look down on you. But there was another group of people who said if you know the truth and you're not able to present it in a way that is convincing, then knowing the truth is a waste. So what Paul is saying is I know that I brought to you truth but I was not depending on my skills as a preacher to convince you of the truth. Instead I was depending on the Holy Spirit. So I was depending on the power of the Holy Spirit to convince you of the truth. So that's where the wisdom of God is, right? The truth doesn't need to come with... People do not need to be convinced of the truth by what we say but when they see that word working and impacting people, that itself will prove the truth of what we are saying. I'll just read a little bit from your notes which I really like this part says what you draw, it is commonly stated what you draw them with is what you draw them to. And so we don't want people to be drawn to or to base their lives on human wisdom or anything like emotion, entertainment, hyped up marketing, etc. Our goal is to have people's faith established in the power of God. And so when we take the message off the cross, we also want the power of God to be revealed and we want that to be the thing that convinces people of truth and draws them to God. So I think we just have a minute or two before we take our break. Anything that you would like to share, any learning or any questions, anything that we've covered so far today, nothing so far. Okay, maybe we'll just continue with the next two verses or the next verse how much ever we can complete before the bell goes off. So verse six, however we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age nor of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory. So we see here that Paul is saying, yes, we do preach a message of wisdom. It's not that we are always going to preach something very simple and very plain. No, there are things that are going to be filled with the wisdom of God. It's not the wisdom of this world, but it will be the wisdom of God and we will preach those deeper, heavier kinds of things to people who are ready to receive it. So it is to those who are mature. And we'll see later that Paul talks about the maturity of the Corinthians and whether they were even ready for such a message of wisdom. And the wisdom of God is a mystery which God ordained before time. So this is something that God has revealed to us, something that he had planned before time began and now has revealed to us something that will allow us to share in his glory. So through the gospel we share in the glory of God and that is what he has now revealed to us. So break time will continue from there once you're back. So we come back in 10 minutes. Thank you.