Traveler's Log

Lance Sisco

June 29, 2012

Today's Passage: 1 Corinthians 11

Hi. I'm Lance Sisco, husband to an amazing wife (Mandy) and father to four incredible children: Allie (6), Caleb (5), Riley (3), and Griffin (1). I enjoy traveling with my wife, wrestling with my boys, and pushing my daughter on the swing. I'm a huge fan of the Word, the outdoors, tacos, sports of all kinds, and Oklahoma State University. When I'm not at home, I get to hang with the Married Team at Watermark as the Director of the Newly Married Ministry.

Key Verse:

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:26)

Central Truth:

The Lord's Supper is not only an opportunity to remember the selfless sacrifice our Lord made to save us from sin, but also a reminder of our role in proclaiming the gospel daily, through word and deed, until His return.

REMEMBER

I love Paul's letters because they always seem to be filled with a wonderful balance of encouragement and correction. In this passage, we find Paul offering up encouragement to the church in Corinth for its ability to remember him and maintain the traditions he had passed down to them. Soon after the praise, Paul lets them know that he's also disappointed, and it's kind of a big deal. He tells them that when they come together, it's not for the better, but for the worse; a far cry from the unity that defined the early church. (Acts 2:42-47)

Paul addresses this divide, between those who had plenty and those who were in need, in typical Paul form. He avoids behavior modification to address the issue of the heart. He first paints a picture for them of what he has heard their meeting together looks like. For the sake of simplification, he basically lets them know they're selfish and unfocused. They're more concerned with their own physical thirst and hunger than the spiritual nourishment that should come from this event. Stop and think about this for a minute. They were celebrating a selfless act, Christ's death on the cross, without concern for others. Have you ever missed it like this? I have regularly, and yet I'm thankful for grace-filled followers who shift my focus back to the gospel.

This passage reminds us through the church in Corinth that when we meet together, whether it be for communion, baptism, community, corporate worship, or even a simple meal, we should be reminded of the way Christ laid down His life for us. This sacrifice saves us from being slaves to sin and restores us to right relationship with the Father. He is our provider. He is our sustainer. And our remembrance of these truths should stir our hearts to proclaim the gospel until He returns.

"This is the normal movement of worship: the preciousness of Christ presses itself on our memory, and then that inner remembering breaks out in our proclaiming the worth of what we remember." --John Piper

Discussion Questions:

1. Take some time to remember all that Christ has done for you through His death and resurrection. Make a list of everything His death provides to help sustain you daily. Use the following Scriptures to guide you on the journey: Hebrews 4:14-16, Titus 3:3-7, Galatians 5:1, Colossians 1:13-14, Ephesians 2:13, and Ephesians 1:1-14.

2. How will these truths transform the way you face each day?

3. As you think through all that Christ has done for you, what are you doing to keep these truths at the forefront of your mind? Pick a verse or two to memorize so that it is ingrained on your heart.

4. After yourself, who else do you know that needs to hear the message of the gospel proclaimed? What is your plan for pursuing them with this powerful message?

WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY

1 Corinthians 7-11 (June 25-29)

Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-11.

• In verses 1-10, who is the writer talking about?
• Do you remember all the things that happened with to Israelites in the wilderness?
• What does verse 11 tell us about the Israelites?
• What does it mean for something to be an example for you? What about a warning for you?
• Have you ever thought about learning from someone else's mistakes or example?
• What are some things you have learned from other people just by watching them?

Activity: God gave us His Word so that we would have a clear guide on how to live in a way that brings Him great glory. Let's think back on the stories that He gave us as examples and what we can learn from them. For each story, have someone give a short version of what happened in the story and then everyone talk about what we can learn from them.

Stories: Noah and the Ark; Moses and the Red Sea; Eve in the Garden; Daniel in the Lion's Den; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Fiery Furnace; Joshua and the Wall of Jericho; David and Goliath.

Comments

Lucina

June 29, 2012 05:42:02 AM

I'm glad to say that I "remember" seeing you do all the daddy things you mentioned in your bio--a great testimony of your faith lived out. I was glad Paul reminded me how to "parent" well--commend and then correct. And boy do I need correction! I want to submit and come under my authorities (like he addresses here in 3-16) and I want to never take lightly what Christ has done for me. Today, I will remember and reflect on that.

Robert White

June 29, 2012 08:39:34 AM

Lance, What a gift to have you on board! You are a blessing and exhortation to do this life right. Thanks for the life you offer.

Elaine Word

June 29, 2012 11:00:32 AM

Blessings on you, Lance, you had one of my lesser favorite chapters of Scripture to use in a devotional way today, and you made a wonderful encouragement out of it. This chapter always gets brought up when discussing women issues... like praying without a covering, and though I understand how we handle those issues with grace and understanding as they apply to today, it always leaves a bit of intimidation for me as a woman. I like the fact that you sifted through those issues and found the main thing: "remembering" what Christ did for us. It seems to me, that no matter how involved our everyday issues get, we must always get back to the basics of "remembering" what Christ did for us. I appreciate your devotional today, Lance. I also loved reading in your "bio" the things you enjoy. You sound like a great dad and husband. May the Lord bless you as you lead your young family, teaching them as you walk along life's way these truths as well... to always "remember."

Sue Bohlin

June 29, 2012 02:35:37 PM

Hi Lance, and thanks for your devo today! I bet you were thankful there was a section on the Lord's table after the discussion of head coverings, huh? ;-) I spent several hours reading up on this issue from a perspective between feminism and traditionalism, and learned (especially from nuances in the Greek) that Paul was talking about hair length of husbands and wives! The big take-away was that hair makes a statement (as he brings up again in 1 Tim 2) and we need to make our hairstyle statements consistent with a Christ-follower's values of submission to Christ and to other believers, and a wife's submission to her husband. Just as the OT requires that men and women affirm our genders through our clothing choices, this passage says the same thing with hair styles and length of married folk. I’m still munching on these insights. . .