1 Corinthians 1-9: Challenging Church - 7 Studies for Individuals or Groups (Dever)

Even today, Jesus is still a figure of intense interest and admiration for millions. But then there’s His church. Church is a boring topic for most, and a reluctantly fulfilled duty for many. 

And we can understand why. Churches say they have the best news in the world, that they have the answer to our problems, that they are God’s embassies on earth; and yet churches are made up of people like you and me, who are grumpy, irritable, unfaithful, selfish, and worse. 

And as that is sadly true of churches today, so it was of the church in Corinth. It was young, it was full of life, and it was just as full of problems. What would God say to such a challenging church? What did they need to be excited by, to listen to, to learn?

Use this seven-study guide to open up the first nine chapters of the letter of 1 Corinthians, to hear what God said to His church in Corinth, and what God still says to His church today.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Why study 1 Corinthians?

Timeline

1. Count your blessings - 1 Corinthians 1 v 1-9

2. Unite in "foolishness" - 1 Corinthians 1 v 10 - 2 v 16

3. Unite as God's community - 1 Corinthians 3

4. Recognize real ministers - 1 Corinthians 4

5. Don't go soft on sin - 1 Corinthians 5 - 6

6. Let your calling count - 1 Corinthians 7

7. Use your rights - 1 Corinthians 8 - 9

Leader's Guide

Author

Dr Mark Dever is Senior Pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and President of 9Marks Ministries. Married to Connie with two grown-up children, he is the author of books including The Deliberate Church and What is a healthy church? He has a M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell, a Th.M from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Cambridge, UK.

Endorsements

"The format is very user-friendly and the content is rich and accessible." - Justin Taylor, Gospel Coalition blogger and Vice-President of Editorial, Crossway 

"God-centered, application-oriented, and driven by the text throughout, this resource is a gift to God’s church." - Matt Smethurst, Gospel Coalition reviewer and Master of Divinity student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Here at Covenant Life Church, we have greatly benefitted from the small group resources from The Good Book Company. Many small groups in our family life ministry have used "Colossians: Confident Christianity" in their study of scripture. Additionally, our youth ministry has used "Romans 1-5: God and You" in their small groups. Both resources were very easy to use, helped the reader engage directly with the scriptures, and had a wonderful pastoral emphasis demonstrated in all the questions." - Dave Brewer, Youth Pastor at Covenant Life Church, Maryland