Bible Journaling: 1 Corinthians

Let’s read through the book of 1 Corinthians together and discover some creative and fun ways we can respond to the text. Our response to the Bible is worship!

For a broader view of this book of the Bible, we encourage you to watch this video:

Bible journaling tip:

Bible journaling as an activity does not need to remain within the so-called “four walls” of the Bible. Any creative response to the text is worship unto God. You can respond today in a new way by bringing the text into other areas of your life: your home, the food you make, the musical instruments you play, or even in your workplace. If you make candles, how about making a candle that captures scents from a specific book? If you make jewelry, how about creating a metaphor in something you make? If you work an office job, how about adding a sticky note with a memory verse to your wall or shared kitchen? If you enjoy gardening, how about planting things that are mentioned in the Bible?

LOOK UP(information): encounter God through the Scripture 

Author:

This is Paul’s first letter of two to the church in a place called Corinth. In your Bible, find a creative way to link 1 and 2 Corinthians. You can create a physical link, using a piece of string or ribbon. Or perhaps you want to link the two by finding common themes in both and marking them in the same colour. You could draw or paint a map and pin both letters to the place called Corinth. Can you think of another way to link them?

Audience:

Paul knew this church he was writing to well - they spent a lot of time together when Paul was a missionary there for a year and a half. Corinth was a great place to share the Gospel! Corinth was a port city (it had a harbor) which meant that there was a lot of economic activity, and a lot of different people. This led to a lot of different temples to all the gods. See if you can find a reference to this in the letter? Do you notice anything about the metaphors  / pictures that Paul uses to speak to them that tells you something about them?

History:

Most of Paul’s letters to the churches address a lot of issues that they have written to him about, asking for advice. That is why these letters are still so valuablle for us today - they give us practical advice on how to live as believers and normal people in this new Christian way. 

Genre:

The genre of this book is an Epistle - that just means that is a letter. But these letters in the New Testament are not simply letters, they contain the Gospel but in practical real-life examples. Mark all the different themes in this letter in different colors.

LOOK IN(revelation): contemplate / reflect on our own lives

Key verse:

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Inspiration:

In these verses we read about different gifts. What are the spiritual gifts that God has given you? Read the rest of the letter to find a full list of the gifts. Pray and ask God to reveal to you how He wants to use your life for His glory. 

Paul goes on to explain these as a body - for a fun creative activity, you can draw an outline of a human body and write down the different spiritual giftings on the picture.

LOOK OUT(transformation): respond with creative worship action  

Drawing prompt:

Draw / paint a picture of the setting of this letter. 

Remember the city of Corinth is a port city and there was a lot of different cultures represented. Include a scene of the harbor in your picture with a boat and some stalls with merchants selling fresh fruits, fish and more, Try to show the different cultures present when you paint the people. Also, try to represent some of the people who we read about in this letter and the topics that is being spoken about. In the book of Acts, chapter 18, this community of believers in Corinth is also described in more detail. 

Bible Journey with HolyJot:

Here are some questions / prompts provided by the HolyJot community. 

• What had been the Corinthians past religious practice in this verse? (I Corinthians 12:2)
• Who administers the work of the Spirit? (I Corinthians 12:5)

Follow this link to dive into this book with an online Bible Study group.

Writing prompt:

First Corinthians is all about seeing our whole lives transformed when they are affected by the Gospel. For today’s writing prompt, we are going to write about the impact that the Gospel has on every single area of our lives. You can start by grabbing four pages if you write a lot, or folding a page into four if that’ll be enough space for you. 

Create the following categories by writing headings, and use the prompts beneath each one to guide your thought process.

1. Abiding & Lifestyle - Faith, spiritual disciplines. Calling and purpose. How you live as a Christian, including your home and decisions that you make about time. 

2. Family & relationships - If you’re dating this can also be in this category. Who are your closest people? How are you influencing them and how are you being unfluenced?

3. Health, rest & body - What does God say about your body? What can you do to live more healthily? What did rest look like for Jesus?

4. Work, dreams & finances - Career, occupation, aspirations. What does the Bible say about money? How can you practice generosity?

Prayer:

God, I want to thank you for this first letter of Paul to the believers in Corinth. Help me to bring the Gospel into every area of my life. Let my response to this text be worship unto you!