Beautiful Mess: Locating Corinth and Its Mess

We’re a Beautiful Mess

Life is messy, but it's also beautiful! In this series, we’re exploring a letter from the Apostle Paul to the early Christians to see how God works in and through our imperfections. Check out Sunday’s message above, then, continue the conversation with the reading plan and resources below.

It will take you one hour to read Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.  We want to encourage you to read the entire letter this week.

  • Monday: 1 Corinthians 1-3

  • Tuesday: 1 Corinthians 4-6

  • Wednesday: 1 Corinthians 7-9

  • Thursday: 1 Corinthians 10-12

  • Friday: 1 Corinthians 13-14

  • Saturday: 1 Corinthians 15-16


Check out the resources used in this week’s teaching, as well as books you can explore if you’d like to dive deeper into our conversation.

  • Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, NIV

  • First-Century Study Bible, NIV

  • Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians, Part 1, by N.T. Wright 

  • Creating a Scene in Corinth, by Reta Halteman Finger

  • Conflict & Community in Corinth, by Ben Witherinton III

  • Apostle of the Crucified Lord, by Michael J. Gorman 

  • The First Epistle to the Corinthians, by Gordon D. Fee 

  • First Corinthians: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, by Richard B. Hayes 

    Check out The Bible Project’s summary video of 1 Corinthians.: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/1-corinthians/ 

    Also, check out this free masters level class from The Bible Project with  nearly 14 hours of digital content: https://bibleproject.com/course/1-corinthians/


  1. What were some of your big takeaways from Sunday’s message?

  2. When you think about the Christian church, in what ways have we been messy?

  3. In what ways have we been beautiful?

  4. Why do you think we study ancient letters written to early Christians? How are these letters relevant for us today?

  5. God loves us just as we are yet still invites us to grow. What does that look like in your life?