Halfalogues and Mud Pies
June 7, 2026
Two Corinthian groups start with the same (wrong) premise: body bad, will rot; spirit good, will last forever. But they come to opposite (wrong) conclusions. One: It doesn't matter what we do with our bodies! Two: Focus on the spiritual; ignore the physical. Paul is pulling his hair out (if he had any)! How would you respond?
Devotional: Outreach
June 7, 2026 • Kendal Anderson • TheCrossingChurch.org
1. The sermon opened with a “halfalogue”—overhearing one side of a phone call and assuming the worst, when it turned out to be about a runaway ferret. When’s the last time you filled in a halfalogue with a story that turned out to be completely wrong? Where in life do you most often fill in the blanks with assumptions about other people?
2. READ 1 Cor 7:1 The Corinthians’ apparent slogan was, “It is good for a man not to touch a woman”—they thought extreme self-denial proved superior spirituality. Where in your own life have you (or someone close to you) confused extreme self-denial with spiritual maturity? Where have you confused enjoying God’s gifts with weakness?
3. READ 1 Cor 7:2-6 We said Sunday that the heart of Paul’s instruction about marital intimacy is not “you owe me” but “I owe you.” Where do you find yourself keeping score—in marriage, friendship, or family? What would change if you flipped the question from “what am I owed?” to “what do I owe?”
4. Paul permits couples to fast from sex by mutual agreement, for a short season, to pursue God together more earnestly. What’s the most meaningful thing you’ve ever fasted from to draw closer to Jesus? What would mutual fasting actually look like in a marriage?
5. The pastor said sex is so powerful because in true intimacy you are known, seen, loved, and engulfed—and that briefly touches the deepest longing of every soul: to be fully one with God. Have you ever experienced a moment that felt like a “shadow” of that bigger reality—in marriage, in worship, in friendship, in nature? What did it stir in you?
6. Jesus tells us in Mark 12:25 that in heaven there will be no marriage—not because love diminishes but because it expands; we’ll finally have the capacity to love everyone fully. How does that future change how you think about love and relationships now?
7. READ 1 Cor 7:7 On Sunday we said, “Jesus—the most fulfilled, on-mission, joyful, passionate, completely human person ever—was single.” How does our culture (Christian and secular) actually treat single people? How does our church? How do you? How could we create a culture at The Crossing that welcomes everyone, whether single or married?
8. READ 1 Cor 7:12-15 There can be tension in a marriage in which one follows Jesus and the other does not. Have you experienced that tension? How did you deal with it? What advice would you give to someone who is struggling with this situation?
9. READ 1 Cor 7:16 “Your husband might be saved because of you. Your wife might be saved because of you.” Who is the person closest to you right now whose view of Jesus is being shaped by how you live with them? What’s one specific thing you’d want them to see in you that they’re not seeing yet?
10. NOTE: In v10 Paul mentions that he has a command not from himself, but from the Lord (that is, Jesus). In v12 he tells them he does not have a direct command from the Lord. This has no impact whatsoever on the authority of Paul’s words. The words and teachings of both Jesus and Paul are equally inspired by the Holy Spirit; Jesus’ words have no more (or less) authority than Paul’s!