The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. Today we have followers of Rob Bell, Rick Warren, and even Joel Osteen (for some reason). For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, and whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. You and I cant have more of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we can give Him more of ourselves, and experience more fully what is already ours as children of God. What should our evaluation of a ministry look like I wonder if its not by numbers? Here in Verse10 he briefly shows us the ground of unity, and the nature of unity in a church. Some are of Ritchie, and some are of Roper, and a few of Stedman! There should be unanimous agreement. Apollos was an intellectual. He recognizes that we share a common life if we have come to Christ; we are brothers and sisters because we have his life in us. They were boasting over who had baptized them. It was considered honorable for you to stand up for yourself in this way. 10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1Corinthians 1:10 RSV). 16(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) That is what they were doing with baptism here in Corinth. Paul, however, was a good leader. We become followers of out Pastors and churches rather than of Christ. Take the various mega-churches for example, whose charismatic pastors live in mansions. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. A young pastor who was facing that problem in his church called me this week from another state. Who are we, that we should put our interests and our desires ahead of that of the Lord for his church? He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. And more than that, we have a responsibility to obey him, to follow his Lordship. By focusing on Jesus we can see how important the parts of church really are. (Peter, evidently, had been through Corinth and had preached there.) The search went on until nightfall, but no answer came to their urgent calls. These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. The elders should make their decisions with the same mind and the same judgment. It is the popular thing today to cry, "Back to the Reformation!" Doesnt He deserve better than this? the author asks. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. He gathers disciples and establishes a church, a meeting place for educating his disciples. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. That is not the work of men; that is the work of God himself. The church was divided into factions, and one group was urging him to take half the congregation and go to another part of the city and start a new church. Galatians: Freedom through Gods Grace (Wipf & Stock, 2019). Now, here the apostle makes very clear that the tendency among groupies is to distort the meaning of symbols. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. From the book of Acts we learn that Apollos was an outstanding orator in a world that loved and appreciated oratory. So we have the possibility for this very thing right here. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. If it is to expand the congregation and further the work of the Lord in that area, and he had the whole agreement of the leadership of the church behind him, then it is fine to take part of the congregation and go away and begin another work. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. They were dividing over this whole issue, and Paul says it is all wrong. Was Paul crucified for you? "I appeal to you," he says, "by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." That is why the apostle appeals to it. The countless denominations and different beliefs of Christianity are often not appealing to non-believers. Paul, however, was a good leader. Help me walk from day to day, with its shadows o'er me. This doesnt mean that they have to agree on the minutest points in areas where there is no clear teaching in Scripture. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. The cross of Christ is what will heal the fragmentation of Christians wherever they are. Unfortunately, this has effected our outreach. Some say, "I am of Gothard," and others say, "No, I am of Bright." Like the world, Christians are too concerned with being right and having our way. When the lifeless body of the little one was carried back to the anxious mother, she cried aloud, Oh why didnt you join hands before?. This is a very propitious time for us to consider the cross for this is Palm Sunday, commemorating the day when our Lord entered Jerusalem for his last week. 3- The presence of an immoral member. How many of you have ever put together a jigsaw puzzle? How important was unity to the apostle Paul, and to the Holy Spirit who moved Him to write this letter to the Church in Corinth? What happens when you get a tear in a piece of clothing and you keep washing and wearing that piece of clothing with the tear in it? (Philippians 2:6-8 RSV). Like I talked about in the first posting, the emerging church makes me question a lot of things they are doing. Conclusion. Other divisions were to follow. I understand the fact that people have different beliefs and would like to stick to those (it is good to sick to what you believe) but when you get so segregated that you cannot work together anymore, it becomes a serious problem. It wipes out all the petty distinctions that men make among themselves. If you will turn in your Bibles with me to John 17:20-23, I will read the passage to you. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. I was taking my break and a person I work with asked where I went to college. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. But yet the apostle says they are to be of the same mind. The same viewpoints are still dividing people. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. We may not all agree on the way to do church but there is definitely more than one effective way. Unity in the church is something that requires cooperation with each other and with the Spirit of God. Was Paul crucified for you? Something shows up sooner or later as an identifying badge that marks them as "special," with special privilege and special status in that group. There were, first of all, the loyalists who said, "We are of Paul. I'm nobody, just like you!" Now, he describes the nature of unity this way, "that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." Paul always expresses great concern about the possibility of a split in the church. It is interesting how quickly we forget where our gifts come from and think we are the cause of success. Therefore our boasting should only be in the Lord (1 Corinthains 1:26-31). Maybe if they are getting rid of core doctrine it is a justifiable anger but I can definitely see how the church is very much the same as 2000 years ago. That was the mark, that was the identification badge. It is those who have a financial interest in their own wellbeing, that divide the sheep up into different folds. Many of us are familiar with this common phenomenon in human psychology of thinking that some symbolic thing that is of use to us is so important that we finally make it a badge of the group to which we belong. Let's go back to Jerusalem. As bad as it is, it makes sense for the people of Pauls day to be concerned with whatever home church has the best orator, and then argue for them to other potential followers. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. Some of them were saying, "Well, Paul baptized me." The church is never called to having everybody think exactly alike. Some had no problem with consuming meat that had been sacrificed to idols; for others, it was a real offense. Its pathetic that people should get so angry about whether drums are used or if the AC unit is kept at 71 or 70. If so, what results are we shooting for? Their conflicts undoubtedly had its theological and philosophical dimensions, but it was social as well, human and petty, high on pride and low on love (Polhill 233). Ridiculous? The words made complete mean to be perfectly joined together, like a jigsaw puzzle. For a local church to be spiritually healthy and effective, and for there to be harmony in the local church, there must be doctrinal unity. There are some people who minister to us better than others, and it is only natural that we should listen to them and follow them. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. Still others say, "We are of Schaeffer," and others, "We are of Graham," or, "We are of C.S. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. The facts in the gospel are what will set us free, and particularly, he says, the word of the cross. Webdivided. We need to be perfectly joined together in the love of Christ. It seems like this isnt a problem and doesnt affect the church much in its present state. After all, he was one of the first apostles that Jesus himself called." The minister is waiting, Bible in hand. Their relationship to Christ was the unifying factor of the church. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. Subject to permissions policy, all rights reserved. We are all equally undeserving of salvation and a relationship with Jesus Christ. Its all about who looks the best, how much money is made, and how big our churches are. Some pigged out at the Lord Supper; others had barely enough to eat. But when it comes to the clear teachings of Gods Word, there cannot be two conflicting views that are both right. Some sued their fellow Christians in the secular courts. Now, we all have our favorite preacher, and up to a point that is not wrong. Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. Will we do so by the strength which God alone can and will supply? WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. But it is the exclusiveness that Paul is concerned about here -- people who do not even want to come to a service if someone other than their favorite is preaching. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. People begin to think things about him that are not true, and expect things from him that he is unable to deliver. He then goes on to describe for us the mind of Christ, which is a willingness to give up rights and personal privileges and give in and take a lower place. Now, in Verse13 you understand why. I think that some of the ways we have failed to de-paganize is because we are still so focused on the little things that make up the church. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. We reveal our immaturity when we insist that only those with certain characteristics are the ones we will listen to, or we feel can bless or strengthen our lives. The members started to develop division following different leaders. Aside from this acceptable division within the modern church, there are also two other reasons for division which should not exist. When you get men's eyes off all these status symbols, and call them back away from following men to the Person of Christ and his cross, all the divisions will disappear. Sometimes two or three hundred sailors, all of them Christians, would be there. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. The organ begins the bridal march, and everyone stands. He addresses them as brethren. The words made complete in verse 10 are translated from a Greek word that was used to speak of mending such things as nets, bones, dislocated joints, broken utensils, and torn garments. One eye is purple and swollen! He started this church. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). There are even discrepancies inside single denominations (which means we have division inside our divisions, great). There was nothing wrong with them, they were very helpful, but it was not very long before they became status symbols, and they were used to put down, not always intentionally, those who did not have them. The cross strips away our illusions and brings the pride of men tumbling down from that high place where it exalts itself against the knowledge of God. His Word does not disagree with itself. On opening it you found a loose-leaf notebook with many of the small, half-page materials that the Navigators printed their Bible helps on. He come to Corinth to create a community of disciples from which he might receive patronage and prestige.
Haulover Beach Busy Times,
Predator Proof Chicken Tunnel,
Articles W
