Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). That is why Paul calls us back to it. One day in Africa, a small boy was lost. Yet, in reality as long as correct biblical doctrine is being taught no pastor should be viewed in comparison to one another. The better the orator, the higher the fee, and the more disciples he will attract. Some boasted of their special spiritual gifts; others felt left out. Since November 2021, Reading Acts is edited by Sarah Westphal. In verses 10-12, Paul begins by giving an appeal for unity. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. There are many other things that do cause serious problems stemming from the outside world. Take the various mega-churches for example, whose charismatic pastors live in mansions. Its pathetic that people should get so angry about whether drums are used or if the AC unit is kept at 71 or 70. Austin Hellier Brisbane Queensland Australia. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. Some sued their fellow Christians in the secular courts. I have had to do some degree of battle with this myself. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. 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. It is a serious threat to the life of a church to find people choosing favorite preachers, to the degree, at least, that they do not want to listen to anyone else. He didnt focus on himself being superior to all the rest of the church leaders. RayStedman.org/permissions. The minister is waiting, Bible in hand. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic 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). 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. Some are of Ritchie, and some are of Roper, and a few of Stedman! God, therefore, has designed that there be many teachers, many preachers, many viewpoints, in a church. 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospelnot with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. The news went out but no one had seen the little fellow. And if you were really on the inside circle, your ladder was drawn by none other than Dawson Trotman himself! My answer was that it all depends on the motive. At that time it was under the leadership of its founder, Dawson Trotman, and it was my privilege and delight to be a close friend of his, to have spent a good deal of time with him and to come under the influence of his teaching and his methods. Message transcript and recording 1978 by Ray Stedman Ministries, owner of sole copyright by assignment from the author. What he says we'll listen to, not Paul or Peter or anyone else -- it makes no difference to us." In these cases, there should be freedom to agree to disagree. How important is it that there be unity within the Church? This doesnt mean that they have to agree on the minutest points in areas where there is no clear teaching in Scripture. We feel some sense of connectedness to the teachers (pastors/leaders) whose teachings we sit under while they count us as proof of their effectiveness (numbers). A. (I have been trying for a long time to get my wife to accept that!) The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. And he speaks in the name of or by the authority of, our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we are similar to the ancient world in that some people do see their pastors/teachers as a source of pride. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). Sometimes two or three hundred sailors, all of them Christians, would be there. Now, he describes the nature of unity this way, "that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). That is why we have four gospels, because not even one of the disciples who was with the Lord was capable of giving us a complete enough view of Christ. 13Is Christ divided? To an unbeliever, this looks like we cannot agree on our own religion. We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. The cross of Christ is what will heal the fragmentation of Christians wherever they are. The first noticeable division would be among differing denominations. Perhaps, in their individual efforts, they had missed some spots; so the suggestion was made, Lets all join hands and go through the long grass again. Finally, the child was found, but it was too late. It would be great if all of you would think like me, but unfortunately there are stubborn ones among you, there are depraved ones among you, there are those who have different backgrounds than I have, and some of you just do not think like I do! 14I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 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. I believe that if people would take their eyes off man and stop putting man up up so high and put THE MASTER BACK FIRST in their lives it wont be so much division in our churches. We do not know who the people were who belonged to the house of Cloe, but we must commend them for their courage and devotion. Unless its mended, the tear gets bigger and bigger, doesnt it? 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. Like the world, Christians are too concerned with being right and having our way. If so, what results are we shooting for? It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. That is what Paul speaks about. Conclusion. Ridiculous? They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful What is a clique? The Greek word used here literally means to say the same thing. We have our theological view points, and even our philosophical ones (even though we could have less of that in our churches today in my opinion) but we also have our social dimensions as well. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. Every Navigator had to have a Scofield Reference Bible; that was the only "Authorized Version." Like the orators wanted more money from the fees they charged, many pastors just want more people to look better and have a bigger budget. Christians are all disciples, or better, stewards and servants of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1). Others were saying, "Well, Apollos himself baptized me." This also brings up another Pagan influence which is naming the days of the week after the planets. 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? Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. It was a glorious work. Faith rests on Gods shoulders alone- its not by our wisdom and ability (Polhill 237). Thats not the way a jigsaw puzzle was meant to be put together. This is a radical principle that we need to understand, because, when you understand the cross, there will be no room left for the divisions of men. The facts in the gospel are what will set us free, and particularly, he says, the word of the cross. The followers of Jesus may have believed in Jesus words only, and did not believe that the writings of Peter, Paul, and the other apostles were really Scripture. Verse 12 tells us the source of this problem. When the Corinthians divided into factions, it wasnt so much about core doctrine (nature of God, nature of Christ, the Gospel, the nature of man). If Paul were to visit one of these churches, he would see a good-looking man in a custom suit standing over everybody else, and his mind would go straight to the orators of his day. When everybody decides to put the things of Christ first, and is willing to suffer loss that the honor and glory of Christ might be advanced, that is what brings harmony in a congregation. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. They were drawing themselves up and saying, "Well, you may be of Paul or of Peter or of Apollos, but we are of Christ! A gasp bursts from the guests! His Word does not disagree with itself. As a result, this led to the division among Christian converts and to the Christian community as a whole. Doesnt He deserve better than this? the author asks. It is possible, though, that the divisions among The third thing that every Navigator had was a little black notebook covered in rough-grained leather. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. The members started to develop division following different leaders. Her nose is bloody! Are we willing to love each other as Christ loved us? He started this church. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. Then not only did they have the Bible, but every Navigator who was anybody at all had to have an index drawn in on the pages of the Bible, a kind of a ladder that gave you a clue to where the books were so that with your thumb you could turn up any book in the Bible almost instantly. WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. If I was not raised in a Christian home, I think that I would have the same concerns. In her book, The Key to a Loving Heart, Karen Mains includes a parable about the church entitled The Brawling Bride. Paul says that he does not preach in cleverness of speech because the power of the gospel lies in the facts of the gospel, and not in any mans presentation of them. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). (Even non-denominationals do this, just without claiming a denominational title). Gods people who are moving in revival (like we have been to experiencing right here in Brisbane these last few months) have no qualms about getting together to see the nation of Australia come to Christ. (Philippians 2:6-8 RSV). 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. He called to ask whether I thought that would be right or wrong to do. 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. In Matthew 12:25 the Lord Jesus says, Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand.. Church has become about the pastor and not about his message. (1Corinthians 1:10 RSV). Now, here the apostle makes very clear that the tendency among groupies is to distort the meaning of symbols. In comparison to modern churches, its easy to say that there are hardly any divisions among Christians and differing churchesbut could these divisions still exist today? It is possible, though, that the divisions among WebPaul goes right on, in Verse 12, to describe the forms that these divisions were taking in the church of Corinth: What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas" [another name for Peter], or "I belong to Christ." In the same way, thats not the way the Church was meant to be fitted together. So rather that detailing their accomplishments as orators, Paul describes their functions (Paul planted, Apollos watered, etc.) Like Greg, I recognize this tension in some of the churches I have served in and find it appalling (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). 2 Corinthians In verse 10 we see both Pauls affection for the Corinthian church, and his authority as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Corinthian Church. Unity in the church is something that requires cooperation with each other and with the Spirit of God. Now, he is not saying that it is wrong to baptize; he himself did it, and acknowledges that he did. WebDivisions in the Church. I told them that I do not foresee and end to these divisions anytime soon (sadly). I do not identify my self as being a follower of anybody but Jesus (although there are certain theologians that I do hold in higher regard than others). He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. Let's get back to the beginnings. Because I am a little defensive it seems like they are almost my enemy. "One is your master; all of you are brothers," (Matthew 23:8 KJV). Will we do so by the strength which God alone can and will supply? There is not a single Christian teacher who ever lived who can help us be forgiven one single sin, not one. That, of course, is as it should be. Acts 18:24 says that Apollos was an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man. That is the problem, and it is still going on today. He was introduced in a rather extended and flowery way, but he came on and in his great, booming voice said, "I'm not Dr.Oswald Hoffman, the great preacher of the Lutheran Hour. One of these influencing factors is consumerism which finds its way into even the way Christians think. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. People begin to think things about him that are not true, and expect things from him that he is unable to deliver. The word divisions comes from the Greek word schismata, from which we get our English word schism. We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. The basic meaning is to put back together and make one again something that was broken or separated. This is what Paul uses as the basis for unity in this church -- not only the attitude of selflessness, which is the mind of Christ, but the responsibility to submit to his Lordship, the common responsibility that we have together. With Pauls harsh criticism of said divisions, you would think that we might have learned how to move beyond that in the 21st Century, however, that is not the case. There was extreme competition among the orators for honor and power. No, he says that is not why he was sent: "I was not sent to emphasize symbols, but, positively, I was sent to preach a whole gospel, not one emphasizing style, not in wisdom of words, but that which emphasizes content." 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. I was unaware of this connection before now but it really makes sense. Paul doesnt want these divisions to continue, so he offers them an alternative. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). The bibles need to match the pews which need to match the carpet which need to match the wall color. There is not a teacher among us today, or at any other time, who is able to open the mind and open the eyes of the heart and reveal to us the glory and majesty of God, not one. Paul enters this world of wretched Sophists and preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Apollos was an intellectual. Although the modern church has improved in many ways compared to the ancient churches, there is still the issue of division that exists among differing churches as was in the ancient churches. We worry about how the power points are going to look, if we should have one or two singers, drums or no drums, electric guitars or none at all (I feel like you get my point) its almost as if we worship these things! Help me walk from day to day, with its shadows o'er me. It is extremely important. Only the Lord Jesus Christ could pay the penalty for our sins because only He is the Son of God. That was a mark of status with them. The elders should make their decisions with the same mind and the same judgment. There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. His dissertation was published as Jesus the Bridegroom by Pickwick Books in 2012. Here are our first clues as to what is wrong with this kind of cliquishness in a church. And, after all, Peter even walked on water!" I. PAULS APPEAL FOR UNITY (verses 10-12). 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. I always have, and always will believe that this overly exaggerated concept of denominations is a problem. Public arguments were commonplace in the Greco-Roman world at the time that Paul was writing to the Corinthian church. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. There are several things that split the church today. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. WebDivisions in the Church. So Paul is insisting that the Corinthians, and all believers, have doctrinal unity that is clearly based on Gods Word. 10 I appeal to you, brothers,[ a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. Her hair is messed up! I would like to start off with a quote (forgive me for the length) from Polhill that I found to be all to strikingly familiar of todays churches. "I appeal to you," he says, "by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Instead of tearing themselves apart, he urges them to be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. They forget, of course, that the church never belongs to anybody but the Lord. In desperation, they returned and held a meeting. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. In other words, there must be agreement with Christ, with His will, and with His Word. Conclusion. He described the activities of the disciples of the Sophists the professional orators who were able to command large audiences, high fees for educating youth, and often a great deal of power within the city. Now, the Apostle Paul is very concerned about this matter of incipient division in the church at Corinth, and he begins dealing with it in this powerful appeal for unity in Verse10: I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. We tend to deify men, and people look at them as if they can do no wrong, can made no errors, that they know everything and can settle all questions. Something shows up sooner or later as an identifying badge that marks them as "special," with special privilege and special status in that group. This unintentional mindset causes people to treat the Bible and its words like it is a product that can wear out, and ignored like an infomercial. 2- The Churchs division. 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. If you survey the church scene all over America today, you find people dividing up this way. That is always the unifying factor in a church, and that is the mind that is to be among us, the mind that does not consider itself the most important thing. In fact, Paul never claims disciples. Ones honor and reputation were valued highly and if someone attacked your reputation it was expected that you would defend yourself and retaliate by publicly bashing your attacker. John 12:37-50, THE PARADOX OF LIFE FROM DEATH John 12:20-26, THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM JOHN 12:9-19, SPIRITUAL LIGHT AND DARKNESS John 9:35-41. Now, how could that be? It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. A. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. With all the differences among us, it is impossible to get people to think alike. Having listened to Pauls words and the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ, how important is unity to each of us today? They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful Some considered Paul their leader, others Apollos, still others Peter. Remember, a believer who is at war with his brother or sister in Christ cannot be at peace with our heavenly Father. I would like to close this service by reading what one man wrote about the cross: It is well that we should think sometimes of the Upper Room and the Last Supper, and of his soul, "exceeding sorrowful unto death"; of Gethsemane and the deep shadow of the olive trees; his loneliness, prayers, and disappointment with his disciples; his bloody sweat; the traitor's kiss; the binding, the blow in the face, the spitting, the buffeting, the mocking, the scourging, the crown of thorns, the smiting; the sorrowful way and the burdensome cross; the exhaustion and collapse; the stripping, the impaling, and the jeers of his foes, and the flight of his friends; the hours on the cross; the darkness, his being forsaken of God; his thirst, and the end. 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. Its pastors, bishops and others who fear the loss of their livlihoods as their former sheep move on in God towards the new wine skins of revival that want to maintain the old wine skins which brought them an income. In my opinion, this is one of the main reasons our churches are so split and why we act more like the world rather than more like Christ. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. 10 I appeal to you, brothers,[ a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. That is the mind Paul is talking about. But if it is to escape pressures and difficulties and problems in the congregation, then it is absolutely wrong and the worst thing he could do, because it sets before the watching world a false testimony concerning the church of Jesus Christ. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. He has Masters degrees in Biblical Exposition and Old Testament from Talbot School of Theology (BIOLA) and a PhD in New Testament from Andrews University. Every piece of that jigsaw puzzle is different, isnt it? Some say, "I am of Gothard," and others say, "No, I am of Bright." And some of them are really gross. I still have at home the Scofield Reference Bible with the index ladder drawn by him. They are springing up all over the place, including Downunder (Australia) where I live here in Brisbane. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. And more than that, we have a responsibility to obey him, to follow his Lordship. We need to be perfectly joined together in the love of Christ. Bruises show on her arm! They were hard to get in those war years, and every shipment that came in went out like hot cakes. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. (1Corinthians 1:17 RSV). Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. Yes, we have the core beliefs that most Christians will agree upon, but the rest is still very confusing to non-believers. Phil Long is correct, we have not improved much since the first century. One of his biggest goals is to double our congregation so we have 5,000 members. He says, in effect, "You don't cure divisions in a church by identification badges. There he indicates that the problem with cliquishness is that it tends to overemphasize the significance of the human leader. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth.
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