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Having listened to Pauls words and the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ, how important is unity to each of us today? 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. Some pigged out at the Lord Supper; others had barely enough to eat. It would destroy the unity of the congregation and split them up and provide an inaccurate testimony to the Person of Christ before the watching world. Alexandria was a center for learning and philosophy. Paul condemns their behavior in verse 13 by saying, Has Christ been divided? In other words, have different amounts of Christ been given to different people? To an unbeliever, this looks like we cannot agree on our own religion. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. Let's get back to the beginnings. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). 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. Paul, however, was a good leader. The divisions of Christendom are the scandal of Christianity. Others were saying, "Well, Apollos himself baptized me." We came to life in Christ by Paul, and Paul is the one we're going to listen to above all others." You may be reminded by his words in Verse10 of the similar passage in his letter to the Philippians where, in Chapter2, he says to that church, "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord, and of one mind," (Philippians 2:1-2 RSV). Its all about who looks the best, how much money is made, and how big our churches are. They failed to take seriously the power of evil; their behavior caused divisions in the church and led to a lack of concern for other members. DIVISIONS IN THE CHURCH I Corinthians 1 I used to attend a Navigator group which met in Honolulu on Sunday afternoons. The church is never called to having everybody think exactly alike. The Factions At Corinth 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. Unity in the church is something that requires cooperation with each other and with the Spirit of God. 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. I would like to approach it from an evangelistic standpoint. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. He begins the process of developing them into leaders who will also preach the gospel and found more churches. (1Corinthians 1:12 RSV), Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. We have Jesus only groups even today. It was expected. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. Still others say, "We are of Schaeffer," and others, "We are of Graham," or, "We are of C.S. 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. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? They would have the Scofield Reference Bible and a notebook under one arm, and you knew that if you examined their Bibles you would find the ladder index on the pages. To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. It seems unbelievable at first to think that this kind of division exists within the modern church, but more often than not it is actually one of the most common reasons for division. in the Corinthian Church Some boasted of their special spiritual gifts; others felt left out. Now, church unity is a very important matter, and, because of its significance, Paul puts it first in the list of problems he has to deal with here at Corinth. Yes, we have the core beliefs that most Christians will agree upon, but the rest is still very confusing to non-believers. In other words, there must be agreement with Christ, with His will, and with His Word. 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. He says, in effect, "You don't cure divisions in a church by identification badges. 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. Unfortunately, this has effected our outreach. 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. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). The Corinthian Church. 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. In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? 3- The presence of an immoral member. 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. 11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. The first noticeable division would be among differing denominations. His bride, the Church, has been fighting again!. The groom and his attendants are in their places. Corinthians Were you baptized into the name of Paul? Other divisions were to follow. Ridiculous? Since I was working at that time in the ship's service department in Pearl Harbor, we ordered great quantities of these Bibles. My impression is that the same sorts of problems evident in Corinth are clearly evident in the contemporary church, whether that is West Michigan or Brisbane. 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. With all the differences among us, it is impossible to get people to think alike. That does not mean that everybody has to think alike. 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. Some Corinthian Christians were dividing over church teachers. 4-The churchs failure to discipline. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. In verses 10-17 of Chapter 1, Paul establishes the fact that there are divisions and begins to deal with them. In her book, The Key to a Loving Heart, Karen Mains includes a parable about the church entitled The Brawling Bride. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. Chapter Summary Corinthians As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. He then goes on to explain that it was the Corinthian wisdom that created so much disunity. There was still a fourth group, and in some ways I think they were probably the worst. These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. If we are, all our differences and difficulties would soon come to an end. Message transcript and recording 1978 by Ray Stedman Ministries, owner of sole copyright by assignment from the author. Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. Then there were the stylists, those who were attracted by the different kinds of preaching, and they had especially been drawn to Apollos. And he speaks in the name of or by the authority of, our Lord Jesus Christ. He addresses them as brethren. Corinthians When you divide up among men you lose something, that is what he is saying. 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." If I am not out of line I seem to remember that Constantine played a large role in allowing Pagan influences back into the Christian Life. They were dividing over this whole issue, and Paul says it is all wrong. Instead of tearing themselves apart, he urges them to be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. The Lord Jesus is praying to the Father, and this is part of His prayer for us: I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that You sent Me. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). Paul enters this world of wretched Sophists and preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ cuts across all human value systems. 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. Was Paul crucified for you? No man would ever have planned the cross. Galatians: Freedom through Gods Grace (Wipf & Stock, 2019). Divisions The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. The Navigators in those days did a great work in the Navy throughout the whole of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and hundreds of young men were led to Christ through their efforts during the war years. If I was not raised in a Christian home, I think that I would have the same concerns. Its pathetic that people should get so angry about whether drums are used or if the AC unit is kept at 71 or 70. We all know what a clique is. The words made complete mean to be perfectly joined together, like a jigsaw puzzle. But yet the apostle says they are to be of the same mind. Something shows up sooner or later as an identifying badge that marks them as "special," with special privilege and special status in that group. Apollos was an intellectual. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. He was a rhetorician who was especially capable in the allegorical style of teaching of the Old Testament. The divisions of Christendom are the scandal of Christianity. They were hard to get in those war years, and every shipment that came in went out like hot cakes. I am thankful that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius; lest any one should say that you were baptized in my name. Offshoots had disturbed the church. I dont remember Paul seeing any thing like these issues as other than trivial. We all know what a clique is. They are still acting just like the world. This is the challenge of the divisions in 1 Corinthians how does the modern church act just like the world? WebWhat were the causes of division in the Corinthian Church?
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