is the history and significance of the church Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. Paul, however, was a good leader. Are we willing and ready to pray for unity in His Church, and work at building a stronger unity among fellow members of the congregations where we fellowship and serve? It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. 3- The presence of an immoral member. 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. Four groups had formed in the Corinthian church. Others were saying, "Well, Apollos himself baptized me." A. 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. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? Paul is going to go on to describe this radical force that is so different than anything else there is nothing like it in the world. God is all about people, not money, and I feel sorry for anyone who tries to take over the current move of God, put it in a box, stick a label on it, and own it they will be swept away. 2 Corinthians 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. I would like to approach it from an evangelistic standpoint. They were dividing over this whole issue, and Paul says it is all wrong. In this parable, the groom is Christ. No man would ever have planned the cross. Within our churches, and even in our own denominations (sophisticated name for divisions), we argue about church funds, whos on the worship team, and whether the youth should have long hair. Paul goes right on, in Verse12, 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." Divisions never really ended with Pauls letters; they just appear to have evolved into having more sophisticated names. It was considered honorable for you to stand up for yourself in this way. 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. 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. There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? It seems like it would be better to ask in what ways have we been re-paganized. Do we need to be looking for results? I was unaware of this connection before now but it really makes sense. What Was Dividing the Corinthian Church I always have, and always will believe that this overly exaggerated concept of denominations is a problem. By focusing on Jesus we can see how important the parts of church really are. 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. 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. They will not all be the same flavor; they will not all have the same characteristics. It is sad to see that our world appears just as divided today as it did back in the first century. I told them GBC and they said something along the lines of, Oh a Bible college? Divisions 2- The Churchs division. The Factions At Corinth I would agree that we find ourselves in much the same situations as those listening to the Greek philosophers/orators. As we do, I hope every one of us will understand more and more fully the character of this radical principle that God has turned loose among us, this revolutionary idea represented in the cross of Christ that wipes out all these distinctions among men. Now, Paul says this is all basically, fundamentally wrong. In 2019 he published a commentary. That does not mean that everybody has to think alike. Unfortunately, this has effected our outreach. And more than that, we have a responsibility to obey him, to follow his Lordship. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. That is why Paul calls us back to it. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. in the Corinthian Church 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! I think that if you put the teachings of a man over the teachings of Scripture then you have a problem. WebDivisions in the Church. Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. Aside from this acceptable division within the modern church, there are also two other reasons for division which should not exist. 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. 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. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). Corinthians Whatever you say, I believe." Teaching to be effective first needs to effect/transform the life of the teacher and then connect with those who hear. The Factions At Corinth There are those who are emotionally attached to some great Christian leader who has helped them, and they will only listen to him. [Then he thinks of another group that he had baptized] (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. We see similar situations today, with political debates often devolving into a shouting match in which the person who yells their opinion the loudest and the longest is the winner. Every piece of that jigsaw puzzle is different, isnt it? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? We get so off track of what Christianity is all aboutMark 12:30-31 and begin focusing on worldly things like Rob Bell debated are actually being held to see if this Pastor is even Christian! in the Corinthian Church Alexandria was a center for learning and philosophy. I dont remember Paul seeing any thing like these issues as other than trivial. Some people will pick other matters of doctrine to affirm. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). We are of Peter." I lead a small group so I sometimes have to sit in meetings where the pastor shares things about the vision of our church. If we are, all our differences and difficulties would soon come to an end. Divisions (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. He was a rhetorician who was especially capable in the allegorical style of teaching of the Old Testament. I have been in many places where they were having church fights and almost invariably the thing that gives away that a church is in trouble is when people start talking about "my church," not in the sense that is perfectly proper as meaning, "The church where I go," but leaders of the church actually saying, "This is our church," and telling other people they have no rights to do something because the church belongs to them. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. Even though the churches within a certain denomination agree to the same biblical teachings, some churches within those denominations may begin to disagree with the biblical teachings and break away from the denomination to become affiliated with another denomination that aligns with their beliefs. 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. Paul then goes on to give us three very carefully stated clues in Verse13 as to what is wrong with this kind of thing. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. 2 Corinthians God, therefore, has designed that there be many teachers, many preachers, many viewpoints, in a church. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). Doesnt He deserve better than this? the author asks. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. Now these things were good. Just looking at America, there are political divisions that have destroyed relationships, there are social divisions that have sparked riots around the nation, and there are even religious divisions that have pitted millions against each other. Today we have followers of Rob Bell, Rick Warren, and even Joel Osteen (for some reason). The members started to develop division following different leaders. We came to life in Christ by Paul, and Paul is the one we're going to listen to above all others." The organ begins the bridal march, and everyone stands. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). 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. 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. He then goes on to explain that it was the Corinthian wisdom that created so much disunity. It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. That is not the work of men; that is the work of God himself. This issue was so important that Paul devotes the first four chapters of I Corinthians to divisions in the church. We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. Paul does not want to be considered a philosopher who is gathering disciples, nor does he want that for Apollos or Peter or any man. Now, here the apostle makes very clear that the tendency among groupies is to distort the meaning of symbols.