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. Faith rests on Gods shoulders alone- its not by our wisdom and ability (Polhill 237). I still have at home the Scofield Reference Bible with the index ladder drawn by him. When you call them back to an understanding of the meaning of the cross, you will find all the divisions disappearing; they fade away like the morning mist. In other words, there must be agreement with Christ, with His will, and with His Word. Here in Verse10 he briefly shows us the ground of unity, and the nature of unity in a church. 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. That is the mind Paul is talking about. 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. Conclusion. 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. The bride is limping! Now, we are similar to the ancient world in that some people do see their pastors/teachers as a source of pride. We go back to the Lord alone. 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. Why are these thing SO important? I thank God that only a few of you can say that about me." 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. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? The real problem behind the divisions is that the church continues to act like Christianity is just another philosophy, and teachers are in competition with each other just as the Greek orators competed. I dont remember Paul seeing any thing like these issues as other than trivial. Now, in Verse13 you understand why. They were dividing over this whole issue, and Paul says it is all wrong. These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. On Friday of this week we will gather again to consider the cross of Christ. What is a clique? 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. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. We are of Peter." One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. 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. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. Then there were the traditionalists (there always are), those that say, "Well, I don't know about Paul or Apollos. Do we need to be looking for results? Im not saying its wrong to stick to what you believe. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). I used to attend a Navigator group which met in Honolulu on Sunday afternoons. 1 Corinthians 1:10: I appeal to you, brothers, 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.. Other divisions were to follow. Her nose is bloody! The families have been seated. A. I appreciate the perspective given by the author and agree 100% that the body of Christ is divided. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. In my experience though, I find that it is carnal and unspiritual leaders that put up walls and fences between members of the body. Christ belongs fully to every believer in His spiritual body, the Church. Paul continues in verse 10 by saying that, MANS WISDOM VERSUS GODS WISDOM I Corinthians 1:18-25, WHY DONT PEOPLE BELIEVE? WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. He appeals to them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. By focusing on Jesus we can see how important the parts of church really are. These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. Like Greg, I recognize this tension in some of the churches I have served in and find it appalling (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). In fact, there are still many divisions that exist today in modern churches. They take an innocent teaching medium, in this case baptism, and make it into an identification badge. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. If I was not raised in a Christian home, I think that I would have the same concerns. "I appeal to you," he says, "by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Offshoots had disturbed the church. Offshoots had disturbed the church. Something shows up sooner or later as an identifying badge that marks them as "special," with special privilege and special status in that group. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. Not when some people in the congregation wont look at, speak to, or even acknowledge the existence of certain other people in the congregation. Acts 18:24 says that Apollos was an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man. WebThe members of the Corinthian church we disunited because they were pledging their allegiance to human leaders rather than God. There should be oneness of mind, no matter how long it takes. Some Corinthian Christians were dividing over church teachers. 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. No man would ever have planned the cross. But first, it is very clear that he is deeply troubled by this. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. 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. His dissertation was published as Jesus the Bridegroom by Pickwick Books in 2012. They did not try to hide the problems. What he says we'll listen to, not Paul or Peter or anyone else -- it makes no difference to us." Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. There are those who are emotionally attached to some great Christian leader who has helped them, and they will only listen to him. Then comes that great Christological passage where he describes how Christ, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. The Corinthian Church. It is possible, though, that the divisions among 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 facts in the gospel are what will set us free, and particularly, he says, the word of the cross. I Corinthians 12:12,13 says, For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. What is a clique? As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. These were not schisms yet; they had not split off into other congregations, but there were four cliques, or factions within the congregation. Everybody has their denomination and they cling relentless to their doctrinal beliefs. The content of their messages was in agreement, but the followers of these men probably focused on personality differences and distorted their teachings. Anyone who claims that he or she has an exclusive part in Christ is wrong. For instance, in the Greco-Roman culture the practice of teacher-disciple relationships was often common and so many Christian converts in Corinth would associate themselves with a particular teacher and be under their discipleship. Apollos was an intellectual. I personally experienced this at work about a year and a half ago. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). Some considered Paul their leader, others Apollos, still others Peter. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. The minister is waiting, Bible in hand. Then there were the stylists, those who were attracted by the different kinds of preaching, and they had especially been drawn to Apollos. 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! 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. Help me walk from day to day, with its shadows o'er me. 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? His bride, the Church, has been fighting again!. When I say it gets ignored like an infomercial you probably infer what that means. Now, the second thing Paul says is, "Was Paul crucified for you?" His followers in the Corinthian church may have viewed Christianity as a philosophy rather than a relationship with a Person Jesus Christ. And more than that, we have a responsibility to obey him, to follow his Lordship. So they said, "When Peter came, we really felt that we were on solid ground. Today we have followers of Rob Bell, Rick Warren, and even Joel Osteen (for some reason). The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). Paul, however, was a good leader. Orators have to be so careful not to let teaching become a pride thing rather than a gift they share to better the other. It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. 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. We may not all agree on the way to do church but there is definitely more than one effective way. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. Its not just the denominations per se any more theres also a proliferation of house churches too. I think the letter to the Philippians helps us here, because in that passage I just quoted from, Paul goes on to say, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 2:5). It is extremely important. Every Navigator had to have a Scofield Reference Bible; that was the only "Authorized Version." This introduces one of the greatest passages in the Bible, setting forth the difference between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. I hang on every word you say. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. Were you baptized into the name of Paul? Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. There are many other things that do cause serious problems stemming from the outside world. However, I would like to approach this in a different way than the comments already present here. I've not forgotten that incident because it seems to me to capture the very attitude Paul is describing here. 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. If we sacrifice quality for numbers I dont think we are being good stewards of our gift of leadership. This doesnt mean that they have to agree on the minutest points in areas where there is no clear teaching in Scripture. The third danger of groups is given in the latter part of Verse13, and on through the next few verses: Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? In Philippians 2:9 Paul said of Christ, Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. No Christian, no Christian minister, is to put himself in Christs place, or allow himself to be put in Christs place, and take the authority and honor that is due to Christ alone. Paul continues in verse 10 by saying that there be no divisions among you. Some of them were saying, "Well, Paul baptized me." These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. I told them that I do not foresee and end to these divisions anytime soon (sadly). Not when we hear of churches with factions or cliques of people who sit on opposite sides of the aisle. Unity in the church is something that requires cooperation with each other and with the Spirit of God. 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. Paul knew this and said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony about God. Many of the other problems were flowing out of this division within the congregation. Like the world, Christians are too concerned with being right and having our way. We must allow him the privilege of doing that. They became symbols of prestige and standing that became divisive factors among the men. Here are our first clues as to what is wrong with this kind of cliquishness in a church. 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. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. Obviously sin is at the heart of these divisions, but I am encouraged to hear that at least in your corner of the world there is some unification and revival. Bruises show on her arm! 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. The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. With that spirit of self-righteous smugness, they were separating from the rest, dividing up the congregation and quarreling with one another over these things.