That is the problem, and it is still going on today. 3- The presence of an immoral member. And some of them are really gross. 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. Whatever you say, I believe." Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. They were drawing themselves up and saying, "Well, you may be of Paul or of Peter or of Apollos, but we are of Christ! They were hard to get in those war years, and every shipment that came in went out like hot cakes. Christians are all disciples, or better, stewards and servants of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1). Now, you do not have to be very old to recognize that that is still a problem in the church. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. I think that if you put the teachings of a man over the teachings of Scripture then you have a problem. Help us to judge these in the light of the cross, and, by its light, to walk before thee. Some sued their fellow Christians in the secular courts. That does not mean that everybody has to think alike. One of his biggest goals is to double our congregation so we have 5,000 members. 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. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. In her book, The Key to a Loving Heart, Karen Mains includes a parable about the church entitled The Brawling Bride. In verses 14 to 16, Paul uses himself as an example. 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. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). Christ belongs fully to every believer in His spiritual body, the Church. The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. 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. If so, what results are we shooting for? There are many other things that do cause serious problems stemming from the outside world. 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. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. I told them that it is a concern of mine as well. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. In my church it seems like they are all about numbers. I'm nobody, just like you!" The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. Unity in the church is something that requires cooperation with each other and with the Spirit of God. (I have been trying for a long time to get my wife to accept that!) For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. God only sees one fold, (John 10) and there is only one faith, one Lord, one baptism etc. He addresses them as brethren. 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. What is a clique? 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? Other divisions were to follow. In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? We had some great meetings and great times together. The content of their messages was in agreement, but the followers of these men probably focused on personality differences and distorted their teachings. Dio Chrysostom complained that Corinth was filled with wretched sophists, many of whom were debating one another with shouting and abuse near the temple to Poseidon. No man would ever have planned the cross. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (NKJV). But first, it is very clear that he is deeply troubled by this. 2 Corinthians There was nothing wrong with Paul baptizing people, but Paul didnt want people to boast about the fact that he baptized them. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. 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? They are springing up all over the place, including Downunder (Australia) where I live here in Brisbane. It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. I would agree that we find ourselves in much the same situations as those listening to the Greek philosophers/orators. Let's get back to the beginnings. WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. Was Paul crucified for you? But you could always tell a Navigator because there were three things that he always had: First, he had a Scofield Reference Bible tucked under his arm. Do we need to be looking for results? No man is the Savior; no man can deliver us except Jesus. That is the mind Paul is talking about. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. 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. This word was normally used to refer to a tear in a garment. Doesnt He deserve better than this? the author asks. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). One of these influencing factors is consumerism which finds its way into even the way Christians think. All are mere teachers; there is only one Lord. Lewis.". 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. It is those who have a financial interest in their own wellbeing, that divide the sheep up into different folds. I was taking my break and a person I work with asked where I went to college. 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. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? 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. 4-The churchs failure to discipline. Its pathetic that people should get so angry about whether drums are used or if the AC unit is kept at 71 or 70. The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. Faith rests on Gods shoulders alone- its not by our wisdom and ability (Polhill 237). 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." These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. Paul, however, was a good leader. Yes, we have the core beliefs that most Christians will agree upon, but the rest is still very confusing to non-believers. 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.. Aside from this acceptable division within the modern church, there are also two other reasons for division which should not exist. Now, here the apostle makes very clear that the tendency among groupies is to distort the meaning of symbols. If you will turn in your Bibles with me to John 17:20-23, I will read the passage to you. As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. 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. 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. Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. Like I talked about in the first posting, the emerging church makes me question a lot of things they are doing. 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. Other divisions were to follow. When I say worn out I mean people say that it is not usable in the modern world so its words become little more than foot rests in the pew. (Peter, evidently, had been through Corinth and had preached there.) And there were some who said, "Well, when Peter came through, he baptized me. He was a rhetorician who was especially capable in the allegorical style of teaching of the Old Testament. There are several important terms in this passage. There was still a fourth group, and in some ways I think they were probably the worst. The bibles need to match the pews which need to match the carpet which need to match the wall color. Dio Chrysostom visited Corinth about A.D. 89-96. Take the various mega-churches for example, whose charismatic pastors live in mansions. Paul exhorts them to agree. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. How important was unity to our Lord Jesus Christ? 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. 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. 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. Now these things were good. Here in Verse10 he briefly shows us the ground of unity, and the nature of unity in a church. 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.. God, therefore, has designed that there be many teachers, many preachers, many viewpoints, in a church. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. 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. 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. "I appeal to you," he says, "by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. Were you baptized into the name of Paul? But when each piece is fitted together into its proper place in the puzzle, you have a beautiful and complete picture. I personally experienced this at work about a year and a half ago. 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. We, as the modern church, say that we hold to Pauls message that we shouldnt be conformed to this world, but when we look at the world, there seem to be just as many divisions. 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. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). 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.. A second issue that seems to keep the church divided (the whole church and individual churches) is the little things such as the structure of the service, the type of music played for worship, whether a pastor should always wear a tie, and what color should be used in the bathroom. (1Corinthians 1:12 RSV), Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. 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. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. "One is your master; all of you are brothers," (Matthew 23:8 KJV). These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. WebAnd you know, that gives me some idea of how important this is to God, because from 1:10 to the ninth verse of the sixteenth Chapter, he just talks about the errors in the church. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. 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. Public arguments were commonplace in the Greco-Roman world at the time that Paul was writing to the Corinthian church. And there are others who are drawn to some speaking style that has attracted them. 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. It is extremely important. 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. 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. 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. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. The cross of Christ is what will heal the fragmentation of Christians wherever they are. Unless its mended, the tear gets bigger and bigger, doesnt it? (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. It wipes out all the petty distinctions that men make among themselves. Offshoots had disturbed the church. Yet, in reality as long as correct biblical doctrine is being taught no pastor should be viewed in comparison to one another. But when it comes to the clear teachings of Gods Word, there cannot be two conflicting views that are both right. They forget, of course, that the church never belongs to anybody but the Lord. And if you were really on the inside circle, your ladder was drawn by none other than Dawson Trotman himself!
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