I agree with Greg, I see a lot of times where Pastors begin to care more about the number of the congregation rather on the connectedness of it. Some sued their fellow Christians in the secular courts. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. Chapter Summary There are even discrepancies inside single denominations (which means we have division inside our divisions, great). Paul, however, was a good leader. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. There should be unanimous agreement. Obviously, here at Peninsula Bible Church we cannot do that. Corinthians He addresses them as brethren. Even as Christians, there seems to be the desire of wanting to uphold one pastor over another by comparison and ultimately glorifying certain pastors. Now, how could that be? Still others say, "We are of Schaeffer," and others, "We are of Graham," or, "We are of C.S. He gathers disciples and establishes a church, a meeting place for educating his disciples. Paul continues in verse 10 by saying that there be no divisions among you. Chapter Summary Corinthians Causes Because the Holy Spirit has but one will, and because a church must be in complete harmony with His will, the leaders must be in complete harmony with each other in that will. The content of their messages was in agreement, but the followers of these men probably focused on personality differences and distorted their teachings. I remember a few years ago being at a family congress in St. Louis, Missouri, when one of the evening speakers was Dr.Oswald Hoffman, the very capable and powerful preacher on the Lutheran Hour radio program. Public arguments were commonplace in the Greco-Roman world at the time that Paul was writing to the Corinthian church. Help me walk from day to day, with its shadows o'er me. A gasp bursts from the guests! Here in Verse10 he briefly shows us the ground of unity, and the nature of unity in a church. It wipes out all the petty distinctions that men make among themselves. Corinthians We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. In these cases, there should be freedom to agree to disagree. Now these things were good. Then there were the traditionalists (there always are), those that say, "Well, I don't know about Paul or Apollos. A. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. DIVISIONS AND PERSONALITIES IN THE CHURCH I've not forgotten that incident because it seems to me to capture the very attitude Paul is describing here. This word was normally used to refer to a tear in a garment. Christ did not send me to take scalps or to cut notches on my gun handle as to how many converts I've won." WebDivisions in the Church. If you limit yourself to one speaker or one teacher and feed only on him, you are getting a distorted view of Jesus Christ; you are chopping Christ up, dividing him and taking one little portion as one man reports it and ignoring the rest, thus your view of Christ is deficient and unable to satisfy you as it was intended to do. 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. 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. This issue was so important that Paul devotes the first four chapters of I Corinthians to divisions in the church. 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. So they were splitting and arguing and quarreling over the relative merit and authority of these various teachers. is the history and significance of the church That is why the apostle appeals to it. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. Other divisions were to follow. in the Corinthian Church 4-The churchs failure to discipline. 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! Corinthians This applies also to the leadership in the church. The news went out but no one had seen the little fellow. The word divisions comes from the Greek word schismata, from which we get our English word schism. I still have at home the Scofield Reference Bible with the index ladder drawn by him. 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. Behind Divisions 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. Offshoots had disturbed the church. Phil Long is correct, we have not improved much since the first century. The third thing that every Navigator had was a little black notebook covered in rough-grained leather. In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? (Phil Long). Paul, however, was a good leader. I understand the fact that people have different beliefs and would like to stick to those (it is good to sick to what you believe) but when you get so segregated that you cannot work together anymore, it becomes a serious problem. You only have to listen around you today and you find outstanding leaders being held up by their congregations as almost the equal of the Lord himself in their value to the church. 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." Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 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? The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? In fact, there are still many divisions that exist today in modern churches. 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. I think we have failed to de-paganize the art of preaching/teaching if pastors/leaders are looking for patronage, prestige, and numbers over relationships, service, and transformation. the background of the Corinthian Church 3- The presence of an immoral member. Others were saying, "Well, Apollos himself baptized me." This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. Divisions 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. What Was Dividing the Corinthian Church If it had been left up to us to plan the program by which God would change the world we would never have included a cross. Dio Chrysostom visited Corinth about A.D. 89-96. They did not try to hide the problems. 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? Maybe if they are getting rid of core doctrine it is a justifiable anger but I can definitely see how the church is very much the same as 2000 years ago. Paul doesnt want these divisions to continue, so he offers them an alternative. It is extremely important. I have to admit though that sometimes I think about numbers and recognition and want that. Corinthians We must allow him the privilege of doing that. You may recall also that in writing to the church at Ephesus, he exhorted the elders there to be careful to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," (Ephesians 4:3 RSV). WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. He started this church. Thanks for the thoughtful comment Austin. 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. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. Luke says in Acts 4:12, And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved. The ground is level at the cross. So, just a few texts and there are so many more. That is the mind Paul is talking about. It builds him up too much; it makes him a rival, to some degree, of the Lord himself. 2 Corinthians Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. "I appeal to you," he says, "by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. Some considered Paul their leader, others Apollos, still others Peter. 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? It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. To an unbeliever, this looks like we cannot agree on our own religion. They take an innocent teaching medium, in this case baptism, and make it into an identification badge. The Factions At Corinth
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