01.04.2015 1 Corinthians 1 - Unity in Diversity
4th January 2015
1-04-2015 Unity in Diversity from Grace Summit on Vimeo.
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Father, thank You for this new year – and the opportunity to meet with You today. May Your Spirit lead our lives and church and may we learn to submit ourselves to You and to hear Your voice and to live our lives in this Church that You love – as a body/community/Church. Thank You that right now n heaven there is excitement that Your children have gathered to worship you. May our eyes be opened to a different realm – a different world – to focus on the glory of God and presence of God in our lives. Help us to see that this year you have a work to do in/through/around us – in Your name we pray.
We are starting a series on 1 Corinthians, with the goal of reaching chapter 15 in 15 weeks on Easter! If I went verse by verse, it would be Easter of 2017 before we finished it. But how does it relate to us today?
As we read Corinthians – we have to ask – why did Paul write it? Every book you read, someone wrote it – through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit – but we have to ask – why?
People were talking.
1 Cor. 1: 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.
This is not being written in a vacuum…
5:1 It is actually being reported that there is immorality among you…
Paul is addressing things he is hearing from the church. He has received information from the church and it is troubling: bad stuff is going on- troubling things. And it is causing him concern.
Primarily – first of all – there are quarrels and divisions. Second – there is a problem with their Christian morality.
7 – Regarding the letters you have written…
They have written letters asking Paul questions
But that is not all – there is more – if you act now! We’ll double your jif-o-matic
5:9 – I already wrote to you not to associate with immoral people…
So as we study – we must first understand that we are entering into the middle of a conversation. There is a lot of talk about what is happening and we are in the middle. The letters tell us SOME of what has been discussed, but not all. THEREFORE – we must be cautious and careful in coming to conclusions about what is being said in the book. This book probably has the most background stuff to it.
Chapter 11 – headccoverings – what is that about – is it like Muslim countries? Or the early days of America when women wore hats? There is a lot of background information to know. So we must take the time to do the extra hard work – it requires more work and study and work in our interpretation.
The book is almost entirely focused on unity – and yet the book has probably caused more division than any other book! IRONY!
This is not my favorite book – but probably one I have studied the most – as a pastor, there are issues that I have to deal with.
There are difficult passages in it – and we have to be careful – to not go to these sections to prove or to justify what you already think – that is what we tend to do!
We read it in light of what we already think!
If you go to the Bible to find what you are looking for – you will always find it! People justify everything from the Bible.
I have found that most anyone can make ten verses in the Bible say what they want to say. People abuse and misuse it.
When we go the Bible, we must allow it to speak for itself – the text must be free to say what God is trying to say – even if it is not what we want to hear or have been told.
A little introduction to Corinth – in 146 BC it was completely destroyed until 44 BC – and then Julius Caesar rebuilt the city – about 120 years before this was written.
It was an important juncture in Greece – like a trade juncture – kind of like the Panama canal without the canal. He settled it with retired Roman soldiers and would use these soldiers to establish new cities. There were a lot of Jews and Greeks – Greeks because it was Greece and just about anywhere in the Roman empire had about 10% Jews.
It became a big hub – the second largest city in the empire and it became a capital for the Eastern part of the empire. SO it brought politicians and a bunch of seedy people – it was a recipe for disaster. Because of all the diverse peoples – it became a city of haves and have nots. And the church had all the aspects of the city in it – Romans/Rich Romans/Greeks/Jews/Seedy people – they were all there in the church. That is a good thing. The sad thing is - they conformed to the culture around them. SO instead of having all this around them and being a light – the church itself was no different in its understanding and thinking and acting than the culture around it. It conformed in the area of morality – especially sexual immorality – but more importantly – it conformed to the economic stratification – the haves and have nots . There were arguments and divisions among them.
10 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together, to end your divisions, and to be united by the same mind and purpose. (NET)
10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all [e]agree and that there be no [f]divisions among you, but that you be [g]made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. (NASB)
He jumps right into it – here is the problem: there is division. IN the rest of the book – He deals with the division. That is the primary issue. Division. I am looking at 2 versions –
Is it possible to even agree? Does it mean agreeing what color of carpet we put in the sanctuary? Does it mean to have the same opinions about everything? The simple answer is ‘No.’
This book is about how to be united when you don’t agree – status/ministry/diversity – you can be really diverse and really united.
“That you all agree” – does not translate directly to English – “that you all say the same” – This was a political term – it means to stay out of – and in the political realm – to avoid factions and partisan politics.
The NET – agree together to end division. Live in Unity and peace. Don’t be torn apart by party politics. This sounds like America – they were dividing up into partisan groups attacking one another. And that is what happened in the church. Conforming to what is going on in the culture. They divided into cliques and splinter groups – forming alliances against one another.
How much does this happen in our world? It is always happening. It happens at work – in families – and it happens in churches – and Paul is using strong words to say, “Stop it!”
The verse continues – that there be no divisions among you THAT YOU BE MADE COMPLETE!
Reconciliation – to restore relational unity – to make that a priority. Make things right. It is that way in all of our relationships. No one can operate properly on a job when there is division. We have all experienced that. No marriage can function properly with division – and no church can either.
Then Paul gives the solution and fleshes it out in the next chapters – focusing on the same purpose. Unity comes from having the same purpose – not the same opinion. Unity comes when you have the same focus/purpose/mission/goal – and that is what we will talk about throughout the book – it is Christ/the cross/the gospel. And when our eyes zip to that – everything else falls away. Corinthians teaches us to have diverse views and still be united in purpose and heart – but it is hard to believe that. That is what God wants. He talks about this great big body with different backgrounds and values – but you can come together with purpose. Some of you eat stuff and some don’t eat stuff, but you can still be united.
Some convictions – some beliefs that we have – are to be held to firmly and to never let go. Those beliefs are the main issues of the faith – things the church has believed throughout history and has defended throughout history – like the creeds and statement of faith – if we let go of those, things that have been held to from the beginning, catastrophe awaits – so we don’t compromise on the trinity/salvation by grace through faith.
Other convictions are to be held loosely with grace toward those who differ. Those are the things the church has debated throughout history – free will vs. predestination. Spiritual gifts vs. non-spiritual gifts. It is okay to have convictions – but hold to them loosely. I find myself in discussions – and I have found myself to be maybe more opinionated than I used to be – but I heard this phrase – in these kinds of discussions – I have something to say about that! I have thought about it, I have a conviction about it – BUT – I know it is not the last word to be said. Too many folks in our world believe they have the last word on subjects that they simply do not.
In those areas, it is great to live according to our convictions – but it is GOOD and OKAY to have your convictions challenged! There are times where I have thought – I have thought this my entire life and I need to change!
There are other things that need to be simply opinions and never moved to convictions.
1 For members of Chloe’s household have made it clear to me, my brothers and sisters, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each of you is saying, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” or “I am with Cephas,” or “I am with Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he? Or were you in fact baptized in the name of Paul?
Paul comes right out and NAMES it! I am with PAUL! They are forming groups around certain leaders or groups – theirs is much deeper – today – there is the celebrity pastor/teacher/writer – and our tendency is to join them.
Our culture does this with celebrities? Why would millions of people follow Justin Bieber? There is no rational reason! But the same thing happens in the church!
Paul is Saul’s other name. Saul is a Hebrew name – Paul is a Latin name. Apollos is Greek. Cephas= Peter's Hebrew name. How are they divided? Identity groups. It was much deeper than just race. But we have to be careful; we do the same thing in the church today.
I am of Christ! And we think, Yes, that is right – but here is the problem – saying I am of Christ is saying – and the rest of you are not! It is an issue of superiority! Thinking that your way, your people, your church, are better. Superior. But in reality – for us – it is the same thing. We may have some different categories – but that is what it boils down to – attitudes of superiority.
14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name! 16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanus. Otherwise, I do not remember whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—and not with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless.
He says – the focus is not on your group/identity/status – the focus is on Christ. He is asking – who are you following, and why?
Why do you go to church? Why do you come church at Grace Summit? Some of you probably ask yourself that every Sunday – and I say you should ask yourself that!
Here are some reasons that are good – but not sufficient:
It is a habit – good/not sufficient
I have friends there – it is good that you have friends at church – but not sufficient.
I feel welcomed and I belong
I go because of the positive experience
It makes me feel good.
These are benefits – but the reason as Paul lays out – is to become a disciple/follower of Christ and to learn to live our lives as He would have us live our lives – to be on mission for Him – to make His kingdom available/lived out on earth. We go to church for this – to live out and learn to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. It is all for becoming a devoted follower of Christ – committed to what He is doing in this world – and then the benefits become a part of that focus.
Let's pray...