By focusing on Jesus we can see how important the parts of church really are. In her book, The Key to a Loving Heart, Karen Mains includes a parable about the church entitled The Brawling Bride. WebDivisions in the Church. We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. There are many other things that do cause serious problems stemming from the outside world. The third thing that every Navigator had was a little black notebook covered in rough-grained leather. John 12:37-50, THE PARADOX OF LIFE FROM DEATH John 12:20-26, THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM JOHN 12:9-19, SPIRITUAL LIGHT AND DARKNESS John 9:35-41. Webdivided. Austin Hellier Brisbane Queensland Australia. 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. It is possible, though, that the divisions among Not when some people in the congregation wont look at, speak to, or even acknowledge the existence of certain other people in the congregation. I have had to do some degree of battle with this myself. The church in Corinth was a group of people who were tearing themselves apart! It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. Divisions in the Church Galatians: Freedom through Gods Grace (Wipf & Stock, 2019). I think today if church leaders focus on Jesus and only Jesus we would be so much healthier. In fact, there are still many divisions that exist today in modern churches. 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. The members started to develop division following different leaders. Corinthians This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. We all know what a clique is. Now these things were good. I find there are these tendencies right here in Peninsula Bible Church. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. 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. The most well known one is having worship on Sundays instead of the Sabbath. In these cases, there should be freedom to agree to disagree. The Factions At Corinth Church has become about the pastor and not about his message. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. This is a very propitious time for us to consider the cross for this is Palm Sunday, commemorating the day when our Lord entered Jerusalem for his last week. The Greek word used here literally means to say the same thing. They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. WebWhat were the causes of division in the Corinthian Church? We have our theological view points, and even our philosophical ones (even though we could have less of that in our churches today in my opinion) but we also have our social dimensions as well. Something shows up sooner or later as an identifying badge that marks them as "special," with special privilege and special status in that group. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. Corinthians 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. We all know what a clique is. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. 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. 1 Corinthians Problems in the Church Going off of what Cody is saying, in todays church everything needs to be just right. One of them being the reason to follow a specific pastor. This is not what the Church was meant to be like, and I fully believe that Paul would be appalled by our actions today as a Church of believers in Jesus Christ. Still others say, "We are of Schaeffer," and others, "We are of Graham," or, "We are of C.S. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. We need to be perfectly joined together in the love of Christ. It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. And there are others who are drawn to some speaking style that has attracted them. Just as there was competiveness for honor and prestige among the orators of the first century, it also seems like there is competition between the pastors and churches of today. The congregation then is to submit to the elders because it has confidence that their decisions were made under the Holy Spirits direction and power. The Corinthian Church. The word divisions comes from the Greek word schismata, from which we get our English word schism. The members started to develop division following different leaders. They are his family in Christ. Causes The bride is limping! I have had people say to me, "Oh, Mr. Stedman, when you speak I see so clearly! Now, the second thing Paul says is, "Was Paul crucified for you?" This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. This Bible was pushed by the Navigators, and everybody had to have one. It is extremely important. A number of churches in this postmodern era have begun to resemble the Corinthian church in alarming ways. When the Corinthians divided into factions, it wasnt so much about core doctrine (nature of God, nature of Christ, the Gospel, the nature of man). (Peter, evidently, had been through Corinth and had preached there.) in the Corinthian Church in the Corinthian Church Since I was working at that time in the ship's service department in Pearl Harbor, we ordered great quantities of these Bibles. Paul, however, was a good leader. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. 2 Corinthians Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who I lead a small group so I sometimes have to sit in meetings where the pastor shares things about the vision of our church. Bruises show on her arm! Message transcript and recording 1978 by Ray Stedman Ministries, owner of sole copyright by assignment from the author. Like Greg, I recognize this tension in some of the churches I have served in and find it appalling (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). Throughout this 2000 year process of normalizing divisions among believers, we have consistently neglected the fact we Jesus should unite us, and unless we choose to make a change, we will continue to forget this fact. For permission to use this content, please review 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). A gasp bursts from the guests! Now, we all have our favorite preacher, and up to a point that is not wrong. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. 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. If Paul could see the divisions between the various denominations of today, what would he say? DIVISIONS IN THE CHURCH I Corinthians 1 The bridesmaids have come down the aisle. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. I will jump on the bandwagon here and say that division is definitely an issue today. Paul doesnt want these divisions to continue, so he offers them an alternative. Corinthians Every piece of that jigsaw puzzle is different, isnt it? 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. When you divide up among men you lose something, that is what he is saying. Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. Whenever this attitude of gathering around a man is allowed to perpetuate itself, it is the source of much trouble and difficulty. I do not identify my self as being a follower of anybody but Jesus (although there are certain theologians that I do hold in higher regard than others). 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. We came to life in Christ by Paul, and Paul is the one we're going to listen to above all others." 3- The presence of an immoral member. 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. 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. the background of the Corinthian Church The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. 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. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. I would like to close this service by reading what one man wrote about the cross: It is well that we should think sometimes of the Upper Room and the Last Supper, and of his soul, "exceeding sorrowful unto death"; of Gethsemane and the deep shadow of the olive trees; his loneliness, prayers, and disappointment with his disciples; his bloody sweat; the traitor's kiss; the binding, the blow in the face, the spitting, the buffeting, the mocking, the scourging, the crown of thorns, the smiting; the sorrowful way and the burdensome cross; the exhaustion and collapse; the stripping, the impaling, and the jeers of his foes, and the flight of his friends; the hours on the cross; the darkness, his being forsaken of God; his thirst, and the end. If so, what results are we shooting for? Like the world, Christians are too concerned with being right and having our way. Unless its mended, the tear gets bigger and bigger, doesnt it? Causes Offshoots had disturbed the church. Some of them were saying, "Well, Paul baptized me." He chooses various channels through which to work. 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). That is the problem, and it is still going on today. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. In verses 10-17 of Chapter 1, Paul establishes the fact that there are divisions and begins to deal with them. In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? (Phil Long). In other words, there must be agreement with Christ, with His will, and with His Word. It was a glorious work. The words made complete mean to be perfectly joined together, like a jigsaw puzzle. After all, he was one of the first apostles that Jesus himself called." How important is it that there be unity in the Church where you fellowship? They are springing up all over the place, including Downunder (Australia) where I live here in Brisbane. When I say it gets ignored like an infomercial you probably infer what that means. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). How many of you have ever put together a jigsaw puzzle? The first and perhaps biggest is denominations. The minister is waiting, Bible in hand. 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. It is possible, though, that the divisions among 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. Since November 2021, Reading Acts is edited by Sarah Westphal. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). Divisions Remember, a believer who is at war with his brother or sister in Christ cannot be at peace with our heavenly Father. Because I am a little defensive it seems like they are almost my enemy. 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. Weve seen how important unity was to the apostle Paul. 4-The churchs failure to discipline. We may not all agree on the way to do church but there is definitely more than one effective way. 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. God wants the local church congregation and the local community to see the beauty of a church that is unified and fitted together in love. But first, it is very clear that he is deeply troubled by this. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. DIVISIONS IN THE CHURCH I Corinthians 1 Webdivided. Whatever you say, I believe." God is not confused, and He does not contradict Himself. There is not a single Christian teacher who ever lived who can help us be forgiven one single sin, not one. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. There is no other name big enough, great enough, glorious enough, and powerful enough to gather everybody together, despite the diversity of viewpoint and the differences of background or status in life, than the name of Jesus. As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. And some of them are really gross. In desperation, they returned and held a meeting. (1Corinthians 1:10 RSV). In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. DIVISIONS AND PERSONALITIES IN THE 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. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. 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. Conclusion. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? Some boasted of their special spiritual gifts; others felt left out. 3- The presence of an immoral member. There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. We pray that it may be rich and real in our hearts as we live this week together. Some had no problem with consuming meat that had been sacrificed to idols; for others, it was a real offense. And there were some who said, "Well, when Peter came through, he baptized me. 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. The first thing Paul says is that it tends to chop up Christ and parcel him out as though his person and his work came in various packages, thus you lose perspective of the whole of Christian theology. But it is the exclusiveness that Paul is concerned about here -- people who do not even want to come to a service if someone other than their favorite is preaching. Here are our first clues as to what is wrong with this kind of cliquishness in a church. Now, how could that be? The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status.
