Category: 1 Corinthians

Years ago I read an article about a man that was called to the scene of a death in a public park in Washington D.C. He was brought from his office by the police to identify a body, and when he arrived he realized that the man he was to identify was not someone he recognized. The man was a veteran, and he died in front of the Korean War Memorial on the Washington Mall – an eerie monument with lifelike statues of a platoon of armed men passing through a rice patty. Sit long enough in the dusk, and the figures begin to look more and more real. The homeless man, with tattoos that showed he served his country in a Marine division in Korea, died of exposure on a cold night in early January. He died beside the statues that identified a moment in his life when he thought he made a difference. He died with his fellows in arms just a few steps away – perhaps as he thought he might have years before. The man was wearing a coat he received from a local church mission, and in the coat was the business card of the man the police brought to identify his body. Unfortunately, the business card was from the donation of the coat, and the man from the office did not know the veteran who passed away. Yet, the man from the office did recognize the insignia of the tattoo and was able to give the police the necessary details to track down the dead man’s identity.

Why would a man lay on the cold ground beside the monument of his former wartime colleagues? In his stupor, a basic instinct emerged. He was drawn back to a familiar scene in his life. He returned to a time he felt he was productive and making a difference. He returned to a time when he KNEW someone else cared about him. One writer said it well: “War is strangely both a solitary place and a place of forged companionship. In war, you don’t fight for your home and family. You don’t fight for your honor or for metals and pins. You fight for the man in the hole next to you, and he fights for you. It is all you have.”

I don’t think the man’s return to a place where he made a difference is so hard to understand. Everyone wants to make an impact on their world. Everyone wants to help the people they care about, and make a difference in the conditions of the world they live in. For a soldier, basic training is not just about saving his life in conflict – it is about saving his buddies on the field of battle as well. Companionship is forged quickly in the fires of war…. And that takes us to our New Testament passage in 1 Corinthians 12.

The early Christians at Corinth faced a spiritual war, and a deep and significant personal emotional struggle to become real followers of Jesus, and when they made that choice – they wanted to make a difference. They came to Christ, but were disoriented because of a loss some of us may never have thought about. It is at the heart of every missionary’s presentation to a first generation culture when presenting Christ. Romans revered their dead ancestors. They lit candles daily for them, and believed their “pietos” (doing the right thing) included upholding the honor of all the family – both living and dead. As a Roman came to Christ, it became painfully clear that his family members were lost. A daily routine that once brought strength, now brought an enormous sting of pain to them. They could easily feel they “lost” part of their family in joining the body of Christ. As a result, God revealed truths that would help them connect to the body in a more full way, and make a difference in the lives of people that would fill up the empty holes left in their heart. He gave them His Holy Spirit to connect their identities – and He supplied gifts to them, to help the body flourish and grow. He continues to do the same for us. Just as in the training of the soldier, so in the regulated use of special “God enabling gifts” will a believer become both impacting and valuable to the work of the body of Messiah.

Key Principle: God offered the principles that govern both our understanding and use of the special enabling gifts He has given to each member of the body of Christ in the local congregation.

There were apparently at least four specific problems that came up in the public services at the Corinthian congregation that gave rise to the question they wrote to Paul:

• Problem #1: Bad Message: Apparently someone shared in a public worship setting a “revelation” from God that Jesus, because of the crucifixion, was accursed by God. They evidently encouraged the congregation to follow after something other than Jesus, confused by false pronouncements. (cp. 12:3)

• Problem #2: One Size Fits All: It appears that some in the congregation were emphasizing the unity and unchanging nature of God, and they could not believe that God’s gifts were not similar in their manifestations. They were struggling with the uniqueness of each believer (cp. 12:4-7)

• Problem #3: Spare Parts: Some apparently were arguing about whether some unique manifestations in the lives of the believers were gifts of God, or mere expressions of differing personalities. They likely felt that some of the “so-called gifts” were unnecessary for the body. They were probably saying, “You know, Pastor, that stuff isn’t important! What we need here in Corinth is more of…” (cp. 12:8-11).

• Problem #4: Over-importance: Many that got excited about the sense of the flow of the Spirit using them became convinced that their gift was the key to everything in the Word and the world. They believed that more of “their gift” would make the place break open for God and take off! (cp. 12:12-20).

“Eight Truths about Spiritual Gifts”

1. It is easy to get confused by what is actually a work of God when we came from a Christ-less and Spirit-less background (12:1-2).

12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.

There was no experience background in their lives to help explain the work of the Spirit in the local church. The work of the Spirit is not like other religious processes, because God works internally to enable ministry. Three things are clear in the opening verses:

a. We need learning to understand how the gifts work – or we will be “unaware” (12:1).
b. Our God speaks, whereas false gods do not of their own accord (12:2). This is NOT to say that they possess no power, but that any voice of any spiritual authority that is not leading men to God is an echo of the voice of the enemy – not the voices of actual different gods. That was an important truth to those who believed they could hear the voices of both gods and ancestors.
c. Not everyone came from the same pre-Christ background – but were “led” in different ways before coming to faith and getting the Spirit (12:2).

There is an important underlying truth – not all men came to Christ from the same place. Some of our conviction, so deep, intense and real to us, is NOT God’s call to all men everywhere. Our understanding of one another should be tempered by patiently spotting “where the other guy came from”. This isn’t pablum, it is terribly important. Christians need to hear each other’s testimony stories to allow us to filter each other patiently. A man who came from a violent home may be much more sensitive to the violence in a film well accepted by other believers. A woman who grew up in a home with alcoholic parents may have no desire to be tolerant of another believer who will have wine with a meal. A man who came from an occult background may rage against anyone who would let their children eat from a candy bowl at Halloween… these are all perfectly understandable. In order for a body to grow, we must learn to listen to each other and hear the stories that helped the formation of people – because God’s work in them is individualized. He wants to grow all of us, but He works with us as individuals.

A patient church is a God honoring church. We need to be learning, but not harsh in our attempts to get everyone to “grow up” at the same rate. Patient instruction is the key to moving people from being “unaware” to allow the Spirit to use their Bible education to move them to obedience. Not everyone who is confused or even expresses the wrong opinion is evil – they may simply need loving guidance that will allow the Spirit to correct them.

2. God sets the boundaries on the use of gifts in order that they may produce His desired effect (12:3).

12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

God is the source of the gifts, and God has a message He wants to get out. Exercises of so called gifts that tell a different story are NOT exercises of the Spirit, but the mimicry of the enemy, or the pollution of the flesh.

I think that most everyone would agree that such a prophesy would be banned from any church. At the same time, the principle is clear: the gifts of the Spirit are only validly used in harmony with the revealed truths of the Word of God. People cannot claim to have a revelation that does not square with the Bible and expect to offer it unchallenged to the body. If someone says, the Lord told me… listen very closely. The Lord will not speak to them in contrast to the truths He spoke through His Word.

I have noticed that one influence of the charismatic movement on churches of all kinds is the tendency to equate deep emotional responses with the Lord’s Word. That is a mistake. Most of the time the Lord’s direction is not deeply emotional at all. If God directs you to act in a certain way, and you know it was Him, you need not expect anything dramatic to happen. Let me offer the most common example from my own experience. Let’s say I say something that as soon as it leaves my mouth, I know is wrong. I may not have formed the sentence to be evil, but what I said was wrong, or hurtful, or even untrue. At that moment, as a Jesus-owned and operated man, the Spirit of God will fire an arrow into my heart. I will know the sting of conviction. No one else will see it, but I will no, without a doubt, that God is unhappy with what I just said. I can quietly ask His forgiveness, and then openly correct what I just said. There need not be lights in the sky or dramatic music in the background – just a simple conviction.

Let me be clear: God DOES speak. Much of the content comes from His written Word, and ALL of the content must agree with His written Word. At the same time, we are not becoming emotion or weak minded when we say that the Spirit individually speaks in our lives. He does. He leads, He convicts, He corrects. Remember the principle: Every word of God fits within the revealed truth of the Written Scripture, or it is not from God.

3. God works as He chooses in different people in different ways – according to His Divine purpose and choice (12:4-11).

Without negating the truth that every word must fit within His revealed written Word, we must also see that God works in different ways with different people. Paul wrote:

12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

a. One Spirit gives a diversity of kinds of gifts, a diversity of ministry assignments, and produces a diverse set of products in ministry – but He is the same God (12:4-6).
b. Everyone who is in the body is given God’s manifest presence and empowering (12:7a).
c. The purpose is NEVER for the individual’s glory – but for the Body’s good (12:7b).
d. The gifts appear to be grouped in three ways:

1. Word of wisdom; word of knowledge.
2. Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Distinguishing of spirits.
3. Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues.

e. Gifts cannot be taught or taken – they are freely given by God as He desires to give them. Paul acknowledged that all gifts were important and valid, and all believers are recipients – but not of the same ones.

One of the problems with the study of the gifts as Paul described them, is that each of the gifts has taken on the pattern of a modern day ministry, and as such we may think we understand their operation, when what we understand is someone’s idea of how a specific gift operates. For instance, maybe we grew up in a church that taught healing only as a work of God in a service – when clearly God works also by other means. We need to be careful about defining terms in Scripture by what we see on a television set.

The ministry of the Spirit in FAITH for instance, is an operation of God in a man or woman to have extraordinary comprehension of God’s Word and its principles. Some people have the ability – Divinely given – to set out God’s principles clearly without all the requisite years of study others of us take to get there.

4. We are all a unique and distinct package of God’s enabling gifts, but our distinctions are not bigger than our purpose together (12:12-20).

12:12 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. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19 If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now there are many members, but one body.

The point of gift use is never the exaltation of any one gift or gift holder, but for the body to work together well for His purposes and His glory.

a. The body functions to support ONE LIFE (12:12).
b. Entry to the ONE body (in justification) made all other distinctions of less importance as it regards salvation (12:13). No one is MORE SAVED than the rest of the body.
c. No ONE gift or holder should see his or her value as ANYTHING apart from the whole (12:14).
d. No PART should over or undervalue itself (12:15-17).
e. God arranged the parts and God gifts according to His master plan (12:18).
f. We all NEED each other to function properly (12:19-20).

5. We must respect the value of our differences and not simply be “wowed” by some who have more visible gifts (12:21-24).

12:21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24 whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked…

The most critical members of the body are not the most easily recognized parts, but the parts that keep the body alive and well. The honor of the part is GOD’S to ascribe – not ours!

6. We must see and function as though our care for another as a greater priority than our complete understanding of one another (12:25-26).

12: 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

The body must focus on the way it can pull its energies to the benefit of all and the progress of the whole goal. Each believer must deliberately fight the notion that others are not held back by their disobedience and stubbornness. When I refuse to yield to God – others in the body suffer. When I hide sin, I wound the body. I set back the team when I don’t discipline my body and work out….

7. Each of us plays a specific type of role for God, yet these roles vary widely. We cannot anticipate that others will naturally understand our role, or see its significance (12:27-30).

12:27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? 30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?

We should answer more of our conflicts by understanding that we are all gifted uniquely, and may struggle to see things through the eyes of others who are gifted differently. Evangelists will believe the only thing a Christian should do is share Christ. Teachers will worry about what people are learning and feel that evangelists are far too focused on a “conversion” moment, and not on the necessary equipping. Administrators will worry about sustainability of ministry in funding, and staying above any suspicion in accounting. All have their place, but they will pull in different directions.

8. God will (if asked) balance out your group with the right combination of gifts if the group is obediently using those He gave and find a lack among them (12:31).

12: 31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.

Rather than teach people to be gifted in an area they are not, we should seek God to supply them, while covering the gaps. Churches that don’t encourage people to exercise their gifts, don’t know what they need, and don’t seek God for what they need. Slowly, they dry up by putting too much on a few and allowing most to coast doing nothing…

A man from Illinois decided to travel to Wisconsin to go duck hunting. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer’s field on the other side of the fence. As the flatlander climbed over the fence, a dairy farmer drove up on his tractor and asked what was going on. The hunter said, “I shot a duck and I’m retrieving it.” The old farmer replied, “This is my property and you’re not coming over here!” Well, this made the hunter mad so he said, “If you don’t let me come over the fence I’ll call my Chicago lawyer and I’ll sue you.” The farmer smiled and said, “Apparently you don’t know how we do things up here. We settle disagreements with the Wisconsin three-kick rule. I’ll kick you three times, and then you kick me three times, and so on, back and forth, until someone gives up.” The Illini liked this challenge because he thought he could easily take the old farmer. The Wisconsin Badger climbed down from the tractor and planted the steel toe of his heavy work boot into the man’s shin. The man fell to his knees. His second kick went directly to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The farmer than landed his third kick to the side of the hunter’s head. The disoriented man slowly got up and said, “Okay, you old codger, now it’s my turn!” To which the farmer responded, “Nah, I give up. You can have the duck.” (sermon central illustrations).

The modern church has spent too long turning God’s enabling power into a fight over how to use gifts. The whole topic of spiritual gifts has been a battleground for many years, going back to the first century church at Corinth. Some of the tension results from an overemphasis on certain gifts, others because we like to pick fights with those who are wired differently than we are. In the next few weeks, the principles should clear up much of the fog and allow us to confidently operate within the Word. Our problem has not so much been people MISUSING gifts, and UNDER USING gifts. Let me end this week’s installment simply by asking – Do you know what your gifts are? Are you using them? Is the Body of Christ being built up by them?

I saw “The Passion of the Christ” several years ago when it first came out.  Like many people that I saw, both believers and non-believers, I cried when I saw the way men handled the body of my Savior! How brutal they were! How could they be so harsh with this One that was here FOR them? I believe it was a valid question… and it is one that I continue to ask myself as I see the way people in the world, and even BELIEVERS handle the “other body” (as it is designated in Scripture) of Christ – the church. I have watched people hop around from place to place, with little regard for how that affects the body. I have noted the number that criticize freely every aspect of what a church does – especially when they aren’t involved in the working of it. This message is given by a Pastor, but it is not self-serving. I enjoy enormous affirmation, and have suffered precious little criticism in my career. In fact, on balance, I believe I am privileged to serve with great people, and be in service to loving people. On the whole, my observation has been about how quickly we are willing to criticize the church that we don’t go to. Having said that, I have concluded that Paul’s words to the Corinthians should give us pause when we become flippant about God’s church.

Key Principle: People criticize, mock and play with the Church of Jesus Christ because they do not truly comprehend how God feels about their casual attitude toward His church.

This is the third installment of our walk into 1 Corinthians. In chapter one, we saw four reasons that church bodies divide that were NOT good reasons:

• They had confused the STANDARD of truth – the Eternal Word of God properly and carefully interpreted.
• They confused the CENTRAL TRUTH of the church – the work and Word of Jesus our Lord.
• They confused the importance of the WORKER with the importance of the transforming work of God’s Spirit.
• They confused POPULAR thinking for RIGHT thinking. There are many ways to get people to respond emotionally that are not spiritually sound approaches.

Last time, we saw that Paul went further to develop the healing balm for their divisions. He said: There is nothing like the church of Jesus Christ. The rules of how to do what we do are set in fences that are unique to this work. He highlighted four problems that people run into when they try to DO church the way they DO other organizations in the world:

• FLASHY METHOD PROBLEM: First, the basis of the conversion of lost people and foundation of that ministry was NOT simply or even primarily based on TECHNIQUE. (2:1). The message should drive method in the church – not the other way around.
• POWERFUL PERSONALITY PROBLEM: Second, Paul purposed to put his PERSONALITY in the background, and tried with all that he was to put the person and work of Jesus out in front. The stronger the personality, the more tempted we become as leaders to drive what is happening around us. (1 Corinthians 2:2-5). It is perfectly acceptable to build celebrities in the world and let them mark brands with their identity – but not in the church. We are a BODY.
• LAZY HEARER PROBLEM: Third, Paul knew it would always be TEMPTING to put every truth in the simplest terms for the least mature believers – trying to require very little of the hearers of the Word. The message of real surrender to Jesus and committed study of God’s Word would not be as easily accepted (2:6-13).
• LOST HEARER PROBLEM: Fourth, Paul knew that many would clamor to have the teaching of God’s Word to ever adjust to the language and desires of a lost world. We must recognize that ministry is not about the world most people desire to live in or become successful in. People hunger for success in THIS world, happiness in THIS world, fulfillment in the things of THIS world – but we preach a Crucified Savior, and selfless Christian and a servant’s heart. Those are not the STUFF of popular worldly thinkers. (2:14-16).

Now on to chapter three, where Paul turns back to the Corinthian division issue with a new approach: People criticize, mock and play with the Church of Jesus Christ because they do not truly comprehend how God feels about their casual attitude.

To really grasp the TRUTH of God’s church, you need different EARS:

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. God’s truth is spiritually discerned, and the Spirit’s work is based on surrender. Un-surrendered Christians are selfish and flesh oriented Christians. They trade the ability to really grasp the things of the Spirit for their hunger in this physical world.

To really grasp the TRUTH of God’s church, you need different APPETITES:

3:2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly…. The problem with continually disobedient believers isn’t that God’s Word hasn’t been taught to them – but that they have refused to grow out of stubbornness and they cannot endure the tough truth of surrender. Where does it often first show? In strife and division: 3b “…For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?

One obvious manifestation of selfishness and willful rebellion toward God is the inability to get along with one another. Unity comes from surrender, and rebellion leads to division. When we truly all kneel before the Cross, we find a friend kneeling beside. When we look at what Jesus did for OUR SIN, we don’t puff ourselves up – because we see the light of God’s goodness in stark contrast to our own former darkness.

As the Apostle James said, battles between us come from battles within us. Hurt people hurt people. Refusing to be healed by God will eventually spill over into wounds we will give another – it is inevitable. Either I can take my wounds to the Cross and have them healed there – or I will wound others with my stubborn and failed self-reliance. This church was divided, because people in this church refused to grow up in Christ and yield to Him. Many a church conflict can be summarized in that same way.

To really grasp the TRUTH of God’s church, you need a different VIEW OF LEADERS:

3:5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Paul had a proper and healthy self-image. He knew he was one that Jesus gave His precious blood to save – so he did not feel worthless. At the same time, he did not inflate himself with visions that his gifts made him more valuable than others with other gifts. He saw himself as we should see ourselves – those who serve Jesus by serving one another. He saw himself as one who labored alongside others who had differing roles – but the same goal – to be used by God to honor Him through the growth of His kingdom.

When he said that “neither the planter nor the water bearer were anything” –  he meant those words in the context of relative value… we aren’t ANYTHING APART FROM THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH WERE CREATED. Our work means something, but only because it reflects our Savior Who means EVERYTHING. God may use us, but could just as easily use another. We are not indispensable, irreplaceable or the key to the future of the Kingdom – Jesus is. Following a man is fine if he is following Christ. If not, he is leading you away from God’s direction – because Christ is always on the right path.

Paul finished the argument with a simple acknowledgement that both the planter and the water bearer are on the SAME TEAM and therefore must not be the reason we separate. People who serve Jesus well aren’t pulling people to THEM – but they are pulling people to JESUS. At the same time, they are excited when a person is following Jesus well even if they are being led by another godly person. Competition in churches is often an ego battle of immature people masquerading as godly leaders. We must be MORE and MORE careful to uphold our brothers in Christ – to speak well or simply refuse to speak at all. My brothers in ministry deserve my love, encouragement and help – with as little criticism as I can possibly offer. The exception to that is when someone wants to deliberately corrupt the truth of the Gospel – but that, in my experience, is quite rare. It happens, but not nearly as much as gossip and criticism about other men of the Word occurs – sadly.

I love that Paul saw the people of the church at Corinth to be a field of labor and a building that was under construction. He KNEW that working with people was neither easy nor short term. Agriculture is about endurance, construction about planning – both are essential in a longer view of ministry. We need to be careful to always build sustainably. If we start something, we need to look at how it can continue – or we should question why we spend our energies in that way. Short term thinking isn’t the right approach to real ministry with people.

To really grasp the TRUTH of God’s church, you must remember HER JUDGE:

3:10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.

In a moment of self-reflection, Paul recognized that God’s grace was the operative power behind his accomplishments in ministry. Who among us can say differently? He recognized that he was in need of a constant flow of grace from the time of his salvation through the whole process of honoring God in ministry. He also openly acknowledged the difference between a good plan for establishing a ministry, and a BAD plan. He said he was a WISE master builder when he placed the foundation stones. Others built upon his work, but Paul outlined the whole building with a foundation of Jesus Christ.

When Paul said there was “no other foundation” he was indicating that there was no other PROPER foundation. Men build ministry on many things that are not Christ. Some build them on EGO (believing that only their denomination or group can bring the truth), others on FAME (using methods that draw crowds by their stunning approach, but are not directed by the Spirit of God). These may result in churches, but at their core they are not about serving Jesus Christ. The day will come when that will be clear – either at the judgment seat of Christ, or even before that time.

3:14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

The real test of ministry is not its temporal popularity, but its spiritual endurance at the scrutiny of the Master.

If Jesus doesn’t deem it correct and healthy – than it simply isn’t. Heaven isn’t a place where a vote will be cast by the members of a theological academy or angelic choir. We serve a committee of ONE – a Master Who will inspect all of the work that we have done. There is NO OTHER treasure higher than HIS SATISFACTION. At the same time, His satisfaction is often paired by the satisfaction of other godly men and women. People who have a healthy walk with God can “sniff out” teaching and leadership that is healthy – because we have the selfsame Spirit within.

Someday Jesus will take all of my labor and place it between us. He and I will look at the number of hours I have labored to know and teach His Word. We will look at the way I communicated that Word to people. He will examine the time I have spent caring for people – and He will give the TRUE and PERFECT evaluation of me. If I have done well in His estimation – the trial of my work before His fiery eyes of scrutiny will survive. If I have not done well – that work will evaporate – with no opportunity to relive my life on earth.

When I stand before Jesus – seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years will evaporate into the smoke as the fire of His eyes burn through my life’s work. What is left after all the selfish, ego-driven, stubborn, hard-hearted, gossip-laden, flesh colored work is gone – is what Jesus can BEGIN to celebrate. Mature believers keep that day in their minds eye – and never lose sight of it. Brethren, some of us seem to be content wasting our only opportunity to please Him!

What does it mean for a believer to “SUFFER LOSS”? In the text it is clear that there is no issue of salvation or eternal destiny at stake in the argument – this is a judgment in the life of a believer. Everyone is judged TWICE by God – once for sin, and once for performance of work. The sin judgment determines one’s destiny. The performance judgment, measured strictly against what God has made us capable to complete – is about REWARD. Heaven is the HOME of the believer – but some level of REWARD before the Savior is a conditional blessing to those who live their lives for His glory. For each of us, Jesus will scrutinize our work, and we will see the real truth of our lives – what we were really about. Jesus told his parents when they sought Him in the Temple as a youth, “Did you not know that I would be about My Father’s business?” Perhaps they should have known – but I am not always sure that I could claim that same obvious exclamation. Beloved, I fear that many of us spend much of our lives on ourselves, and not on His honor and glory – can that be? May we see it now and avoid the sadness of loss later…

To really grasp the TRUTH of God’s church, you need to recognize GOD’S COMMITMENT TO HER:

3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

God doesn’t use the term TEMPLE to mean church very often, but here is an exception. It is clear in the passage that God wanted men to understand that the church of Jesus Christ is not just another organization to be criticized, gossiped about, and slammed at will. This organism is a living body created by a Victorious Savior. It has His fingerprints, His DNA and was founded on His blood. It not only COST Him plenty to create, it was created with a God ordained DEFENSE system. Criticize it lightly, and God will censure your life’s work easily. Be careful, when you speak of the church… you speak of GOD’S CHURCH.

• Did not God’s church reach into the sin sick lives of men and women of the Roman Empire at the expense of being thrown to lions, being crucified or beheaded? It was NOT to win a theological argument – for the early Christians were really trying to offer hope to hopeless people.
• Did not God’s church reach the poor in many nations long before ever being considered by the rich among them? It was not to become WEALTHY  – for even today there are many who handle the broken in skid row and hungry in India’s streets for no other reason than to show their love for and obedience to their Savior.
• Did not God’s church begin some of the great universities of our world? It was not to become ERUDITE – for though they shudder at the idea, the great schools of Princeton and Yale were begun to train men to share Jesus and His Word with accuracy and scholarship.
• Did not God’s church open hospitals in many cities of our world? It was not to gain control of health care legislation – but because they saw the sick as needy and the needy as open to Christ.
• Did not God’s church feed the poor in many places, offer addiction counseling and group meetings, help single parents with support, care for elderly and widows? Yes, sure it has… and it is just beginning its work. There is much MORE to do. We have not been perfect, but we have not been FILLED WITH EMPTY WORDS EITHER – there is a track record and a history.

Where we have failed, we will seek to have God renew us. Where we have resisted, we will learn to submit to the Gentle Chief Shepherd…. But know this… this is God’s church in many places, under many names – and He has promised to be her defense when she is attacked – so tread lightly. Hold back quick words about the intent of others –even if their denomination or fellowship doesn’t completely agree with yours.

We live in a polarized America – and it is affecting even the church. Never have so many believed so much the same thing and disagreed on so little – but made such a big deal about it. We cannot afford to criticize freely what God loves greatly and paid for richly.

3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS”; 20 and again, “THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS.” 21 So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.

Great men and women of God think differently. They are made from a different stuff and cut from a different cloth – and God loves it that way. One who comes to Christ is made alive from death. He must learn to speak of the Spirit. He must learn to share in unity. He must learn to love and laugh and joy with the body… He does not know for his past – for he was dead.

The final conclusions (found in Paul’s words in verse 21) are simple and straightforward – STOP BOASTING IN MEN. Don’t divide along party lines based on personalities. Men may be helpful and gifted, but they aren’t Divine. They may possess the Spirit – but they AREN’T the Spirit. Men are just lumps of clay empowered by a Good God. They are not to be abused, but nor are they to be revered in themselves.

His big finish is a bit strange. He repeated twice that “all things belong to you”. I suspect this refers to a specific part of what people were saying about the movements based on individuals at Corinth– specifically that those who followed a more GIFTED LEADER had some special measure of God’s sanction and God’s honor. It simply isn’t true. God’s Spirit fully indwells where He is fully invited. When we open a room to surrender, He fills it up with Himself. Like air itself, when a vacuum seal is broken – the air rushes in with a wisp of pressure. The lid “pops” and the air displaces the vacuum. The natural state in our world is full of air. The natural state of Heaven is filled with the Spirit. Believers are people in transition – opening bit by bit through surrender to our new “natural state” the fullness of God. We will not fully get there in this body – but we will not need the body when we are fully there!

People criticize, mock and play with the Church of Jesus Christ because they do not comprehend how God feels about their casual attitude.

The body Christ can make the difference…

In 1857, there was a 46 year old man named Jeremiah Lamphere who lived in New York City. Jeremiah loved the Lord tremendously, but he didn’t feel that he could do much for the Lord until he began to feel a burden for the lost and accepted an invitation from his church to be an inner city missionary. So in July of 1857 he started walking up and down the streets of New York passing out tracts and talking to people about Jesus, but he wasn’t having any success. Then God put it on his heart to try prayer. So he printed up a bunch of tracts, and he passed them out to anyone and everyone met. He invited anyone who wanted to come to the 3rd floor of the Old North Dutch Reform Church on Fulton St. in New York City from 12 to 1 on Wednesday to pray. He passed out hundreds and hundreds of fliers and put up posters everywhere he could. Wednesday came and at noon nobody showed up. So Jeremiah got on his knees and started praying. For 30 minutes he prayed by himself when finally five other people walked in. The next week 20 people came. The next week between 30 and 40 people came. They then decided to meet every day from 12:00 to 1:00 to pray for the city. Before long a few ministers started coming and they said, “We need to start this at our churches.” Within six months there were over 5000 prayer groups meeting everyday in N.Y. Soon the word spread all over the country. Prayer meetings were started in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Washington D.C. In fact President Franklin Pierce started going almost every day to a noonday prayer meeting. By 1859 some 15,000 cities in America were having downtown prayer meetings everyday at noon, and thousands were brought to Christ. The great thing about this revival is that there is not a famous preacher associated with it. It was all started by one man wanting to pray. – (Illustration from Sermon Central, Rich Anderson, Seeking The Face Of Jesus Christ 2/18/2011)

God’s church is a unique organism. It is not a committee, but it engages people together. It is not a club, but its members draw encouragement and strength from one another. It is not an organization, though it has rules and commitments. It is the living body of Christ – His hands and feet – to touch a lost world with a message of hope. The way it is to do this is unique as well. 

 Last time we saw four reasons that church bodies divide that were NOT good reasons:

 1. They had confused the STANDARD of truth – the Eternal Word of God properly and carefully interpreted. No one gets to overrule God on what is important – and He has spoken. The church must stand for systematic, careful instruction of God’s Holy Word. If we do nothing else well, we must do this well. If we do everything else well and not this – our work is near meaningless in eternal value.

2.They confused the CENTRAL TRUTH of the church – the work and Word of Jesus our Lord. We aren’t a social agency or a social justice agency – our work eclipses those needs. The church must emphasize at every turn the importance of surrender to Jesus Christ, because He alone can save a man or woman, and He alone can change what is broken within them.

3. They confused the importance of the WORKER with the importance of the transforming work of God’s Spirit. It isn’t primarily the MEN that make it successful life changing – they play a minor role. Men and women of God are important, but not more important than the open and free flow of the transforming power of God through His Word.

4. They confused POPULAR thinking for RIGHT thinking. There are many ways to get people to respond emotionally that are not spiritually sound approaches. The church cannot be simple pragmatists – it works so it must be good. We must test every method and approach with the Word to be sure it is real and lasting in its quality.

As Paul continued his letter, he went back in time to the way he approached the beginnings of ministry at Corinth. He offered several important insights based on his experience:

Key Principle: There is nothing like the church of Jesus Christ. The rules of how to do what we do are set in fences that are unique to this work. Things that work in the world to attract and engage people are not necessarily allowed in the church.

FLASHY METHOD PROBLEM:

First, the basis of the conversion of lost people and foundation of that ministry was NOT simply or even primarily based on TECHNIQUE. There is much written today about the way the church should appeal to people. I don’t want to overstate the case – there certainly IS a point to having a clean and neat environment to our church home and a creative presentation of God’s truths. There is a reason we want the environment to reflect order and personal care – just as our homes should. At the same time, message should drive method in the church – not the other way around. Paul says it this way:

1 Corinthians 2:1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.

Paul wasn’t arguing that he came unprepared or in mediocrity of presentation – simply that it wasn’t his impressive pyrotechnic display that drew people to Christ. The CENTER of the ministry is the MESSAGE, not the METHOD. Creativity is not only FINE, it is even REQUIRED in thinking through our public deportment and presentation of the Gospel – but this is much more than a local talent show.

Philip Kruis wrote: 7% of the impact of a speaker’s message comes through his words, 38% springs from the speaker’s tone of voice, and 55% from non-verbals. If this is true, that only 7% of what we say is communicated through the actual words we use, then there is a lot of room for miscommunication!

We have to balance creativity against distraction from the message and persuasive presentation of the simple truth of man’s lost-ness and need for a Savior. We also need to be open to using methods that DO enhance the message – and not codify old as sacred. Even experts can’t see forward well:

• “This ’telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” –Western Union internal memo, 1876.
• “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” –Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.
• “The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?” –David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.
• “Who the heck wants to hear actors talk?” –H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.
• “Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.” –Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
• “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” –Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
• “I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper.” –Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With The Wind.”
• “I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.” –The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
• “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” –Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
• “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” –Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
• “So we went to Atari and said, ’Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ’No.’ So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ’Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.’” –Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in he and Steve Wozniak’s personal computer. (sermon central illustrations).

We live in times when substance keeps being reduced and replaced with creative presentation. In entertainment that makes sense – in education it doesn’t. Math, science, reading – all of these skills require commitment to learning basic facts and a steadiness of logic – along with a lot of drills to ensure methods are sound. The church is primarily and education and information organization that houses a Divine transformation service offered by God’s empowering work. Our education must be sound – and drilled. Catchy sayings don’t replace solid truth – and people need the clear and concise teaching of the principles of God’s Word put in a way that will help them apply the right principles at the right time to the right problem.

It is perfectly acceptable in the world to consider the packaging of a product more than the product itself –but not in the church. The church must move TECHNIQUE back behind the message – or it could easily be caught up in just another show.

POWERFUL PERSONALITY PROBLEM:

Second, Paul purposed to put his PERSONALITY in the background, and tried with all that he was to put the person and work of Jesus out in front. The stronger the personality, the more tempted we become as leaders to drive what is happening around us. Someone said to me one time: “That man is too talented for his own good!” I knew what they meant. They LOVED the man, but his talents and natural abilities left you knowing HIM and not Jesus. “No man can preach Christ and himself at the same time!” Paul said it this way:

1 Corinthians 2:2 … For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

Look at the two things Paul emphasized in his own life – Paul wanted to really KNOW Christ while he was in their midst, and Paul wanted to really know the work that Christ did on the Cross. On first glance, Paul’s words seem wrong. After all, didn’t Paul already KNOW Jesus when he arrived on that second mission journey? Surely he was aware of all that Jesus had done – he already planted numerous churches across Asia Minor and Macedonia. So what was he saying?

Andrew Murray wrote these words, and I believe they will help set up exactly what Paul was communicating to the Corinthians: “God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.” When Paul arrived in Corinth, he had recently been physically beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, had his family attacked in Thessaloniki, been singled out in Berea as the problem member of the team, and lost his footing on the presentation he made in Athens – basing it on relevant poems without Biblical text. He was dragged out, and he was alone. He didn’t feel strong – and he didn’t know feel like he could put much into the “flash” of his speaking. He simply fell into the arms of Jesus, who met him in a dream and promised him that if he stayed and followed, Jesus would protect him. Let’s look back at the events:

Acts 18:1 After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, 3 and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. 4 And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” 11 And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

It was because of this history that Paul went on to remind the Corinthians of the early days of the ministry by saying: 1 Corinthians 2:3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

It is perfectly acceptable to build celebrities in the world and let them mark brands with their identity – but not in the church. We are a BODY, and the trend toward Christian celebrity is a dangerous one that will yield “prima donnas for Christ” and allow us to elevate men beyond the truth – we are ALL SINNERS. I am not arguing to demean men and women of God – just not sacrifice truth to keep them happy.

LAZY HEARER PROBLEM:

Third, Paul knew it would always be TEMPTING to put every truth in the simplest terms for the least mature believers – trying to require very little of the hearers of the Word. The message of real surrender to Jesus and committed study of God’s Word would not be as easily accepted. Many ministries are deliberately cutting content so that they can be more appealing – as are our school systems. Over time, the slow “dumbing down” of the nation and its believers are leaving an anemic church in an immoral generation. Paul said it this way:

1 Corinthians 2:6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” 10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

Look very carefully at the way Paul described his ministry.

First, you will see that it was spoken in a godly and discerned WISDOM (Gk: “sophia”), in a way that required a level of spiritual discernment and growth to grasp (2:6a). The message of God’s Word isn’t supposed to be dressed in excessively hard words, but it truly requires people to THINK.

The point of ministry isn’t simply the number that come to church, but the number that become like Christ in the daily practices of their life. Trying to always make it simpler isn’t always the right thing. 

Preachers and Bible teachers need to be scrutinized – even if it doesn’t seem kind – because people are gullible, and can be tricked. Let me illustrate with this Paul Harvey story:

In 1899 four newspaper reporters from Denver, CO, set out to tear down the Great Wall of China. They almost succeeded. Literally. The four met by chance one Saturday night, in a Denver railway depot. Al Stevens, Jack Tournay, John Lewis, Hal Wilshire. They represented the four Denver papers: the Times, the Post, the Republican, the Rocky Mountain News. Each had been sent by his respective newspaper to dig up a story—any story—for the Sunday editions; so the reporters were in the railroad station, hoping to snag a visiting celebrity should one happen to arrive that evening by train. None arrived that evening, by train or otherwise. The reporters started commiserating. For them, no news was bad news; all were facing empty-handed return trips to their city desks. Al declared he was going to make up a story and hand it in. The other three laughed. Someone suggested they all walk over to the Oxford Hotel and have a beer. They did. Jack said he liked Al’s idea about faking a story. Why didn’t each of them fake a story and get off the hook? John said Jack was thinking too small. Four half-baked fakes didn’t cut it. What they needed was one real whopper they could all use. Another round of beers. A phony domestic story would be too easy to check on, so they began discussing foreign angles that would be difficult to verify. And that is THE REST OF THE STORY. China was distant enough, it was agreed. They would write about China. John leaned forward, gesturing dramatically in the dim light of the barroom. Try this one on, he said: Group of American engineers, stopping over in Denver en route to China. The Chinese government is making plans to demolish the Great Wall; our engineers are bidding on the job. Harold was skeptical. Why would the Chinese want to destroy the Great Wall of China? John thought for a moment. They’re tearing down the ancient boundary to symbolize international good will, to welcome foreign trade! Another round of beers. By 11:00 p.m. the four reporters had worked out the details of their preposterous story. After leaving the Oxford Bar, they would go over to the Windsor Hotel. They would sign four fictitious names to the hotel register. They would instruct the desk clerk to tell anyone why asked that four New Yorkers had arrived that evening, had been interviewed by reporters, had left early the next morning for California. The Denver newspapers carried the story. All four of them. Front page. In fact, the Times headline that Sunday read: GREAT CHINESE WALL DOOMED! PEKING SEEKS WORLD TRADE! Of course, the story was a phony, a ludicrous fabrication concocted by four capricious newsmen in a hotel bar. But their story was taken seriously, was picked up and expanded by newspapers in the Eastern U.S. and then by newspapers abroad. When the Chinese themselves learned that the Americans were sending a demolition crew to tear down their national monument, most were indignant; some were enraged! Particularly incensed were the members of a secret society, a volatile group of Chinese patriots who were already wary of foreign intervention. They, inspired by the story, exploded, rampaged against the foreign embassies in Peking, slaughtered hundreds of missionaries. In two months, 12,000 troops from six countries joined forces, invaded China with the purpose of protecting their own countrymen. The bloodshed which followed, sparked by a journalistic hoax invented in a barroom in Denver, became the white-hot international conflagration known to every high school history student . . . as the Boxer Rebellion. —– –from Paul Harvey

Second, the grasping and discernment was not simply based on education in this world, but real engagement with the things of the SPIRIT – “not of this age” (2:6b). People who don’t have the Spirit at work in them will be bored to tears with what a good church is doing. Som movments in the church therefore conclude that the church is not as RELEVANT as it should be – and force it to change what it is doing. That may be justified in some cases when the presentation has become sterile or stale, but often it is a reflection of a culture that is increasingly led to do what is popular in the short run over what will solve problems in the long run.

Third, the words were spoken “in a mystery” – that is, in conjunction with revealed truths of God that He alone could truly direct and explain through His Spirit within (2:7-8). The study of the Bible and its truths cannot simply be an academic exercise based on intelligence and human reasoning. It must be consistent in the hermeneutic (the method of study) and not contradictory – but it requires a spiritual component to a man or woman’s thinking. God must energize them – and that happens through their surrender to His will. Smart people who do not possess the Spirit of God, or perhaps are resisting Him will fail to grasp the counsel of God. That doesn’t mean the message is too hard – it means the surrender is too soft.

Fourth, the message goes well beyond the experience of the lost man (2:9-12). People can’t conceive in the natural the powerful, optimistic, uplifting, exciting truths revealed by God’s Word concerning those who surrender their heart to Jesus. God has some incredible things He wants to show man – but they must first yield themselves to Christ for salvation and to the Spirit for dominance and depth.

LOST HEARER PROBLEM:

Fourth, Paul knew that many would clamor to have the teaching of God’s Word to ever adjust to the language and desires of a lost world. We must recognize that ministry is not about the world most people desire to live in or become successful in. People hunger for success in THIS world, happiness in THIS world, fulfillment in the things of THIS world – but we preach a Crucified Savior, and selfless Christian and a servant’s heart. Those are not the STUFF of popular worldly thinkers. Paul said it this way:

1 Corinthians 2:14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.

There is nothing like the church of Jesus Christ. The rules of how to do what we do are set in fences that are unique to this work.

“I went to our small church since I was on the cradle role. The people there were the stuff of my earliest memories – church picnics, Sunday School contests, Christmas plays and Easter sunrise services… all of their faces flood back to my mind when someone says the word “Church”. Of all the images that stick out to me from my youth, the one that I cannot shake off – more than any of the “hymn sings” and “after glows” of my youth – was the night of an annual church meeting when our church split in two. On the one side, as I recall, was a very prominent family that seemed to be led by a large woman who favored pink dresses and big hats. I don’t recall her name – just her abrupt and shrill voice as she insisted that the Pastor leave for the vote that was called “because his presence would make people too polite and not let them say the things that were on their minds.” I remember thinking… “Should they be thinking them if they are that impolite?” But I was young, and young people don’t count among such a chorus of enlightened adults. I remember her face… it looked, well… angry. I remember it looked more like the flannel graph picture of Pontius Pilate than that of Jesus…that was the last night dad ever took us to our home church. I don’t really know what happened – but I knew it was bad….”

We have all heard the stories – churches that divide over colors of carpet, drapes or no, pews or no, organs or no, choir robes or no – lofty things… seemingly important things. We can conclude that many of these divisions are nothing short of Satan tugging the hearts of wayward people…

At the same time, there are times when believers are forced to separate because of truth. It is not an easy thing to do, and many of the separations of yesteryear were probably not for sufficient causes. As the body of Christ, this is as unnatural as cutting off a physical body part off – an amputation is something done in only the most extreme situations. At the same time, we do understand that it is – on occasion- a necessary step. In this study we will examine carefully some WRONG TIMES and WRONG REASONS to divide, in the hope that it will help us become more ready to be patient, and cautious about unity!

Not all division is wrong. Truth should be separated from falsehood, light from darkness. Are the actions we object to connected to specific violations of Scripture? If not, can we determine the actual substantive problem in a divided church? These are important questions.

The issue is: When people are dividing WITHIN the body of Christ, is there a time when you SHOULD and when you SHOULDN’T? We will look in this study at reasons why we SHOULD NOT DIVIDE, based on Paul’s pleas for unity in Corinth.

To set the stage, let’s recall what Paul saw in the division, as we mentioned in the laststudy of this book:

First, Paul knew some were following leaders like him because they had STANDING in the work. He personalized the argument as though they followed him and Apollos, but in fact they were following others that Paul did not name. The leaders of the various factions probably demonstrated a similar style of teaching to Paul’s Jewish line of plain argumentation and Apollos’ more eloquent philosophical approach. Paul stated that he is personalizing the reference and not offering a literal argument in 1 Corinthians 4:6.

Second, Paul knew some were following leaders because of their SKILL in the work. These were attracted to the wisdom and eloquence of leaders like Apollos because his argumentation drew new people to Messiah.

This is where works most often divide – people of STANDING can easily be threatened by people who offer time and SKILL to the ministry, albeit they haven’t put as many years into the body as those with STANDIING. It is very possible that we are dividing at times we should not be. Disagreement need not cause division or disharmony. Disagreement can breed innovation. Division comes when disagreement picks up power by the fuel of ego.

Key Principle: Amputation is unhealthy and dangerous – and should ONLY be a LAST RESORT when absolutely necessary!

Let’s explore some WRONG REASONS that Paul offers:

FOUR BAD REASONS WE DIVIDE THE BODY

Reason 1: We get confused about the STANDARD of truth –that God speaks primarily through, and always in harmony with, His Word. You and I are not the judges of right and wrong – the Word reveals right and wrong.

Paul asked in 1 Corinthians 1:13 “Has Christ been divided?”

Think about what Paul was saying. He wanted to know if BOTH SIDES could clearly claim that God was with them – and not with the other. At the heart of the claim was this issue: Jesus has made known where He stands on issues. When we begin to think other voices are equal to Jesus’ Word in our hearts – we are following skill or standing and not truth. The truth is that God loves people and has openly desired us to “be at peace with all men” – especially those of the household of faith. In fact, in Romans 12, Paul instructed the early believers this way:

Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

If the WORD is the Standard of truth, then… our behavior toward one another will reflect these ideals:

• We will love honestly and not with a falseness that comes in surface self promotion.

• We will put away evil things and try to avoid bringing them into the lives of others.

• We will promote things that are wholesome and good.

• We will try to help, and look for ways to aid one another.

• We will let each other know (and mean it) that we WANT to be practical and helpful to them, because they are precious to God and us.

• We will view our service to the Lord as SERVING THEM. They are not a bother – they are brothers and sisters and we are privileged to serve in that way.

• We will celebrate the good things God is doing in you, cry over the pain you pass through, never cease praying, and offer any practical help to care for the needs we encounter as we watch you!

• When we are mistreated, we will be soft hearted but thick skinned.

• We will TRY to find common ground, rather than look for reasons to divide.

• We will be careful not to think too highly of our own ideas – but recall that others also have valid approaches to things.

If all this is true, we will remember that the way we say something can tarnish the truth of what we are saying. If we gossip because we are unhappy – we show ourselves to be the ones at fault in our un-surrendered heart.

Now, before we get too far, let me back up and say this: In this “tolerance without truth” day in which we live, people are used to seeing on TV and hearing from public circles a SOUND BITE BIBLE, where all judgment was summarily dismissed by Jesus.

Someone has said: “We live in a day in which everything that is not nailed down is coming loose…and the devil is pulling nails as fast as he can!” They are trained to believe that Jesus said: “Don’t ever, for any reason, in any circumstance judge anyone – that isn’t Christian.” Clearly this is not a view consistent with the Master that turned the tables over in the Temple and called the religious leaders of His day “whitened sepulchers and vipers”. Ammending this tolerance without truth position of the social Gospel of the twenty-first century American church we may hear: “Judge only those who THINK they are right!” That allows for the table turning incident – for it was against religious Pharisees.

The problems with that view are many. I am called to make judgments about what kind of people my child can be with… and what kind of adult I should be with. Later in 1 Corinthians, Paul admonished:

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” That kind of speech seems to fall well short of the never judge anyone because that isn’t Christian kind of rhetoric.

Add to that, many of the early epistles of the church called for staying away from people who may have professed a relationship with Jesus, but walked in ways that negated their words:

1 John 2:3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. The letters argue for discerning love. They argue for a Christian to carefully judge sin in their lives, and be careful about engaging – as brothers – people who ignore God’s Word.

The standard of truth is the Word. The Word does not endorse all of our preferences – and these we must be careful to patiently work through as a body. At the same time, when the Word is being violated, we must work to bring the body back in line with the Word.

The late, great Dr. R.G. Lee said, “The Bible is a book above and beyond all other books…as a river is beyond a rivulet, as the sun is beyond a candle in brightness, as the wings of an eagle above the wings of a sparrow in strength…it is supernatural in origin, eternal in duration, inexpressible in value, immeasurable in influence, infinite in scope, divine in authorship, human in penmanship, regenerative in power, infallible in authority, universal in interest, personal in application, and inspired in totality! The Bible is the book that has walked more paths, traveled more highways, knocked on more doors, spoken to more people in their mother tongue, than any other book has ever known, or ever will know.”

Voltaire in his day said, “in 100 years the Bible will be a forgotten book, only to be found in museums.” 100 years later, Voltaire was dead, and his house was purchased by the Geneva Bible Society for the printing and distribution of Bibles!

With the constant pounding away by a compromised message in the church of our day, many people seem so unsure of the veracity of the Bible these days. They remind me of the story: Maybe you’ve heard about the gorilla in a zoo holding a Bible in one hand & a book about evolution in the other. He was looking confused, so someone asked, “What are you doing?” The gorilla answered, “Well, I’m trying to decide if I’m my brother’s keeper or my keeper’s brother.” (sermon central illustrations).

Reason 2: We get confused about what the CENTRAL TRUTH of the body of Christ is – that Jesus and His work is to be elevated above all. He is to be elevated in our DAILY CHOICES as well as our WORSHIP.

Paul went on in 1 Corinthians 1:13b “…Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

Paul wanted to remind the Corinthian believers that JESUS was the One that was Crucified for them- and in the name of Jesus they were baptized. He is the center of the Christian faith.

• Our central message cannot become JUSTICE for the POOR. That is a worthy message – but it cannot be the center.

• Our central message cannot be the RESTORATION of former American morality. That is a worthy goal – but it is far from the center of what God has called us to complete.

Our central message must be that Jesus is God’s Son, sent as a substitute for each sinful man or woman that willingly accepts His death on their behalf. Our message is that one who truly has agreed with God about their sin and unrighteousness, and has surrendered to Him the remaining days and years of their life – will seek to walk with Him according to His holy Word. They do not EARN salvation – but they live to delight their Father in Heaven. We pursue HIS JOY, not our own…

Men have pursued their own joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy is not found:

• Not in Unbelief – The French philosopher Voltaire was an atheist thinker. He wrote: “I wish I had never been born.”
• Not in Pleasure — Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote: “The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.”
• Not in Money — Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: “I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.”
• Not in Position and Fame — Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: “Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.”
• Not in Military Glory — Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, “There are no more worlds to conquer.”

Where then is real joy found? — the answer is simple, in Christ alone. (Adapted from The Bible Friend, Turning Point, May, 1993. http://www.eSermons.com).

Reason 3: We begin to believe that our work is based on the quality of the worker we follow, and not the transformation of Jesus by His Spirit.

Paul continued in 1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void…. 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

We need to be careful not to elevate the WORKER above the WORK. We don’t need to denigrate them, we just need to keep perspective. I love the little story: A minister gave an unusual sermon one day, using a peanut to make several important points about the wisdom of God in nature. One of the members greeted him at the door and said, “Very interesting, Pastor. I never expected to learn so much from a nut.” (A-Z sermon illustrator).

Paul told the Corinthians that Jesus didn’t send him to baptize (that is, to fill the role of administrating the growth of the church, per se). He also said that God didn’t send him to work out their responses by being CLEVER about his presentation. This doesn’t mean we should somehow elevate stupidity – or try not to be well prepared for the work of the Word. We simply don’t need to persuade by becoming tricksters, for we need to be real. Let me illustrate:  Ridgecrest is a large Baptist-run assembly ground, nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina. All summer long, every year, thousands of Christians come to Ridgecrest for training, inspiration, Bible study, and challenge. A few years ago, during a conference, people began to notice a man hanging around the grounds. He did not look like he had just stepped out of your typical Sunday School class. His clothes were tattered and torn; they looked like something even the Salvation Army would throw away. His face had not been visited by a razor for a long time. His shoes could best be described by the title of Hymn No. 2 in the book – “Holy, Holy, Holy”! And worst of all, there was the BO. You know about BO? Let’s just say that when you got close, you did not get a whiff of Chanel No. 5. This young man was clearly “not one of us”, not the kind of person you normally see at Christian campgrounds. What did he do? Not much, really. He did not approach anyone. He did not harass anybody. He did not ask for money. He mostly just hung around. When chapel services were held, he would walk across the front and sit down. When classes were under way, he would lie down on the grassy slopes nearby. And when meals were being served, he would stand on the dining hall porch, not far from the long lines of people clutching their meal tickets. No begging, no demands, just standing around. At the end of the week they announced that there would be a special speaker for the closing service, and that he would speak on the theme, “Inasmuch as you have not done it unto one of the least of these, you have not done it unto me.” They promised that the audience would truly remember this message. The hymns were sung, the prayers were prayed, the choir sang, and the special speaker approached the podium. Who do you think was that special speaker? Who brought that memorable message? That scruffy young man! That hang around bum with the worn-out clothing, the messy beard, and the offensive BO! It turns out that he was a young pastor who had been asked to play a part by the organizers of the conference. And his message stung as he said to the crowd, “No one tried to include me in anything. No one asked me if I needed help. No one invited me to the dining hall. No one sat down to listen to my story. A few put religious tracts into my hand. One or two pulled out a dollar bill and gave it to me. But most of you turned your eyes and pretended not to see me. My appearance offended you, and you left me out.” Appearances are deceiving. He looked like a beggar and a bum, but he was a pastor. (Please don’t anyone say that’s all the same thing!). (sermon central illustrations).

Reason 4: We begin to feel the pressure of what is popular or culturally acceptable.

Paul said also in 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble…

There are ways to get people to respond emotionally that are persuasive, but not spiritually sound. We can work people into a frenzy with the right kind of band, lighting, and entertainment. Church isn’t supposed to be boring, but it isn’t a three ring circus either. We aren’t supposed to use it to bring our unsaved friends so the professionals can witness to them,,, The purpose of the meeting is to help believers grow in their faith, so they can reach their neighbors for Jesus the rest of the week – and be an example to their own families, communities and shops.

The breakdown occurs when God’s people lose track of their calling for their neighbor, and start to yearn for popularity over passion for the Gospel. One Pastor said it this way:

Pastor Bruce D. Weaver and his wife drove in their car to pick up their son from Vacation Bible School. The sky was growing dark and there was a storm watch in effect, but no rain was falling yet. The theme for their upcoming Vacation Bible School had to do with Noah’s ark and the flood, so he joked with some of the adult leaders about going to great lengths this year with special effects. By the time he arrived home with his wife and son, the wind was blowing fiercely and lightning bolts were coming down all around them. They hurried inside the house and began to shut windows. Within a few moments they were without electrical power. They tucked their son into bed, trying not to betray their concern regarding the severe weather conditions outside. Suddenly the telephone rang. It was their neighbor informing them that a “tornado warning” had been issued for their area. That meant a funnel cloud actually had been sighted somewhere near. Weaver asked him why the siren in their small town was not sounding. The neighbor said that the siren could not be sounded because of a power outage. He further explained that he had heard on his police scanner instructions for everyone who could hear the scanner to call their neighbors to inform them of the “tornado warning.” Weaver was thankful for his concern and he was also thankful that the funnel cloud sighted damaged neither his family nor anyone else in their area. Later that evening, Pastor Weaver thought about his neighbor’s concern for his safety and he reflected upon his own concern, or lack there of, for his neighbors. But it is all the more important to inform neighbors that a “code red” has been issued by God, because in due time Jesus Christ will return. (sermon central illustrations).

• God’s people cannot allow any other standard to regulate us – the Word alone is there.
• God’s people cannot put any other work in the center of the faith – the Cross alone is there.
• God’s people cannot any other worker in the center of the work –Jesus alone is there.
• God’s people cannot be lead by any other will – like what is popular in the culture – God’s expressed will alone is there.

If we allow any of those to happen, we will divide the body and the amputation will cause deep anguish and loss of effectiveness. Amputation is unhealthy and dangerous – and should ONLY be a LAST RESORT when absolutely necessary!

In chapter one, Paul exemplified seven rules of engagement in conflicts with believers that are walking in sin:

Rule #1: Before you can address believers with issues of sin, you must establish that you have a call of God and a track record of following Him. Just because you have an insight, doesn’t mean you have earned the trust of people, so be careful .

1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother…

Paul opened with what seems like his standard greeting, so we don’t want to squeeze it too hard. He calls himself an Apostle, as was common – but especially important in sharing tough issues with the Corinthian believers. Though Paul is the author, Sosthenes (Gk: “safe in strength”) was probably the man who carried this letter back to Corinth. One by that name was the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, seized and beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman governor, when he refused to proceed against Paul at the instigation of the Jews (Acts 18:12-17). Could it be that he was later saved? My mind imagines some outreach to him by Paul after he was wounded. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine how he lost power in the religious community when he proved ineffective in persuading the governor. Did Paul step in and help him to lead him to Jesus – it would make a great novel! Some have thought that Sosthenes began to use another name (not an uncommon practice) after his beating and change – that of Crispus (Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:14) – but that is speculation as well.

Rule #2: Before you can address believers with issues of sin, you must assure them that you do know they are truly brothers, and make them understand they are a part of the whole body of Christ. Paul addressed the church as those sanctified in Christ by God’s calling and responding to God by calling back to Him as all believers around the growing Christian world were doing.

1:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours…

Rule #3: Before you can address believers with issues of sin, you must show that you truly love and respect them. They are not a project, they are brothers and sisters (1:4). After the “grace and peace” greeting (1:3), Paul got personal with them and thanked God for their part in his life. He let them know that he was happy they were a part of the family of God.

1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

Rule #4: Before you can address believers with issues of sin, you must be sure to tell them what they DO have going for them – places you believe in them. People need to hear the good to be encouraged before they need to hear the correction – it sets the relationship in the right tone. (1:5-7). In the thanking God process, Paul articulated what he saw in the believers at Corinth. He told them they were changed (enriched) by God in their speech and thinking, and that change generated a testimony! He saw them as a local church filled with people of differing gifts – well rounded in Spiritual gifting. He saw them as people eagerly anticipating the Lord’s return and even their own time in Jesus’ presence.

1:5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ…

Rule #5: Before you can address believers with issues of sin, you must remember that Jesus is still at work in them, and He has the power to get them to the finish line well. We can never fall back into a “victim mode” as if the Spirit is responsible for our surrender – He is not. At the same time, remember that people cannot become what pleases God on their own – but God is able to keep transforming them. The same God that brought them from darkness to light and death to life is able to transform them from carnal to spiritual. He is FAITHFUL even when I am not faithful.

1:8 who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rule #6: When you address believers with issues of sin, make sure you are crystal clear about the problem, and can tie it to specific examples. It in not appropriate to judge motives, or say “You really think…” It is totally appropriate to raise specific examples of the infractions.

1:10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”

Rule #7: When you address believers with issues of sin, help them connect their actions to specific violations of Scripture. You are not the judge of right and wrong – the Word reveals right and wrong.

First, Paul knew some were following leaders like him because they had STANDING in the work. He personalized the argument as though they followed him and Apollos, but in fact they were following others that Paul did not name. The leaders of the various factions probably demonstrated a similar style of teaching to Paul’s Jewish line of plain argumentation and Apollos’ more eloquent philosophical approach. Paul stated that he is personalizing the reference and not offering a literal argument in 1 Corinthians 4:6.

He wrote: 13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.

Second, Paul knew some were following leaders because of their SKILL in the work. These were attracted to the wisdom and eloquence of leaders like Apollos because his argumentation drew new people to Messiah.

He wrote: 18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

Most church divisions in history have divided along the same two lines.

Some follow people because of their STANDING in the church. Maybe they are charter members, or maybe they have been historically the most active family or most financially supportive family. The challenge to that group is one who comes in with great SKILL, and through eloquence of talent pulls the hearts of many with them. Paul knew the two parties and the problem: You have misplaced your loyalty. The issue of the Gospel is not the preacher, but the One preached! The believer should glory in the Lord, not the messenger of the Lord (1:10-4:21). We don’t follow talent, eloquence, tradition or treasures – we follow God’s message found in His Word.