It
is such a great advantage to have a positive attitude. Why cut people
down, when you can just as easily build them up? Why focus on
their faults, when it is so much more helpful to focus on their
strengths, their talents, their potential. It's obvious that God wants
to bless people, encourage people, build them up. So why not partner
with God and be his agent in doing that?
That’s what Paul does so impressively in our Scripture lesson.
Paul is writing to a church full of problems. But he begins by
affirming them, even complimenting them.
The Corinthian church was full of cliques and factions; but he affirms
them. The Christians in this church were snobbish -- the rich
separating themselves from the poor, thinking they were better.
Nevertheless, Paul begins his letter to them very positively.
The Corinthian church had serious issues with gross sexual behavior
among the members. Even so, Paul lets them know that he values them.
The members of this church were very much at odds with one another,
even filing law-suits against one another.
You think modern church have problems? This was a church with
very serious problems! And yet, Paul began his communication with good
words for them.
Let’s get the background. The city of Corinth was a cultural
melting pot, and the people had a reputation for being fiercely
independent and decadent, like people in many of our cosmopolitan
cities of today. The Christians of Corinth had come out of the
decadence of that city, but some had fallen back into its arrogant and
immoral ways.
All of this disturbed Paul. He had founded the church in Corinth and
cared for it deeply, and he was determined to bring it back on track.
It is obvious that he had very carefully planned what he was going to
say to them. He knew that his intervention would be more effective if
he could convince the Corinthians that he valued them and wanted to
help them.
Let’s notice how he does this in the opening verses.
He begins by saying, 4 I always thank God for you because of
his
grace [charisma] given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you
have
been enriched in every way --in all your speaking and in all your
knowledge.
It’s fair to wonder, is Paul wearing a mask, is he merely pouring
it on; or does he really believe these comments? I think he believes
them, because he has such a keen awareness of God’s grace.
“You Corinthians,” he is saying, “have been enriched
with the gifts of eloquence and every kind of knowledge.” In fact
Paul goes on to say that there's not a single spiritual gift that the
Holy Spirit has not given them as a body of believers.
You see where I get the title -It's a Glorious Church. They were rich
with spiritual blessings even as they struggled with their
deficiencies, and disagreements. The same is true of this church --
this is a glorious church, even though we have problems. What church
doesn’t? You gather together a large group of people from a
variety of backgrounds and you have blessings and problems all mixed
together.
So what’s Paul’s strategy? He wants to reestablish a warm
and supportive relationship with them even though some of them are
borderline dysfunctionals. They have problems, but he begins by
emphasizing their strengths.
In the same way, I believe that our relationships would improve
significantly if we began our interactions by affirming poeple.
Most people are very fragile. If you come at them with the
intention of straightening them out, they put up their
defenses
and shut you out. Paul shows us a better way. Like Pual, we need to be
considerate, sensitive, tactful. It would be good if we could learn to
think in terms of giving people what they need, not what we need.
It works that way for us, doesn’t it? For example, when I
need to relax and enjoy myself, I combine exercise with the beauty of
nature -- like walking next to the River Seine in the morning, going as
far as the Louve and then returning through the Jardin des Tuileries.
That’s my favorite walk. Or, I walk along the Seine in the
opposite direction to the Eifel Tower and then around the large track
to the Ecole Militarie and back.
Carol’s favorite thing is quite different. When she wants to
relax, she loves to get on a bus and ride it to the end of the line and
then back again--which proves that we are all a little different. She
memorizes the restaurants, shops and buildings and becomes thoroughly
familiar with a new city. If I want to please Carol, I know that a fast
walk along the Seine won’t work. But if I can sit with her on a
bus all the way to the last stop--she will be very pleased with
me. And when I please Carol, I know I will get a nice supper.
That keeps our relationship healthy.
Paul uses the same strategy. First, he meets the need of the Corinthian
church. And what they need is affirmation. In that way he is sowing a
seed that will open the hearts of the Corinthians so that he can make
the corrections that he feels are so necessary.
The first problem that Paul tackles and the one we will be looking at
this morning is the problem of divisions in the Corinthians church.
Paul writes, 11 My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed
me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I
mean is
this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos";
another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."
The Corinthians are having angry arguments. These were people who
were on good terms, but now they have formed competing
cliques.
Why are they quarreling? Because they disagree about what is really
important in church.
1. Some have aligned themselves with Paul. They honor him
because
he was their spiritual father.This group would point to Scripture like
the Old Testament passage from Isaiah 49 read to us earlier. They would
have been urging the congregation to be a light, a beacon to the
non-Jews. They would have wanted more evangelism among the Corinthian
pagans, more outreach to the ends of the earth. This was the heartbeat
of Paul.
2. Some aligned themselves with Apollos. They were probably
impressed with his lofty rhetoric. These were the Greek intellectuals
who would have been yearning for more erudite sermons, more discussions
on comparative religions, more philosophical speculation. They wanted
to turn Christianity into a philosophy rather than a religion.
3. Then there were those who followed Cephas, the Aramaic
name
for Peter. They would have been the Christians converted out of
Judaism. They would have argued for more of the Old Testament
traditions, like circumcision. They were more legalistic and
would have belittled the grace of God.
4. The Christ party were those who probably said, “Who
needs human leaders? Christ is our leader.” There’s nothing
wrong with saying that! But they probably went a step further and
considered themselves superior to all the others, as though they were
the only true Christians in Corinth.
Can you see them getting together for coffee and fellowship following
the worship service? They would have positioned themselves in the four
corners of the room according to their point of view. Then the
squabbling would have begun, and even the shouting at one another.
Remember they were taking one another to court!
It’s hard to imagine how this church held together. No wonder,
Paul found it necessary to insert the great love chapter, 1Corinthians
13, as a way of trying to influence these temperamental Greeks
and Jewish converts..
This kind of rivalry has unfortunately continued throughout church
history. We began with New Testament house churches in the
Mediterranean world, and from these emerged the bishops of the major
cities of the East: Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople. In
the West was the Bishop of Rome.
But then the church divided between East and West with the Roman
Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox church excommunicating one
another in 1054 AD.. Following that, the Western church, or
Roman
Catholicism went through the Protestant
Reformation. Martin
Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Roman Church in
Wittenburg in 1517.
And now we have Lutherans who honor Martin Luther. Presbyterians who
honor John Calvin. Methodists who honor John Wesley. And we have lots
of Baptists. When we can get away with it, we claim John the Baptist as
our leader. Pentecostals claim the Holy Spirit. Non-denominational
groups often claim Christ as their leader. At the American Chruch in
Paris, we’re covered. We have six heroes of the faith all
right around the pulpit, even Pope John Paul the 23rd.
There’s nothing wrong with honoring and appreciating servants of
God. In fact we will have seven former pastors here at our 150th
Anniversary Service on October 14, two weeks from today.
Larry
Kalajainen will be preaching, Tom Duggan will be praying, Tina Blair,
Carol Simpson, Karen Halac, Lewis Poag, Jack Husted will be
participating in the 150th Celebration Anniversary Service two weeks
from today. There will also be the four of us who are serving
here now: Ginger Strickland, Ken Stenman, Susan Rice and yours truly,
eleven pastors in all participating in the service.
As much as we value these men and women, Paul is emphasizing that
Christians need to be careful not to make too much of their human
leaders-- such as a gifted preacher, or a loving pastor, or a
charismatic, visionary pacesetter.
Even more important is for Church people to avoid elevating a specific
opinion or point of view above their allegiance to Christ and
his
church. Unity comes from focusing on Christ.
That’s how Paul handled this problem. To those claiming that
Christ belonged to them, Paul asks in dismay: “Is Christ
divided?” Christ belongs to all. He is over all. A part of the
group cannot claim him and exclude others.
Next Paul asks, “Was Paul crucified for you?”
The answer to this rhetorical question is: “Of course
not!” It was Jesus who died for your sins and brought you
forgiveness and cleansing—not Apollos, or Peter, or Paul. Your
new life was possible only through the crucifixion of Jesus.
Paul follows up with this question: “Were you baptized into the
name of Paul?” To be baptized into the name of someone is to have
your life signed over to that person, to come under his authority, to
be at his beck and call. Through baptism, the Corinthians had become
the possession of Jesus Christ– and of nobody else, certainly not
of Paul.
Paul uses these three salient points to direct them away form their
heroes, away from their disruptive arguments and back to the loyalty
they should be showing to Christ.
On this,-- all Christians ought to be able to agree. The more
we
center on Christ, the more we will be able to let go of our
disagreements. It is on this basis that Paul appeals to them
that
they agree with one another so that there may be no divisions
among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.(10)
Here’s the key to promoting unity in the church and avoiding
divisiveness. We must recognize that whatever our disagreements-- they
are far less important than that which holds us together. The living
Christ holds us together. His cross holds us together. He is our common
ground, and therefore even though we might see certain issues
differently, we should not let those differences divide us.
In v. 18, Paul concludes with the power of the cross. Why is there such
great power in the cross? Because it takes us on a path of
humility rather than on a path of arrogance and rivalry. Paul
wants us to remember all that the cross stands for--that Jesus
obediently humbled himself by dying a criminal’s death on that
cross and in doing that became the sacrifice for sinners in need of
salvation.
The most beloved verse in the Bible, John 3:16, tells us that
God
so loved us that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in
Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. God loved us
that
much. He gave His only begotten Son for us. Beyond the cross was the
resurrection -- by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then Christ was
exalted above every Name that has ever been named. We have
that
cluster of truths that must forever form the core of the
Christian faith.
Compared to that core, other teachings, other discussions are
peripheral. Other issues and disputes and points of view should not
become obstacles to Christians working together, serving together,
worshipping together.
Let's summarize. What have we learned that we can apply to our lives
this week? First, the importance of a positive approach to others,--
even when we disagree with them. Paul has reminded us that God pours
out his grace upon people who are far from perfect. Paul affirmed the
Corinthians, and we ought to follow his example by affirming those
around us.
Second, we should avoid placing people, or a particular opinion or a
point of view on a pedestal. We have this tendency and we need to fight
it. Jesus, the living Lord, must be our focus. It was He who was
crucified for us. It was He who provided forgiveness and salvation for
us. It is Jesus who lives in us. In His name we have been baptized; and
therefore we belong to him. Compared to that, all other issues are
secondary.
Third, We are to be fully committed to the fellowship to
which
Christ has called us. We must avoid choosing sides. Avoid
criticizing our brothers and sisters. Instead we should pray for one
another. As much as possible we should be of one mind, united in
thought and purpose.
Here, at the American Church in Paris, we can be pleased to be a part
of a glorious church, --150 years and still going strong. It’s
not necessary to talk about problems,-- not when we are about to
celebrate 150 years of God's grace. Let's just say that
God’s plan is to keep blessing this great church, and to keep
making it better and better. Amen.
