1 Corinthians 1:10-13 says...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, which read,
v.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.
Something must be broken or there must be some disunity if Paul is exhorting them, encouraging them strongly, to agree, not be divided and made complete. What will unfold is how they are not in agreement and what has divided them so that they do not have unity. I am assuming it is something more than the old saying that they couldn't agree on the color of the carpet in the sanctuary. It has to be more than that when motive of the agreement is backed by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and this unity will result in thinking and acting the same. This has to be more than agreeing on the color of the carpet.
v.11 - For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you.
Paul first calls them "brethren" again. We are family here, let's be reminded of that. We are family under the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are here because of Him and His life, death, and resurrection. We are not just a group gathered because it is going to be fun or for some great music. We can head down to FunFest for that. We are gathered together because of Jesus.
Paul is informed. Chloe must have traveled from Corinth to Ephesus, where Paul was, to tell him of the quarrels in the church. They must have been serious quarrels if someone would travel that far across or around the Aegean Sea.
v.12 - Now I mean this, that each of one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I am of Apollos," and "I am of Cephas," and "I of Christ."
What is happening here? The church has become divided into groups or cliques. It is more than just some small groups gathering together from the midst of the large group but they have a superiority among them. They are prideful of each other. One is better than the other because of who their leader is. Even the one that is of Christ is using it to show how much better they are than the other groups.
The sin of pride has divided the church and even using the very names of holy servants of Christ and Christ's name itself. Sin can use anything to make Christians divide, even the things that we deem sacred because they are used of God for His witness. Remember that we are not to prideful but we are to be humble. Our focus is always to be not who I am but who He is.
v.13 - Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Paul doesn't talk about Apollos or Cephas (Peter) but uses himself to start to drive the point home. "I didn't die on a cross for you? You were not baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and the name of Paul." Our unity starts with Christ and stays with Christ. Our focus is on Him and His word. We may have teachers who we agree with or get great instruction from but we first need to make sure that they are humbling teaching Christ. It is not about them but about the Savior of the world.
This must have just broken Paul's heart to hear his name mentioned alongside of Christ. I guess I can see him stomping around after hearing this report and saying, "No, no, no! Ugh!" We can get so wrapped up in teachers and leaders because they are here now and sometimes right before us. Satan can use good men and women and even their good teaching of Jesus Christ and twist it to be about being followers of them rather than humble servants of God. They didn't say anything wrong but Satan used that sinful nature to follow the creatures rather than the Creator.
The point this morning is that it happens in the church and many churches have been divided because of it. Many churches have hurt rather than helped people to see Jesus. They have taken a "good thing" and twisted it to use it as leverage against someone else to elevate themselves. We are never to elevate ourselves, we are to elevate One and One only, the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Lord, Satan is so crafty and so sly that we need to be on our guard about how he will sneak into the church and use even the sacred things of You to divide people. Please help us to keep our eyes firmly on You. Help us to keep humble before You and before our brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.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.
Something must be broken or there must be some disunity if Paul is exhorting them, encouraging them strongly, to agree, not be divided and made complete. What will unfold is how they are not in agreement and what has divided them so that they do not have unity. I am assuming it is something more than the old saying that they couldn't agree on the color of the carpet in the sanctuary. It has to be more than that when motive of the agreement is backed by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and this unity will result in thinking and acting the same. This has to be more than agreeing on the color of the carpet.
v.11 - For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you.
Paul first calls them "brethren" again. We are family here, let's be reminded of that. We are family under the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are here because of Him and His life, death, and resurrection. We are not just a group gathered because it is going to be fun or for some great music. We can head down to FunFest for that. We are gathered together because of Jesus.
Paul is informed. Chloe must have traveled from Corinth to Ephesus, where Paul was, to tell him of the quarrels in the church. They must have been serious quarrels if someone would travel that far across or around the Aegean Sea.
v.12 - Now I mean this, that each of one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I am of Apollos," and "I am of Cephas," and "I of Christ."
What is happening here? The church has become divided into groups or cliques. It is more than just some small groups gathering together from the midst of the large group but they have a superiority among them. They are prideful of each other. One is better than the other because of who their leader is. Even the one that is of Christ is using it to show how much better they are than the other groups.
The sin of pride has divided the church and even using the very names of holy servants of Christ and Christ's name itself. Sin can use anything to make Christians divide, even the things that we deem sacred because they are used of God for His witness. Remember that we are not to prideful but we are to be humble. Our focus is always to be not who I am but who He is.
v.13 - Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Paul doesn't talk about Apollos or Cephas (Peter) but uses himself to start to drive the point home. "I didn't die on a cross for you? You were not baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and the name of Paul." Our unity starts with Christ and stays with Christ. Our focus is on Him and His word. We may have teachers who we agree with or get great instruction from but we first need to make sure that they are humbling teaching Christ. It is not about them but about the Savior of the world.
This must have just broken Paul's heart to hear his name mentioned alongside of Christ. I guess I can see him stomping around after hearing this report and saying, "No, no, no! Ugh!" We can get so wrapped up in teachers and leaders because they are here now and sometimes right before us. Satan can use good men and women and even their good teaching of Jesus Christ and twist it to be about being followers of them rather than humble servants of God. They didn't say anything wrong but Satan used that sinful nature to follow the creatures rather than the Creator.
The point this morning is that it happens in the church and many churches have been divided because of it. Many churches have hurt rather than helped people to see Jesus. They have taken a "good thing" and twisted it to use it as leverage against someone else to elevate themselves. We are never to elevate ourselves, we are to elevate One and One only, the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Lord, Satan is so crafty and so sly that we need to be on our guard about how he will sneak into the church and use even the sacred things of You to divide people. Please help us to keep our eyes firmly on You. Help us to keep humble before You and before our brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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