1 Corinthians 11:17-22 says...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 11:17-22, which read,
v.17 - But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
Paul is going to address another issue that had crept into the church in Corinth. They are many and I will have to use a devotion on its own to cover them all in the future. The last one was that they had blurred the lines of God's created order for the family and the church. Now Paul is going to bring up another and the clue is in the word "worse" which refers to something that is morally evil. Something is happening that is morally evil when the Christians in Corinth are gathering together.
v.18, 19 - For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.
The divisions that Paul spoke of in chapter one was the divisions caused by pride. They were focused on who they associated with and used those connections with holy men teachers to elevate themselves rather than elevate the One, Jesus, they were teaching about. I think Paul using the words like "divisions" and "factions" give us the sense that this is not a good thing. They are judging each other by what group they are in and if that meets their approval. It almost sounds like there is a "gang" mentality in the church of who is in and who is out.
v.20, 21 - Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk.
Because of the divisions and factions in the church based on who was more important than the other, when they came together for a meal which would end with the taking of the Lord's Supper, some would get food and some would go hungry. The more important groups by their standards would get to the head of the line while the ones of less importance would have to wait. Some were stuffed while others in the church starved.
After reading about all the other things happening in the church in Corinth, it makes this one seem plausible to be happening maybe because I have seen it in churches today. We can be a selfish lot. We can place ourselves at the "head table" because of who we are and what we have done and how long we have been here. We can do so much differently than Jesus taught on this matter. We are waiting for someone to wash our feet instead of washing the feet of the other. We can take our seat because of our importance rather than thinking of those around us. Are we thinking of others when we come together or are we thinking of just ourselves?
v.22 - What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.
I love that Paul responds with "What!" Are you out of your minds? How can you think that this is an acceptable practice? How can you be so selfish in the church of God that has its foundation in loving others, God and our neighbor, first. If you are so hungry who have so much, eat at home before you come so that those who don't have much can be provided for by the church.
We can get our priorities so messed up and even within the four walls of the church. We can let the selfishness of the world creep into the church through the practices that we take in regards to each other. I think it is a good practice to look at our church attendance and ask God to reveal where we have been letting selfish desires dictate our actions. When we let selfish desires rule then we start to see these divisions and factions of who is in and who is out.
"Lord, Paul is not pulling any punches when it comes to how it is operating when it gathers together. It is so hard to look at ourselves, especially when something is pointed out that is coming across in the opposite way than we want to say it is. Open our eyes to our selfishness in the church so that when we gather together it is to the praise of You and not of ourselves. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.17 - But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
Paul is going to address another issue that had crept into the church in Corinth. They are many and I will have to use a devotion on its own to cover them all in the future. The last one was that they had blurred the lines of God's created order for the family and the church. Now Paul is going to bring up another and the clue is in the word "worse" which refers to something that is morally evil. Something is happening that is morally evil when the Christians in Corinth are gathering together.
v.18, 19 - For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.
The divisions that Paul spoke of in chapter one was the divisions caused by pride. They were focused on who they associated with and used those connections with holy men teachers to elevate themselves rather than elevate the One, Jesus, they were teaching about. I think Paul using the words like "divisions" and "factions" give us the sense that this is not a good thing. They are judging each other by what group they are in and if that meets their approval. It almost sounds like there is a "gang" mentality in the church of who is in and who is out.
v.20, 21 - Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk.
Because of the divisions and factions in the church based on who was more important than the other, when they came together for a meal which would end with the taking of the Lord's Supper, some would get food and some would go hungry. The more important groups by their standards would get to the head of the line while the ones of less importance would have to wait. Some were stuffed while others in the church starved.
After reading about all the other things happening in the church in Corinth, it makes this one seem plausible to be happening maybe because I have seen it in churches today. We can be a selfish lot. We can place ourselves at the "head table" because of who we are and what we have done and how long we have been here. We can do so much differently than Jesus taught on this matter. We are waiting for someone to wash our feet instead of washing the feet of the other. We can take our seat because of our importance rather than thinking of those around us. Are we thinking of others when we come together or are we thinking of just ourselves?
v.22 - What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.
I love that Paul responds with "What!" Are you out of your minds? How can you think that this is an acceptable practice? How can you be so selfish in the church of God that has its foundation in loving others, God and our neighbor, first. If you are so hungry who have so much, eat at home before you come so that those who don't have much can be provided for by the church.
We can get our priorities so messed up and even within the four walls of the church. We can let the selfishness of the world creep into the church through the practices that we take in regards to each other. I think it is a good practice to look at our church attendance and ask God to reveal where we have been letting selfish desires dictate our actions. When we let selfish desires rule then we start to see these divisions and factions of who is in and who is out.
"Lord, Paul is not pulling any punches when it comes to how it is operating when it gathers together. It is so hard to look at ourselves, especially when something is pointed out that is coming across in the opposite way than we want to say it is. Open our eyes to our selfishness in the church so that when we gather together it is to the praise of You and not of ourselves. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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