January 22 A NEW UNITY IN MISSION AND VISION

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1 January 22 A NEW UNITY IN MISSION AND VISION Pastor Ulmet: Primary passage: I Corinthians 1:10-18; Key thoughts: -Our unity must be in mind and purpose, i.e. Mission/Vision (Verse 10) -Christ cannot be divided, so why do we divide over ANYthing or ANYone? (Verse 13) The Christ in me cannot be separated from the Christ in you -The focus is always on the message: Christ and Christ alone! (Verses 17-18) SCRIPTURE I Corinthians 1:10-18 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, 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. 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. CLASS OPENING Begin the class with Paul s appeal in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought (vs. 10). Ask the class to create a list of what unites us in Christ! Include belief statements, acts of compassion, a sense of mission and values, shared experience, family ties, etc. SCRIPTURE LESSON I ran across a post on FaceBook I identify with: "Christmas is over; I am ready for summer." Summer is several months away but I have a longing in my heart. I love early mornings on the porch with my cup of coffee. The songs of the birds are so sweet and uplifting. However, let me tell you something about bird songs. The sound is beautiful, but the singing means "this is my part of the garden and you

2 do not belong here!" The song is a territorial claim. This is what is happening in the church in Corinth (vs. 1). There was a lot of noise, bird songs, squawking, whistling, and it all meant the same thing this is my vision of what the church is to be and you don't belong here! Paul passionately addresses the issue of division and unity: I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought (vs. 10). QUESTION: What is it about human nature that wants to stake a claim, look down on, or force others to conform? Teachers, in the lesson that follow, you have two ways to approach the text. You may to choose one over the other or combine them. The two approaches to the text are 1) the dynamics of division in Corinth, and 2) the dynamics of divisions in society. Part 1: The Dynamics of Division in Corinth We can find the source of an unhealthy pattern of divisive group behavior in the history of Corinth. The Romans destroyed Corinth in 146 BC. Julius Caesar rebuilt the city a hundred years later. Another hundred years go by, and Paul brings Christianity to this cosmopolitan center. For the hundred years before Christianity arrived, Corinth prided itself on being a Roman city with Roman buildings, culture, and influence. They particularly prided themselves on being an intellectual city and hosted traveling philosophers who were called "sophists" (where we get the term sophomore and sophomoric.) Today, we apply the word sophists to someone who puts on airs, and who is puffed up with their own self-importance. The reason we interpret the word that way is primarily because of this letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians. Paul is about to launch an attack on such prideful and foolish "wisdom." He is going to show that you have to make a choice between the world's wisdom that produces prejudice, force, and violence and the power of the cross of Christ that lavishes acceptance, grace, and compassion on others. It is a choice between the kingdoms of the world and the Kingdom of Christ. In a sentence, worldly wisdom powers control; Godly wisdom empowers compassion. QUESTION: What is the difference between the world s wisdom (wisdom use to control and coerce) and God s power (Christ s cross of compassionate service)? 2

3 Paul understood that the traveling philosophers were keen on making disciples who would follow and support them. The disciples of these philosophers often quarreled and bickered among themselves as to who was the greatest teacher. When Paul received the report from the family of Chelo (vs. 11), Paul realized that the Christians in Corinth had begun to treat him, Apollos, Peter, and even Jesus, as a group of teachers to be played against one another (vs. 12). Here are the factions: There was Paul, the founder of the church. A group of loyalists in the congregation had determined that no one could replace Paul. He was the pastor of all pastors. He was the first and foremost in their mind and no one else could ever take his place in their hearts or in the pulpit. There was a Apollos who was a better speaker and could explain the Scriptures with power and eloquence. He came from Alexandria, a center of great learning and had met some of Paul's colleagues in Ephesus before he went on to Corinth (see Acts 15:27-19:1). A faction in the Corinthian church applauded Apollo's, the new voice, to the disdain of the past. There was Peter (Cephas) who, as far as we know, never visited Corinth. However, he represented the church in Jerusalem, the foundation stone, the one who had known Jesus in the flesh. There was a group in Corinth who dismissed all others in favor of casting their loyalty behind Peter. Finally, there was a fourth group who declared, "I follow Christ." This is a well-known power-play in the church. They disparaged the other groups "We have heard your opinions; now let us tell you what our Lord thinks about all that! Cloistered in their self-woven garb of spiritual superiority, they turned their backs on all the rest. Sometimes people get the impression that the early church was an untroubled honeymoon. Not so. From the very beginning, even as the apostles were declaring the message of Christ, they were struggling to hold together in unity the people of God. QUESTION: From the first generation, the church was not all it was to be. How can we, today, live in the tension between knowing what the church SHOULD be and reality of what the church ACTUALLY is? How can we not give up because the ideal has not been realized? How can hold true and not just accept divisions as part of church life? Paul confronts their divisions with two rhetorical questions (vs. 13): Is Christ divided? - Has Christ been cut up into pieces? Was Paul crucified for you? Was it Paul who was nailed to a cross for you? The point is clear: Jesus Christ is the one who matters and all others are simply members of his body (see 1 Corinthians 12). Paul's determination to lift the unity of the church sends him into a brief discussion 3

4 on baptism (vs ). The members of the church attached special significance to the person who had baptized them. Let's be clear, Paul took baptism seriously. It is the outward sign of leaving the old self behind and entering new life in Christ. It is the Christian symbol of the Exodus, crossing the Red Sea, and moving from slavery into freedom and responsibility in God (see 1 Corinthians 19:1-13). QUESTION: How can baptism be a unifying symbol and event for the people of God? When and why does baptism cause division in the church? Now we come to the heart of the matter: Paul is revealing the clash between the good news of the gospel of Christ and the apparent power of human wisdom (vs ): For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. The word of the cross is madness to people who are being destroyed by placing their confidence, prestige, and purpose in the controlling power of worldly wisdom. But to followers of Christ, the wisdom of the cross is God s saving power the world. QUESTION: When and were have you seen in action worldly wisdom that is used to control and coerce? How can we counter the power of worldly wisdom with the wisdom of the cross used for forgiveness and compassion? Part 2: The Dynamics of Divisions in Society The destructive divisions we see in the church of Corinth as a mirror of reliance on the worldly wisdom of hierarchy, violence, and prejudice in the world. In late October, we looked at the church in Corinth to provide a lesson on the divisiveness of human nature and human beings. You may find a review of the issues in the church in Corinth helpful in facing the issues of divisiveness in humanity. us understand the message of today s study. In Paul's day, Corinth was a Roman colony modeling itself after Rome. In his letters to the Corinthians, Paul tackles issues about lawsuits, sex and marriage, food offered to idols, and so on. But among the other challenges of living is a follower of Jesus in a world where the wisdom of Greece had been merged in with the culture of Rome was the question of social hierarchy and prestige. Worldly Power and Prestige. Two great divides the separated people. First there were those who were free and those who were slaves. Second, there were men and there were women. In addition, at the top you would find the 4

5 senatorial class with a divide between them and the upper-middle-class called the Knights. If you went further down the social hierarchy you would cross another divide into the lower orders of people. Enormous weight was placed upon family breeding, political connections, as well as wealth and property. In the century before Paul was born, and even greater divide appeared in the social hierarchy. The old Roman Republic was in tatters. The new Empire emerged from its ruins. Now, the Emperor himself, supreme over all, was hailed as "son of god. Surrounding the Emperor was a court. This formed the highest level in the social hierarchy. QUESTION: What are the issues that create the social hierarchy in our world? Not many of the Corinthian Christians were part of the upper levels of society. They were not of noble birth or powerful in human terms, Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth (1 Corinthians 1:26). Christians were grasping on to their newfound faith in Jesus, the true Son of God, as a way of pulling themselves up the social hierarchy. They organized themselves into unofficial groups (1 Corinthians 1:10-11): 10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, 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 (1 Corinthians 1:10-12). Paul is saying that the Corinthians have simply engaged in the world s games: games of apparent wisdom, playing off this teacher against her that; gains of apparent power, seeking to gain status and prestige in the world. The "honor shame" culture in the world of Paul's day is still seen in our world; the way we dress, the kind of car we drive, the letters we have after our names, the way we educate our children, and on and on. QUESTION: How might people today use participation in the church as a means of improving their own status, prestige, and worldly power? Do you see the equivalent of the honor-shame culture of the Roman Empire in our modern world? Where and how? How do we make sure we are not caught up in it? 5

6 TRADITIONAL BIBLE STUDY Who has been a partner in ministry for you? To understand the background of Paul s concerns and the divisions in the church, it is important to grasp Paul s optimism as he gives an accounting of the gifts of God and the potential of the church. Read 1 Corinthians 1:4-9. What are the gifts and graces that God has bestowed upon the Corinthian church? What is the potential that Paul, the founding Pastor, sees for the Corinthian church? Why do you think Paul began with the gifts and potential before he presents his concern (1:10-17) for the Corinthian church? Why is God s faithfulness so important as Paul moves from potential to problems (vs. 5)? What divides the church (vs , 15)? Who was Apollos (see Acts 18:24-19:1)? What is there about each leader (Paul, Apollos, Cephas [Peter]) that might be a cause for boasting (vs. 12)? Corinth was filled with Gentiles; which leader do you think was best prepared to win Gentiles to Christ? Corinth also had followers of the mystic religions; which leader do you think was best prepared to engage and win the mystics to Christ? Corinth also had a community of Jews; which leader do you think was best prepared to win Jews to Christ? How might you characterize the group in the church that, as opposed to the other groups, claims, I follow Christ (vs. 12)? Do you think this was a sign of heart holiness or spiritual superiority? How does Paul address and disarm these divisions (vs )? What questions does he ask? What symbol of salvation does he address? What is it about baptism that can unify or divide the church (vs ) How can we appreciate and honor our leaders without causing division in the church? What facts about Jesus are needed to guide a church out of division and into unity (vs )? 6