So far in our journey through 1 Corinthians, we’ve looked at a lot of the external issues in the church. They were dealing with division over leadership, sexual ethics, and food. For the first time studying this letter, we’ll peek into the Corinthians’ actual worship service and see some internal problems that were also causing division.
The same self-centered attitude that caused the Corinthians to rally behind Apollos or Paul shows up in this chapter. Paul wants the church to know that selfless living isn’t just something we do outside of Sunday morning. It’s an all-day, everyday attitude. That means all Christians should choose to err on the side of serving other Christians, especially when it comes to how we act during corporate worship.
This chapter is one of the stickiest in 1 Corinthians. It talks about the roles of men and women—a topic widely debated in the church today. Instead of getting caught up in the debate, we’ll take a step back to see Paul’s big point in this chapter: How we behave in corporate worship should be others-centered, not self-centered. Keep that big idea in mind as we navigate the tough parts of 1 Corinthians 11
In Christian circles, we often say the church isn’t the building—it’s the people. Yes, that’s true. But it doesn’t mean we neglect to address how we conduct ourselves when we all meet together.
Take a moment to think about your local church service here at RP.
Write down everything that happens from the moment you walk in until when you leave.
What are some aspects of the service that help it flow well? How do people treat each other?
The big idea Paul hits on in 1 Corinthians 11 is this: Members of the local church should act in an orderly, selfless way as they meet for corporate worship. As seen so far, we can make a big deal about gray-area issues—like hymnals or choir robes or altar calls—and cause division. But as we’ll learn in this chapter, sometimes practices we think are normal can actually be harmful.
The local church is a big deal. It can only function properly if every member decides to be selfless. When we let selfishness get in the way, it can rip the church apart.
Read through 1 Corinthians 11. While you’re reading, write down the two areas of corporate worship where the Corinthians were causing division. Also, jot down any questions you might have about the passage.
1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
2 I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you. 3 But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 A man dishonors his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. 5 But a woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. 6 Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.
7 A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory. 8 For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. 9 And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man. 10 For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.
11 But among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. 12 For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God.
13 Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? 14 Isn’t it obvious that it’s disgraceful for a man to have long hair? 15 And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.
17 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. 18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. 19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. 21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. 22 What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. 34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.
1 Corinthians 11:1–34 (NLT)
We’ll dive deeper into these verses in the coming days. As mentioned in the introduction, there are some tough issues in this passage. We won’t be able to address everything, but we will figure out how we can choose the others-centered life in corporate worship.
Let’s start this week off with prayer. Ask God to soften you to what he has to teach you through this week’s study. Pray for Redemption Point church—for its leaders, volunteers, members, and attendees. Pray God would give you a selfless attitude toward your local church as a result of studying 1 Corinthians 11.
Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and/or share it as a comment below
Dear God please give me a servant heart to serve you Lord. Use me to help out your kingdom to selflessly serve others. Amen
God, I pray that you would soften my heart and allow me to glean from this week’s lesson whatever it is that you would want me to learn. I continue to pray for RP and its members including the leadership team, volunteers and attendees. I pray that we would continue to build one another up and that we would be a community that reflects God’s values and norms. That we would not reflect the ways of the world. I pray that you would continue to work on my heart as well so that I can be more selfless and would be able to serve the church, RP and those around me in any way that you see fit God.