The church is diverse. People who follow Jesus come from all kinds of upbringings, social classes, ethnicities, countries, and cultures. The local church is also diverse\u2014everyone comes from a different neighborhood, career, or income bracket. Our differences shouldn\u2019t create divides on Sunday morning, but they often do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul cracks down on the Corinthian church in the passage we\u2019ll look at today. They\u2019re allowing social status to get in the way of their corporate worship. Read 1 Corinthians 11:17\u201322.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 17<\/strong> 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<\/strong> First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. 19<\/strong> But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God\u2019s approval will be recognized!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 20<\/strong> When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord\u2019s Supper. 21<\/strong> 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<\/strong> What? Don\u2019t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n1 Corinthians 11 (NLT)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Looking at the verses in 1 Corinthians 11:20-22 again, how would you describe the problem in the Corinthian church?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the ordinances [rituals commanded by Jesus] of the church is the Lord\u2019s Supper\u2014sometimes called communion. It\u2019s the last meal Jesus ate before going to the cross and we celebrate it to remember what Jesus did for us. It\u2019s a sacred meal and it should unite Christians under Jesus\u2019s sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like many in the early church, Corinthians took the Lord\u2019s Supper as an invitation to eat a meal together as a congregation. But instead of going potluck-style, the Corinthians brought food only for their own families. Those who were too poor to afford a grand meal sat in the corner starving while other church members gorged themselves. Paul wanted nothing of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s tempting to judge the Corinthians for their behavior. Who would ever treat another Christian that way? But the truth is, we do it too\u2014just maybe not in the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about your church for a moment. It can be really easy to split up into cliques at church. We hang around people in our same life stage or our same income bracket. Or, if we think back to yesterday\u2019s discussion, we choose clothing that flaunts our standard of living. We can cause the same kind of division in our church without even noticing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re going to finish off today with reflection. Choose two of the following categories to reflect on: income, social status, race, personal talents, children, spouse, life stage, upbringing, career, neighborhood, or hobbies. Think about each of your categories in the context of your local church. Would you say you bring unity or division when you talk about those things? What actions associated with those topics could potentially hurt someone in your church?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Worldly things like money and social standing should never divide the church. We\u2019re united through Jesus\u2019s death, burial, and resurrection. Coming together on a Sunday to worship God should bring unity\u2014and we can choose to either contribute to or tear apart that unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What will it be for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Write out one way you\u2019d like to be more aware of how you approach those categories.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and\/or share it as a comment below<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The church is diverse. People who follow Jesus come from all kinds of upbringings, social classes, ethnicities, countries, and cultures. The local church is also diverse\u2014everyone comes from a different neighborhood, career, or income bracket. Our differences shouldn\u2019t create divides on Sunday morning, but they often do. Paul cracks down on the Corinthian church in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n Welcome!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Welcome to the book of 1 Corinthians. As we study this letter, we\u2019ll step into ancient Corinth while reading the words Paul wrote to the fledgling church. We\u2019re going to see that, like all churches, the Corinthian church wasn\u2019t perfect. They had a problem. A big problem. And it grew to such an epic proportion that it poisoned the church in various ways. Paul wrote to provide the antidote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this study, we\u2019re going to explore Paul\u2019s solution to both the problems in Corinth and in us. Through his words, we\u2019ll learn more about Jesus\u2019s plan for a people who live radically different lives than the world around them. But we\u2019ll also take a hard look in the mirror and ask the Spirit to point out our own self-centered attitudes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading the Bible isn\u2019t just something we do to impress people or to check off on a to-do list. It\u2019s about getting to know God. It\u2019s about shaping every minute of our lives to reflect Jesus. It\u2019s about thinking differently in the power of the Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So as we approach each week, we\u2019ll focus on one main idea. That main idea will point us to change how we think, feel, and act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This week, we\u2019ll see that resolving relational disunity begins in our hearts because division is a symptom of self-focus. From this main idea, we have three goals: <\/p>\n\n\n\n First Corinthians will take us on a journey. We\u2019ll look at the struggles of one of the first local churches in all of history. We\u2019ll see that the Corinthians weren\u2019t much different from us. And we\u2019ll realize that Paul\u2019s words to them still ring true today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But before we jump into 1 Corinthians, spend a few minutes writing out a short prayer to God. Ask him to use this study to change you. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Open up your Bible to 1 Corinthians. Go ahead and read the entire first chapter. As you read, ask yourself this question: What was the problem in the Corinthian church?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 1:1\u201331 (ESV): <\/p> 1\u00a0Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, \u201cI will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.\u201d<\/p> 20\u00a0Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21\u00a0For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22\u00a0For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23\u00a0but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24\u00a0but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25\u00a0For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.<\/p> 26\u00a0For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27\u00a0But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28\u00a0God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29\u00a0so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30\u00a0And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31\u00a0so that, as it is written, \u201cLet the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The Corinthian church suffered from division. We\u2019ll see it all throughout the book. The struggling church fought over leadership, spiritual gifts, food, marriage, and theology. Since the theme of disunity runs throughout the letter, it\u2019s tempting to think that was the church\u2019s problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it wasn\u2019t. Disunity was only a symptom of a far more insidious\u2014and common\u2014 disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you catch the real issue that was going on in Corinth? It was selfishness. They were so consumed with themselves that they tried to solve their problems their own way, held on to their culture, and, as a result, blasted chasms between them and other Christians.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one likes to admit to selfishness\u2014 especially people who claim to follow Jesus. But it often sneaks into our lives in ways we don\u2019t readily see. And then it spills over in ways we never expect. For the Corinthians, their selfishness led to severe divisions in the church. What is it for us? We\u2019ll spend the rest of the study unpacking that very question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we know the main problem Paul\u2019s tackling in 1 Corinthians, take a moment to be honest with God. Write down any fears or concerns you have about confronting the problem of selfishness. Ask God to use this study to turn your gaze to him.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-224029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1corinthians"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
2\u00a0To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3\u00a0Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4\u00a0I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5\u00a0that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge\u2014 6\u00a0even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you\u2014 7\u00a0so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8\u00a0who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9\u00a0God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10\u00a0I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11\u00a0For it has been reported to me by Chloe\u2019s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12\u00a0What I mean is that each one of you says, \u201cI follow Paul,\u201d or \u201cI follow Apollos,\u201d or \u201cI follow Cephas,\u201d or \u201cI follow Christ.\u201d 13\u00a0Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14\u00a0I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15\u00a0so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16\u00a0(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17\u00a0For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18\u00a0For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19\u00a0For it is written, <\/p>