Unified under Christ

Bottom line

Unity in the Church is worth fighting for

Opening Line

I want to kick things off with a little game.

Introduction

This will require a congregation interaction. We are going to play This or That. If this was youth group, I’d tell all of you to stand up and move to the middle of the room. When the options appear, you would either move to the left or right side of the sanctuary.

But since this is Sunday Morning, I will do things slightly different. On the screen will appear,

“I prefer...”

along with a statement. If you agree with the statement, you will put your hand in the air. If you disagree, leave your hand down. Its just for fun, however, there are a few questions that Jim and I will be taking note of how you answer. No pressure, no wrong answers, or aren’t there...?

I prefer Pepsi over Coca-cola

I prefer the Roughriders over the Blue Bombers

I prefer sweet foods over salty

On date night, I prefer to stay in and watch a movie over going out for supper

I prefer Apple phones over Android

I prefer a paper bible over a digital one

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Well thanks everyone for your participation. Jim and I got all the information we need.

Main Point

I’m just kidding about Jim and I making notes. In all honesty, would you say that any of those would be worth ending a friendship over? Would you say any of those things would be grounds for a divorce? How about a church split?

At the end of the day, all of those things are simply your preference. It doesn’t necessarily make one better then the other. You just prefer one over the other, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

As we dive into the next part of 1 Corinthians, I want you to keep that idea in mind, that preferences aren’t worth causing division over.

Why it matters

The truth is that no matter how well intentioned something maybe, if you are not careful you can allow your preference to get in the way of what God may be trying to do in your life, or more on topic, what God is trying to do at the church. This morning the Apostle Paul is going to address some divisions that had arisen within the church in Corinth, and even though those preferences were well intentioned, it was causing a riff that could potentionally cause the church to implode. In fact, this idea of unity is actually a major theme for Paul, as he will address a number of issues that if left unchecked, could cause irreparable damage. If the church of Jesus is going to make an impact in this world, it needs to be unified, and the question that is going to arise this morning is this:

Are you willing to put your preferences aside for the sake of unity?

Scripture

With that, let’s dive in. We are in 1 Corinthians 1 starting at verse 10

1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

So this is the issue Paul is needing to address. May there church of God, as he started his letter with that address, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. Live in harmony. So here is the division that has arisen.

1 Corinthians 1:11–12 NLT

For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.”

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I don’t want to spend much time on it, we will come back to it later in the series, but notice that Paul addresses the household of Chloe. Interesting in a very patriarchical society, the household is under a woman’s name, not a man’s. Worth noting.

But the divisions that have arisen are over prominent church leaders, some of them having direct influence over the church in Corinth. What has happened is there are sects arisen. Some are claiming allegiance to Paul, some are claiming allegiance to Apollos, others to Peter, who we’re not sure if he even visited Corinth, and still others claim allegiance to Jesus himself. Now at face value, this looks like the ultimate preference problem. In fact, it would be easy in our modern day perspective to assume what Paul is refering to is simply the people. Almost like some prefer to listen to Paul’s podcast, while some prefer Apollos preaching in person, with the third group faithfully tuning into Peter’s livestream on YouTube, and the fourth group prefering to focus only on the red letters in their bibles. Right, that is the kind of feel this verse is giving.

But this is the first century church. There aren’t podcasts or YouTube. The congregation doesn’t have red letter bibles at home collecting dust. Most of these people probably can’t even read, and they certainly don’t own a copy of the bible. There isn’t even multiple churches within the city for them to take their pick off. There is one church in the entire metropolis of Corinth. So where do these divisions come from?

Well, upon some deeper diving, it is believed that Paul probably wasn’t addressing division over the leaders themselves, but what each one represented. See there distinct qualities that each man represented, and it was these qualities that causes division. See if you can relate or at least recognize some of these traits in the church today.

Paul the Missionary

Paul was and continues to be renown for his church planting and sacrificial approach to evangelism, something we will unpack more fully in chapter 9. Paul’s heart was to preach the gospel to as many people as possible so that some may be saved.

So it is believed that the group who followed Paul shared that value of evangelism. Today, it would be the people who believe the church needs to be in the community more. This group believes that the church is never doing enough to make an impact in their community, and they are not ashamed to make that commitment known.

Apollos the Preacher

Apollos was renowned for this ability to preach. He was knowledgeable, and had an eloquence about him that was attractive. Like I said last week, with Corinth being a centre for philosophy and intellectual discource, Apollos fit right in.

So this group believes in the value of deep theological discussion. They want to see more deep messages and regular bible study, rather then surfacy messages that connect with new believers. They want to be challenged intellectually. Today, this group would tend to listen to podcasts and YouTube. They will hold the local pastor to an unrealistic expectation, filtering everything they hear on a Sunday through the lens of the megachurch pastor they have on repeat, rather then the other way around. This group believes they are the smartest people in the room and everyone should listen to them.

Peter the Disciplinarian

One of the defining traits of Peter’s teachings is the call to discipline. In 1 Peter he tells the church to be of such good character that if anyone accuses you of doing wrong they will be found out to be a liar. Some would even go so far as to call Peter a legalist, which can be very attractive to some people.

This group has a very clear understanding of not only right and wrong, but what is appropriate for the conduct of a Christian. This group can make faith feel like something that is rigid, almost a list of do’s and don’ts, with way more on the don’t side then the do. This group is often hardest on themselves, but also quick to point out the wrong doings of others.

Jesus the King

Now at first glance, the group that says that they only follow Jesus seems like the good Sunday school answer to the question, “Who do you follow?” But that’s not actually what is going on here. This group recognizes Jesus as the only king of their life, and they are characterized by anti-authoritarian mindset and conduct.

This group believes in what they call their ‘God-given rights’ and believes that the gov’t can’t take them away. This group is often quick to criticize the established authority, and if they can use their faith as a means to circumvent the gov’t, they will. They submit to no one, not church leadership, not even the gov’t. They get their orders from Jesus and no one else.

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It was quite stirring as I read each of these descriptions of these groups, because unfortunately I have seen all four of them at work in the church. I wish I could say that it has been over my 15 years of ministry, but I’ve actually seen all four groups at work right here in our own church.

I have had people sit in my office, tell me how the church should lean into this outreach opportunity. When my excitement did not match their own, they walked out of the office, never to be seen again.

I’ve had phone calls with people, imploring me to stick to the gov’t over some issue, and when I refused, the informed me they have found a church that would and they were taking their tithe over there. Oh ya, those exact words.

I’ve had coffee with people who want more in depth bible studies and take on the deep things of faith, but when the bible studies were offered, they were no where to be seen. When asked, it was because what they wanted and what did weren’t the same, so they lost interest.

I’ve even received emails from people, complaining about something someone did and wanted to be exact some form of justice on their behalf. When I reminded them that the church is about forgiveness and grace, I would get a one finger salute and they would be gone.

Even as I was preparing for this morning, I can’t help but wonder how many people have quiet quit on the church because their preferences are not being met. If you don’t know, when someone quiet quits a job, it means they keep showing up but they don’t actually accomplish anything. I wonder how many people are simply showing up but they aren’t actually contributing to the mission of the church through serving or giving.

I’m not saying that reaching out to the community, deep biblical study, disciplined faith, or Jesus as Lord are bad things. All of them are great things and they bring a great deal of value to the church. But they are not worth driving a wedge into the church. That’s what Paul is saying and that is what I’m saying. I’m glad you have passions and when it comes to the church, and I’m glad you have ideas how to take the church to the next level. But if you are willing to create division in the body of Christ over these things, you have taken them too far. You are allowing preference to trump purpose. And Paul started thise section by emploring the church to be united in mind and purpose.

So here is Paul’s response to these divisions

1 Corinthians 1:13–17 NLT

Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

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You are each saved by what Christ accomplished on the cross. The power of salvation is in the cross alone. Not depth of study, not effectiveness of outreach, not even discipline of faith. You saved by the cross, and that unites us.

There is one Jesus. Paul is going to say later that there is one Spirit that unites us all. Ans because there is only one Jesus, not only is He the one that unites us, but it is His Lordship that unites us.

This is often something that people struggle with. Is Jesus more then just the savior of your life; is he the Lord of your life? Are you willing to lay down your preferences in favor of unity of his body? Jesus himself taught that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Our spiritual enemy wants us to be divided over these things because a divided church cannot have the kingdom impact it is meant to have. In Ephesians, Paul says that unity in the body of Christ is worth fighting for. Are you willing to set aside your preferences for God’s purposes.

Transition to Application

Where are your preferences getting in the way?

Can I give you an example? I have heard that some within the church think that the worship music is too loud. That is a preference thing. Did you know that there is a reason that the music is so loud? Even though I know that most of you sing with the voices of angels, that some of us that cannot carry a tune. In fact, when the scripture says that God asks us to make a joyful noise and not pleasant, we took a sigh of relief. However, just because God enjoys the joyful sound you make, you may be self conscious and don’t want to share your noise with anyone else. But as a church, we want you to sing and worship. So we turn the music up so that you belt out your worship to your heart’s content and it won’t bother the person next to you. Even though your preference might be to turn it down, our purpose is to create a space where people can worship freely.

Main To Do

So this week, I want you to reflect on the areas of life you are allowing your preferences to get in the way of unity. It might not be the church. Maybe you are allowing a preference to disrupt your marriage or your relationship with your kids or parents. Maybe it is the church, and you have decided that you have refused to get involve because the church doesn’t line up with your preferences on certain things. That is division, because your lack of involvement may suggest to someone that they don’t need to get involved.

Why it matters

The other thing to keep in mind is that there is difference between unity and keeping the peace. Keeping the peace just doesn’t say anything, nothing changes, and eventually this unspoken thing becomes a wedge. Unity is worth fighting for, it worth having a discussion over.

Closing Line

But it starts with you, and determining what preferences you need to let go of so that unity that can be achieved.

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

Which group do you identify with most from the sermon: the missionary, the preacher, the disciplinarian, or the one who only follows Jesus? Why?

How can you actively pursue unity in your church community this week, despite your personal preferences?

This week, how can you make a conscious effort to prioritize unity over preferences in your social circles?

Identify a time when your personal preferences led to a conflict within the church or in your personal relationships. What did you learn from that experience?