The Family Feud

What happens to a company with divided employees?

They fail. The morale goes down. The work doesn’t get done or at least it doesn’t get done efficiently. The leaders are always trying to put out trivial fires instead of concentrating on pushing the business forward through innovation or discovery. Ultimately it affects the bottom line, and you be assured that whatever affects the bottom line will get the attention of the upper management and owners pretty quickly.

God knows that we, like employees, will have tendencies to not get along. We can have family feuds but not like the TV game show.

Church Sign: God prefers kind atheists over hateful Christians.

It doesn’t take long for a church to ruin its reputation and ministry potential when fighting starts to take place among the members. Paul gave an appeal for unity to the church at Corinth and he dives in to that issue almost immediately after his introduction.

Let’s look at what he says and ask God to speak to us today.

1 Corinthians 1:10–17 ESV

I 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. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For 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.

The Crisis of Contention in the Church

In the same way that an owner doesn’t like employees bickering about policy or working, God doesn’t want church members arguing and causing division.

Church Sign: God prefers kind atheists over hateful Christians.

Two strong words:

Two strong words:

Division - a tear or split

Contentions - quarrel or fight

The Cause of Contention in the Church

Favorite preachers

Forgotten purpose

The Cure for Contention in the Church

Decide to agree

Come together

Seek understanding

Follow a common purpose