Chronos - 1 Corinthians 8 Series

This week we continue our series called Chronos. A term which means time. We have decided to study the scriptures this year in the order they were published. It gives us a very unique insight into the early church and the struggles of a growing movement. This review of history is important because The Center’s leadership believes we are on the cuspid of a great awakening in America. An awakening that will challenge the status quo of the current Christian industrial complex. An institution more concerned with Attendance, Buildings and Cash than the Gospel, Grace and Growth of the kingdom.

This week we also continue in the book of the first Corinthians. It’s another book written by Paul around 25 years after Jesus' earthly ministry. Corinth is the original sin city. It was a transitional city and as such there was a lot of anonymity. As a Coastal town people were always coming and going. Some for vacation, most for business. The community was know for their worship of the goddess of sex. They had one of the largest temples devoted to her and the idea of fertility. You can see why when you called somebody a corinthian back then, you were saying they were living without morality. After his 1 ½ years planting the church, Paul left behind Apollos who was an amazing preacher/teacher and yet, we can see from this book the people still had questions. The immorality of the culture was so rampant that Paul had to address everything from why church potlucks should not turn into drunken frat parties and worship of the one true God should not look like a kids first birthday party at a chuck e cheese restaurant.

Last Sunday, we dove head first into the book. Last week Paul encouraged us to remember Mutual love, respect, and submission are the cornerstone of a Christian relationship with these three principles, everyone grows in Christlikeness. This week we move to Chapter 8 where Paul once again is addressing another cultural as well as religious issue the new followers are struggling with.

Before we begin, has anyone given up something for the Christian season of lent. Lent is a time leading up to Easter where historically new candidates to the faith prepared themselves by fasting before publicly committing themselves to Jesus. I grew up catholic and remember being asked/told what I was giving up for Lent. Chocolate and soda seemed to be the best suggestion. I also remember not being able to eat fish on Fridays. I liked fish but wondered why? What was the big idea? I wondered and asked but no one could give a reasonable explanation.

So when I began to own my faith, I rejected all the religion and the tradition when there wasn’t a biblical reason.

Oh, The rebel had found a cause.

I rationalized that if people knew the truth about such practices they wouldn’t do them. After all, knowing they were worshiping idols, spiritualizing the rituals or at the very least being hypocrites would inspire then. Right?

I was wrong. It didn’t matter. People do what they always have done because it's easier and more acceptable than actually having to explain your beliefs.

Paul had heard of a similar practice and felt compelled to address the church in an effort to help them. The strong members of the church realized that idols could not contaminate the food so they saved money by purchasing cheaper meat available at the temples. If non christians invited them to a feast where sacrificial meat was being served, the strong Christians attended. The less mature Christians struggled with this because it seemed like an endorsement of the other belief system.

Paul writes to explain three important ideas that we all need to remember as we strive to connect to the world around us…Now let’s listen

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.

Knowledge can be a weapon to ‘fight with’ or a tool to ‘build with’ depending on how it is used. If it ‘puffs up,’ then it can not ‘build up.’

Paul is responding to a problem that had been plaguing it for a while. The people of Corinth were particularly vulnerable to these ideas because they either were formally Jewish or were culturally still very connected to the mythical gods and goddesses of the Roman and Greek cultures. A less mature believer can sometimes be affected by prior learning or experience. While it's completely logical to say, a non-existent God cannot contain food offered on his altar. For some, it's a terribly long distance from the head to the heart of the matter. The less mature were struggling. The more mature were saying our new found knowledge of God does not always support your stance against us getting cheaper meat so get over it. However, we all know it's just not that easy to let go of the past, especially in the area of spirituality.