Corinthians: Church Matters (3)

Church Matters: Correcting the Corinthians (3)

Scott Bayles, pastor

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 11/23/2014

Years ago, a large statue of Christ was erected high in the Andes on the border between Argentina and Chile. Called "Christ of the Andes," the statue symbolizes a pledge between the two countries that as long as the statue stands, there will be peace between Chile and Argentina. Shortly after the statue was erected, the Chileans began to protest that they had been slighted -- the statue had its back turned to Chile. Just when tempers were at their highest in Chile, a Chilean newspaperman saved the day. In an editorial that not only satisfied the people but made them laugh, he simply said, “The people of Argentina need more watching over than the Chileans.”

If there was ever a church that needed more watching over than most, it was the church in Corinth. Plagued with a bevy of spiritual and moral problems, the Corinthians just couldn’t stay out of trouble. Whether they realized it or not, Jesus was watching over them and so was the apostle Paul.

A couple weeks ago, we began a new series exploring the book of 1 Corinthians. Last week, in chapter three, Paul addressed the issue of growth. Though they struggled with maturity, God wanted the church in Corinth to continue growing in spirituality, in size and in service. As we turn to chapter six, we discover a few more problems plaguing the young Corinthian congregation.

First, Paul addresses the problem of strife.

• A PROBLEM WITH STRIFE

The church at Corinth was rapidly losing its testimony in the city because of their inability to get along. Not only had they divided into four competing denominations, but their disputes and disagreements escalated to the point that they we taking one another to court and suing each other. Here’s what Paul says:

“And how dare you take each other to court! When you think you have been wronged, does it make any sense to go before a court that knows nothing of God’s ways instead of a family of Christians?… As these disagreements and wrongs surface, why would you ever entrust them to the judgment of people you don’t trust in any other way? I say this as bluntly as I can to wake you up to the stupidity of what you’re doing. Is it possible that there isn’t one levelheaded person among you who can make fair decisions when disagreements and disputes come up? I don’t believe it. And here you are taking each other to court before people who don’t even believe in God! How can they render justice if they don’t believe in the God of justice?!” (1 Corinthians 6:1-6 MSG).

The Greeks in general, and the Athenians in particular, were known for their involvements in court battles. In one of his stage plays, the Greek playwright Aristophanes has one of his characters look at a map and ask were Greece is located. When it is pointed out to him, he replies that there must be some mistake—because he can’t see any lawsuits going on there! I think the United States is rapidly earning a similar reputation.

372,563 civil suits were filed in federal court and over 12 million filed in states courts last year. All of these lawsuits are handled by the 1.3 million lawyers licensed in the United States who raked in over $170 trillion for it. Like the Corinthians, thousands of Americans have aired their dirty laundry as publicly as possible on televised courtrooms like The People’s Court, Divorce Court, or Judge Judy.

I don’t think there are many—if any—in our congregation dragging their fellow Christians into court. But the root problem that plagued the Corinthians still pesters people today—disputes and disagreements. We just can’t get along.

The fact that disputes arise should not surprise us because almost everybody has opinions on almost everything—especially in the church. Some people think we sing too many hymns, others think we don’t sing enough hymn. Some people think I preach too long, others think I don’t preach long enough. Some think we should build a new building, some think we should remodel the one we have, some think we ought to just leave everything the way it is. There are always going to be disputable matters. The question is—how do we handle our disagreements and disputes? Do you let hostility and resentment fester? Do you sow seeds of discord, complaining to others who aren’t involved? Do you confront the person or the problem? Sadly, disagreements over some of the silliest things have led to division and even the destruction of congregation.

It reminds me of one of the more peculiar footnotes of American History—the famous feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys. The feud between these two families apparently lasted for 12 years and, over the course of that time, 12 people were ultimately murdered—one revenge-killing after another. Does anybody know how this feud began in the first place? Well, it all started because one of the Hatfields believed (with no actual evidence) that one of the McCoys had stolen his pig. Just the rumor that one family stole a pig from the other family caused years of fighting that resulting in the senseless deaths of 12 of their loved ones. I wonder—when it was all over—if any of them believed that it was worth it?