"I Belong”

Corinthians 1:10-18 “I Belong”

1. Paul pleads Belong To Unity “No Divisions Among you”

• Paul writes, “10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,that all of you should be in agreement .

• Paul continues to say, “there should be no divisions among you,

• He says on the other hand “you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. “ we have a purpose the proclamation of the cross

• Paul points out of Whom we Belong he says, Some of you say, “I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ We all should belong to Christ

2. Although God wants us to belong to Unity there is definite Divisions

• Here are some division Liberal and conservative congregations. Rich and poor. Traditional and contemporary. Black, white and brown. Native-born and immigrant. Gay and straight. Clearly, there are divisions in the church.

• There is the Great Schism of 1054 also known as the East West Schism Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church divide over The Authority of Pope or Papal, celibacy of priest, apostolic succession and sacraments.

• There has been division over Jews and Gentiles Samaritans

• There is division over carpet colors, pews should they be comfortable ,

• There was Protestant Reformation Catholic or Protestant

3. Paul encourages us not Divide Christ

• Some had said, I was baptized by Apollo’s , Cephas, others, or by Paul 13 Has Christ been divided?

• Was Paul crucified for you? Was Apollo crucified for you?, was Peter crucified for you? No only one crucified for you Jesus

• He writes for the message of the cross has one purpose it is for those who are Perishing

• The Cross shows the power of God to save or rescue the Perishing

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4. Paul challenges Christians to belong to a cross-shaped life, here we will find limited Divisions

• The cross shaped life maintains unity Paul says, maintain the unity of the church. “I appeal to you, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united

• The Cross Shaped life has one mind one purpose souls saves, help others belong

• The Cross shaped life follows Christ Paul writes many of you says, ‘I belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas,’ or ‘I belong to Christ’” (vv. 11-12).

• Christians still proclaim their loyalties to particular church leaders. They say, “I follow Rick Warren” or “I follow Pope Francis” or “I follow William Barber,” I follow Charles Stanley, I follow Billy Graham, I follow Baptist, I Follow Pentecostal holiness, I follow Methodism and John Wesley

5. Finally, But at the end of the day we should all proclaim, “I belong to Christ.”

• Our challenge is to live a cross-shaped life, not an Evangelical- or Catholic- shaped life.

• I belong to the One that was crucified for each of us,

• I belong to the one that loves liberals, conservatives, blacks, whites, browns, gays and straights.

• I belong to the one who has no divisions. His ideology is “The Whosoever will” let them come the outcasts, the leper’s, the prostitutes, the adulteress, the diseased considered unclean, the sinners, the religious leaders, the rich the poor whosoever

• I belong to the cross where lies Gods amazing grace

• I belong to the cross of unknown unlimited underserving power of God’s Forgiveness

• I belong to Life Cross Life, God life, Living Life, Hope Life, Help, Forgiveness,

• I belong, Do you Belong? if not Come and be part of the Family of God.