Introduction
A. Two taxidermists stopped in front of a window where an owl was on display. They immediately began to criticize the way it was mounted. Its eyes were not natural; its wings were not in proportion with its head; its feathers were not neatly arranged; and its feet could be improved. Just when they had finished with their criticism, the owl turned his head...and blinked. It’s easier to be critical than correct.
1. Lets begin by turning to 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
1 Corinthians 1:10-18 (NKJV)
Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. {11} For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. {12} Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." {13} Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? {14} I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, {15} lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. {16} Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. {17} For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. {18} For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
2. The copy of the New King James has divided this passage into 2 topics
a. First was the fact of divisions in the church
b. The second is the cause of division in the church
(1) Lets read again 1 Corinthians 1:10
II. Body
A. Paul begins this portion of his first letter to the Corinthian church by begging the church to speak, he says to all speak the same thing, unity
1. Unity of word
a. That there should be a unity of doctrine
b. And there should be unity of action
c. Years ago, when we attend Highland Baptist Church in Leomenster Mass, we had a guest speaker one Sunday, his name was John Debrine. John Debrine was the host on a Christian Music radio program from Cape Cod. He was also chairmen of the radio programs governing board. He told us that in things concerning inconsequential matters, such as the color of the ladies restroom, only a majority of votes would carry the issue. But in matters concerning the ministry, if the vote was not unanimous they did nothing about the issue at hand. His reasoning was concise, If the board was not unanimous, some one was out of fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit will not disagree with Himself. If some one were to be out of fellowship with the Holy Spirit, Satan has a foot hold.
d. Stanly Jones wrote in Leadership Magazine, “Talk about what you believe and you have disunity. Talk about Who you believe in and you have unity.”
e. Marilyn McCoy, Chester, Vermont in the Christian Reader wrote, “Each Sunday our minister presents a "children's sermon" to all the young children. Recently a bright-eyed three-year-old girl listened intently as he explained that God wanted them all to get along and love each other. "God wants us all to be one," he said. To which the little girl replied, "But I don't want to be one. I want to be four!”
(1) Lets turn to Ephesians 4:10-16
2. Unity of action
a. The church has two purposes
(1) When the church is gathered it is to educated the saints
Ephesians 4:10-16 (NKJV)
He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) {11} And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, {12} for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, {13} till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; {14} that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, {15} but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; {16} from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
(a) In The Quotable Spurgeon, we read, “Lettuces, radishes, and such garden crops are soon out of the ground and ready for the table--a month almost suffices to perfect them. But an oak requires long centuries to come to the fullness of its growth.
(b) Those graces which are most precious and durable will cost us longest to produce. Those good things which spring up hastily may have some transient worth about them, but we cannot look for permanence and value in them. There is no need to deplore the slowness of our spiritual growth, if that which comes of it is of a solid character.
(c) In the church the Word of God is expounded upon
(d) In the church the Saints minister to the Saints
i) Turn to Hebrews 10:24-25
(e) In the church we encourage one another
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV)
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, {25} not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
(f) Harvey Koelner, in Leadership Magazine wrote, “During one service I was complaining to the Lord about the lack of attendance: ‘Lord, attendance is just not what I'd like it to be.’ This was the Lord's response: ‘My son, attendance is not what I'd like it to be in heaven.’ That was the last time I complained to the Lord about lack of attendance.”
i) Lets turn to Matthew 28:19 - 20
(2) When the church is scattered it is to evangelize the lost
Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
(a) Go therefore and make disciples
(b) The more literal translation of these first few words in our Matthew passage says, “While you are going make disciples”
(c) While going about our everyday activities, as the Holy Spirit gives us opportunity we are to plant a seed of the gospel message.
(d) While going about our everyday activities, as the Holy Spirit give us opportunity we are to water the planted seed
(e) While going about our everyday activities, as the Holy Spirit give us opportunity we are to follow up and harvest the crop.
b. So we see Paul beginning this portion of his epistle begging for a unified spirit in the Corinthian church
(1) Lets examine 1 Corinthians 1:11
B. How did this come to Paul’s attention?
1. Verse 11 tells us how
1 Corinthians 1:11 (NKJV)
For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you.
(1) Lets turn to 1 Corinthians 11:18.
b. The house hold of Chloe were concerned
(1) We have no idea of what steps these people took before writing to Paul
(a) It would seem to me that writing to Paul may have been a last resort
(b) We can’t seem to solve this little problem, so lets call Paul
1 Corinthians 11:18 (NKJV)
For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
(c) Paul very probably understood the problem
i) At least in part
ii) Because he spend a lot of time in Corinth
iii) And he was an excellent judge of the human condition
(d) Well, back to the issue, this not unusual, a church back east, fired their pastor and called another fellow, who, according to some was a worse pastor than the one they fired. There solution was to contact the denomination and engage a team, whose mission was to put the requesting church back on the narrow way. The task took a couple of years and then the church was tasked with calling a new pastor.
(e) We experienced the very same thing, but with unsuccessful results
(2) Some one took action to try and resolve the problem
(a) Lets reread 1 Corinthians 1:12
2. The problem of sectarianism
1 Corinthians 1:12 (NKJV)
Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ."
a. This report from Chloe was evidently serious enough to raise Paul’s concerns
(1) And at the same time Chloe was probably enough for Paul not to hesitate in disclosing his source to the erring congregation
(2) These groups were evidently labeling themselves by different Christian teachers, and were intolerant of anyone who varied from their own idiosyncrasies
(3) It is not uncommon, even today, to find disparate groups within a church who are so at odds with each other that they seem determined to tear the church apart
(a) There are churches, large and small that are filled to overflowing with what we call clicks
i) One click says that they were saved by Paul
ii) Another click says that they were saved by Apollos
iii) Another saved by Peter
iv) And the fourth claiming to have been saved by Christ
(b) Can you imagine the clash between these clicks?
(c) Being much concerned about the rise of denominations in the church, John Wesley tells of a dream he had. In the dream, he was ushered to the gates of Hell. There he asked, “Are there any Presbyterians here?” “Yes!”, came the answer. Then he asked, “Are there any Baptists? Any Episcopalians? Any Methodists?” The answer was “Yes!” each time. Much distressed, Wesley was then ushered to the gates of Heaven. There he asked the same question, and the answer was “No!” “No?” To this, Wesley asked, “Who then is inside?” The answer came back, “There are only Christians here.”
(d) Paul was appalled at this situation, and pleaded with the brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to find some common ground
i) Lets consider 1 Corinthians 1:13
C. The Apostle was not calling for a boring uniformity, but for a dynamic unity based in
1. The common experience of Christ;
2. And our baptism into Him
1 Corinthians 1:13
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
3. I imagine that Paul was not at all happy to have his name attached to one of these groups
a. But it did cause him to ask three rhetorical questions
(1) All three of which Paul expected a negative answer
(2) Is Christ divided? - No
(a) Christ is not divided, and neither should His body (the church) be divided
(3) Was Paul crucified for you?-No
(a) Of course Paul was not crucified for us – and neither was Apollos or Peter, or anyone else for that matter, but only Jesus Christ
(4) Were you baptized in the name of Paul? - No
(a) Neither were we baptized in the name of Paul, Apollos, Peter, or anyone else, but in the name of Jesus, in the name od the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit
b. But we can see that Paul recognized the insult to the Lord
(1) And to the integrity of the body of Christ
(2) Lets reread 1 Corinthians 1:14 - 16
D. I get a picture of Paul pacing around wondering, who did I baptize?
1 Corinthians 1:14-16 (NKJV)
I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, {15} lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. {16} Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.
1. Paul pacing around wondering, Who did I baptize?
a. Let’s see there was Crispus and Gaius
b. Let’s see, any one else, Oh, Yes, the household of Stephanas
c. They will testify that I did not baptized them in my name but in Christ Jesus
2. Paul recognises that baptism is a very important part of Christian initiation,
a. But was not first and foremost what he was called to do
b. In 1 Corinthians 1:17 Paul says that he was called to preach the gospel
1 Corinthians 1:17 (NKJV)
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
(1) One preacher says that it hardly matters who got down in the water with the candidate, as long as they were obedient to the instruction to be baptized
III. Summary
A. Paul begs for unity within the church
1. We can understand that he is calling for unity of doctrine
a. Unity of words
2. And unity of action
B. We are not clones but we aught to be humble enough to see the other side and co-operate with each other in the power of the Holy Spirit
