Church Matters: Correcting the Corinthians (1)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 11/9/2014
How many of you have ever heard someone say they’re not interested in going to church, because it’s full of hypocrites? What’s really sad is that according to a study conducted by LifeWay Research 72% of people surveyed actually believe that churches are “full of hypocrites.”
Of course, I like Zig Ziglars response to that claim. He invited a friend to church with him one day and he friend said, “I would come, but everybody knows the church is full of hypocrites.” Zig responded, “Oh it’s okay, there’s always room for one more!”
It’s a sad reality that much of the world views the church this way. In some cases I think it’s really just an excuse. But there are times when it’s true. Take the first century church in Corinth for example. In A.D. 56 the church there was in serious trouble. Sad to say, the problems didn’t stay within the church family; they were known by the whole community outside the church.
To begin with the church at was a defiled church. Members of the church allowed the sins of the city to permeate the congregation. Corinth was a polluted city, filled with every kind of vice and worldly pleasure. Thus, some of the members of the church we guilty of sexual immorality, others were drunks, and still others used God’s grace to excuse their perverted lifestyles. It was also a divided church, with at least four different groups competing for leadership. And it was a disgraced church; their worship services had turned into a discordant free-for-all lacking the reverence and respect that God deserves.
Their problems sound like a catalog of problems experienced by local churches today. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul gives us a carefully reasoned discussion of each problem and how to deal with it, making this letter one of the most practical and important for Christians today.
For the next six weeks, I’d like to hit the highlights from Paul’s letter and discover what we can learn from the problems faced by this young church.
In order to help them resolve their problems, Paul opens his letter by reminding them of their calling in Christ and points out three important aspects of this calling. First, he reminds them that they—and we—are called to holiness.
• CALLED TO HOLINESS
Rather than jumping down their throats first thing, Paul takes a positive approach and reminds the Christians in Corinth of who they are in Christ. He writes, “I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT).
What does it mean to be holy?
To be holy means to be set apart or separate from sin and evil. God is holy—completely separate from everything that is evil. And he calls us holy when he forgives us of our sins by means of the blood of Jesus. But there’s a difference between God calling us holy and us actually living holy lives.
I’m reminded of a rather pompous-looking deacon who was endeavoring to impress upon a Sunday School class the importance of living holy lives. “Why do people call me a Christian?” the man asked. After a moment’s pause, one youngster said, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you.”
That little boy had his hypocrisy-radar running. So did the people of Corinth. Now, like I said, Corinth was vile and vice-filled society. But rather than being set apart, the Christians in Corinth blended right in. Sadly many Christians today do the same thing. In the article “The American Witness” which appeared in the Nov/Dec 1997 issue of The Barna Report, George Barna examined 131 different measures of attitudes, behaviors, values, and beliefs. In his research, he discovered that self-identified Christians are just as likely as non-Christians to have been divorced, that Christians are just as like to play the lottery. They’re just as likely to cheat on their spouse as non-Christians or to download pornography. And, of course, the list goes on. In fact Mr. Barna concluded: “in the aspects of lifestyle we examined there is no visible difference between the two segments.” Now, of course, these are “self-identified” Christians; that is, people who claim to be a Christian but don’t necessarily follow Christ. And that’s the problem.
Right or wrong, if you are a Christian, you ought to know that your neighbors and co-workers have their “hypocrisy-radar” scanning your lives 24/7. When you claim to love Jesus but you live like he doesn’t matter, people notice. What are they picking up on their radar screens? When they are scanning your life, what do they see? Few things can repel a person from God as efficiently as an insincere Christian or inauthentic church.
Now, being holy doesn’t mean we have to be perfect. But it does mean not drag Jesus’ name back through mud he found us in. It means being honest about our faults and failures. And it means being set apart from society, rather than blending in with it.
So first, Paul calls the Corinthians to holiness. Furthermore, he calls them to harmony.
• CALLED TO HARMONY
Have you ever stopped to count all the churches in your town? Take a leisurely drive through Any Town, U.S.A. and try counting all the church buildings you see—you’ll probably run out of fingers and toes. Let your fingers walk through the Yellow Pages and you’re liable to find more churches than you can shake a stick at in your area. Some of these churches are very similar to one another, others are a little different. Have you ever wondered how it got this way? Why are there so many different churches? The old cliché seems appropriate—can’t we all just get along?
Paul may have been wondering the same thing when he wrote this:
Brothers and sisters, I encourage all of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to agree with each other and not to split into opposing groups. I want you to be united in your understanding and opinions. Brothers and sisters, some people from Chloe's family have made it clear to me that you are quarreling among yourselves. This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in Paul’s name? (1 Corinthians 1:10-13 GWT)
What’s happening here has been happening ever since. It’s the disease of disharmony. Paul originally planted the church in Corinth. Apollos came along and grew it into a mega-church. At some point Peter came and preached a revival. Three dynamic leaders, all of whom loved the Lord, accidentally developed their own little followings. The Christians in Corinth choose their favorites, argued about who had more authority, who was the best preacher, who converted more disciples, etc. Eventually lines were drawn and the first denominations were formed.
When the Catholic Church rose to power they mostly did away with this type of division. They simply didn’t tolerate dissention. But once Martian Luther and others broke away from the Pope, this problem resurfaced with a vengeance.
In Frank Mead’s Handbook of Denominations in the United States, he lists and describes over 200 different religious groups—or denominations—in America today. The word denomination comes from a Latin term that means to name, which is exactly what the Corinthian Christians were doing—taking the names of their chosen leader. And Christians have been following their example ever since. “I follow Luther” or “I follow Wesley” or “I follow the Pope.” I have a friend whose father swears that Jesus was a Baptist.
The ironic thing is—just like Paul, these great leaders often discouraged people from following them.
Martian Luther, himself, once said, “I ask that men make no reference to my name, and call themselves not Lutherans, but Christians. What is Luther? My doctrine, I am sure, is not mine, nor have I been crucified for anyone.... No, no, my dear friends; let us abolish all names, and call ourselves Christians after Him whose doctrine we have.”
John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, agreed. He said, “Would to God that all names, and unscriptural phrases and forms which have divided the Christian world, were forgot and that the very name [Methodist] might never be mentioned more, but be buried in eternal oblivion.”
Charles H. Spurgeon, known as the Prince of Preachers, has also said, “I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a Baptist living! I hope that the Baptist name will soon perish, but let Christ’s name last forever.”
And don’t think that we’re off the hook just because we call ourselves a “Christian Church.” Notice that Paul even criticized those who said, “I follow Christ.” There’s nothing wrong with following Christ alone; that’s what we should be doing. But this faction had become exclusive elitists. They didn’t accept any of the other Christians as genuine Christians. They weren’t promoting peace and harmony. So they were just as guilty as everybody else of tearing apart the body of Christ.
How did Paul respond? How do we?
Even though the groups in Corinth were divided and discordant, you’ll notice that two times in this passage Paul called them “brothers and sisters” (1 Cor. 1:10 & 12). At the beginning of his letter he addresses it “to the church of God in Corinth” and reminded them that “God… made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2 NLT). In other words, nobody has an exclusive claim on Christianity. Until we start accepting one another as fellow Christians and brothers and sisters in Christ, the church will never experience the unity that Christ prayer we would. No matter what the sign says above the door, the church down the street isn’t the enemy; it’s family.
God called the believers in Corinth to harmony. He’s still calling today.
Finally, in addition to holiness and harmony, Paul called them to humility.
• CALLED TO HUMILITY
A well-known Christian businessman who was visiting a church was asked to give his testimony. He said, "I have a fine family, a large house, a successful business, and a good reputation. I have plenty of money so I can support some Christian ministries very generously. Many organizations want me on their board of directors. I have good health and almost unlimited opportunities. What more could I ask from God?" As he paused for effect, a voice shouted from the back of the auditorium, "How about a little humility?"
Paul was prepared to give the Corinthians a good dose of humility. He reminds them of where came from and who they were when God found them. He writes:
“Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NLT)
The Corinthians Christians had gotten a little too big for their britches. They began to think of themselves a little more highly than they ought to. So Paul reminded them that in reality—they were just a bunch of nobodies. They weren’t geniuses. They weren’t wealthy. They weren’t powerful. But that’s okay, because that’s why God chose them.
When we get to heaven, not one of us will be able to say we got there on our own merit. It won’t be because we’re better than anybody else or more deserving. We're saved simply by the grace of God.
Adrian Rogers told a story about a woodpecker pecking on a tree. In the middle of his pecking, a bolt of lightning hit that tree, splitting it right down the middle. The woodpecker backed off, surveyed the situation, and flew away. Later that day he returned with nine other woodpeckers. Proudly he said, "There it is, gentlemen. Right there. That's what I did."
When we do that as men and women, God shuts off the lightning. When God does great things in our lives, he doesn’t want us taking credit for it. The Bible says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor” (1 Peter 5:5-6 NIV).
Maybe you’re not the strongest, smartest or most successful person you know. But that’s okay. If you’re accustomed to being beat up, picked on, overlooked or underrated, I’ve got good news for you! God loves the long-shots, the losers and the little guys. God is looking for men and women with humble hearts—hearts that say, “Lord, I’m a nobody. I’m nothing without You. Will You use me?”
I love the testimony of a humble elevator operator in a hospital in Nashville who said, “I’m just a nobody telling everybody about Somebody who can save anybody.” God loves nobodies who humble themselves before him and allow him to lift them up in honor.
Conclusion
I think there will always be people who misunderstand grace and forgiveness; people who look as the church of God and say, “They’re just a bunch hypocrites.” But wouldn’t be great if your friends or family looked at our church and said, “What a bunch of holy, harmonious, and humble people!” That’s what God wanted the church in Corinth to be, and I think that’s what he wants the church here to be too.
Next Sunday we’ll dig a little deeper into some of the problems and struggles this young church faced; hopefully we can learn from some of their mistakes without having to repeat them.
Invitation
In the meantime, if you are a Christian who’s struggling to live a holy life, or maybe you have issues accepting other Christians as a part of your spiritual family, or maybe you’re been wrestling with pride and arrogance in your personal life—in any case, I’d like to invite you to talk with me about it and perhaps we can work through it together.
