FREEDOM From DIVISION-II—1Corinthians 1:10e-12(:10-17)
formerly: The INDIGNITY Of DIVISION
Attention:
I Love You Guys:
After the baby dedication in church, little Johnny sobbed all the way home in his car seat.
His father asked him three times what was wrong, with no reply.
Finally, little Johnny summoned up his courage & said, “That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,...But I wanted to stay with y’all instead.”
Johnny was devastated when he recognized the division within his family!
Likewise, division devastates any church’s/ministry’s potential success!
And So, FREEDOM from division, frees up any church/ministry for success!
Need:
God’s people must RECOGNIZE divisive behaviors in themselves & others. We are called upon by God to SURRENDER those behaviors to the power of God, thru the Holy Spirit, Who lives within us.
FREEDOM From DIVISION-II—1Corinthians 1:10e-12(:10-17)
“Indignity”—A state of being unworthy of honor or respect(in relation to godly matters).
The Corinthian church was afflicted/troubled by the indignity of internal division.
And the apostle Paul urged the Corinthian church to distance themselves from that indignity.
Successful ministry is undermined thru internal division.
?What can free or distance us from division?
And...?How can we be free from that indignity?
3 measures of freedom from division.
Due to time restraints encountered during our time together last week, we were unable to unpack all that the apostle Paul reveals regarding the importance of ‘UNITY’ for the Church.
We looked at a portion of verse :10, where Paul writes,...
:10—“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, & that there be no divisions among you,...”
So today, we’ll continue with verse :10 & resume fleshing-out God’s truth within, being that...
(CONT...)1—Freedom from division thrives in Christian...
UNITY(:10-12)
:10e—“...but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind & in the same judgment.”
“But”—Signifies that “among” God’s people, there SHOULD & CAN be a godly means of being free from “divisions.”
In order to secure & ensure such freedom from “divisions”, “brothers” & sisters in Christ must be of “the same mind” & “judgment.”
That is, there must be a corporate, gathered, church-wide ‘unity’ that determines & guides their God-ordained endeavors. And particularly so regarding doctrinal & team-driven operational issues.
•Since God’s people are regarded as one in fellowship with Christ, so it stands to reason that they would also be one in fellowship with one another, as they serve God together—John MacArthur
•God’s people can & should be of “the same mind” & “judgment” as that of God, when it comes to the ‘way’ & ‘manner’ that the gathered Church fulfills it’s day to day operations(Rom. 15:5-6). That is, so that the outcome of all the church’s endeavors, will give God the proper glory He deserves.
Rom. 15:5-6—“Now may the God of patience & comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind & one mouth glorify the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
•Salem Baptist Church is a congregational church, meaning generally, that ‘the congregation’ accepts & undertakes the challenges & responsibilities for operating in a Christ-like manner.
•We operate in a godly manner congregationally, largely thru freely accepted, & volunteer ‘committees’ & ‘teamwork.’ Each of the members of this local body of Christ, should be of “the same mind” & “judgment.” Together we exhibit UNITY!
*God’s people can still “Be perfectly joined together” even when we question the way something is done. That’s part of how we learn & grow in Christ. Committee & team discussion grants wisdom.
Prov. 11:14—“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”
Prov. 15:22—“Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.”
•Be happy with knowing that even though you may not have ‘done it the way’ someone else did, that it’s still okay, BECAUSE... your brother or sister in Christ was ‘led of the Lord’ to take care of it!
*Each of us can still “Be perfectly joined together” when we offer advice, or ‘put our 2-cents in’, as long as that advice offers healthy & helpful direction & wisdom. And as long as we don’t get SO upset with something not being done ‘my way’, that I leave the church in a huff.
•I’m convinced that there are & will be many many people in hell, who would not have been there, IF the Church would have only been free from “division”, by HANDLING ‘CONFLICT’ by the power of God, instead of by the power of flesh!
•Again, We are to “be perfectly joined together in the same mind” & “judgment”, regarding the working of God & our approach toward those things. We must ‘give proper place’ to each of our brother’s & sister’s UNIQUE METHOD of approach toward those things, WHILE looking to GOD for direction.
•We must operate with “the mind of Christ”(1Cor. 2:16), so that our “judgments” are the same as those of God.
1Cor. 2:16—“For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
*When God’s people are “perfectly joined together” by being of “the same” “speech”, “mind” & “judgment”, we are made COMPLETE. Our message then becomes COMPLETE. And presents an untainted, true, & viable witness of Christ to the world!
CONVERSELY, God’s people are INCOMPLETE when we are NOT of “the same” “speech”, “mind”, & “judgment.”
•As a result, such an incomplete body of believers exemplifies “divisiveness”(:12-13) rather than unity centered around Christ! The ‘eternal’ message presented by such a divided church is a false, ungodly, misrepresentative, fleshly, & distorted message that is damning to lost people, & disheartening to saved ones!
“Perfectly Joined Together/Made Complete/Perfectly United/Knit together”—katartizw—Perfect Passive Participle - Nominative Plural Masc.—1) To render, i.e. To fit, sound, complete—1a) To mend(what has been broken or rent), to repair, 1a1)--To complete, 1b) To fit out, equip, put in order, arrange, adjust, 1b1)--To fit or frame for one's self, prepare, 1c) ethically--To strengthen, perfect, complete, make one what he ought to be. Strong—To complete thoroughly, i.e. repair(literally or figuratively) or adjust. Used 13X.?From—kata—Preposition—1) Down from, through out; 2) According to, toward, along. Strong—prepositionally--Down(in place or time), in varied relations(according to the case [genitive case, dative case or accusative case] with which it is joined); a primary particle.—& a derivative of—artiov—Fresh, i.e. by implication--Complete—Per—arti—Just now.
:11—“For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.”
:11a—“For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household,”
Those associated with “Chloe”(Literally--“of Chloe”[“household” is an interpretational addition]) had informed Paul of something that concerned them about the direction of the Corinthian church.
•It’s not known whether “of Chloe” refers to the nuclear family “of”, the extended family “of”, the servants “of”, or the friends & acquaintances “of Chloe”(RWP)
The name “Chloe” means ‘tender verdure’(lush green vegetation) It is not known if the name was a nickname earned due to “Chloe’s” Christian service, or was instead her given name.
•“Chloe” is a descriptive name also applied to the pagan goddess of agriculture, ‘Demeter.’—RWP
“Chloe” must have been a trustworthy witness, otherwise Paul would not have made specific mention of her in the manner that he did.
•“Chloe” is NOT a ‘tattle-tale’ looking for attention!
•Nor is “Chloe” a ‘brown-noser’ looking for status or position or to ‘ride on an apostle’s coattails’!
:11b—“...that there are contentions among you.”
Paul had thus been informed of the existence of “contentions” in the church. “Contentions” are an obvious evidence of division.
•James speaks to this by the Holy Spirit of God:...
Js. 3:13-18—“Who is wise & understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy & self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast & lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy & self-seeking exist, confusion & every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy & good fruits, without partiality & without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
?Does peace thrive in your presence?
OR....
?Do you always seem to be at the center of a disagreement?
?Are you continually dissatisfied with others?...
Then you might be an envious, self-seeking person!
Within the local church in Corinth, Christians were openly known to quarrel & “contend” with one-another.
•Evidently some “among” the Corinthian Christians pitted themselves against others within the church!
*There was a ‘competitive’ spirit “among” those known to be part of the church, so that the church itself became noted for the “contentions” rather than for the ‘sweet sweet spirit’ produced thru surrender to the Holy Spirit of God in Christ!
*A competitive spirit can quickly escalate into a rivalrous & “contentious” spirit. And that is what drives division within a church & between churches of like belief.
•Some wrongly believe that a competitive & “contentious” spirit is an acceptable way to birth new churches!...Unfortunately, subjective preference-driven churches! Such people wrongly believe that the end justifies the means!
*Also, a competitive spirit ‘all done in good fun’, between local church ministries EARLY-ON, CAN be the fuel that causes ministry to prosper! HOWEVER, when such a ‘competitive spirit’ is taken too seriously within the church, it will ultimately end in unhealthy & ungodly “contentions”, division, separation, & disaster.
“Contentions/Quarrels”—eriv—Noun Nominative Plural Fem.—1) Contention, strife, wrangling. Strong—A quarrel, i.e. by implication--Wrangling; of uncertain affinity. Used 9X.
: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.”
“...each of you says,...”
We speak what is on our minds...what we have come to believe...what we have become convicted of.
...“I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,”...
The nature of the “contentions” was made plain in the mention of baptisms performed!(:14-17)
•So the number of baptisms performed by whomever was named of the apostles/ministers, had become a basis for ‘bragging’ rights among the members of the Corinthian church.
•YES, the baptisms gave evidence of the growth of the church in Corinth...YET, the number of baptisms should NOT have been a measure of the WORTH of those baptizing!
The ‘bragging’ of the Christian community in Corinth, was evidently built around ‘their perception’ of a person’s evangelistic ability(leading people to Christ), a person’s apologetic ability(defense of the Gospel), &/or the ‘oratory eloquence’ of particular apostles/ministers who baptized.
*Such ‘bragging’ was even applied to “Christ” Jesus Himself! !Now consider how convoluted & twisted your reasoning/doctrine has to be, to place “Paul”, “Apollos”, “Cephas”, & “Christ” on a par with one another!...So that you would choose to follow one over another, & still expect it to be acceptable in God’s eyes!
*!They SHOULD have been ‘bragging’ on their salvation from the condemnation & influence of sin in their own lives, by the Cross-work of Christ!
*Your commitment to Jesus Christ should NEVER be ‘PERSONALITY-driven’!(Mat. 12:32; Lk. 12:10).
•Personality-driven ‘ministry’ is questionable at best, & such ‘ministry’ comes to a screeching halt, in the absence of the particular personality you may choose to elevate. Such misguided ministry stops with the shifting changes of leadership/headship. The ministry ‘commitment’ driven by personality, ends when the personality is replaced.
•Personality-driven ministry breeds contention & division!
I believe Jesus speaks to such a scenario when He said,...
•Mat. 12:32(Lk. 12:10)—“Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
Examples of Personality-driven thinking...
•I -like/don’t like- his/her mannerisms.
•I -like/don’t like- how he/she dresses.?“You know, He wears that same suit every Sunday.”
•I -like/don’t like- the way he/she phrases things.
•I -like/don’t like- his/her personality.
•I -like/don’t like- his sermon choices.
•I -like/don’t like- the way he/she does what they do.
•I -like/don’t like- his/her physique.
•I -like/don’t like- whatever(fill-in-the-blank) is open to ‘MY’ interpretation about them.....Ad infinitum/Unending.
Argumentation:
*Eph. 4:1-6—to the church—“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness & gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body & one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God & Father of all, who is above all, & through all, & in you all.”
*Php. 2:1-5—to the church—Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”
•Don’t elevate yourself in God’s Kingdom work!
1Peter 2:11-17—to the church—“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners & pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers & for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men-- as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
2Cor. 10:7—“Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s.”
*1Pet. 3:8-12—to the church—“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.”.””
Col. 3:15-17—“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; & be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching & admonishing one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Col. 4:5-6—to the church—“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
1Thes. 4:1-12—“Finally then, brethren, we urge & exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more & more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk & to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification & honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of & defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you & testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; & indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more & more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, & to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, & that you may lack nothing.”
Heb. 13:1—“Let brotherly love continue.”
Illustration:
Salem BC’s property. Without UNITY, the property will surely fall into disrepair. Whereas when we as the gathered Church make decisions, we will have a place to freely assemble. Only with everyone’s input & support can we have a place & facilities that are specifically dedicated to Salem’s various ministries, as they honor Christ.
Christian UNITY
Vacation Bible School. Only with UNITY among our church members, can we minister to the area’s children & teens(& adults) in such a specific way, so that Jesus is glorified among them. Only with everyone’s input, can that happen! Christian UNITY
Covered Dish meal. Only with everyone’s input & support can we enjoy a meal of Christian fellowship together. Christian UNITY
Application:
?Are YOU doing YOUR part to bring Freedom From Division to YOUR church thru maintaining Christian UNITY?
?Does Freedom From Division characterize OUR church body?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Little Johnny’s concern—“That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, but I wanted to stay with y’all.”
As Johnny was devastated when he recognized the division within his family.
So, FREEDOM from division, frees up any church/ministry for success!
Action:
Freedom from division thrives in Christian...
1. UNITY(:10-12)
Pt#1(cont...) only--1:10e-12--Presented 07/14/2024am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
Pt#s 1-3 Presented 08/04/2013am to:
FBC C’belle
206 Storrs Ave SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
