Was The Early Church The "Golden Age"? Series

- Read 2 Corinthians 1:12-17 and 2:1-10.

An Early Church Story:

- What we are looking at today is just one story from the early church.

1. There was serious sin in the church.

- 2 Corinthians 2:6; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13.

- We know this from 1 Corinthians 5 and Paul’s extensive instructions to them to exercise church discipline. Paul is shocked by the sin they are applauding within the church and instructs them to handle the situation.

- Now, in 2 Corinthians we have a mention in 2:6 to what is presumably the same situation mentioned in the previous book.

2. Paul advised church discipline.

- 2 Corinthians 2:6; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13.

- As mentioned, Paul instructs the Corinthians to deal with the sin rather than excusing it. Of course, this is a difficult thing to do. Almost everyone, then and now, would prefer to ignore such situations rather than face them head-on. Inevitably, there are those who don’t want to confront the individual. There are those who think pursuing church discipline is being judgmental. There are those related to the individual who want his behavior ignored.

3. There was disagreement and misunderstanding about the situation.

- 2 Corinthians 1:12-17; 2 Corinthians 2:1-4, 9-11.

- As so often happens today, the situation was difficult to begin with and then got messy.

- Some of the pieces of the puzzle:

a. Paul had changing travel plans, which led the Corinthians to accuse him of lying about coming to visit them. See 2 Corinthians 1:15-17. He decided to write them a letter rather than visiting in hopes that they would have made the needed changes and therefore the visit would not have to be filled with confrontation. See 2 Corinthians 2:1, 9.

b. Some of the Corinthians believed that Paul had a hidden agenda. His letters said one thing, they accused, but then he does something else. See 2 Corinthians 1:12-14.

4. It was bad enough Paul thought it best not to visit.

- 2 Corinthians 1:15-17; 2 Corinthians 2:1.

- As mentioned, Paul changed his travel plans. Instead he sent a letter. The goal was that they would have time to digest his instructions and begin to obey them. If he came when they were still in obvious disobedience, his arrival would undoubtedly turn into a big church fight.

- You know the church situation is not healthy when the founding pastor can’t freely return.

What That Shows Us About The Early Church:

1. Paul was imperfect, both as a Christian and a church leader.

- 2 Corinthians 10:10; 1 John 1:8; 2 Peter 3:16.

- The first part is a little easier to take. Of course Paul was imperfect as a Christian because we are all imperfect as Christians. 1 John 1:8 tells us that claiming to be without sin makes us liars. All of us fall short.

- The second half is the tougher part. Why? Because we so often heap endless praise on Paul for his role in the early church. Paul: the example of a radically changed life. Paul: the brilliant student of the Law. Paul: sufferer for the gospel. Paul: the writer of the majority of the New Testament. Paul: the greatest missionary of all-time.

- Because of the accumulated weight of all these accomplishments, Paul gets overwhelming credit as a church leader par excellence. Paul did so much under such difficult circumstances that we can get a little carried away with our praise.

- What specifically were some of his shortcomings?

a. His letters could be difficult to understand.

- Peter comments in 2 Peter 3:16 that some of Paul’s letters can be difficult to understand. There is no doubt that Paul was a brilliant thinker and an incisive writer, but that didn’t always make his teaching easy for the average person to grasp.

b. Paul could be stubborn and pig-headed.

- Acts 15:36-41 tells of a disagreement that was so stringent that Paul and Barnabas separated and went on different missionary journeys.

c. Paul was not a dynamic preacher.

- Paul himself quotes some of his listeners as saying that his letters are weighty but his preaching is weak (2 Corinthians 10:10). Now, of course, with these being his detractors, you have to take the words with a grain of salt. Still, we do know that Paul droned on all night to the point where one of the listeners fell asleep (Acts 20:7-11). Even if the accusation is just partially true, it’s a far cry from our presumption that listening to Paul would be a world better than the average preacher.

- When you add all this up, you have a leader who was flawed just like leaders today. Certainly one that was extraordinarily gifted and extraordinarily impactful, but also one that was imperfect, just like us.