Why Churches Drift Into Labels

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A common practice in many churches today is for visitors to be asked to introduce themselves during worship. Very often, the visitor will identify the church they attend and the pastor under whose ministry they serve. Interestingly, the Apostle Paul faced an issue concerning a similar practice more than 2,000 years ago. In 1 Corinthians 1, 10 to 17, Paul appeals for unity in the church because divisions had developed among the believers. Some were saying, I follow Paul, others, I follow Apollos, or I follow Cepus. Paul responds with three searching questions. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Paul was turning the spotlight away from personalities and back to what really mattered, Jesus Christ and his cross. Stay with me as we analyze this passage and discover what it means for Christians to be truly united

Paul’s Plea For One Mind

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in mind and thought. Recently, we have witnessed the implosion of several megachurches after their leaders left or died. In some cases, it raises a question of whether the church had become too closely identified with the personality of its leader. In 1 Corinthians 1 10, the Apostle Paul states, I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. Paul had a veritable laundry list of problems with the Corinthians. This included but was not limited to divisions over preachers, immorality, and the role of women in the church. However, church unity is a very important matter, and because of its significance, Paul puts it first in the list of problems he addresses at Corinth. Paul begins by pleading with the church in Corinth to be one in the Spirit. Paul appeals to the saints as his brethren, which would serve to soften what is clearly a criticism of their conduct. Not only that, but brethren also served to remind the Corinthians that they were part of the same family, the family of God. Paul is making this plea in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other name powerful enough to gather everybody together, despite the diversity of viewpoints and differences in background. This also serves as a reminder to the Corinthians that Paul's written words were not his private opinion, but were backed by the authority of the Lord. Believers have a responsibility to obey Jesus, to follow his lordship. Paul then goes on to state two reasons why he is appealing to the Corinthians. One, that they would all agree with one another, and two, that there would be no divisions. All agree means that the Corinthians would all continually say the same thing. The Greek word schisma that is used here for divisions refers to a tear in a garment. No divisions means no split, riff or discord. What Paul was obviously asking was not that these Corinthians would agree on every secondary theological issue, but that they agree on the essentials of the Christian faith so as to present a united front to the city. The expression to be perfectly united was a medical word used for knitting together bones that had been fractured. Paul uses a passive voice here to show that this must be a supernatural work of the Spirit. The Apostle Paul then calls on believers to be united in mind. The Corinthians were also to be united in judgment, that is, opinions. As Christians, we should certainly be united as we all follow Christ as Lord and look to Him as our Savior. The Apostles' Creed was an attempt by the early church to state a common basic belief of Christians. However, there's also room for diversity. We might even disagree on matters that would necessitate meeting separately from those of another opinion. It would be difficult for meat eaters and vegetarians to share a banquet together. Those who do not observe a particular holy day would normally not attend a service that others held to celebrate it. However, such disagreements should not be allowed to break the bond of love that unites us as brothers and sisters in Christ. The Moravians have a motto which sums up what our attitude about unity should be: in essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, in all things love. In all things love should not be misconstrued as accepting error that contradicts God's word. We must confront the one who is in error, but we are to do so in love. The unity of the church is already established by the Holy Spirit.

Essentials Unity And Love

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We keep unity by not insisting on our own way, by avoiding squabbles and bickering, and by putting the interests of our Lord and of his people above all else. The spotted owl has been disappearing in the US. Originally it was believed that old growth logging was its greatest threat. However, more recent research shows that one of the owl's relatives may be the problem. For the past years, the Bad Owl has been rapidly migrating westward. Bad owls, which used to live exclusively east of the Mississippi, compete for the same food as potted owls but are more aggressive and adaptable. In a similar way, our greatest spiritual conflict often comes not from outside the church but from other Christians. Paul then goes on to give the name of his informants. As a general principle, people who bring reports about others should be willing to stand behind what they report rather than engage in anonymous gossip. In 1 Corinthians 1:11, Paul states, My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe's household, have informed me that there are quarrels among you. Paul continues to refer to the Corinthians as his brethren, in spite of what he has heard about their behavior. Paul was emphasizing unity and the foolishness of divisions, for in Christ they all belong to one family. This is the only mention of Chloe in the Bible, so we cannot be certain of her identity nor that of her people. However, these members of Chloe's household did not try to hide the problems. They went to the right person about these issues. They were not afraid to be mentioned by Paul. This was not the kind of cloak and dagger of fear that we often see in churches. Paul goes on to state that there are quarrels among the Corinthians. Paul uses the Greek word delu, which indicates that the information he has received is not hearsay, rumor, or gossip, but was a clear report. Quarrels here refers to the desire for power and prestige and the hatred of being surpassed. It is essentially the sin which places itself in the foreground and is the entire negation of Christian love. In these matters, the sequence is normally opinions, then quarrels, and then divisions. These divisions come about over secondary theological issues or personal preferences when someone says, my opinion is right and everybody else is absolutely wrong. This kind of thinking always results in schisms, a splintered church, and a fragmented church or denomination. In 1 Corinthians 1 12, Paul proceeds to clarify and elaborate on the specific nature of the quarrels. Paul identifies the four groups. Each one was saying, I am of Paul, an I of Apollos, an I of Cephas, an I of Christ. A clique is an exclusive group of friends or associates with a common purpose.

Quarrels Start Inside The Family

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In Corinth, the cliques had a common person. Let's look at each of these parties. A. The Paul Party. Paul had ministered in Corinth for a year and a half. Paul was a founding father, and so naturally many of the saints follow him, for he had led them to a saving knowledge in Christ. B. The Apollos Party. Paul sent Apollos to be the second pastor. Apollos was an orator with outstanding rhetorical skills in a city that loved lofty speeches. C. The Cephas Peter Party. There is no evidence that Peter himself visited Corinth. Judaizers came and pitted Peter against Paul to the Corinthian church on the basis of Paul's rebuke of Peter in Antioch. These Judaizers made bitter personal attacks on Paul in return for their defeat at the Jerusalem Conference. Last but not least, there was Christ. They had the right name, but it is clear from Paul's accusation that they did not have the right spirit. Bible scholars think this fourth group was the worst. There were spiritual elitists who are unwilling to submit themselves to the apostolic authority that Jesus Christ had defined and put in place for the church. They were just as divisive as the other three groups. To some extent, this issue still arises in the church today. There are those who are emotionally attached to some great Christian leader who has helped them. They read only his books or listen only to his tapes. There are others who are drawn to some speaking style. When a Christian follows a man instead of Christ, there can only be trouble. In the early 1800s, the leaders of the London Missionary Society and the Wesleys made a pact to promote Christ in different islands in the South Pacific Sea. When John Williams visited Samoa in May 1839, he met a Wesleyan missionary named Peter Turner, who was busy setting up a Methodist church. The Wesleys and the LMS had agreed that the London Missionary Society would take responsibility for Samoa. When challenged on this fact, Peter refused to move. He even spread a rumor that the leader of the LMS, John Williams, had died and would not be returning, which greatly upset many of the Samoans. Peter's stance did not contribute positively to the overall goal of leading Samoans to know Jesus. Paul now asks the questions that expose every clique. In 1 Corinthians 1 13, Paul asks, Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Paul was asking if Christ

The Four Factions And Modern Parallels

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had been divided and different parts handed out to different people. Jesus did not belong to any of their four divisions at the exclusion of the others. Paul is saying that when we form cliques around our favorite preacher or teacher, we are dividing up the body, the church. It is contrary to the church's nature to be split into hostile parties. No human leader, no matter how gifted and effective, should have the loyalty that belongs only to the Lord. There is simply no human teaching in the Church of Christ, past or present, including the Apostle Paul himself, who has ever had a totally complete view of Christ. We can see something of this, even the fact that God has given us four Gospels, each presenting Christ from his own perspective. God has determined that there be many teachers, many preachers, many viewpoints in a church. If we limit ourselves to one speaker or one teacher and feed only on him, we risk developing an unnecessarily limited view of Jesus Christ. There was an old contentious Quaker who went from one meeting to another, never finding the true church. Someone once said to him, Well, what church are you in now? He said, I am in the true church at last. How many belong to it? Just my wife and myself, and I am not sure about her sometimes. Paul then asks if he was crucified for these Corinthians. Did Paul redeem them? Were they purchased by his blood so that they belong to him? If not, then they are not his, and it is wrong to say we are Paul's. Paul was effectively stating that he was not crucified first. Neither did Apollos die first. Therefore we are to take none of these names. No man died for these Corinthians. Only Jesus could do that. Only Christ can atone for sin. We are called Christians because we are worshippers of Christ, because we belong to Him, and because we are consecrated to Him. This is just as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago. We might ask if any of today's popular Christian leaders were crucified for us. Cliques tend today fire leader. However, there's not a single Christian leader who ever lived who can help us be forgiven one single sin, not one. There's not a single teacher who ever lived who can heal the hurt of a broken heart. Martin Luther recognizes danger in his day. In 1517 he wrote the following I pray you, leave my name alone and do not call yourself Lutherans but Christians. Who is Luther? My doctrine is not mine. I have not been crucified for anyone. Similarly, the famed evangelist George Whitfield refused to form a new sect and said, Let my name perish and let Christ's name last forever. Paul then asked if the Corinthians were baptized in the name of Paul. Baptism was an important matter in the New Testament church. When a sinner trusted Christ and was baptized, he cut himself off from his whole life and often was rejected by his family and friends. It cost something to be baptized in that day. The Corinthians knew that they had been baptized in the name of Jesus. To identify with a man's name instead of the name Jesus was clearly wrong. Paul's point is not to minimize the importance of baptism, but to put it in proper perspective. The Corinthians were placing too much emphasis on baptism by a particular leader. All Christians are baptized into Christ and not unto the apostles, much less any uninspired teacher. It is Christ whom Christians should confess, and by his name they should be called. One of the most tragic modern pictures of what happens when a human leader takes the place of Christ is Jonestown. In November 1978, more than 900 people died in that compound in Guyana, most by cyanide, many against their will. A third of them children. Jonestown is an extreme example of the devastating consequences that can occur when unquestioning loyalty is given to a human leader. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, not on any human leader. We started by looking at a common practice today of identifying with the leader and location of the church that we worship at. During Paul's time, this had grown into a particularly contentious issue in the church at Corinth. As we analyze this passage, we were able to see that Paul addressed his division by turning the Corinthians' perspective towards Jesus and away from personalities, whose name sits at the center of our loyalty. Not the preacher who first led us to faith.

Three Questions That Shatter Cliques

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Not the teacher whose podcast we never miss. Not the church whose name we give when someone asks where we attend worship. Paul was not crucified for us. Apollos was not crucified for us. Cephas was not crucified for us. Only Jesus was crucified for us. Only his name was spoken over us in baptism. Let us keep Jesus at the center of our lives and let every other name take its proper, smaller place. Before you go, if this message spoke to you, like this podcast and subscribe so you don't miss what God is doing here at Catch on Fire Podcasts. If you're ready for real change, take a moment right now to pray with me. Jesus, I give you my life. Lead me, forgive me, and make me new. If you pray that, welcome to the family. Follow along, stay connected, and let's walk this walk together. Please join me as we confess words of life over all of our lives. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are still holding on to God's unchanging hand. We are still in God's holy plan. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living holy lives as God requires. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, giving clothes to those in need, ministering to the sick and visiting those in prison, and we are doing so to the least of those among us, as when we do so, we are ministering to Jesus. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we have received healing, as by his stripes we are healed. From the crown of our head to the soles of our feet, all of our bodily organs are working correctly. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that God is ordering our steps, that all weapons that are formed against us have been utterly and completely destroyed, and every tongue that is rising against us in judgment is condemned. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that all generational curses are cancelled. Anything that runs in our ancestral bloodline that is not of God has no power over us, our children and our grandchildren, and is eliminated forever right now. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that angels are watching over and keeping our family, our children, our grandchildren, our loved ones safe. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that every negative word that has been and is be spoken over our lives and that of our family, children, grandchildren, and loved ones is cancelled and sent back to the pit from whence it came. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are the head and not the tail. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are not and will never be ashamed. Our enemies have not and never will triumph

Baptism Belongs To Jesus Alone

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over us. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that anything that is not of God that has been dispatched to hinder our blessings, our progress, and our well-being is immediately destroyed. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are financially in line with God's word, and as such we are lenders and not borrowers. As a result, all of our debts have been paid and are forgiven. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that the enemy of our souls has no authority over our finances and our funds, and that we are good stewards of the money that God has placed in our keeping. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that in the area of business and our carriers, that just as Isaac reaped a hundredfold, the blessings of Abraham are falling on us, and we are reaping a hundredfold from whatever we put our hands to. We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living under an open heaven in every area of our lives. Blessings are falling on us, our family and our loved ones. These blessings are being manifested in our lives, in the spiritual and in the physical. Let's repeat the 23rd Psalm together. He maketh me to

Prayer Declarations And Blessing

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lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restored my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk to the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Amen.