The Problem with Personality Focused Churches - 1 Corinthians 1

 

Thanksgiving

4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Today we start Paul's first letter to the Church in Corinth.   Paul had an extensive history of contact with the city of Corinth, beginning with when he established the church in Corinth, coming there after Athens and staying a year and a half (Acts 18). (Guzik) Corinth was located on a key trade route right next to the Mediterranean Sea, halfway between Jerusalem and Rome.  Because people from all over the world stopped and stayed there, it was quite a cosmopolitan city.  It was also known for its gross immorality.  

"Perhaps the most significant of the factors which comprised the atmosphere of Corinth was gross, unashamed immorality. Both the old city and the Roman colony were known far and wide for their sexual looseness. The most prominent site was the Acrocorinth, a sharp projection which rose to a height of 1,800 feet. On the summit of this steep mountain stood the temple of Aphrodite, a symbol of the lust which pervaded the mind of the city. The worship of this goddess was not Greek in origin but Oriental; it had been imported from the Phoenician cult of Astarte." (Preaching Source)

Despite all of this, Paul saw the great potential in this church, especially in regard to its rich supply of spiritual gifts.  Paul says, "You have been enriched in every way with all kinds of speech and knowledge."  Though they faced a lot of temptation to worship idols like Aphrodite, they had the Holy Spirit, who would help them stay true to the end. 

A Church Divided Over Leaders

10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] 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. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas[b]”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

Paul then addresses one of the other major reasons he wrote to the church.  There was division among the church members.  Instead of following Christ, they were following the personalities of diffferent leaders and pitting one against another.  LIke in Romans, Paul urges them to be united in mind and thought.  The greek word for "divisions" is schismata" where we get our term "schism".  Schisms have plagued the church over the last twenty centuries.  

There was the party of Paul, the party of Apollos (who was known for his eloquent preaching), the Cephas party (this was really the Peter party, named after the first apostle Peter) and the Jesus party (they were the ones who said they were the only ones right with God). The problem with this was that it put all the focus on themselves. It was totally of the flesh. There is nothing wrong with different types of churches and different types of ministers with different gifts, but if people worship a person it is idolatry.  Every church is susceptible to this. There is no perfect church.  

Guzik cites a humorous example, "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.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Paul ends his rebuke of the church by making it clear that when the focus in on Jesus there is no division.  Why?  When our focus is on Jesus, we focus on the cross and realize our deep need for forgiveness. It leads us from pride to humility.  We realize every preacher or leader bows to the same Lord that we do.  Paul admits his weakness and points out that his only goal in preaching is to preach Christ and the power of his life, death, and resurrection.  Paul concludes that if the message focuses on himself, he has done a great disservice to the church and emptied the gospel of its power.  He concludes, "Was Paul crucified for you?  Were you baptized in the name of Paul." 

Have you ever focused more on the personality of the church or pastor rather than Christ himself?  What is the danger in this?  How do you support the unity of your church and its leaders?  Where would you be tempted to make church more about what you need rather than what the church needs?  Do you realize you have been given a spiritual gift which will help you build up your local church?