1 Corinthians 1:10-17
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you... For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel-not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
In this passage, we see a dispute in the Corinthian church that came about due to differences in individual preferences and beliefs. This created different groups. Paul belonged to the Spirit-led group, while Apollos belonged to the Scripture-based group, while Peter was the evangelist. Within the church, there may be different types of people who have received a different calling from God, and there are people who follow different leaders. Indeed, there are the rationale thinkers, the Spirit-filled people, the people who wait quietly upon the Lord, people who love praise and worship, and those who focus on signs and wonders of God. There are all kinds of people in the church, and because of the different personalities and needs, they follow different leaders or pastors, hence causing division in the church.
May God have mercy on us. He gives us different calling and different gifts, not for us to quarrel, but for us to operate as one body of Christ. In Christ, we can complement and help one another. Unfortunately in the church, we often despise those who have different gifts from us. We think that our gift is more important than others. Whether it is the evangelist, or the prayer warrior, the praise and worship leader or the Sunday school teacher, each one thinks that their gift is better than the others', and we look down on others' gifts. As a result, there is no unity in the church.
Paul says in this passage, "Is Christ divided?" Each one of us is a part of Christ. We should be united, and not fight each other, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. Because Christ died for you and I, He has redeemed us from all places to become part of His body. If we are divided, it empties the cross of Christ of its power. Pray that God will help us to maintain complete unity within the church.
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, we ask that you forgive us for fighting with others because we have different individual beliefs. We know that this breaks your heart. We ask for your mercy, and help us to truly understand your word, to maintain what the unity within the church lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. We thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.