What Happens to a Church When Christ is No Longer Central? Division Without Christ 1 Corinthians 1

What Happens to a Church When Christ is No Longer Central?

Division Without Christ

1 Corinthians 1

We love to choose sides

We take great joy in being on the winning team

It seems we have in our DNA a gene called “competitive”

Don’t be divided over the differences in churches

Be united in Christ

We are all to strive for the unity that is in Christ Jesus

Without Christ even the greatest churches, preachers are nothing

Without Christ our message is vain and we are wasting our time

Be very careful what you say about other believers and churches

It may reveal your pride and not humility

It may lift up something other than Christ as the Center

Keep Christ first and central in everything

Because that is the Church and that is the message of Hope

Division Without Christ

1 Corinthians 1

We love to choose sides.

We take great joy in being on the winning team.

It seems we have in our DNA

a gene called “competitive”.

As I grew up there were strong

lines that divided the Church.

There were the two divisions, Protestant and Catholic.

The division grew from there among Protestants,

we were divided by denominations….

Baptist, Methodist, Lutherans, etc.

And Catholics were divided by different “Rite”.

I grew up Baptist and

I was taught to be proud of it.  

Among Baptist there were…

 Southern Baptist, Independent Baptist, and many

more including General Association of Baptist,

General Association of General Baptist and

 General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC).

I grew up a GARBC.

 I remember the feeling of being better

than even our sister churches.

 We would try to prove it on the church softball team.

It is alright to have churches in different places.

It is alright to have different styles

of worship or order of services.

But Christ should never be divided.

In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul addresses the church.

Paul says…

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ — their Lord and ours:

1 Corinthians 1:2

Paul continues to point out the centrality of Christ.

…His grace given you in Christ Jesus.

For in Him you have been enriched in every way

— in all your speaking and in all your knowledge

— because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

1 Corinthians 1:4-9

Christ gives grace.

Christ is confirmed in them.

 Christ gives spiritual gifts.

 Christ will be revealed.

Christ keeps us strong and blameless.

We have fellowship with Christ

and Christ is faithful.

 After setting the stage of Christ Centrality in us

and the Church, Paul addresses division in the church…

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?

1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Paul points out Apollos, Cephas

and himself are servants.

Don’t forget Christ was crucified,

you were baptized in Christ’s name.

There is just one message Christ Crucified.

There are Wise, Scholars, Philosophers but,

 they do not make the message with their wisdom.

The message is Christ Crucified.

 This may sound simple and foolish,

 but it reveals the foolishness of God

is wiser than the wisdom of men.

The very weakness of God (if there is

such a thing) is stronger than man’s strength.

Paul after addressing our division over

the pride of man’s ability to communicate…

Points out we should not be

divided by the pride of our status.

Human standards of royalty,

fame, are not what changed us.

We all have sinned, we all fall short of God’s glory.

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  Therefore, as it is written: 

"Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

1 Corinthians 1:30-31

Christ is Central in the Church when we are humble.

When we make our church, our pastor,

our building, our programs better than

someone else, we remove Christ from the Center.

I do enjoy some churches, pastors, buildings,

and programs better than others.

But what I like is not the point…

Christ is the point!

If Jesus is lifted up, He will draw all people to Himself.

Don’t be divided over the differences in churches.

Be united in Christ.

We are all to strive for the unity that is in Christ Jesus.

Without Christ even the greatest churches, preachers are nothing.

Without Christ our message is vain

and we are wasting our time.

Be very careful what you say

about other believers and churches, it

may reveal your pride and not humility.

It may lift up something other than Christ as the Center.

Keep Christ first and central in everything.

Because that is the Church and that is the message of Hope.

Scripture Reading

1 Corinthians 1 NIV

1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

and our brother Sosthenes,

2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ — their Lord and ours:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way — in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in 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 keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

10 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. 11 My brothers, 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"; still another, "I follow Christ."

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into 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 words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;

the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."  

20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.   31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."