9.13.09
Community and Conflict
The Corinthians Story
“Why I Love the Church”
This morning we are beginning a new series from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in the city of Corinth.
Though the letter was written over 1500 years ago – it continues to be a book for TODAY’S church! It’s relevant, timely, personal, and confrontational at times. It addresses current issues that the church faces today!
Your homework assignment is to read the book of 1 Corinthians. It’s just 16 chapters long. It is the story of a church – their community, in their culture, and their conflicts.
I’ve entitled this first message – “Why I Love the Church” because I really do love the church. I love it whether it’s meeting together like we are this morning, or meeting in classrooms for study, or in home for small groups. I love it when we play together, eat together, pray together. I love it where it’s 2000, 200 or 2!
That doesn’t mean that the church doesn’t have it problems! Think back at Genesis 2 – soon after there were two – there was trouble! And we all know what gender that second one was!
The truth is…you put a collection of imperfect, irregular, ex-pagans together and call it “Church” regardless of the era in history – THERE’S GOING TO BE TROUBLE!
In Paul letter to the church he addresses
The problem of Christians who bring division to the body of Christ. Does that ever happen today? YOU CAN COUNT ON IT!
ILLUSTRATION
A man is shipwrecked and marooned on a deserted island. Turns out that he is completely alone on the island. As the story goes he somehow survives there for twenty years ALONE. When he was rescued they were amazed to see all that he had created. One of the first questions his rescuers asked was, “Where is everyone else?” “Everyone else?” The man says “it’s just me –I’ve been alone for 20 years!” Sailor ask, “Well, if you’re really alone – what’s with those three huts?” “The three huts…well one of them is my home. The second hut is my church.” “What about the third hut? “Oh the third hut – that’s the church I used to attend!”
There’s a certain degree of truth to that story. It captures the spirit of American individualism. We build ‘em and we quit ‘em just as fast. Our culture doesn’t encourage long term commitments. Not in marriage, not in work place, and certainly not in the church.
Other problems the book of Corinthians addresses…
· The handling of fellow Christians who are living in sin.
Matters of sexuality in marriage and issues of divorce
Singleness.
Propriety in Church worship, how to properly celebrate communion, the appropriate use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
LOVE! That famous chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians (Maybe well get there by February 14th Valentine’s Day…but I doubt it!)
Disputes about food.
Division…Sin…Sex…Marriage…Worship…Holy Spirit…Love!
Sounds like a timely letter!
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Paul writes to an infant church that he founded four years earlier. A church that is trying to find its feet in an alien culture. And in so many ways…not doing so well at it! Some of it’s members were guilty of sexual immorality; others got drunk, still others were using the grace of God to excuse worldly living. It was a divided church, with at least four different groups competing for leadership in the church.
Again…doesn’t sound very far off from the church today.
But I must confess for all of it’s weaknesses – and they are all MAN’S WEAKNESSES not God’s at all. Someone said that the church is like Granola – Every church has some fruits, flakes and plenty of nuts! You’re probably sitting next to one of those right now!
That’s the church! Just like Paul says in his letter. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE GRACE OF GOD!
Just behind the family – this church I speak of – with all of its obvious flaws - is the best thing going today!
Q: Can you think of how many church families you’ve been a part of? Some of you have been a part of 2-3, 4 churches in your life before arriving here at Westwood. Each church adding something different to your life when you needed it.
ILLUSTRATION
After being a follower of Jesus for 35 years I’ve been in six churches. I gave my heart to Jesus at the first one. Spend the next 3 years at that church learning the fundamentals of the faith. There I learned to pray, to sing and worship, to teach children, even had my first chances to speak at that little church, in that little church I began to feel the call to ministry. I loved and respected my pastor and his family. I also met a really hot 15 year old girl at that first church (That sounds sort of illegal now!)…and I married her!
ILLUSTRATION
Listen to this - the Barna Research Group reports that in the United States about 10 Million Christians have not been to church in the last six months. Though nearly all of them say their spiritual life is important, 10 million of them want nothing to do with the Church – described as God’s bride!
The Bible knows nothing of SOLITARY SAINTS or SPIRITUAL HERMITS isolated from other believers and deprived of fellowship. While your relationship with Jesus is personal, God never intended it to be private!
How painful that must be for God. To know that the children He sent to His Son to die for and adopt, don’t like His bride.
I’ll be the first to admit that the church is not perfect…because I am the church – you are the church and I am not perfect! The church is special not because of who we are but because of who we belong to. There are many things unflattering you can say about the church. But remember who she belongs to – remember who loves her – remember who died for her.
Over the years, I have been disappointed by the Church, people I thought were mature believers shocked me by their words and behavior. I’ve seen, what I thought were mature believers turn so quickly from faith. I’ve felt used by people, manipulated, and betrayed….I’ve also felt angry, I’ve felt like I wanted to get even, and often I’ve been left to feel very quite inadequate. The truth is we will never be adequate without Jesus! WITH Jesus HE GIVES US EVERYTHING WE NEED!
But by that same church I’ve also felt encouraged, rewarded, and loved. I’ve been valued, fulfilled, I’ve seen lives change…people loved, healed. I learned what it means to be a Christian, to share my faith. Within the church I’ve had the best of relationships, accountability, honesty. As I look through my list of contact I realize that most of my friends are also my church family!
Someone wrote:
“True fellowship has the power to revolutionize lives. Masks come off, conversations get deep, hearts get vulnerable, lives are shared, accountability is invited, and tenderness flows. People really do become like brothers and sisters.”
I love the church people it’s NOT the building that we are in this morning! Or the time we meet for service! BUT I love being with you, we need to be together. If I am sick…it’s YOU that I’m going to call on to pray for me! It’s not the TV evangelist, or the tree in the woods that’s going to care for me! WE NEED EACH OTHER! But it’s not about a building but it’s about A PEOPLE!
Paul says…
V.2
“To the church of God…”
The word “Church” means “Called Out Ones”.
For the Corinthians, that very name spoke of the different lifestyles that they had been living. They were called out from the lifestyle of the Corinthians…
Q: Why do you need a church family?
· Identifies you as a genuine believer.
· Moves you out of self-centered isolation.
· Helps you grow spiritually.
· The body of believers NEED YOU! You have something to offer!
· The church will you from backsliding! It will keep you on track!
Given the right set of circumstances, you and I are capable of just about any sin. God knows that about us, that’s why He’s given us each other!
Hebrews 3:13
“Encourage one another daily…
so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness.”
James 5:19
“If you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth,
don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back.”
· Together we fulfill the God Mission to a lost world! People need Jesus!
Paul writes…
V.2
“To the church of God in Corinth,
to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy…”
The first thing that Paul states is WHO THEY WERE. They were the “Church of God”. They were a DIVINE COMMUNITY!
Paul had visited the city of Corinth during his second of three missionary journeys. He would stay in Corinth for 18 months. That time is recorded in Acts 18. He would say in Corinth longer than any other stop in his missionary journeys.
There he would say with and work with a couple named Pricilla and Aquilla – who were by profession, tent makers – like Paul. And while Paul ministered there in Corinth – he worked with Pricilla and Aquilla as a tent maker.
Listen to what the Scripture says,
Acts 18:1-4
“Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.”
Dominating the city of Corinth was the Temple of Aphrodite – the Greek goddess of love and beauty. (Her father was Zeus) The temple was served by over a 1000 sacred prostitutes. In addition, one of the most important cults of the city was that of Poseidon (Neptune) the god associated with the sea and earthquakes. In fact The Corinthians church – the new believers - could not seem to shake the secular influences of its city.
Corinth was also on a major trade route – because of its location, Corinth had a constant flow of travelers. It was located on what is called the “Isthmus”. Ships would unload their cargo on one side of the isthmus and carry it to the other side where it was loaded on other ships. There was a great theater which provided the people with entertainment. The city was also famous for athletic events known as the Isthmian games. Most of all the city was known for its wickedness. Today there is a canal through the Isthmus – about four miles in length. In its day, Corinth became very wealthy, but was, also, godless and immoral.
Someone asked, what do you get when you mix spiritually immature Christians with a culture that is extravagant, immoral, and superficial? You get the Corinthians Christians! The Greeks actually had a word for leading a life of debauchery and sin. It was to “Korinthiazein” – to live like a Corinthians!
In some cases, Paul wrote this letter because they could not shake their own pasts…remember what the Scripture says about the believers in the Corinthian church…
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
That’s good news! That’s what he says in V.1 about the Corinthian believers…
V.1
“To the church of God in Corinth,
to those sanctified in Christ Jesus…”
Sanctified means “Set apart” To the Called out Ones…Set apart by Jesus. But didn’t he know how they were living? They weren’t necessarily living like “set apart ones”. He knew what they were doing…he also knew what they were supposed to be!
Listen, when God looks at the church, He doesn’t see her flaws. He sees all the reasons that He fell in love with her, the reason He gave His son for her. HE SEES A PERFECT REFLECTION OF HIS SON IS US!
Q: Do you realize that he looks at you the same way as He looks at the church (since you are the church!) He sees Jesus?
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ,
and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
When Jesus died for you – He died for all of you! HIS LIFE COVERED ALL OF YOUR WEAKNESSES! He died for all of us GRANOLA PEOPLE! His character covered you. As a result YOU’VE BEEN SANCTIFIED – set apart! At your salvation – your conversion – you were instantly set apart!
Since that time…YOU CONTINUE TO BE (As one of the men said in our Bible study on Thursday night. I’M JUST A WORK IN PROGRESS!
Q: Who wants to serve a God that you can never please? If I thought that he hated me, was disgusted with me, saw me in all my sin…would I want to serve Him? BUT if for a second I really believed that He loved me, despite all of my weaknesses – He saw Jesus in me…that he had a plan for my granola life! That he would like to use me…give me His Holy Spirit…that changes everything!
ILLUSTRATION
Russell Christoff is likely not a familiar name – we was a former model and actor. His only body of work that you might recognize was a small picture found on container of Taster’s Choice Instant Coffee. He was the guy smelling the cup of coffee.
In 1986 He was given $250 for posing for photo shoot with Nestle. He was promised that if the photos were ever used they would pay him $2,500. For the next 15 years his face sold their product and the odd thing was – he never thought of it again. He didn’t even drink Instant Coffee! Then one day as he was walking down the aisle at a drug store, he looked and realized THERE HE WAS! Once he recognized himself he did what any true American would do – He called his lawyer! And on February 1, 2005, the Associated Press reported that Russell Christoff, a former model who posed for a two-hour shoot for Nestle, was awarded $15.6 million by Los Angeles County Superior Court because Taster's Choice used Christoff's image without his knowledge.
It pays to recognize yourself! It pays to recognize who you are! How valuable you are to the Father! What you’re worth! That you are loved. That he desires a personal relationship with you!
Someone said,
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be,
and you help them to become what they are capable of being.”
To the Called out ones…who have been set apart.
I am so grateful for the Church…though she is not always perfect – the church should be the best thing going today!
I don’t know what your experience is with the “Church” it may be very good – may not be so good. Will you look past the church, forgive if necessary, and see a Jesus who loves you…who sent His son Jesus to die for you? Will you trust him with your life?
Closing Prayer