March 7 2010

When Members Won’t Get Along

Unity Baptist Church

Focal Verses 1 Corinthians 1:10-15,26-29; 3:1-4

How This Lesson Can Impact Your Life This lesson can help you understand causes of disunity in the church and decide on actions you will take to prevent or to correct divisions in your church.

What This Lesson Is About This lesson is about the things that divide a church.

Why This Lesson Is Important No group of people completely agrees on every issue. In some cases, differences of opinion result in hard feelings and strained relationships. When this happens in a church—and it often does—the church’s ministry in the community is threatened. 10

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recently noticed a highway sign for a church: Unity Baptist Church. I wondered if unity really characterized that church, or is “unity” an ideal they strive for? What reputation does your church have in your community? Would it be known for its unity or its disunity? Q What are the major causes for disunity in churches today? What are major causes for disunity in your church? As you study this lesson, you will learn about some of the causes for disunity in a church. You will be challenged to do what you can to prevent disunity in your church or to overcome divisions in your church. Q What could your church accomplish if it were unified?

Misplaced Loyalties (1 Cor. 1:10-15) Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. 11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by members of Chloe’s household, that 10

there are quarrels among you.  What I am saying is this: each of you says, “I’m with Paul,” or “I’m with Apollos,” or “I’m with Cephas,” or “I’m with Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? 14  I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say you had been baptized in my name. 12

The church at Corinth definitely would not qualify for the title “Unity Church”! Having founded this church about A.D. 50, Paul knew the church well. He quickly addressed the problem of disunity in the church. Q What has caused disunity in your church lately? What actions should you take to help correct this problem? If you made a list of issues that have caused friction in a church, you might include the color of the carpet, the style of music, or the choice of a Bible translation for Sunday School or public worship. A key issue at Corinth, however, was misplaced loyalties. Q Why are misplaced priorities such a difficult problem? 11

Divisions Paul’s first rebuke of the Corinthian church focused on the formation of “divisions” in the church. The Greek word translated divisions gives us our word schism. The word is used literally of a piece of cloth torn (separated) from a garment in Matthew 9:16. This word refers most frequently to disagreements among people resulting in separation. In 1 Corinthians 1:10 the word describes the fragmented, immature groups in the Corinthian church who followed different spiritual leaders. One ideal for all Christians is unity. The Corinthian believers should have been unified in their loyalty to Jesus. Paul did not expect total uniformity, but he knew that their loyalty to our Lord Jesus Christ should be the primary unifying factor in their relations. Q What happens in your church when there are fragmented groups? What happens in your church when people follow different spiritual leaders? The word translated united is used in Mark 1:19 for mending nets. Paul hoped for a strong interrelationship among the Corinthian Christians. They should share the same basic perspective about the key issues facing the church. Q What is the main evidence of Christ’s being Lord of your church? Paul also stressed the balance between unity and diversity in 12

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the church when he described the church as the body of Christ. A human body has many parts with different purposes, but they all work together for the good of the body (1 Cor. 12:12-31). Paul’s understanding of unity and diversity reminds me of a sign in a former pastor’s office: We can be brothers without being twins. Q What is the difference between unity and uniformity? Members of Chloe’s household informed Paul of the disunity at Corinth. The heart of the conflict was that some Christians had placed loyalty to human leaders over loyalty to Christ. Q How can church staff members and other leaders avoid being leaders of fan clubs? Four factions had developed in Corinth. One group followed Paul. A second group identified with Apollos. This Christian leader ministered in Ephesus (Acts

18:24–19:1); he was an eloquent speaker and student of Scripture. A third group followed Cephas (Simon Peter), who may have visited Corinth earlier (1 Cor. 9:5). The fourth group, perhaps considering themselves the most spiritual, followed Christ—but their loyalty to Christ was divisive rather than unifying. Q How can loyalty to Christ be divisive rather than unifying? Paul argued against loyalties to human leaders by stressing that no human provided their salvation. Paul did not die for their sins; they were not baptized in Paul’s name. Paul even stressed his forgetfulness about the number or names of the people he had baptized! Paul’s criticism of the divisions at Corinth does not mean he rejected the authority of human leaders. Q How can we honor our leaders without exalting them too highly?   Paul’s main concern here was that the supreme loyalty to Jesus was compromised at Corinth by too high an allegiance to human leaders such as Apollos and Simon Peter. The unity of any church is tied to its members’ understanding that Jesus is Lord. Once a church agrees on the

big issue, the Lordship of Christ, other issues can be resolved more easily. Q When has the Lordship of Christ helped resolve a minor issue in your church?

Human Pride (1 Cor. 1:26-29) Brothers, consider your calling: not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. 27 Instead, God has chosen the world’s foolish things to shame the wise, and God has chosen the world’s weak things to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen the world’s insignificant and despised things—the things viewed as nothing—so He might bring to nothing the things that are viewed as something, 29 so that no one can boast in His presence. 26

A second cause of the disunity at Corinth was the pride or arrogance of some of its members. Q How do you define pride and arrogance? Like many churches today, the church at Corinth probably had members from many different backgrounds. March 7

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Q

How can having people from many different backgrounds lead to unity in a church?

In human terms some were superior to others. Some made more money, had a higher position in society, or achieved more than others. Paul addressed the problem of human pride by stressing that all Christians had come to know God in the same way. Paul was concerned that the Corinthian Christians tended to evaluate others from a human perspective. Centuries earlier God had told Samuel not to judge people. Humans judge by external appearance, but God judges by the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). Q What is a biblically based way to evaluate fellow Christians? In some churches today, some evaluate people by their profession, educational level, financial status, or physical appearance. Such human standards often lead to the problem of pride. Paul stressed that many at Corinth were not wise or powerful or of noble birth according to human standards. Q Should churches have members from different or similar backgrounds? why? Ideally the unity at Corinth would be based on their memory of God’s gracious gift of salvation 14

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through Jesus. God turned the world’s standards of greatness upside down when He chose foolish things and weak things to accomplish His purpose. If God offered salvation only to the rich, powerful, and famous, they might never realize salvation is based on His grace, not human achievement. Q What are appropriate ways of highlighting good achievements? Churches today boast about many things. A church might feel superior to other churches if it had a bigger building, a bigger budget, a more famous choir, or a superior softball team. If a church realizes it owes its existence to God, there would be no boasting in His presence. A church that excels in missionary work, evangelism, education, and other Godhonoring activities can praise God rather than exalting human achievements. Paul concluded this section of his letter by quoting Jeremiah 9:24, where the prophet encouraged boasting about our relation to God (1 Cor. 1:31). Q What characteristic of your church is highlighted in the local newspaper, your church’s newsletter, or Web site? Why?

Spiritual Immaturity (1 Cor. 3:1-4) Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. 2 I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were not yet able to receive it. In fact, you are still not able, 3 because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and living like ordinary people? 4 For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,” are you not [typical] men? Q What are the top 3 marks of spiritual immaturity? 1. 1

2. 3.

The Christians at Corinth acted like babies. Paul wanted to address the Corinthians as spiritual people, suggesting they had achieved a level of spiritual maturity. Instead, he realized their disunity was a reflection of their spiritual immaturity. They acted like babies in Christ. At some point we were all spiritual infants. Ideally, however,

we have matured in our Christian faith over the years. Paul had known the Corinthian Christians long enough to expect them to be more mature. Our diets change as we mature. Babies start with milk and then move on to solid food. Paul had given the Corinthians milk earlier. He started with the basics of Christian beliefs and behavior when they were new Christians. By now, however, he was ready to give them solid food. But they were not ready! Q What is an example of spiritual solid food? A doctrinal belief? Paul described his readers as still fleshly. The word flesh is not limited to physical aspects of our nature. Paul often uses flesh to refer to our disobedience of God, including our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. For example, the “works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19-21) include physical and non-physical actions and attitudes Q How would you explain fleshly to a non-Christian? Paul’s readers were also ordinary people in the sense that they were not living according to the Spirit of Christ. They had grown into mature Christians. Q What happens when churches follow human leaders rather than Christ? March 7

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Church unity thrives only when Christ is the center of the church, not human leaders. As long as the Corinthian Christians stressed their loyalty to human leaders such as Paul or Apollos, they were acting as typical men, not strong Christians. Spiritual maturity can be measured in many ways. Q What has your church done to help you grow spiritually? What have you done to help your church grow spiritually?

of spiritual maturity. Biblical literacy includes knowing the major events, personalities, and themes in the Bible.  Q Using this criteria, how would you assess your biblical literacy? Systematic Bible study Characterizes mature Christians. Mature Christians also pray regularly, worship with other Christians, and find ways to minister to those who need the good news about Jesus. Q Using this criteria, how would you evaluate your spiritual maturity?

As a college teacher I often stress biblical literacy as a mark

I Grow in Spiritual Maturity When I ●

Increase my knowledge of the Bible



Use godly wisdom in making decisions



Demonstrate my love of God by serving others



Give as God has given to me



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The TheLife LifeLesson Lesson

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isunity characterizes many churches today. Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth highlighted several of the causes of disunity: putting loyalty to human leaders above loyalty to Jesus, human pride, and spiritual immaturity. Church unity thrives only when Christ is the center of the church, not human leaders. Q What is your church known for in your community? What issues have caused disagreement in your church? How has your church dealt with these issues? Did your church settle these issues and achieve unity? What can you learn about getting along in your church from Paul’s advice? ● Examine your loyalties. Are you more loyal to your pastor, your Sunday School teacher, or your deacon than you are to Christ? ● Prioritize the issues you deal with in your church. Do you argue about minor issues? Do you always have to be right? Are you willing to compromise on issues that are minor issues? ● Be careful about boasting. Being pleased with human accomplishment can be OK, but an arrogant attitude often leads to conflicts in the church. ● Comparing churches can be dangerous. Some churches are stronger in crucial areas, such as evangelism and missions, but too often some church members brag about buildings and non-essentials. ● Evaluate your spiritual maturity. For example, does your biblical literacy need improvement? Many years ago I mentioned that the church I attended then seemed kind of dull. I told a friend, “We need a good debate.“ My friend quickly corrected me, since he knew the church had survived a split several years before I joined. Church disunity is not a subject for jokes. Disunity in a church hurts the witness for Christ in a community. In some communities Baptist churches are so notorious for their squabbles that no one visits or joins them. Q If Paul wrote a letter to your church, what causes for your disunity would he highlight?evaluate your spiritual maturity? March 7

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