Read: I Corinthians 12:12-31
The cauldron boiled at the First Church of Chaos. Resentments filled the air the evening the elders engaged in a nasty exchange over who was the best pastor: Peter, Chris, or Arty. Then there was the string of lawsuits regarding Mrs. K’s son vandalizing the 2 Lexuses belonging to church elders. Peter, in a moment of rage, backed into Chris’ Tesla. Who could forget the tale of 30-year-old Randy’s romantic entanglement with his 40-year-old stepmother? The icing on the cake was the communion service where Sally spiked the grape juice with vodka.
CALLED TO BE “HOLY PEOPLE”???
Shameful! Out of control behavior! If you read I Corinthians chapters 1, 5, 6, & 11, these modern-day behaviors are just a glimpse of the conduct of the Corinthian Church. With all that going on, how could the Apostle Paul address the Corinthians by their call to holiness? Paul writes, “I am writing to God’s church in Corinth to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (I Cor. 1:2). “Holy people”? Doesn’t sound like the elders, Mrs. K, Chris, Peter, Randy or Sally read that passage.
IS GOD FAITHFUL?
Paul’s letter continues, “He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (I Cor. 1:8-9). Can God be faithful to a congregation gone haywire?
FOUNDATIONS OF A BIBLICAL CONGREGATION
What a biblical congregation? Pastor Steve Hubbard observes: “It is not just a group of religious people gathered together to enjoy certain mutually desired functions. It is a group of people who share the same life, who belong to the same Lord, who are filled with the same Spirit, who are given gifts by that same Spirit, and who are intended to function together to change the world by the life of God.” Notice the word “same”; it is a word signifying unity.
AIM OF UNITY
The Corinthians wandered away from God’s instructions for unity. “Make it your aim to be at one in the Spirit, and you will inevitably be at peace with one another. You all belong to one body, of which there is one Spirit, just as you all experienced one calling to one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, one Father of us all, who is the one over all, the one working through all and the one living in all. (Ephesians 4:5-6).
First Church of Chaos and the Corinthians suffered greatly. The Apostle Paul remarks, “If one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering.” Yet with repentance, there can be hope for a future, honor, and unity in the church. “If one member is honored, all rejoice with it.”
GOD IS NOT DONE
Yes, we live in a messy world. Most churches have individuals like Chris, Arty, Peter, Mrs. K., Randy and Sally. However, take heart. In living with one another in the church, true believers have a promise. “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6)