Do We Suffer The Problem Of The Corinthians?
Last weekend my wife and I went with some friends to Walt Disney World for their Annual Christian concert "Night of Joy" The concert was sold out and I was looking forward to spending a few hours in worship with several hundred believers. What I ran into was not at all what I expected to find.
One concert that Jennifer and I were most intent on seeing was David Crowder. He is known for his Christ centered lyrics and uplifting rhythms. As soon as we walked into the venue I realized that Disney had erred in their choice of location. The concert area was far too small and even though we were there forty minutes before it began, the crowd was pouring out of the room.
The security immediately roped off the area and would not allow anyone else to enter. This was not the problem. The problem came when other people who had been in the concert and had left to go to the bathroom or to get drinks tried to return. The security would not let them back in.
The crowd began to press in around us and attitudes began to surface. Jennifer, a huge Crowder fan in her own rite, was at the front of the security line. Beside her a woman was making a spectacle of herself as she attempted again and again to make her way into the concert area. To our amazement she went as far as using harsh profanity with the security guard.
Jennifer would not stand for this. I should also mention that by this point I had been forced backwards by the crowd and could not even hear my wife’s comments, but she related them to me and so I bring you what she said – in her boldness and glory! She said, loudly and in the hearing of this insane woman- that she would like to apologize for the actions of the people around her. She went on to say to the security guard that she did not know if he was a Christian or not, but if he isn’t she would hope that the actions of the "so-called Christians" around us would not deter him from the truth of Jesus Christ.
Apparently not all who were in the crowd were Christians. Some had made it through the gates, not to worship the glory of the risen Savior, but simply to hear the sounds of the music. The church in Corinth had this same problem.
When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth he was indeed writing to believers as we can clearly see in chapter one (1:2, 4-9). But the Corinthians had let the influences of their society leave its image on the congregation. That is, they were acting more like the world that they were acting like the church.
They seemed to have gotten a little mixed up in their thinking and the Apostle Paul starts to correct them. Their first problem was that they were divided where they should have been united. They were bragging about themselves based on whom they followed and who baptized them. Secondly, they were united where they should have been divided. When it came to the issue of sexual immorality they went as far as boasting about it in their church. Paul quickly renders his verdict of guilty and tells them that they are the cast this man out of the church. Thirdly, they had decided to let the secular courts decide the issues of the church. Paul instructs them that the wisdom of this world has no place in the church and that they are neglecting the spirit of God in them that is a gift for making such judgments. This section of 1 Corinthians ends with this passage:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
In this passage Paul draws a clear line between believers and unbelievers and gives us a stern warning and a reminder of where we are at and where we have come from.
Lessons To Remember, Lest We Make The Mistake Of The Corinthians
Remember How Loudly Your Actions Speak (v9-10)
Your actions say more to an unbelieving world about who Jesus is than anything that you can ever say. That is, how you act in a restaurant or a grocery store or a shopping mall will display to the entire world what you believe the gospel to be.
Notice the ten tiles that Paul uses. These descriptors have at least two things in common. First, they emphasize the sexual (fornicators, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, (maybe) idolaters) and secondly they emphasize possessions (thieves, covetous, swindlers). Both are the result of the desires of the flesh being completely unrestrained. Paul describes the unbelievers in a similar way in the Epistle to the Philippians.
Paul describes Christians in this way:
It is helpful for us to remember where we come from if we can avoid these two errors. First, we need to avoid the error of self-righteousness. That is, thinking that we were somehow born into the family of God or that we did not come from a sinful past. Paul makes it more than clear that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Secondly, we need to avoid the error of self-loathing. That is, never seeing the victory over sin that has been given to us in Christ and living our lives in a constant state of defeat. I believe the right way to balance this is to live a life that is constantly in the shadow of the cross. Realizing that God has displayed both our sinfulness and His righteousness in the cross.
Remember How You Got To Where You Are (v11b)
Last of all we need to remember that we did not come to Christ on our own accord or based on our own merit. We came to grace by grace alone and the action, shown in the passive tense of the three words used here, was God’s alone. We were washed by God, we were sanctified by God, and we were justified by God. Not ourselves!
So the next time that we see a homosexual, the next time we see a thief, the next time we see an adulterer, or the next time we look in the mirror and the image that is starring back at us looks all too Corinthian, just remember….such were some of you.
Last weekend my wife and I went with some friends to Walt Disney World for their Annual Christian concert "Night of Joy" The concert was sold out and I was looking forward to spending a few hours in worship with several hundred believers. What I ran into was not at all what I expected to find.
One concert that Jennifer and I were most intent on seeing was David Crowder. He is known for his Christ centered lyrics and uplifting rhythms. As soon as we walked into the venue I realized that Disney had erred in their choice of location. The concert area was far too small and even though we were there forty minutes before it began, the crowd was pouring out of the room.
The security immediately roped off the area and would not allow anyone else to enter. This was not the problem. The problem came when other people who had been in the concert and had left to go to the bathroom or to get drinks tried to return. The security would not let them back in.
The crowd began to press in around us and attitudes began to surface. Jennifer, a huge Crowder fan in her own rite, was at the front of the security line. Beside her a woman was making a spectacle of herself as she attempted again and again to make her way into the concert area. To our amazement she went as far as using harsh profanity with the security guard.
Jennifer would not stand for this. I should also mention that by this point I had been forced backwards by the crowd and could not even hear my wife’s comments, but she related them to me and so I bring you what she said – in her boldness and glory! She said, loudly and in the hearing of this insane woman- that she would like to apologize for the actions of the people around her. She went on to say to the security guard that she did not know if he was a Christian or not, but if he isn’t she would hope that the actions of the "so-called Christians" around us would not deter him from the truth of Jesus Christ.
Apparently not all who were in the crowd were Christians. Some had made it through the gates, not to worship the glory of the risen Savior, but simply to hear the sounds of the music. The church in Corinth had this same problem.
When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth he was indeed writing to believers as we can clearly see in chapter one (1:2, 4-9). But the Corinthians had let the influences of their society leave its image on the congregation. That is, they were acting more like the world that they were acting like the church.
They seemed to have gotten a little mixed up in their thinking and the Apostle Paul starts to correct them. Their first problem was that they were divided where they should have been united. They were bragging about themselves based on whom they followed and who baptized them. Secondly, they were united where they should have been divided. When it came to the issue of sexual immorality they went as far as boasting about it in their church. Paul quickly renders his verdict of guilty and tells them that they are the cast this man out of the church. Thirdly, they had decided to let the secular courts decide the issues of the church. Paul instructs them that the wisdom of this world has no place in the church and that they are neglecting the spirit of God in them that is a gift for making such judgments. This section of 1 Corinthians ends with this passage:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
In this passage Paul draws a clear line between believers and unbelievers and gives us a stern warning and a reminder of where we are at and where we have come from.
Lessons To Remember, Lest We Make The Mistake Of The Corinthians
Remember How Loudly Your Actions Speak (v9-10)
Your actions say more to an unbelieving world about who Jesus is than anything that you can ever say. That is, how you act in a restaurant or a grocery store or a shopping mall will display to the entire world what you believe the gospel to be.
Notice the ten tiles that Paul uses. These descriptors have at least two things in common. First, they emphasize the sexual (fornicators, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, (maybe) idolaters) and secondly they emphasize possessions (thieves, covetous, swindlers). Both are the result of the desires of the flesh being completely unrestrained. Paul describes the unbelievers in a similar way in the Epistle to the Philippians.
For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly
thing.
Philippians 3:18-19.
Paul describes Christians in this way:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.Remember Where You Came From (v11)
Galatians 5:22
It is helpful for us to remember where we come from if we can avoid these two errors. First, we need to avoid the error of self-righteousness. That is, thinking that we were somehow born into the family of God or that we did not come from a sinful past. Paul makes it more than clear that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Secondly, we need to avoid the error of self-loathing. That is, never seeing the victory over sin that has been given to us in Christ and living our lives in a constant state of defeat. I believe the right way to balance this is to live a life that is constantly in the shadow of the cross. Realizing that God has displayed both our sinfulness and His righteousness in the cross.
Remember How You Got To Where You Are (v11b)
Last of all we need to remember that we did not come to Christ on our own accord or based on our own merit. We came to grace by grace alone and the action, shown in the passive tense of the three words used here, was God’s alone. We were washed by God, we were sanctified by God, and we were justified by God. Not ourselves!
So the next time that we see a homosexual, the next time we see a thief, the next time we see an adulterer, or the next time we look in the mirror and the image that is starring back at us looks all too Corinthian, just remember….such were some of you.
Comments
The DCB story is very true. I do not like the Disney Night Of Joy / Universal Studios Rock the Universe competition. They are on the same night so to get more people to come, they compete to see who can get the biggest bands. Nothing shows the love of Christ like a bidding war and over-priced tickets to a theme park, right?