1 Corinthians 1:10-25
I really enjoyed today's sermon. Nick covered the text well in corolation to modern context of the church. The duration of his message covered these three main targets of church division:
- "Irritatingly Arrogant"-we as believers, become marketing agents for our churches as though they are the only Christ exalting organization in the entire community. We boast in how our churches serve coffee, entertain contemporary audiences, etc.
- "Excessively Egotistical"-We desire to be recognized by popularity. We boast because our Pastors have blog sites, published books, radio time, and live feeds of their sermons. We associate ourselves to the success of our church and ministers as though to claim it as our own. Other churches now become more of a stinch than the enemy.
- "Severly Self-Obsessed"-We become more concerned about personal prefrences than the gospel of Christ. Most times without recognition, we strive to replace God with ourselves. Christ is no longer the centrality of the churches vision.
These three tendancies that Nick revealed spoke much truth concerning the American church (as far as I have witnessed). Nick hammered the nail on the head when he said, "a dividing line that runs straight through humanity is the cross." According to the church at Corinth they were concerned on these elements that plague the church today. Paul reminds them that while they are concerning themselves with personal pride and arrogance, the real issue is the cross. Paul wants Corinth to understand that the cross is not the most attractive element to the church (v.18). Therefore, the church must accept that Jesus must be central attraction to the believer and the central stench to the world. People must not be attracted to the church for its worldly attributes, but for its worship of Christ.
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1 comment:
I would have to agree Greg. Christ is a jewel to believers and a dung to the pagan. His gospel is foolishness yet glorious.
To be honest many times we as Christians view Christ as dung and the world as a jewel. Which I believe stems from a lack of love for the word of God. We consume what we love, whether it is food, drink, each other , TV, hobbies and God. If we love God we must consume God and that only that happens by his word read, taught, and preached.
To me this is the great struggle of the Christian life to "consume God", for when I consume God he increases and I decrease. It goes against my flesh, desires, and my aspirations.We sit around and consume the things of the world without even glancing at his word or sitting 20 minutes for prayer day after day and wonder why we feel so distant from God. It is because we don't know our God.We have become a culture that consumes man instead of Christ.
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