I. An Appeal For Unity V. 10
A. Jesus Is The Basis For Unity V. 10a
1. V. 10a-Now I plead with you…
a. parakaleo, par-ak-al-eh’-o; to call near, invite, invoke, beseech, call for, entreat, pray.
b. He could have appealed to his apostolic position and commanded them.
c. Instead, he comes alongside of them (para), and reasons with them. He invites them.
2. V. 10a- brethren- They are not the enemy. They are brothers. Term of endearment
3. V. 10a-by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
a. They thought that they had good reasons to divide amongst themselves.
b. But Jesus is the highest reason we have for loving one another as Christians.
B. There Were Schisms Among Them V. 10b
1. V. 10b- divisions- schisma-a split or gap, division, schism
2. Initial plea: don’t be torn apart but be joined together.
3. There were not only factions in the church, there was a tear in the church.
C. What Unity Is-Speak The Same Thing V. 10c
1. What it doesn’t mean- That we all think exactly the same on every point.
2. What it does mean- Their lives would be consistent with what it means to be a Christian.
3. Joined together-to heal broken bones; join together a joint that has been dislocated.
4. “This disunion is unnatural and must be cured” (William Barclay)
5. same mind- See Philippians 2:5-8 Think and act like Christians, following Jesus.
II. A Statement Of The Facts Vs. 11-17
A. Source Of Paul’s Information V. 11
1. Apparently Chloe and Paul were willing to identify the source of the information.
2. If we are going to tell church leadership about problems within the church, we need to be willing to sign our name to it. Don’t do it anonymously but be a part of a loving solution.
B. The Nature Of The Factions-Following Personalities V. 12
1. Paul- started the church at Corinth. The founding pastor.
a. Former Pharisee, but now preached to the Gentiles about freedom from the O.T. law.
b. Preached strongly about God’s grace.
c. Apparently not attractive physically, had health and eye problems. (Gal. 4:13-15, 6:11)
d. Not impressive in person but wrote good letters. (2 Corinthians 10:10)
e. Was thought to be pushing for too much freedom among God’s people.
f. They love Paul for sentimental reasons. Enjoyed freedom in Christ. Perhaps Gentiles.
2. Apollos- Eloquent, well learned in the Old Testament (Acts 18:24-28)
a. From Alexandria, Egypt. Spoke with great fervor, boldness, and excitement.
b. Those from Alexandria were known for flowery speech and a great gift of allegory.
c. Accurate teacher. Strong debater and apologist. (defending the truth from scriptures)
d. He did the follow up ministry at Corinth after Paul left. (1 Corinthians 3:6)
e. This group was loyal to Apollos. They enjoyed an entertaining, informative sermon.
f. They came into the church after Paul left, and knew only of Apollos.
g. Perhaps had been repulsed by Paul’s infirmities and less than exciting sermons.
3. Cephas (Peter)-Had been with Jesus personally. One of the original 12 disciples.
a. Emotional, impulsive, fiery preacher.
b. Preached strongly at Pentecost when the first church was born. (Acts 2)
c. No strong evidence that Peter lived in Corinth, but some knew of him.
d. Call this group the “old school traditionalists.” A group that didn’t like change.
e. They didn’t want new preachers. They liked things the old way.
f. Probably Jewish and wanted to live out their faith under the feel of the Old Testament.
4. “I am of Christ”. This group may have been the worst of them all.
a. If they were truly following Jesus, they would not have been part of the schism.
b. It may have been that they did not want to acknowledge any church leadership.
c. It may have been that they just went off on their own.
d. In the church, but not really a part of the church.
e. They did their own thing, thinking they were the only true Christians in the church.
f. Maybe a very self-righteous group.
g. These kinds of schisms are wrong and ridiculous.
i. This idea is illustrated in the story of the old, contentious Quaker who went from one meeting to another, never finding the “true” church. Someone once said to him, “Well, what church are you in now?” He said, “I am in the true church at last.” “How many belong to it?” “Just my wife and myself, and I am not sure about her sometimes.”
C. Denial By Paul That He Encouraged Schisms Vs. 13-17
1. Paul seeks to reason with the Corinthian Christians. 1:13 Is Christ divided?
2. Schisms chop Jesus into pieces.
3. Instead of loving the entire Body of Christ, we associate only with those we prefer.
4. At that point, it isn’t true Christianity any longer. It’s a religion created in your image.
5. When we follow certain people and exclude others, we have a very narrow view of Jesus.
6. That can never be healthy for us or those around us.
7. There is no one man or woman that can give anyone a complete picture of Jesus.
8. Was Paul crucified for you?
a. This speaks of the overemphasis that people can put upon human leaders.
b. If the man falls, the people’s faith falls with him. We make the man a rival of Jesus.
10 Only Jesus was crucified for us. Only He can forgive your sins.
a. Only Jesus heals, comforts, makes whole, teaches, instructs.
b. God may use men and women, but they are only servants and tools for Him.
11. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
a. Paul is not minimizing baptism, but we can make too much of a certain event.
b. Where it happened, with whom it happened.
c. We can wear those events like a badge that would identify us as better than others.
D. A Man Who Did Gather Followers 2 Samuel 15:2-6
1. Read 2 Samuel 15:2-6. Some people enjoy gathering followers to themselves.
2. It is in our nature to have favorites, and to enjoy some more than we enjoy others.
3. None of that is wrong.
a. It isn’t wrong to have favorites, but don’t separate from others who disagree with you.
b. It is at that point that we are no longer following Jesus.
c. It is at that point that we begin to follow people.
E. How to avoid building a Fan Club
1. Don’t follow people, follow Jesus. Be a part of the entire Body of Christ.
2. Don’t pick and choose which part of the Body of Christ suits you.
3. Don’t separate from others who have different preferences than you do.
4. Don’t try to get others to follow a personality. Don’t exalt one and put down another.
5. Don’t be an Absalom. Don’t gather people to yourself under the guise of serving Jesus.