INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• You have heard the phrase, “WE NEED TO DEAL WITH THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM?”
• The elephant in the room is that Christianity has an image problem, according to many of its adherents and detractors alike.
• What do you do when you have an image problem with a business? Re-Brand themselves or repackage their product!
• In 2007, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons published unChristian, a book that examines many of the negative perceptions of Christianity that plague the church, particularly in Europe and North America.
• They used Barna research that found 38% of Americans between ages 16 and 29 had a "bad impression" of Christianity (David Van Biema, “Christianity’s Image Problem,” TIME, October 2, 2007, http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1667639,00.html).
• Barna’s research in 2016 mirrors this same sentiment: “Americans are attending church less, and more people are experiencing and practicing their faith outside of its four walls. … Add to this the broader secularizing trend in American culture, and a growing antagonism toward faith claims” (“The State of the Church 2016,” Barna, September 15, 2016, https://www.barna.com/research/state-church-2016/)
• In light of all these image problems, does the church need a “rebranding”?
• While we have embraced it and technology has altered it, the concept of “branding” is not a modern-day invention.
• In 1 Corinthians 1:10–17, Paul addresses divisions in the church at Corinth, divisions caused mainly by people identifying with a particular teacher above Christ.
• Verse 12 shows the divisions that were built around these allegiances.
• The problems the Corinthian Church was facing were problems that left unchecked, would damage their ability to carry our mission and purpose.
• Not only did the church at Corinth have a branding problem, but they also had the same problem that has mostly caused our current "image problem": division, pride, and dissension over nonessentials.
• While we may look to “branding” to solve our problem, the church at Corinth teaches us a powerful lesson: the solution we think may help our image will often ultimately only re-inscribe the same problems and pitfalls.
• Sticking a new catchy name on the Church sign or coming up with some catchy program (by the way I am not against any of those ideas) will not fix the image problems of a church unless something deeper happens within each local church.
• Over the next four weeks, we will examine the concept of ReBranding as we look at refocusing our mission and purpose in some areas within the church that we need to make sure are strong so that we do not inhibit the mission we are called to carry out.
• We will examine four areas of focus that will help turn to revitalize the image of the local church, the areas of unity, evangelism, Mission, as well as our commitment to the ministry of reconciliation.
• Today we will examine the potential image problem the Corinthian church was going to face unless they dug deep to correct the problem.
• One thing we will see is that division in the church prevents its faithful witness in the world.
• Let’s start with 1 Corinthians 1:10
• SLIDE #2
• 1 Corinthians 1:10 (CSB) — 10 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. The plea for unity.
• Paul begins this letter to the Corinthian Church with thanksgiving, but in verse 10, we see a shift of thought with the little word NOW.
• He is shifting thought from the Brightside of things to a problem that needed to be addressed!
• The problem was a clear and present danger for this young church, so Paul uses the strongest possible language when he says, I URGE you.
• Paul, being an Apostle could be gone down the command route; however, he wanted the folks to do what he was about to ask them to do from the heart, but under compulsion.
• Then he deepens the plea by asking them to do this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
• This shows you the urgency of the appeal.
• Paul is offering a plea for unity.
• A lack of unity within the church can be damaging to the image and mission of the church.
• We see what a lack of unity has done to government.
• Paul is asking the church to do three things.
• That they agree with another in what we say.
• That there be no divisions among them.
• That they are united in the same understanding (or mind) and the same conviction (or thought).
• When we look at these three items, we need to realize how important they are to the image and mission of the church.
• To agree means that we have the same sentiments on the subjects which could divide us.
• SLIDE #4
• Philippians 2:2 (CSB) — 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
• The phrase was used of two parties or hostile states reaching an agreement.
• This phrase does not mean we will not have some heartfelt convictions and opinions on things, but instead, we will not let those differences become a wedge that separates us.
• We should all agree on the centrality of Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we should come to agreement on the essentials of the faith and not allow areas of opinion rip us apart.
• If we cannot agree on the essentials of our faith, what kind of message would we share?
• We are not to allow division to occur.
• The term DIVISIONS was a term used to describe a tear in a garment. When a garment is torn, it loses its value.
• A division within the church causes the church to be torn apart, as we will see in verses 11-16.
• Having no division does not mean we do not let anything rise to the level of dividing us.
• A divided house does not work well.
• Think of our song service, imagine what it would be like if each singer and each musician decided they wanted to play their own version of a song or an entirely different song? How would that sound?
• Or what if the Band or Praise Team decided to break into factions? The music would suffer, and folks would look for ways to sabotage the other group.
• By the way, this is what has happened with politics. Both sides are more interested in promoting their grip on power to the point that if the other side comes up with good ideas, they will fight it tooth and nail.
• How does it look for a church to be singing a different tune than the one Jesus gives us?
• We are to be united!
• The word means to be repaired or mended. The term was a medical term which spoke of the knitting together bones that were fractured.
• The Word of God should unite us. The problem comes when we put our own agenda’s ahead of God’s, or we add or subtract from the Word and then try to defend those additions and subtraction.
• There is vast room for opinion in life, and we have liberty in areas of opinion: however, when God clearly speaks on an issue, the discussion is over! We are called to follow.
• When a lack of agreement existed to the point of division, we need to get back to unity.
• So how can we achieve and maintain unity?
• Let’s look at verses 11-16
• SLIDE #5
• 1 Corinthians 1:11–16 (CSB) — 11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by members of Chloe’s people, that there is rivalry among you. 12 What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul 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 were baptized in my name. 16 I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t recall if I baptized anyone else.
• SLIDE #6
II. Unity through realization.
• Paul gets word from Chloe's people, in other words, Chloe ratted out everyone, that the people were divided over various teachers and even who baptized them.
• As this dispute was taking place, Paul tries to make a point by asking if HE had been crucified for them, if they were baptized in Paul’s name.
• The implied answer was NO!
• SO why did he attack the problem in this manner?
• The people forgot who they were serving.
• Paul was trying to get them to the realization that Jesus was supposed to be the focus, not Apollos, Cephas, or Paul.
• Now even the last group who claimed Christ had issues.
• The last group sounds like the “right” one, but they were actually using the same technique too many churches today try to use: claiming that they were superior or had exclusive access to the only true expression of faith (R. L. Pratt, Jr., I & II Corinthians, Holman New Testament Commentary 7 [Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000], 9).
• These factions were within a local church, so there’s something distinct happening here. But the underlying issue is the same one that many within the church deal with regularly: divided allegiances.
• The Corinthians’ allegiances were more tightly held to their favorite leader or an exclusive group of people than to Christ and his global church.
• When we lose sight of the fact that Jesus is the one, we unite behind, all kinds of bad things can happen within the church which will negatively impact our purpose and mission.
• When we all come into the church with different agenda's, it will cause problems.
• It is like our music teams, if all the vocalists and musicians forget why we are here, competing egos will wreck what we are trying to do.
• Unity can be built on the realization that Jesus is the head of the church, Jesus is the reason we are here, and Jesus is the one whose blood was shed for our salvation.
• Let’s look at a second thing we can rally behind so that we can have unity.
• SLIDE #7
• 1 Corinthians 1:17 (CSB) — 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.
• SLIDE #8
III. Unity through purpose.
• Why am I here? Am I here to promote myself, my agenda, to make myself look good, to get my way?
• Paul is not minimizing baptism, if he were, it would contradict his other writing on the subject, notably Romans 6.
• Paul knew that baptism had become one of the elements at the root of the quarreling in Corinth, and he wanted no part in leaving the Corinthians with the idea that he was supportive of their doctrine of a divisive baptism stemming from personal loyalty to the one who performed the baptism.
• The counterpoint to Paul’s denial of the centrality of baptizing in his ministry is his affirmation that the focus of his commission by Christ was the proclamation of the gospel. Oster, R. (1995). 1 Corinthians (1 Co 1:17). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.
• The purpose was to glorify Jesus! That was his purpose.
• It that one thing would become our purpose, we will always be able to maintain unity in Him.
• We want to present and faithfully live out a vision of human flourishing in our communities.
• Back to our music, if all of our music folks are here united under the purpose of glorifying Jesus, what we do will be for Him, and we will be united in what we do.
• This is the same for all areas in which we serve Him.
• Am I doing it for me, or for HIS glory!
• As a Church, when we focus on our own ability to “attract” people because of our programs or our charismatic leaders, we ultimately deny Christ the exclusive power to change the human heart.
• Paul notes in verse 17 that human wisdom is never the true catalyst for preaching the gospel.
• We’ll explore some ways to reclaim, redeem, and restore the witness of the church in our culture, but “branding” will never quite get us there.
• Our strategies and promotions are the “wisdom and eloquence” that Paul criticizes as insufficient.
• In the right context, wisdom and eloquence are beautiful gifts from God—things we should utilize and steward to better serve our communities. But they have no power to save; only “the cross of Christ” has that power.
CONCLUSION
• Unity is not only crucial in the church but also in the home. When unity is absent, division, jealousy, and rivalry take root.
• We must keep our focus on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of our faith!
• Our allegiance should be to Christ and his global church, not merely to our specific tradition or teachers.
• Division in the church prevents its faithful witness in the world.
• At FCC, we always need to strive to be a united family who keeps the focus in the right place!
