Has anyone ever had a job that would require regular inspections from outside sources? When I (Janelle) worked in the children’s program at the navy base we were regularly inspected by government officials to make sure our practices complied with their standards.
Sometimes the inspections were planned and sometimes they were surprises. The planned inspections involved a great deal of preparation on our side. We would review the areas that would be inspected, we would re-train staff, and we would clean every last inch of a space that was constantly filled with over a hundred kids. Needless to say, it was a stressful time.
There was always a huge feeling of relief when the inspection was over and we could return to our normal ways of running the center. We could untuck our shirts and be a lot more relaxed about how we ran things.
While Paul was not an inspector for the church of Corinth, he was invested in how they lived out their Christian faith. Even though Paul spent a good deal of time with the church in Corinth and teaching them about Jesus, even from afar, Paul found that it was clear they got sloppy while he was away. We’ll be reading 1 Corinthians chapter 1:10-17, where we’re told that Chloe’s household noticed that they did more than untuck their shirts… they seemed to have forgotten the majority of the way they were taught to live.
From what we understand of the culture at that time, societal standings were built on an honor and shame code. It was like a never-ending game of chutes and ladders where people could move up or down depending on what leaders they followed and who they associated with. Even though they were instructed to flip the board game table like Jesus, they seemed to have fallen back into the same social traps by creating a Christian-themed version of the game.
Paul, knowing and loving this church well, had no patience for this type of behavior and was clear about where he wanted them to go from there. I find it fascinating and heartbreaking that a church’s problems from so long ago and so far away can still relate to us today.
This brings us to Sunday and the questions we must ask ourselves as we study the text. Is this a cycle we are doomed to repeat, like the one in Genesis, or are there different choices we can make? Is it possible that the actions of our small church could make a difference? Do you think the Corinthians heard Paul’s word and changed? Or do you suspect their divisions only got deeper as time passed?
Since we don’t have the Corinthian response to Paul’s letter it means that we get the opportunity to live out the response for them. I invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:00 AM as we study 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 together and discover for ourselves the power of Paul’s pleas for unity.
Click here for a copy of the teaching slideshow in pdf format.