Crises in the Fellowship

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." (1 Cor 6:19-20 (NIV)): Memory Verse.

Bible Study

Study Guide: Unity in Christ (1 Corinthians)

Study #3: Crises in the Fellowship (chapters 5 and 6)

Saturday 25th Aug 2018, in the new cathedral.

Introduction

Without a sense of unity and common convictions, many other problems can arise in a fellowship, making it a breeding ground for all sorts of evils. Discipline of the members becomes difficult, and slowly the fellowship can lose not only its impact but also its ideals. This would be much worse if the members are not even aware or conscious of what they are going through. This was very much the case for the church at Corinth (FOCUS).

Part One: Sin in the Fellowship (5:1-13, 6:9-20)

Paul condemns the immorality of the Corinthians as well as the attitude towards the immorality. He condemns them for being more immoral than the pagans; for instance, a man taking his father's wife. Sexually immoral people, thieves, drunkards, swindlers, idolaters...are all condemned. Paul also condemns the fact that the Corinthians were proud of their immorality instead of grieving. He writes to remind them the word of God and warn them against their behaviour. He urges them to flee from the sins they are committing or risk missing out on the Kingdom of God. Paul judges the Corinthians because they are all believers but leaves the unbelievers to be judged by God.

Think of the immoral acts condemned by Paul as the ungodly behaviours that we engage in. Think of all the immoral acts in your life, in the fellowship (church), and in the world today. Paul advises us to flee from these sins and focus on the Kingdom of God. He also advises that immoral people should be expelled from the fellowship. Even though we are not righteous by our power, we have the power to judge. As Paul says in 5:12, God will judge those outside the church (unbelievers), but believers must judge each other. When you see a fellow believer sinning you should admonish them and if they do not change you should remove them from the fellowship for the church of Christ to grow.

Part Two: Disputes in the Fellowship (6:1-8)

Paul condemns the Corinthians who take each other to court instead of solving the disputes amongst themselves. He condemns such believers because they expose themselves to the unbelievers and even allow themselves to be judged by unbelievers. He condemns not only the lawsuits against them but also the act of going to court, terming it as a defeat already. He advises the Corinthians to solve their disputes from within.

We are the Corinthians that Paul is addressing, and as he says in 6:5, "I say this to shame you..." Believers have allowed themselves to be judged by unbelievers based on the laws of the world. It is hard to tell the difference between a Christian and a worldly person from the way we (Christians) treat our brothers and sisters. It is not good for believers to take each other to court because;

1. The judgement is made by a person who may not be a believer, and so does not believe in Christian values.
2. Christians go to court with wrong motives against their fellow brethren; either to have their opponents jailed or fined.
3. It reflects the negativity in the church. When Christians take each other to court, they show the world that there are disputes in the church and that the church is not able to solve them; even though this is not the case.
4. It is not a demonstration of love and forgiveness.

What then should you as a Christian do when wronged by a fellow Christian? Follow the steps below as given by Christ himself in Matthew 18:15-17;

1. Go and talk to the brother, just the two of you. Tell them that they have wronged you, and if they listen to you then you have won them over. Case closed. If they do not listen then proceed to step 2.
2. Involve two or three people; explain the issue to them and let them help to solve the issue. If you succeed then case closed, if you don't then proceed to step 3 with the two or three believers as the witnesses.
3. Report the matter to the church. Let the church and its leadership hear the matter and try to solve it. If you succeed then the case is closed. However, if the brother does not listen then the church should proceed to the final step.
4. Expel the person from among you. Treat them as a worldly person. In Christ's own words, "...treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector" (Matt 18:17). The person will be bound on Earth and also in Heaven.

If all Christians practice these steps then the crises in the fellowship will reduce. Take the challenge upon yourself.