I Corinthians 1:12

- we've been studying Paul's letter to the Corinthians, a
church that was a strategic position for effective ministry
yet had allowed so many problems and difficulties to come
into the church that they had lost their effectiveness

- Paul began the book not with an angry tirade, instead he
began by speaking to them about God's grace to
them
- in verse 10 he began addressing the first major problem -
that’s the problem of disunity in the church
- we've studied this paragraph as a whole and we've also
studied verse 10 in detail - in the time we have
tonight I'd like us to look at verses 11-12 and see One of
the Great Hindrances To Unity

- READ 10-12

I. Why is Unity in the Church So Important?

(ask them to read verses that were previously assigned -
before or after, depending on the way the verse is
listed in the point))

A. (John 17:20-21) - Jesus prayed for it

B. Brings glory to God - (Eph. 4:3)

- Paul's been talking about the glory of God in Eph.
3, and he says - now walk worthy of the vocation to
which you were called - Here's how you can show
God's glory-"Endeavor to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace"

C. Allows a church to single-mindedly pursue the goals of
evangelism and discipleship - (Phil. 2:2)

D. It is good - (Psalm 133:1)

- unity is obviously very important, but the Corinthians
didn't have it

II. What Were The Corinthians Doing To Disrupt Their Unity?

- you could describe this several different ways, but the
we're talking about them "pitting people against one
another."

- now in this case (as is often the case), the
Corinthians are seeking to pit church leaders against
one another

- saying I am of Paul, I am of Apollos,....
- of course Paul started the church, Apollos was the man
Paul sent to be the next pastor
- we're not sure who Cephas was - it might be Peter - and
possibly some folks who had been saved under Peter's
ministry were now in the church

- but the bottom line is - they were causing disunity in
the church by pitting people against one another

- see, "I'm of Paul" (and therefore I'm not of Apollos)
or "I'm of Apollos" and (therefore I'm not of Cephas)

- now let me ask you this

III. What Does God Think About This Kind of Behavior?

A. He hates it - Prov. 6:16-19

- these six things does the Lord hate - ...a false
witness that speaks lies, and he that soweth discord
among the brethren

B. He is angry about it - Psalm 7:11

- "God is angry with the wicked every day"

- I think we need to say strongly that God hates this kind of
divisiveness. He hated it when it was happening in the
church at Corinth and He hates it when it happens in His
church today.

- let's talk about how this often comes about today:

IV. How Does This Normally Come About Today and What Should
Be Done?

A. Divisiveness often occurs today by individuals
criticizing persons to a third party

- see, that’s what was happening in the church at
Corinth
- no one was going to Paul or going to Apollos and
speaking to them directly about this matter

- in fact, Paul didn't even know about it (no one
wrote him a letter. No one visited him.)

- he had to hear about it from visitors from the
house of Cloe

- often times in churches in 1991, individuals are
divisive by going to a third party who's not a part
of the problem or the solution and being critical
of another person

- Now, praise the Lord that the Scripture has given us clear
guidelines on how to handle that kind of situation

what principle(s) governs this sort of behavior?

B. Scriptural principles

1. "Criticizer" must be sent to the person they
believe wronged them

- Matt. 18:15-18

- "Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass
against thee, go and tell him his fault
between thee and him alone, and if he
shall hear thee, thou hast gained the
brother."

INPUT - (very important question) - if a
person comes and begins to criticize another
believer to you, (since its the person's
responsibility to go speak to the one who
wronged them), what can't you do? (sit there
and listen) - develop - WHOA!

2. It's imperative that the whole church be committed
to this process

- Jesus says later about the church discipline
process that the church must all speak the same
thing in these situations because what they bind
on earth has been bound in heaven

- that’s why Paul said in verse 10 that I want you
to have unity by speaking the same thing

- when we get to chap. 5 and see the way Paul
tells the church to handle the incestuous man,
he tells them all to respond the same way (its
imperative that the whole church be committed to
this process)

- later in II Cor, he's going to say that the
incestuous man repented because the church was
united - they said the same thing corpately and
individually

- here's why that’s so important - people who are divisive
in this fashion will often zealously seek out a sympathetic
ear
- they desperately want someone to side with them, and
I've even heard of individuals actually going through
a church's phone directory calling anybody and
everybody trying to find someone who will take their
side

- at that point that person doesn't need a sympathetic
ear - they need a loving church family that encourages
and expects them to handle this kind of situation
according to the Scripture

- I think we all need to look at a passage like I Cor. 1 and
ask, Am I having a positive impact on the unity of the
church because I'm committed to these principles?
- or have I set myself up as being wiser than the Bible
and listening when I ought to be sending that person
back to the appropriate individual?

- there's one more issue we need to address in this verse,
and that is -- the Corinthians were doubly guilty in this
situation because the people they were pitting against one
another were church leaders

- what principle has God placed in his word that
protects the church's unity, especially with
reference to the criticism of pastors? (I Tim.
5:19)

2. Don't receive (entertain - NIV) an accusation
against a pastor without witnesses

- see, the Scripture makes it clear that it is wrong for you
or I to listen to criticism or complaints that someone
would be making about a pastor
- the Bible is very clear on this

- if a person has a problem with a pastor - they are to go to
that pastor
- if they are not satisfied, they can request to meet with
the deacons and the pastors

- but anytime a person goes and spreads criticism to others
in the church - they are sinning - they are being divisive
- anytime someone listens to that kind of person - they are
sinning - they are being divisive by allowing it to go on