The church’s big issue

The church in Corinth was plagued by serious problems – sexual immorality, believers taking each other to court, abuse of the memorial meeting, arguments over spiritual gifts, false teaching, and disorder of all kinds. If we were writing to such a group, we'd probably tackle those issues first. But Paul didn't. The first issue he addressed was division. Before dealing with the immorality or any other scandal, he appealed to them "that there be no divisions among you" (1 Corinthians 1:10). That should make us stop and think. Among the things God hates are those who sow "discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16-19). Division was not a secondary issue in God's eyes – it threatened the very fabric of the church. Perhaps we're a pretty incorrigible bunch. We can become so convinced our expectations are right that we place demands on fellow believers beyond what God requires, making fellowship harder than He intended, and in the process losing sight of grace and patience. Paul also reminds us that judgement ultimately belongs to God: "Who are you to judge someone else's servant?… It is before their own master that they stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand" (Romans 14:4). Our role is to encourage, restore, and build one another up – not to decide another person's standing before God. Let's strive for unity, leave judgement where it belongs, and keep on in our precious faith. (Leonie V). Open Bible – bit.ly/1Co1vs10, bit.ly/Pro6v16-19, bit.ly/Rom14v4