When Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church, he was writing to a very diverse congregation. Corinth, being situated on a narrow isthmus, was a bottleneck, with commerce and people from all over the known world passing through. It is not hard to imagine many of these folks choosing to stay and make a life in Corinth, creating a cosmopolitan city of great diversity, undoubtedly reflected in the character of the church in Corinth.
Bringing so many people from so many different backgrounds together
to form a church would have been a tough thing to do. The occasion of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth was in many ways to try to put a stop to the factions that were developing there. In the very first chapter, he goes right in
to the issue, saying in verse 10, “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you, and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (NIV).
In a number of ways, we at Nampa Church of the Brethren are like the church in Corinth. We come from a great number of different backgrounds and traditions, we’ve all had different upbringings and have had different life experiences. The path we’ve followed to Christ in many ways is uniquely our own.
The one thing that truly unites us, though, is that we have come to
follow Christ. As members of the True Church, the Bride of Christ, we have
accepted the gift of grace God provided for us at the cross, and have committed to building His kingdom by living out His great commission, to go to all nations and make disciples. If we, like Paul says of the Corinthians, choose to say, “‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos’” (1 Cor 3:4 NIV), then how can we follow Christ? When we align ourselves with a particular theological philosophy or tradition, it can help us immeasurably in how we understand and especially apply our faith, but it is not what saves us. As Paul says to the Corinthian church, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” 1Corinthians 3:6. (NIV)
We at Nampa Church of the Brethren practice our faith in a unique way, because we are a unique congregation, full of unique individuals. That does not mean we cannot be united. As we practice our faith, as we live out our commission, let's not forget that Christ alone is the head of our church, that we can join in true fellowship with each other, only as we submit to the authority of God. Remember, it is only God who makes it grow.
See you Sunday, John
