A YOUNG CHURCH LEARNS

Sermon Summary from July 25th ), “A Young Church Learns” (1 Corinthians 10:23-24) 

On Paul’s Second Missionary Journey, Paul spent 18 month in Corinth, founding and nurturing a young church in the midst of a city that was a by-word. If debauchery and drunkenous were your way, you were “Corinthianized.”  Corinth sat at an isthmus that controlled north-south traffic on the Achean Peninsula (Greece).  In addition, the isthmus was narrow enough that boats could transverse the land avoid a 200 mile treacherous sea journey around the southern cape.  And what is it that sailors can do with a day or two of shore leave while their ships are being moved?  In addition, Corinth was the home of the Temple to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, whose temple prostitutes plied their trade each evening.  It was into this setting that Paul brought his ministry of 18 months.

On Paul’s third missionary journey, Paul established himself at Ephesus and corresponded with his young church.  In his absence, “false prophets” has misled his young congregation and turned them against Paul.  He wrote at least four letters and made a “painful” visit followed by a severe letter (2 Cor 10-13) in order to reconcile them.  Not waiting for a reply, he sent Titus visit and report their response.  So anxious for the answer, Paul made an overland trip from Ephesus to intercept Titus.  When he found that all was well and that the congregation had repented of their distrust of Paul, Paul sat down, probably in Philippi, and wrote a beautiful letter of reconciliation that we know a 2 Corinthians 1-9.

Part of the problem was the make up of the young congregation from observant Jews to libertarians from the street who could be appropriately described as those reveling in their freedom saying, “let us sin all the more so that grace may abound.”  One thing they did say was “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food,” and they applied it to all appetites.

The central theme of Paul’s instruction was “’All things are lawful,’ but not all things are beneficial.  ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.  Do not seek your own advantage, but that of others.” (1 Cor 10:23-24)  Not only that, Paul would tell us that we are “Ambassadors of Christ” (2 Cor 5:20).  So may it be with all.