Today’s passage: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Helpful thoughts:
- Because Paul was fearing God and not man (Not scared of what people would think of him), he was able to say some things in these verses:
- The church was to agree and share the mind of Christ for God’s sake…not to save Paul’s church planting reputation.
- He named Chloe’s people as the ones who alerted him. There was no need for secrets (e.g. “People have been saying lately that…”)
- If people started saying, “I follow Christ” more, they would say, “I follow Paul” less. This is a good thing.
- He was able to adamantly declare the lack of power in his speaking skills in contrast to the massive power in the truth of the Gospel message!
- Baptism does not save people. But, saved people get baptized.
- Paul was glad that others had done the baptizing so that the ministry could be spread among other servants. It wasn’t about him!
Questions to consider:
- What are the dangers of a ministry leader desiring the adulation of people more than desiring the glory of God in their church/ministry? What are the dangers of Christians idolizing a communicator of the truth instead of worshiping the Author of the truth?
- In what ways can the fear of man show up and cause division or stunt growth in the church today? If a pastor was writing this kind of letter to a church in our culture today, how might it have been worded? How can these things distract us from our mission?
- What might Chloe have felt when her name was read out loud in front of the church? Why should she NOT have been concerned about it? What did her willingness to stick her neck out and be identified do for the church in Corinth and the rest of the church throughout history?