“For it has been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:11-13).
The church at Corinth was the church that nobody in their right mind wanted to pastor. As you read through Paul’s Epistle called 1 Corinthians, it seems almost overwhelming to read the things that were happening there. One such declaration focuses upon the fighting faction. Apparently, it was rather evenly split into four factions, as some declared loyalty to Paul, others to Apollos, others to Cephas and still others followed Christ. Paul pleaded with the church family that there would be “No divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). The idea of ‘perfectly joined’ gives the idea of a broken bone being set and healing. May the Lord help each of us to be the kind of believer who promotes Christ’s glory and His peace.
For today: We need to ask ourselves the question, “When it comes to my local church, what am I doing to make it the kind of church everyone would want to pastor?”