“Your boasting is not good.” So opens today’s Epistle. Boasting—or pride—is the fundamental human problem. So we must be told, even on Easter, “Your boasting is not good.” The broader context is a scandal in the Corinthian church. But the problem of pride, of boasting, is universal….
Read MoreThere are many congregations, but one church. The one, holy, catholic and apostolic church finds its expression in local assemblies. That’s what the word church means: assembly. Today’s Epistle reading is a letter to one of those local assemblies: “To the church of God that is in Corinth.”
We tend to think of Christianity in individual terms, a private faith, a personal experience or decision. Certainly the individual is involved, but Paul writes to Corinth as he does to all the other local congregations: collectively…
Read MoreWhat a mess! This congregation is divided. The congregation is divided about which pastor is better. There’s a deeply judgmental spirit. Some even boast about their sin!
This congregation has serious problems with sexual immorality. Some people give nothing, while others give begrudgingly. Some of the women don’t dress modestly.
In this congregation the Lord’s Supper is a serious problem. There are factions. How can Christians eat the same supper when there are divisions? People are rude, they don’t bear with one another, they keep a record of wrongs. There are many words spoken, but few are said to build others up….
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