Singular Unity

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Scripture

Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.
(1 Corinthians 1:10 NASB)
So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
(1 Corinthians 3:7 NASB)

Observation

Paul had discovered that there was disunity in the church in Corinth. They were arguing with one another over who had played the greatest role in the development of the church. Some were proudly proclaiming that they were disciples of Apollos, some of Peter, and others of Paul. They were arguing over who had been their leader and which one of them was really the best or the most influential. All of this frustrated Paul because he knew that this was not what was important in the life of the church. Rather, Paul worked to call them all back to the very foundation of the church. It didn't matter who had been their Pastor or spiritual leader, Jesus Christ was the very foundation of all things. He reminded them that each leader had been called to come and to be faithful with their own task. Some were meant to prepare the ground, others to plant the seed, some to water it and others to harvest but each simply to be obedient. So, while Paul and the others had been obedient to the tasks that God had assigned, he reminded them all that it was God who made the church grow, not any one person. The unity of the church was being threatened by people taking sides over people, when Paul reminded them to pay attention to God. God in the incarnation of Jesus Christ is the unifying factor in the church, both yesterday and today.

Application

Sadly, much of Christianity today is divided. We have continued to allow human feelings and reactions to rule the day. We have to admit that we can become attached to certain individuals or leaders and we like to hang around as long as they are there, however, if they move on, we want to move on as well. While we wouldn't admit it, we may just go and seek out another 'personality' to whom we can become connected. That's not what God wants, and He used Paul to remind us of this. We are to remain committed to the church community and not to the charismatic personality of a particular leader. The focus within the community must be on Christ. Faithfulness to Christ will unify a body of believers and when Christ becomes the priority, God will make it grow.

Prayer

Lord, we seek You today and the strength of Your unifying grace. Amen.

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