DOUBTS ABOUT THE CHURCH
36-3578
TEXT – I CORINTHIANS 1:1-2
INTRODUCTION:
I.
Down through the years there have been doubts about the church being
what God intended it to be. We’ve heard it from others and sometimes
have joined in the questioning. “Jesus yes, the church no” has been a
common comment.
II.
There is no question that churches haven’t always stayed in the place God
put them. Just to read the letters to the seven churches of Asia in
Revelation 2 & 3 is to see that even the Lord was unhappy with what was
happening. He pleaded with the different congregations individually to
repent and overcome the sins they were committing.
III.
One thing that stands out whether you are talking about the letters
written by Paul to different churches or Jesus writing to the seven
churches is that the problems that were there and the solution to those
problems was in the local churches, not in the body as a whole.
IV.
God demonstrated his wisdom when he made each local church a selfgoverning body instead of setting up a general leadership body deciding
what all the churches are to do. He made Jesus the one and only central
head of the church. Colossians 1:8. A church can determine that they
have been mistaken on a point and correct it whether any other
congregation agrees with them or not. Each church must go back to the
Lord and His teaching to decide what it means to them.
DISCUSSION:
I.
THE CHURCH AS A CORPORATE BODY BELONGS TO GOD.
a. When the church is spoken of in general, it most often is simply
referred to as “The church”.
b. When any designation is used to describe the church in general it is
called “The church of God.”
i. It is also called the “house of God” and the “Church of the Living
God.”
ii. Normally when the church is called “God’s church” it isn’t with
the idea of separating the members of deity. It is not opposed
to the idea of it being the body of Christ. Compare Acts 20:28
“The church of God which he has purchased with his own
blood.”
c. The church was planned to begin with was laid out with two sides to
it. On the divine side, the owner, the head, the purchaser and savior of
the church is God. On this divine side the church is now and has
always been perfect.
II.
III.
d. But the church also has a human side. It is on that side that the church
faces problems. In I Corinthians 14:33 it is called the church of the
saints. In Hebrews 12:23 he calls it the church of the firstborn ones.
e. We look to the divine side to learn what we are supposed to do and
give the power we need for salvation and godly living.
THE LOCAL CHURCH HAS A DIVINE HEAD AND IS LED BY GODLY MEN.
a. Notice the church of God in Corinth.
b. If Paul wrote us a letter from God he would refer to Central as “The
church of God at Central” or “The church of God in Little Rock.’
c. It is typically the quality of the local human leaders that determines
how well the church does.
i. When it comes to the divine side of the church it is all-powerful
and has clear directions on how we are to live and treat each
other.
ii. In Ephesians 4:11-16 Paul laid out the duty of the human
leaders in the church. All leadership roles come as a gift from
God.
iii. The goal of leadership is to equip the saints for the work of
ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. So we won’t
be immature any longer but would grow up in Him.
1. Such growth for all leads people not to fall away from
God.
2. It keeps us from being blown about by every wind of
teaching.
3. As God’s children we are to speak the truth in love so
we can grow up into him who is head, even Christ.
4. From him the whole body is joined and compacted
together so that each part of the body does its part and
causes the body to grow.
d. Paul described it here in I Corinthians 1:2 as those who are sanctified
in Christ, called to be God’s holy people. See I Corinthians 6:9-11
THE CHURCH LOCALLY IS TOGETHER WITH ALL THOSE EVERYWHERE
WHO CALLS ON THE LORD.
a. It doesn’t matter where a person comes to faith in Christ as God’s Son
and turns away from their sin to the Lord to follow Him in everything,
and are baptized into Christ, they become a part of the church of the
Lord and the brothers and sisters of all God’s people.
b. It doesn’t matter who taught them or who baptizes a person, if they
have faith in Jesus and turn from sin to Him and are baptized into
Christ they are added to the church of the Lord whose records are
kept in glory. Acts 2:47; Hebrew 12:23-25
c. Because we are all part of the one church with one Lord and Savior we
ought to be interested in what happens with every church around us.
I Peter 2:17
i. We ought to pray for other congregations that they will be used
by God to gain more people to the Lord.
IV.
ii. From early in the time the church existed they helped each
other in troubled times. Acts 11:27-30; 2 Corinthians 8-9
iii. But there is no indication in the New Testament that one
congregation had any authority to go to another one to tell
them what they were doing wrong.
d. In this letter to the church in Corinth he calls them God’s church, to
live as saints, yet they were a church with huge problems.
i. Division was everywhere.
ii. They had members taking other members to court.
iii. There was a man who evidently was some kind of leader in the
body who was having a sexual relationship with his mother-inlaw. The church needed to withdraw from him.
iv. They had numerous problems with marriage, some thinking
they shouldn’t get married.
v. They were struggling with what to do about eating meats that
had been offered to idols.
vi. They were fussing about the subject of paying the preacher.
vii. They were confused on what to do if a non-Christian invited
you to come to some kind of party at an idols temple.
viii. They were troubled over what women should wear in the
smaller gatherings of members.
ix. They were fussing about how the Lord’s Supper was being
taken.
x. They had huge problems about the use of spiritual gifts,
especially in the assembly.
xi. They were troubled about what women could do in a worship
assembly.
xii. They had people in the church that denied that Jesus had been
raised from the dead.
e. With all those problems, God had Paul to address them as the church
of God in Corinth, as sanctified in Christ and called to be God’s holy
people along with those who in every place call on the name of the
Lord.
CONCLUSION:
a. We may have doubts about what goes on in the church. They may
even feel that some things going on is dreadfully wrong. But before
you decide that you doubt that a church is right with God because of
some problem, take time to read I Corinthians.
b. God wanted Corinth to change some things. But he didn’t question
them being a real church of his. I wonder if we saw the same church
today if we would be as patient as Jesus.