Theme: ‘The
Michael Bronson is an American
writer, an expert in the kinds of difficulties some congregations get
into...........the kinds of troubles there are in congregations......
He tells us[1]:
There is a church in
The same Michael Bronson is
also often invited to try and help congregations in difficulty as a kind of
trouble shooter
He says..........I have seen
situations in a church where two groups had formed over some issue or other.
One group would refuse to talk to the other group. Or I have seen other
situations where one group would be rude and obnoxious to the other group. I was
at a church meeting, in which all the groups and factions were called together
to try and deal with an issue, when a woman got up and started hitting the
person beside her with her handbag.
I
was reading recently of a congregation - in many ways worse than this......... There were not two groups but four in this particular
congregation. Add to this that in the same congregation one wealthy member had
taken another member to court over some affront or other. Oh and at a communion
service, some members were found to be drunk.. and if this wasn’t bad enough - a quite
shocking case of immorality went by almost unnoticed. I’ll tell you the name of
this well known congregation - it’s the Church at
This morning, we come back to
the very real, the actual Church at Corinth, where we started.......a few weeks
back - this morning we come back to on of the great puzzles of the letter to
the Church at Corinth............
What’s this puzzle..............or
paradox ?
Well, it’s this: At the very
beginning of his letter - Paul writes to
the Church at
Now, this is the same Church,
we discover, split into four groups, with members suing one another in court, drunkenness
during communion, and a case of shocking immorality. Now, there are many things
we could have called that Church there in
That’s the puzzle, how can
Paul possibly call them the
To say it once again - the puzzle
is, how can Paul call them the
Well, the answer has to do
with the Gospel.
Paul calls the folks in
Because, the Church is a
gathering of men and women who are sinners,
but who live in the light of
the Gospel !
this is the reality of the
Church.........
a gathering of men and women
who are sinners......... who live in the light of the Gospel !
a gathering of men and women who are sinners......... who live in the
light of the Gospel !
in the
a great powerful movement in
play..........
What is that great, powerful,
current at work,
that great powerful movement
in play.......... in the Church at
Well, first of all its this:
that the folks at
The men and women in
That’s part of the great,
powerful, current at work,
there is a great powerful
movement in play.......... in the Church at
among those men and women who
are sinners......... because they live
in the light of the Gospel !
What is that great, powerful,
current at work,
that great powerful movement
in play.......... in the Church at
Secondly it is also this:
the folks at
Yes, there was rivalry and immorality
in
There might have been some,
perhaps many, in Corinth, burdened in heart, weighed down by the condition of
things there in the congregation........but turning to Jesus Christ, they
surely found this: mercy, and healing, for, where sin is, grace, the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ is there all the more.
to put it in other words, yes,
there may have been rivalries in
Christ was at work among them
through His Spirit - to build them up, to strengthen and renew the
That Christ was working among them by His Spirit
That’s also part of the great,
powerful, current at work,
there is a great and powerful
movement in play.......... in the Church at
among those men and women who are sinners......... because they live in the light of the Gospel !
What is that great, powerful,
current at work,
that great powerful movement
in play.......... in the Church at
Well thirdly it is this:
They
knew That in His resurrection Jesus
Christ has triumphed.
One of the great purposes of Jesus in His coming among us
was to break the power of sin over us.......... in the course of a great
conflict......... with the power of sin and evil. In coming among us, Jesus came into
conflict with Satan and the powers of evil......... a battle, a conflict in
which He gained complete victory over the powers of evil, the power of sin. The
New Testament proclaims that God has exalted Jesus, the man of sorrows, the
lowly Servant, to the highest place in heaven. The One who trusted in God, has triumphed over the grave, and over sin
and has been raised to life,
and so - His victory is complete! and as men and women they share in
it........
That’s also part of the great,
powerful, current at work,
the great and powerful
movement in play.......... in the Church at
those men and women are sinners like us all......... but they live in the light of the Gospel !
That’s why Paul can call them
the
Paul calls the folks in
Because, the Church, and this
is the reality of the Church......... the Church is a gathering of men and
women who are sinners, but who live in the light of the Gospel !
As they heard the message of
the Cross where Christ dealt with our sin,
as they heard the message that
Spirit of Jesus was working among them,
as they heard the message of
the victory of Jesus,
So the great, powerful,
current of the gospel was moving and unfolding in the Church at
As too among us,
we, men and women sinners,
yes.........
but living in the light of the Gospel !