They Belong to You

In one paragraph

Jeff preached through portions of 1 Corinthians 3 and 4, addressing the tendency churches have to divide into camps based on which teacher or pastor they follow. He traced the problem from the Corinthian church outward to religious history and back to the local congregation, making the case that this kind of tribalism is both unbiblical and dangerous. The antidote, he argued, is thinking rightly...

Read together

1. 1 Corinthians 1:12 Quoted to show the Corinthian church dividing into camps of Paul, Apollos, Peter, and Christ
2. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 Referenced to show Paul calling the Corinthians immature
3. 1 Corinthians 3:4-9 Quoted at length to show teachers are servants like farmers who plant and water but God causes the growth
4. 1 Corinthians 3:10-17 Quoted at length to show teachers are like builders who must build carefully on the foundation of Christ Jesus
5. 1 Corinthians 3:21-23 Quoted to show that all teachers belong to the congregation, and the congregation belongs to Christ
6. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 Quoted to show teachers are stewards of the mystery of God who must be found trustworthy
7. 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 Quoted to show that leaders are judged by God not by us, and judgment of motives should wait until the Lord comes
8. 1 Corinthians 4:6-7 Quoted to warn against arrogance on behalf of one teacher over another, asking what anyone has that they did not receive
9. Romans 14:4 Quoted to ask who are we to judge another man's servant, since he stands or falls before his own master

What was said

• If you catch yourself judging your pastor's motives this week, stop and remind yourself that God is the one who examines hearts, not you.
• When someone compliments something good you did, practice saying it was God who made it possible rather than taking the credit.
• If you have been identifying yourself primarily as Reformed, Baptist, or by any teacher's camp, spend some time this week backing up and simply calling yourself a Christian.
• If you have been holding back from getting more involved at church, reach out this week and tell someone you want to be part of the team.
• When you hear someone judging another believer for which teacher or preacher they follow, gently remind them that those teachers all belong to the whole church, not to one camp.

Talk about it

1. Jeff described the Corinthian church as gullible, highly educated, and morally out of control, and then asked how that compares to the American church. What do you think? Where do you see those same tendencies showing up today?
2. Jeff said that the more we put a pastor on a pedestal, the more we will divide over that pastor. Have you seen that play out, either in a church you have been part of or from a distance? What did it look like?
3. Jeff said that pastors belong to the congregation, not the other way around, and pointed to the way Ray shows up for people as an example of that. What does it actually mean, in practical terms, for a pastor to be owned by his church?
4. Paul wrote that he did not even examine himself, because the one who examines him is the Lord. Jeff applied that to judging motives, our own and other people's. Do you find it hard to stop second-guessing your own motives when you are doing something good? Why or why not?
5. Jeff said that John Calvin and Jacob Arminius are sitting at the feet of Jesus right next to each other, and that dead teachers do not divide over each other. Where have you seen labels like Reformed or Baptist or Calvinist actually get in the way of unity with other believers?