Letters from Paul: Addressing Division

1Corinthians 1:10-17 NLT - 10 I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11 For some members of Chloe's household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. 12 Some of you are saying, "I am a follower of Paul." Others are saying, "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Peter," or "I follow only Christ." 13 Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. 16 (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don't remember baptizing anyone else.) 17 For Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News--and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

1. One Mind, United

Division - Disagreement between two or more groups, typically producing tension or hostility.

Division across the board:

• Race & Ethnicity:

• Socioeconomic:

• Church History:

• Major Contemporary Branches:

Genesis 11:1-4, 6-9 NLT - 1 At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. 2 As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. 3 They began saying to each other, "Let's make bricks and harden them with fire." (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) 4 Then they said, "Come, let's build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world." ... 6 "Look!" he said. "The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let's go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won't be able to understand each other." 8 In that way, the LORD scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the LORD confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.

Verse 6: "The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!”

John 19:30 ESV - 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

2. Redemptive Trajectory

1Corinthians 1:18, 21-25 NLT - 18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. ... 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense. 24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

Two key aspects of the Gospel:

• Accessibility: The message is simple enough for a child to understand, yet deep enough for a lifetime of study

• Focus: It removes the "clutter" of unnecessary traditions, focusing on the core message to avoid diminishing its power.