“A Unified Church in Divided Days” – a message from 1 Corinthians 1

This past weekend at Eastbrook, we began a new preaching series entitled “God’s Grace for an Imperfect Church: 1 Corinthians.” In this first message of the series I explored what it means to live in unity in Christ from 1 Corinthians 1:1-17 with some background on 1 Corinthians and why it is applicable to our day and time.

You can find the message outline and video below. You can access the entire series here. Join us for weekend worship in-person or remotely via Eastbrook at Home.

---

“To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.” (1 Corinthians 1:2)

Background on Corinth and the Corinthian Church

Paul’s ministry there (Acts 18)

The setting of Corinth

The letter of 1 Corinthians

The opportunity to focus on discipleship

The Centrality of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:1-9)

In Paul and his ministry

In all those who call on Jesus’ name

In the Corinthians and their faith

The Challenges of Disunity in the Church (1 Corinthians 1:10-12)

Interpersonal disunity

Partisan disunity

The Calling Toward Unity in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:13-17)

The essential unity of Christ

The practical unity of Christ’s people

The underlying message of the Gospel

---

Dig Deeper

This week dig deeper in one or more of the following ways:

• The New Testament epistles were often read at church gatherings all at once. Consider reading 1 Corinthians in one sitting by yourself or with others. What stands out to you as you read the entire book at once?
• Read Acts 18:1-28 for further background on the ministry of Paul in Corinth.
• Consider reading these books:
  • Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Revised Edition
  • Clement of Rome’s first epistle to the Corinthians, written in the first century and one of the earliest Christian documents not contained in the New Testament
• Explore these video resources by the Bible Project:
  • “1 Corinthians”: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/1-corinthians/
  • “New Testament Letters: Historical Context”: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/new-testament-letters-epistles-historical-context/
  • “New Testament Letters: Literary Context”: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/new-testament-letters-literary-context/