I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you
and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)
Here are five more dysfunctions that Paul addressed in his letters to the Corinthians; see if you recognize any of these issues in your own life today.
1. Discontent among marrieds and singles. Some married people wanted to be single, and some single people wanted to be married. Some single people had become sexually active and some married people had become celibate. Paul told them to be content where God had placed them (1 Cor. 7:17, 20, 24).
2. Confusion about Christian freedom. Some were so concerned about being different from the world that they established rules of behavior rather like the Pharisees. Others were so deeply concerned about connecting with the culture that they ended up with lifestyles that were indistinguishable from the world (1 Cor. 8-10).
3. Tension over worship. The Corinthians argued over dress, roles, spiritual gifts, the Lord’s Supper, and what takes place in a worship service. Paul laid out principles of both unity and diversity (1 Cor. 12:4-6).
4. Loss of eternal perspective. “If it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Cor. 15:12). If that were true, then being a Christian would be about finding a more fulfilled life now.
5. Reluctant giving. Even though the Corinthians used to give, they began to hold back, so Paul instructed them, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income” (1 Cor. 16:2).
Where might you be contributing to the dysfunction of your local church? Order these from 1 (a serious temptation for me) to 5 (not currently a temptation).
