Fully Devoted: The ChurchSample

Is There a “Right” Way to Do Church?

In a world where there are now over 45,000 recognized factions of Christianity, who’s doing it right? Why do all these different groups exist? Is there value to these “differents” or are they just a distraction from the mission? 

Let’s examine these questions in light of 1 Corinthians—another letter from Paul to a church with which he was very familiar. Acts 18 records details of Paul’s 18-month stay in the city of Corinth. He taught the Word of God, and many Corinthians believed and were baptized. He even got an encouraging vision from God to keep going because more people in the city would hear and trust the good news about Jesus. 

After that year and a half, however, Paul moved on, and problems began to emerge. There are four main issues addressed in this letter that, though written to the Corinthians back then, carry relevance and significance to us now. Paul tried to help the church at Corinth learn to see every area of life through the lens of the gospel. And this was no easy task. Jesus Himself spoke to the drastic change of perspective that’s part of participating in the kingdom of heaven. In a society that propagates the idea that a meaningful life is about satisfying your desires—whether in ancient or modern times—Jesus demonstrated and Paul echoed that a meaningful life is found in denying ourselves and operating for the good of others. 

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42-45 NIV

So at every junction in this epistle where Paul describes a problem, we watch him respond with the gospel. And central to the gospel is the relentless love of a God who became a man in order to heal what was broken in each of us individually and set us on a different and better course collectively. Learning to think of every area of life through the lens of the gospel is the process that transforms us into the kind of people who can love God with all that we are and love others the same way that Jesus has loved us. This is the foundation Paul keeps coming back to, and this is the foundation the Church must be built upon. 

The first problem Paul addresses is that the church in Corinth was starting to look like a popularity contest. There was division over which leader they liked more. Are you Team Paul or Team Apollos? Team Edward or Team Jacob? Yes, the Church, the living, breathing, visible expression of God’s kingdom on earth was getting divided over something that can be compared to your preferred character in the Twilight novels. We’d never let that happen today … or would we? How quickly do we write people off based on whether or not they follow the same pastors on Instagram as we do? “Oh, yikes … you listen to him?” And we pass judgments, which leads to division. But Paul reminds us that the Church is not a popularity contest; it’s centered on the person of Jesus. It’s all about Him. So is there a right way to do this? Yes, and it’s to keep the focus on Jesus. 

Next on the docket of problems to address is the Corinthians’ wacky sexual ethic. What can we and can we not do as followers of Jesus in this department? This issue was also creating division in the Church (as it does today) because there is nothing that hurts more than when we get this part of life and relationships wrong. When our sexual ethic is based on anything other than loving others the same way Jesus has loved us, we end up dehumanizing someone in the process. And that’s not okay. Because at the very center of the good news is God’s relentless love for people. Seen properly, our sexual ethic is actually a way to respond to Jesus’ love and grace. So is there a right way to do this? Yes, and it’s to love others the same way that God, through Christ, has loved us. 

In chapters 8-10, the issue is food. Well, on the surface. In actuality, this topic also comes back to how we love others. And a way we love them is by not misleading them. See, the specific kind of food being discussed here is meat that had been partially sacrificed or previously dedicated to idols. What Paul points out is the opportunity for misunderstanding. It’s not that there are some foods that are objectively good and some that are objectively bad—we’re free in Christ to enjoy the good gift of tasty food! But if someone is looking on and thinking to themselves, “Oh hey, that person worships God but also must worship that idol over there because that’s the meat from the sacrifice …”—then we’ve created confusion instead of bringing clarity. The overarching principle here is that love denies itself to look out for others. So is there a right way to do this? Yes, and it’s to lay down our preferences in order to serve people. 

Finally, Paul addresses the church’s gathering itself. He challenges us to ask the question—why are we even doing this? Is it to show up and show off? Is it to be heard, seen, and feel significant? If it is, then we’ve completely missed it. The church gathering is the place where God’s Spirit works through us all. It’s this beautiful, supernatural, yet altogether normal coming together of God and human beings. And our God is the God who brought order out of chaos. In His church, we don’t step on each other’s toes trying to get attention—we walk in step with one another and the Spirit. 

Right in the middle of this discussion on the purpose of our gatherings and how to work together, we land in 1 Corinthians 13, commonly called the “love chapter” in the Bible. No, Paul doesn’t stop talking about the Church to start a conversation on marriage. What this chapter actually communicates is that the highest value in the Church is love—because this community was built on the new covenant that Jesus established with humanity. And that new covenant came with a new commandment. 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 NIV

So is there a right way to do this? Yes, and it’s to keep the focus on Jesus, lay down our preferences, and love one another the same way Jesus has loved us. 

Journaling Questions  

• What verse or verses stuck out to you the most today? Write them in your journal. 
• Out of the issues Paul addresses in the church at Corinth, which one do you see as having the most significant impact on your church experience?  
• What’s one way that you can be intentional in your faith community about keeping the focus on Jesus, setting aside personal preference, and loving one another?

Memory Verse

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:28-29 NIV