1 Corinthians 11:17-18
Why do you “come to church?” Is it to “talk about the weekend” with your friends? Is it to “fulfill a childhood duty” that your parents forced you to do? Is it to “network for business purposes” that people sometimes do? Or is it to corporately worship your Lord and Savior with hearts filled with love, joy, and gratitude? I would say that MOTIVES MATTER! What we do and WHY WE DO IT really does make a difference.
For the Corinthian church, they were doing some of the right things but with the wrong motives. In particular, they were coming together to worship God in Communion (Lord’s Supper), but they were doing so in the wrong ways. In the 1st century church, it was common for churches to eat fellowship meals together before they partook in communion. Remember, communion is a physical illustration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It reminds us of his sacrificial death on The Cross for our sins. Our participation in it is filled with gratitude for his gift and anticipation of his eventual return to take us to heaven. It is highly spiritual and meaningful. At least, it’s supposed to be. It had become something else for the Corinthian church, and the Apostle Paul confronted their perversion of it.
Instead of focusing on Christ, they became consumed with their own selfish fulfillments. They came to “eat and drink” and completely forgot about the motive or reason for coming together. In essence, they were “going through the motions,” and it was causing unnecessary discord. Instead of “sharing” some of their food with the poor, they became selfish and sensual, ignoring them. It was as if they literally were at a “wild party” with their closest friends ignoring everyone else. It led to relational conflicts and a “splintering” of the focus and mission of Jesus. It was a disgrace to what communion was and is.
It’s also possible that there were other issues too that were dividing them. Instead of being unified under the banner of The Cross, they were divided under the banner of me-centric opinions and behaviors. One of the most underrated issues with “in-fighting” within the church is that it distracts a church away from what it should be doing - preaching and living the gospel of Jesus Christ! I have watched once strong churches become weak and impact-less because they allowed selfishness to seep into their leadership, mission, and priorities. We must always guard against this! Jesus must always be the center of our church!
The last time that you took communion, did you do so with gratitude and reflection, or was it simply something you did because you have always done it? The last time that you sang a song in church, did you do so with gratitude and joy, or were you simply hoping it would end soon so you could sit down? The last time you heard a message, were you listening ready to respond to the truth, or were you daydreaming and uninterested? Just because we are “in the building” does not mean that what’s going on in the building is in us! We need to “come to church” with hearts that are focused on Jesus. This is NOT the YMCA. This is NOT the Davison Athletic Club. This is NOT the NCG Trillium. This is a place where God’s people meet to hear God’s Word to sing of God’s greatness for God’s glory! Whatever distracts you when you meet for corporate worship must be completely removed from your life!
For the Corinthian church, they were doing some of the right things but with the wrong motives. In particular, they were coming together to worship God in Communion (Lord’s Supper), but they were doing so in the wrong ways. In the 1st century church, it was common for churches to eat fellowship meals together before they partook in communion. Remember, communion is a physical illustration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It reminds us of his sacrificial death on The Cross for our sins. Our participation in it is filled with gratitude for his gift and anticipation of his eventual return to take us to heaven. It is highly spiritual and meaningful. At least, it’s supposed to be. It had become something else for the Corinthian church, and the Apostle Paul confronted their perversion of it.
Instead of focusing on Christ, they became consumed with their own selfish fulfillments. They came to “eat and drink” and completely forgot about the motive or reason for coming together. In essence, they were “going through the motions,” and it was causing unnecessary discord. Instead of “sharing” some of their food with the poor, they became selfish and sensual, ignoring them. It was as if they literally were at a “wild party” with their closest friends ignoring everyone else. It led to relational conflicts and a “splintering” of the focus and mission of Jesus. It was a disgrace to what communion was and is.
It’s also possible that there were other issues too that were dividing them. Instead of being unified under the banner of The Cross, they were divided under the banner of me-centric opinions and behaviors. One of the most underrated issues with “in-fighting” within the church is that it distracts a church away from what it should be doing - preaching and living the gospel of Jesus Christ! I have watched once strong churches become weak and impact-less because they allowed selfishness to seep into their leadership, mission, and priorities. We must always guard against this! Jesus must always be the center of our church!
The last time that you took communion, did you do so with gratitude and reflection, or was it simply something you did because you have always done it? The last time that you sang a song in church, did you do so with gratitude and joy, or were you simply hoping it would end soon so you could sit down? The last time you heard a message, were you listening ready to respond to the truth, or were you daydreaming and uninterested? Just because we are “in the building” does not mean that what’s going on in the building is in us! We need to “come to church” with hearts that are focused on Jesus. This is NOT the YMCA. This is NOT the Davison Athletic Club. This is NOT the NCG Trillium. This is a place where God’s people meet to hear God’s Word to sing of God’s greatness for God’s glory! Whatever distracts you when you meet for corporate worship must be completely removed from your life!
Posted in Devotional