WEBVTT 00:00:00.660 --> 00:00:08.419 Well, I say again to you, good morning, hoping and praying the temperature continues to rise in here, if nowhere else than in our hearts. 00:00:09.939 --> 00:00:19.539 ! I was really sad to miss last week. I hate when we have to suspend worship, and so I'm delighted to be back here under whatever circumstances. 00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:27.839 And I see it as a great victory that you shoveled out of your space, fought the snowcrete, and made it here. 00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:36.460 We've been in a series in looking at 1 Corinthians, because that's where the lectionary has us, Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. 00:00:37.219 --> 00:00:45.299 And there's a number of incredibly relevant themes that I think speak to us in this particular moment as a church in a place like D.C. 00:00:45.299 --> 00:00:49.899 A lot of similarities between 1st century Corinth and 21st century D.C. 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:54.480 One of the major themes that arises in this letter is the theme of unity. 00:00:55.500 --> 00:00:56.579 Unity in the church. 00:00:56.579 --> 00:01:06.159 Those of you who've been Christians for a while, and maybe you've been in other churches, you know the first hand, the pain that division in the church can cause. 00:01:07.259 --> 00:01:16.879 If you're newer to the faith, maybe you haven't experienced it personally, but just, you know, sort of fair warning, that kind of thing is fairly common in the church. 00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:24.019 And if you're here and you're not a Christian, you may be tempted to think, well, this is a matter for the church and this doesn't really apply to me. 00:01:24.619 --> 00:01:26.500 I would actually beg to differ. 00:01:26.500 --> 00:01:34.400 Because I would say that unity, or at least the desire for unity, is something that I think most everybody I know longs for in the world. 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:45.519 We all long for and idealize living in a world that is not fragmented and divided, where people are, the world is free from division and conflict and war. 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:46.400 Nobody likes that. 00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:52.320 Some people actually think that religion is the problem. 00:01:53.219 --> 00:02:01.920 You know, one of the arguments that you'll hear is that if we could just do away with the church, if we could do away with religion, then we would have a lot less division because that's a lot of what causes it. 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:31.900 If we could do away with religion, then we would have a lot of what causes it to do. 00:02:31.900 --> 00:02:32.900 We would have a lot of what causes it to do. 00:02:32.900 --> 00:02:33.900 We would have a lot of what causes it to do. 00:02:33.900 --> 00:02:34.900 We would have a lot of what causes it to do. 00:02:34.900 --> 00:02:42.560 So there's a connection between unity in the church, what we're going to be talking about this morning, and unity in the world that everybody longs for. 00:02:43.300 --> 00:02:45.480 So the question we're asking is, how can that be? 00:02:45.580 --> 00:02:48.439 So we're going to look at this passage in 1 Corinthians in three parts. 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:50.379 First, the call to unity. 00:02:51.700 --> 00:02:53.379 Second, the pull toward disunity. 00:02:53.580 --> 00:02:56.300 And then finally, the power of the cross. 00:02:56.599 --> 00:02:56.980 Let's pray. 00:02:56.979 --> 00:03:03.060 Our heavenly father, we thank you for our safety this morning. 00:03:03.379 --> 00:03:06.219 We thank you for our ability to gather in your name. 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:11.519 We thank you that you're a God who is living and active, that you're able to speak to us through your word. 00:03:11.739 --> 00:03:13.599 And Lord, that's what we pray for this morning. 00:03:13.739 --> 00:03:20.699 We pray that you would thaw out frozen hearts and open us up to what you have for us this morning. 00:03:21.239 --> 00:03:22.759 And we pray this in your son's holy name. 00:03:22.759 --> 00:03:23.239 Amen. 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:27.500 So first of all, the call to unity. 00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:30.799 Paul's very unambiguous and he's very strong in his language. 00:03:31.179 --> 00:03:38.299 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say, 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:44.399 and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:47.240 Paul is using very strong language here. 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:57.360 He's saying, I want you to do everything in your power to eradicate factions in your church, to eradicate divisions in your church, 00:03:57.460 --> 00:04:03.439 to eradicate social cliques, insider-outsider groups in your church. 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:13.819 And he's calling this church to come together as one, not just outwardly, cosmetically, but inwardly, in their thoughts, in their desires. 00:04:14.659 --> 00:04:22.420 And he's doing this not out of his own authority or because he would prefer it, but he is saying all of this in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:04:22.540 --> 00:04:25.980 In other words, he's saying, this is what Jesus wants for you. 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:29.319 Jesus wants you to be unified. 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:31.000 Now, why would that be? 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:38.579 Because as we said a little while ago, this is God's desire for the human race. 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:44.279 The Bible actually says that one day we will all experience unity. 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:47.339 And the word of the Bible for this is the word shalom. 00:04:48.219 --> 00:04:51.039 And the great Bible scholar Walter Brueggemann says this. 00:04:51.039 --> 00:04:57.779 He says, the central vision of world history in the Bible is that all of creation is one. 00:04:57.779 --> 00:05:03.619 Not just the church, not just the Israelites, not just his people, not just religious people. 00:05:04.619 --> 00:05:09.279 The central vision of world history is that all of creation is one. 00:05:09.739 --> 00:05:19.000 Every creature in community with every other, living in harmony and security toward the joy and well-being of every other creature. 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:22.939 I heard somebody describe it one time like this. 00:05:22.980 --> 00:05:27.759 It's the difference between taking a bunch of threads and piling them up on a table. 00:05:28.339 --> 00:05:28.459 Right? 00:05:28.500 --> 00:05:29.579 That's not a fabric. 00:05:29.740 --> 00:05:32.060 That's just a bunch of threads piled on top of each other. 00:05:33.819 --> 00:05:39.259 It's the difference between that and actually weaving those threads together so that they become a fabric. 00:05:39.259 --> 00:05:45.339 In the same way, God's desire for human beings is not just that we're living around each other but disconnected, 00:05:46.139 --> 00:05:51.339 but rather that we are woven over and under and through one another. 00:05:51.339 --> 00:05:58.500 Every person connected to every other person as a great sort of human, social, spiritual fabric. 00:05:59.500 --> 00:06:00.959 That's where you're going to find warmth. 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:02.420 That's where you're going to find strength. 00:06:03.019 --> 00:06:04.219 That's where you're going to find unity. 00:06:04.339 --> 00:06:05.620 That's God's vision for the world. 00:06:05.620 --> 00:06:15.259 And so this is something that God desires to see first and foremost in the church because the whole purpose of the church is to give the world a preview. 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:16.800 Right? 00:06:17.019 --> 00:06:21.699 God wants people to look at the church and to see a preview of what he wants to do everywhere. 00:06:21.980 --> 00:06:28.959 So maybe in your neighborhood, people from different racial or ethnic or cultural backgrounds don't really mingle. 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:31.019 They kind of everybody keeps to themselves. 00:06:31.019 --> 00:06:43.199 God is saying when those people look down the road at the church, he wants people to see, wow, there's a community where lots of different kinds of people are interacting. 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:45.560 And they genuinely seem to like each other. 00:06:46.060 --> 00:06:47.659 And there seems to be real community there. 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:50.120 Wouldn't that be nice if we had that in our neighborhood? 00:06:51.579 --> 00:06:51.919 Right? 00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:58.399 Maybe in your neighborhood, people from different sides of the political spectrum don't really interact or talk about things. 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:05.959 But God wants people to look down the road at the church and to say, wow, in that community, people believe all different kinds of things about policy. 00:07:05.959 --> 00:07:10.399 But they seem to be able to work through those differences in respectful ways. 00:07:11.399 --> 00:07:12.919 Wouldn't that be nice if we had that? 00:07:13.159 --> 00:07:17.099 So God is wanting people to look at the church and to see beautiful things. 00:07:18.699 --> 00:07:22.579 So that as a result of seeing those beautiful things, they would actually find their way to him. 00:07:23.259 --> 00:07:25.159 That's God's desire for the church in the world. 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:28.500 One of those beautiful things is unity. 00:07:29.640 --> 00:07:33.180 But, of course, instead of unity, what do people see when they look at most churches? 00:07:33.340 --> 00:07:34.439 Well, they see the opposite. 00:07:34.640 --> 00:07:39.740 They see denominations and schism and factions and social cliques. 00:07:40.400 --> 00:07:48.980 So we have to ask the question of why is that the norm rather than the exception, the pull toward disunity. 00:07:49.320 --> 00:07:50.460 Paul goes on to say this. 00:07:50.459 --> 00:08:07.459 So instead of being a community of shalom, this church has become deeply divided. 00:08:07.939 --> 00:08:12.740 People in the church have become loyal followers of certain leaders over other leaders. 00:08:12.740 --> 00:08:15.420 So he says, some people say, well, I follow Paul. 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:16.319 I'm a Paul person. 00:08:16.660 --> 00:08:18.560 Other people say, well, I follow Apollos. 00:08:19.060 --> 00:08:20.759 Other people say, I follow Cephas. 00:08:21.060 --> 00:08:25.639 And other people say, I'm so spiritual, I don't even need human pastors in my life. 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:27.439 I have a direct line to Jesus. 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:29.560 And I take my orders from him. 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:34.120 And so there's these different preferences that have caused division. 00:08:34.299 --> 00:08:39.399 And I want to be clear, the problem isn't just that people have their favorite preacher. 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:41.840 You know, I have my favorite preachers. 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:43.480 We all have people that we like to listen to. 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:45.280 It's not that. 00:08:45.379 --> 00:08:50.379 It's that their allegiance to certain leaders is causing factions to form. 00:08:50.500 --> 00:08:58.980 So by saying, I'm a Paul person, what people are really saying is, I'm not an Apollos person. 00:08:59.160 --> 00:09:00.660 I'm not a Cephas person. 00:09:01.639 --> 00:09:04.060 It's a way of saying, I've got the genuine article. 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:11.120 Like, I'm a real Christian or I'm a more legitimate Christian because I follow this leader than you are. 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:11.560 Right? 00:09:11.560 --> 00:09:11.860 Right? 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:14.720 So that's what is concerning to Paul. 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:23.560 People were beginning to see their group or their tribe as being kind of superior or more genuine or legitimate than the other groups. 00:09:23.779 --> 00:09:26.679 And this is causing people to argue and fight with each other. 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:28.559 So the point is this. 00:09:28.620 --> 00:09:39.819 Even in the church, which is supposed to be putting unity on display, we see the potential for division because that's what sin does. 00:09:40.819 --> 00:09:42.659 That's sitting in the background of all of this. 00:09:42.739 --> 00:09:48.019 As Paul is saying, sin is being allowed to wreak havoc on this community. 00:09:48.239 --> 00:09:49.439 Sin always divides. 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:52.100 It divides us from God. 00:09:52.220 --> 00:09:53.820 It divides us from one another. 00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:57.300 That's one of the main symptoms of sin. 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:02.900 Sin being people living in some kind of rebellion against God in their hearts. 00:10:03.920 --> 00:10:06.260 So this is what is concerning to Paul. 00:10:06.340 --> 00:10:09.500 Now, there are lots of ways that we can apply this. 00:10:09.500 --> 00:10:18.059 And we've actually, if you've been a part of our church over the last few months, you know, we've addressed the topic of division a number of different ways. 00:10:18.139 --> 00:10:27.600 So there's lots of ways that we can apply this to the reality of denominations, to the reality of splits and church splits and factions and cliques. 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:30.220 So we could take this in a lot of different directions. 00:10:30.340 --> 00:10:31.540 It would apply to all of that. 00:10:32.899 --> 00:10:40.600 What I would like to do is discuss one specific way we experience this today that is related to technology. 00:10:43.139 --> 00:10:57.200 Because I would argue that today, 21st century D.C., not only do people still follow human influencers and celebrity pastors and thought leaders and gurus of various stripes, plenty of that out there. 00:10:57.200 --> 00:10:58.700 So that's still happening. 00:10:59.640 --> 00:11:05.240 But I would also argue that most of us are also followers of something far more powerful. 00:11:06.660 --> 00:11:11.500 That we are all followers of various social media algorithms. 00:11:12.980 --> 00:11:22.700 What I mean by that is AI-driven systems that analyze everything we do online, everything we look at, everything we click on, everything we purchase, everything we comment on. 00:11:22.700 --> 00:11:29.160 And then they act like an invisible DJ for you that you didn't ask for. 00:11:29.860 --> 00:11:36.020 They feed you content based on what you personally are most likely to engage with. 00:11:36.019 --> 00:11:45.899 And I would argue that these, and I'm arguing this, but lots and lots of people are arguing this, and lots of people are studying this now and the impact it's having. 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:53.500 But I would say that these technologies are causing a level of fragmentation in our society that is really unprecedented. 00:11:53.500 --> 00:12:08.539 And the point is this, unless we're actively pushing against that, we are all going to be living inside highly curated, personalized echo chambers. 00:12:08.539 --> 00:12:22.719 Meaning our perception of the world, our perception of the various issues and the problems that society is trying to solve is going to be vastly different than the person to our left or the person to our right. 00:12:23.179 --> 00:12:30.299 Because we are literally seeing different content that is custom tailored to us as individuals. 00:12:30.299 --> 00:12:37.740 And this has had an undeniably massive impact on the church. 00:12:38.759 --> 00:12:42.699 So imagine a highly engaged Christian. 00:12:42.819 --> 00:12:43.459 What do I mean by that? 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:48.419 Imagine a Christian today who's highly engaged, meaning they go to church every week. 00:12:49.159 --> 00:12:51.459 So they're at church for two to three hours every week. 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:55.639 And maybe they're also actively part of a small group. 00:12:55.639 --> 00:13:01.460 So maybe every week, in addition to church, a couple of hours spent with a small group on Wednesday night, right? 00:13:01.799 --> 00:13:04.559 I would say by most standards, that's a highly, highly engaged Christian. 00:13:04.860 --> 00:13:05.120 Great. 00:13:05.580 --> 00:13:07.659 By most average standards in our country. 00:13:08.899 --> 00:13:15.340 By contrast, that person on average is spending 49 hours a week online. 00:13:16.860 --> 00:13:17.039 Right? 00:13:17.100 --> 00:13:23.519 So there's no contest there in terms of where time and energy is being invested. 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:29.000 Most Christians, I would say, are far less engaged than that. 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:29.240 Right? 00:13:29.299 --> 00:13:40.720 Last year, research came out that says that over a quarter of evangelicals report, these are self-described evangelical Christians, over a quarter of them no longer go to church at all. 00:13:42.100 --> 00:13:51.019 So it is rapidly becoming, that label is rapidly becoming a secular political label rather than a religious distinction or a doctrinal distinction. 00:13:51.340 --> 00:13:51.519 Right? 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:54.679 So most Christians are far less engaged than that. 00:13:55.779 --> 00:13:59.340 So here's the hard truth that I'm wanting to lay out for us. 00:13:59.899 --> 00:14:06.259 Most Christians in our country are being discipled primarily by their algorithm. 00:14:07.319 --> 00:14:09.419 It's discipleship by algorithm. 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:15.579 So it's not just I follow Paul or I follow Apollos or I follow Cephas. 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:18.019 Now it's I follow my algorithm. 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:23.720 So in the same church, we can all be sitting together in the same pew. 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:24.860 Right? 00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:25.779 Just go down the pew. 00:14:26.679 --> 00:14:26.819 Right? 00:14:26.939 --> 00:14:32.840 The first person in the pew, their algorithm is feeding them a steady diet of ultra right-wing political commentary. 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:40.660 The next person over, their TikTok is feeding them a steady stream of Christian deconstruction content. 00:14:41.660 --> 00:14:42.019 Right? 00:14:42.220 --> 00:14:48.540 Go down to the next person in the pew, someone else is getting fed a lot of highly leftist progressive ideology. 00:14:49.540 --> 00:14:54.200 Go down to the next person, they're diving into doomsday prepping and conspiracy theories. 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:55.300 Right? 00:14:55.440 --> 00:14:56.840 And it just goes on and on and on. 00:14:57.060 --> 00:14:57.240 Right? 00:14:57.960 --> 00:15:01.840 And, you know, I don't know what your feed is feeding you. 00:15:03.280 --> 00:15:05.540 And I'm not necessarily saying that that's what I'm getting fed. 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:07.640 But we're all getting fed something. 00:15:08.540 --> 00:15:10.220 And here's the thing we need to be aware of. 00:15:10.220 --> 00:15:14.440 These algorithms are designed, as many of you know, to maximize engagement. 00:15:14.440 --> 00:15:17.740 So they're not concerned with nuance. 00:15:18.020 --> 00:15:20.680 They're not concerned with giving you a balanced perspective. 00:15:21.040 --> 00:15:24.520 They're not even concerned with what is true or real. 00:15:25.260 --> 00:15:36.980 Now that we have more and more and more AI slop, you know, AI-generated images and videos, it's getting harder and harder to tell what's even real and what's not. 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:44.039 And quite frankly, the algorithm doesn't care as long as you click, as long as you stay instead of scrolling. 00:15:45.420 --> 00:15:49.039 And more and more people, I would argue, maybe don't care. 00:15:50.700 --> 00:15:52.600 So this is the world that we live in. 00:15:52.920 --> 00:16:01.580 So on a Sunday morning, people come into church already primed to hear everything through a filter. 00:16:01.580 --> 00:16:09.620 A filter that has been created for them, built into their mind and heart by their social media algorithm. 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:10.320 Right? 00:16:10.800 --> 00:16:22.000 So imagine what happens when an average church on an average Sunday morning tries to address complicated, real-world issues. 00:16:23.060 --> 00:16:23.820 What happens? 00:16:24.280 --> 00:16:25.740 Just think of the last few weeks. 00:16:25.820 --> 00:16:27.000 We have MLK Weekend. 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:28.140 We have the March for Life. 00:16:28.420 --> 00:16:30.720 We have all the horrible stuff going down in Minneapolis. 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:31.320 Right? 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:35.899 Think about a church trying to engage any one of those issues. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:38.840 Trying to have a conversation about racial justice. 00:16:39.379 --> 00:16:41.040 Or the sanctity of human life. 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:43.440 Or immigration policy. 00:16:44.120 --> 00:16:44.300 Right? 00:16:45.580 --> 00:16:47.240 Think about a church trying to do that. 00:16:47.460 --> 00:16:51.840 These topics require a lot of patience, a lot of charity of spirit. 00:16:52.120 --> 00:16:55.300 They require us to be humble about our own opinions. 00:16:55.299 --> 00:17:01.159 They require us to assume the best about one another, especially when and where we disagree. 00:17:01.979 --> 00:17:03.439 But what does the algorithm do? 00:17:03.500 --> 00:17:09.460 The algorithm means people come into these conversations primed to react in the worst possible way. 00:17:11.859 --> 00:17:18.119 Operating out of outrage and fear and suspicion. 00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:18.719 Mistrust. 00:17:20.339 --> 00:17:20.699 Mistrust. 00:17:21.939 --> 00:17:22.199 Right? 00:17:22.539 --> 00:17:25.179 So every pastor I know will tell you the same thing. 00:17:25.379 --> 00:17:25.559 Right? 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:27.899 It doesn't matter if you say something. 00:17:27.959 --> 00:17:28.619 It doesn't matter if you don't. 00:17:28.699 --> 00:17:30.339 It doesn't matter if you engage the topic or not. 00:17:30.379 --> 00:17:31.899 It doesn't matter how careful you are. 00:17:32.099 --> 00:17:38.399 I've spent time online Googling, how do I refer to this issue in a non-political neutral way? 00:17:38.459 --> 00:17:40.059 Like, what's the word that I use? 00:17:40.059 --> 00:17:44.000 So that I can bring up the issue as an example of brokenness. 00:17:44.679 --> 00:17:45.700 It doesn't matter. 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:52.399 Every pastor will tell you there's no right way to engage the issues or to not engage the issues. 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:57.339 There's going to be anger and fear and outrage no matter what. 00:17:58.419 --> 00:17:59.720 This is not to disparage anybody. 00:18:00.579 --> 00:18:02.440 This is a symptom of the problem. 00:18:02.619 --> 00:18:07.940 It's a symptom of the kind of division that comes through these echo chambers. 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:10.860 So the point is not just all technology is evil. 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:12.080 No, I don't believe that at all. 00:18:12.140 --> 00:18:12.940 The point is this. 00:18:13.480 --> 00:18:14.480 Sin divides. 00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:22.759 The path of least resistance is always going to be toward fragmentation because that's what sin does. 00:18:23.740 --> 00:18:28.840 In the 21st century, certain technologies have amplified this. 00:18:29.299 --> 00:18:30.620 That's the point I'm trying to make. 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:33.580 Such as various algorithms. 00:18:33.579 --> 00:18:40.059 And I would argue that most of us are being formed by them every single day. 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:44.579 And it's causing deep and lasting division in our society. 00:18:44.879 --> 00:18:48.740 And I believe that we are seeing the impact of this on the church as well. 00:18:48.819 --> 00:18:49.519 I follow Paul. 00:18:49.639 --> 00:18:50.299 I follow Paulo. 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:51.639 I follow the algorithm. 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:55.480 So the question we need to be asking is how do we counteract this? 00:18:55.480 --> 00:19:02.779 How do we create lasting unity in a world full of forces that are actively trying to pull us apart? 00:19:03.500 --> 00:19:05.880 That's the question we need to be wrestling with. 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:09.559 And this brings us to the third point. 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:11.640 The power of the cross. 00:19:13.160 --> 00:19:18.860 In response to the divisions in the church, Paul says these three powerful words. 00:19:18.859 --> 00:19:22.879 Is Christ divided? 00:19:24.559 --> 00:19:26.179 Is Christ divided? 00:19:27.479 --> 00:19:28.379 What's he saying? 00:19:30.379 --> 00:19:33.839 Christians are spiritually united. 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:36.519 Whether we act like it or not. 00:19:37.299 --> 00:19:38.619 Whether we feel like it or not. 00:19:39.899 --> 00:19:43.259 Christians are spiritually united. 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:50.759 When you are baptized, you are joined to spiritually become one with the body of Christ. 00:19:51.720 --> 00:19:56.940 Which means that all Christians have been baptized into the same body. 00:19:57.059 --> 00:19:58.299 The body of Christ. 00:19:58.660 --> 00:20:00.619 And what Paul is saying indirectly is this. 00:20:01.460 --> 00:20:06.980 If Christ cannot be divided, then neither should his people be divided. 00:20:08.140 --> 00:20:10.220 We can't parcel Christ out. 00:20:10.220 --> 00:20:13.220 We can't say, well, this group has more of Jesus than that group. 00:20:13.619 --> 00:20:16.640 When you have any of Jesus, you have all of Jesus. 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:21.859 So everybody has all of Jesus if you've been baptized into his name. 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:24.619 So Paul is saying we are all one. 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:25.559 So here's the point. 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:32.759 Whenever Christians start sorting ourselves into various camps, regardless of how legitimate it may feel, 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:39.339 whenever Christians start sorting themselves into camps, that is a denial of our baptism. 00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:42.119 It's a denial of our baptism. 00:20:42.119 --> 00:20:48.739 And it's a sign that something other than Christ has started to creep into the center of that community. 00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:52.379 Something else has become central. 00:20:52.380 --> 00:20:56.120 So this raises the question for Paul and for us. 00:20:56.200 --> 00:20:59.640 How does Paul restore unity to Corinth? 00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:06.140 How might he bring unity to a church in 21st century D.C.? 00:21:06.140 --> 00:21:09.260 Well, he does it the only way you can. 00:21:10.380 --> 00:21:14.680 He reminds them of the truth and the power of the gospel. 00:21:14.680 --> 00:21:17.640 Here's what he says at the end of our passage. 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:22.799 For Christ did not send me to baptize because people are saying, well, I got baptized by Paul. 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:28.920 Can you imagine, by the way, I love, I think that there's a little bit more going on than we think when Paul says, you know, 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:32.980 I remember baptizing Christmas and this is beyond that, I don't remember who I baptized. 00:21:33.700 --> 00:21:36.980 Because you can imagine somebody being like, I was baptized by Paul, right? 00:21:37.100 --> 00:21:39.259 You know, remember when Paul was here, he baptized me. 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:42.820 And then Paul's like, I don't even remember who I baptized, right? 00:21:42.819 --> 00:21:48.639 So he's like, God did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel. 00:21:49.439 --> 00:21:54.539 Not with wisdom and eloquence lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 00:21:54.879 --> 00:21:55.639 So what's he doing? 00:21:55.960 --> 00:21:59.460 He's saying to this divided church, you've got to come back to the foot of the cross. 00:22:00.460 --> 00:22:02.019 You've got to come back to the foot of the cross. 00:22:02.619 --> 00:22:03.339 Now why? 00:22:03.899 --> 00:22:05.259 Why the foot of the cross? 00:22:06.639 --> 00:22:08.279 Have you ever seen the movie The Bucket List? 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:10.980 If you haven't, it's a great movie. 00:22:10.980 --> 00:22:13.759 Maybe next time you're snowed in, you should watch it. 00:22:14.620 --> 00:22:18.099 But The Bucket List is about two men who have almost nothing in common. 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:24.920 Edward is a white billionaire corporate titan and Carter is a black working class mechanic. 00:22:25.360 --> 00:22:30.480 And under normal circumstances, in normal everyday life, these two men would probably never even meet, 00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:32.980 much less would they have anything to do with each other. 00:22:33.460 --> 00:22:38.360 But by the end of the film, they have become fast friends, best friends. 00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:44.359 So the question is, how do two people who are so radically different become such good friends? 00:22:45.059 --> 00:22:45.979 Here's the answer. 00:22:47.159 --> 00:22:53.679 They're both brought into the same hospital room and they are both given the same terminal diagnosis. 00:22:53.680 --> 00:23:00.200 And as soon as that happens, all divisions are stripped away. 00:23:01.080 --> 00:23:01.200 Right? 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:05.180 Everything that wants to distinguish them suddenly becomes secondary. 00:23:06.060 --> 00:23:11.660 And what that does is it opens a path for them to become genuine, joyful friends. 00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:20.800 And I would argue that that is just a, it's a good movie, but it's just a glimpse of what happens at the foot of the cross. 00:23:24.300 --> 00:23:27.960 At the foot of the cross, we are brought into the same room as it were. 00:23:27.960 --> 00:23:31.319 And we're all given the same diagnosis. 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:34.279 We're all there for the same reason. 00:23:36.120 --> 00:23:46.579 We all know that our only hope of ever being free from sin and death is to cry out for the mercy of Jesus. 00:23:47.779 --> 00:23:49.360 It's the only hope we have. 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:51.160 We all have the same condition. 00:23:51.840 --> 00:23:54.160 And apart from the mercy of Jesus, it is terminal. 00:23:54.160 --> 00:24:00.580 And so at the foot of the cross, all divisions are stripped away. 00:24:01.600 --> 00:24:06.040 All illusions of superiority or inferiority sort of evaporate. 00:24:06.340 --> 00:24:09.620 At the foot of the cross, all pride is extinguished. 00:24:11.380 --> 00:24:14.840 It's impossible to feel superior over anyone. 00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:21.840 All of our differences, while meaningful, become secondary to our shared need for Christ. 00:24:21.840 --> 00:24:23.759 That becomes the primary thing. 00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:29.800 But as soon as we start to move away from the foot of the cross, what happens? 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:35.120 As soon as we start to gain distance from that, pride starts to creep in. 00:24:36.340 --> 00:24:38.360 People start to take sides. 00:24:39.220 --> 00:24:42.300 People start to identify in smaller camps. 00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:44.460 Differences start to push us apart. 00:24:44.460 --> 00:24:51.259 What Paul is saying is that unity is only possible through the cross. 00:24:52.140 --> 00:24:53.420 At the foot of the cross. 00:24:54.920 --> 00:24:56.420 So what does this mean for us? 00:24:56.420 --> 00:24:59.740 Let me pull this together. 00:24:59.740 --> 00:25:07.900 There are spiritual, social, and now technological forces tearing our society apart. 00:25:07.900 --> 00:25:13.740 And it might be tempting to think that the answer is just to get off all technology. 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:15.259 Right? 00:25:15.580 --> 00:25:17.180 Move to the Irish countryside. 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:18.840 Live off the grid. 00:25:18.839 --> 00:25:24.079 Maybe for some people that's the answer. 00:25:24.199 --> 00:25:26.859 I would argue if you're a Christian, that is not an option. 00:25:28.319 --> 00:25:29.459 It's not an option. 00:25:30.059 --> 00:25:38.699 Because with all due respect, secular, non-religious people have absolutely no resources to combat this whatsoever. 00:25:38.700 --> 00:25:40.700 Nothing. 00:25:40.700 --> 00:25:41.700 Nothing. 00:25:41.700 --> 00:25:41.700 00:25:41.700 --> 00:25:41.700 00:25:41.700 --> 00:25:43.700 Nothing. 00:25:43.700 --> 00:25:44.700 Nothing. 00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:47.160 The world needs the church. 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:57.460 Because the church is the only institution that has within its grasp the power to overcome difference, 00:25:58.140 --> 00:26:01.340 to reconcile people to God and to one another, 00:26:01.799 --> 00:26:06.180 and to create the conditions that make lasting unity possible. 00:26:06.819 --> 00:26:08.660 You're not going to find it anywhere else. 00:26:09.620 --> 00:26:12.080 Because it's only found through the power of the cross. 00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:16.360 So if you're part of the church, welcome to the resistance. 00:26:18.059 --> 00:26:19.279 You're in the right place. 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:23.160 So what does it mean to be the resistance in this kind of world? 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:27.299 Bigger conversation that we have time for this morning. 00:26:27.779 --> 00:26:28.840 I know it's cold. 00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:30.840 I give you three thoughts. 00:26:32.019 --> 00:26:32.860 Three thoughts. 00:26:33.120 --> 00:26:34.080 What does it mean to be the resistance? 00:26:34.279 --> 00:26:34.759 Number one, 00:26:34.759 --> 00:26:42.059 the church has to become and has to see itself as a counter-formational community. 00:26:43.119 --> 00:26:45.180 As a counter-formational community. 00:26:45.180 --> 00:26:50.879 The church has to recognize itself as a place where people come to be re-humanized. 00:26:50.880 --> 00:26:56.460 Where dividing walls of hostility are actively torn down. 00:26:56.460 --> 00:27:07.279 And friends, that means that we cannot allow ourselves to ever take sides or to begin to echo certain partisan talking points or certain algorithms. 00:27:07.279 --> 00:27:11.639 That we have to be committed, for instance, to being politically purple. 00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:16.880 There are a lot of churches, actually, that are cashing in on the echo chambers. 00:27:16.940 --> 00:27:24.120 That are realizing that if we just take sides and if we start spouting off certain partisan talking points, then we're going to grow. 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:25.240 And that's true. 00:27:25.360 --> 00:27:28.480 And I've actually had more than one person suggest that we do that. 00:27:28.620 --> 00:27:29.300 Because you'll grow. 00:27:30.360 --> 00:27:33.820 Because it feels good to be in a community where you can be honest about what you think. 00:27:33.840 --> 00:27:35.980 And you don't have to worry about anybody disagreeing with you. 00:27:35.980 --> 00:27:41.160 Where it's really clearly understood in that community who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. 00:27:41.940 --> 00:27:42.839 That feels good. 00:27:43.660 --> 00:27:47.240 And yeah, I think that that will bring an uptick to growth in the short term. 00:27:47.700 --> 00:27:51.000 I would also argue that it's based on a lie from the pit of hell. 00:27:53.759 --> 00:27:58.360 And that over the long term, the churches that go down that road are going to fade into irrelevance. 00:28:00.759 --> 00:28:04.200 Because they no longer anything, they no longer offer anything. 00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:07.140 That the world isn't selling on every street corner. 00:28:07.799 --> 00:28:09.600 They no longer offer anything you need. 00:28:10.779 --> 00:28:15.420 So we, as a counter-formational community, we have to be committed. 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:25.059 We have to be committed to being the kind of community where we have different people with different thoughts and different opinions 00:28:25.059 --> 00:28:28.420 who are committed to working through those differences together. 00:28:28.420 --> 00:28:32.600 It also means this, however many hours we are spending online, 00:28:33.300 --> 00:28:42.200 we need to be spending at least that amount of time on our own spiritual growth as a church community. 00:28:42.340 --> 00:28:46.140 So gone are the days of kind of casually engaged Christianity. 00:28:46.640 --> 00:28:49.740 Gone are the days of dropping in on Christmas and Easter. 00:28:49.740 --> 00:28:50.380 Right? 00:28:52.380 --> 00:28:58.339 If we want any chance at pushing against these forces and influences, 00:28:58.759 --> 00:29:01.339 it requires a very high degree of commitment. 00:29:01.900 --> 00:29:07.720 It requires understanding that we need ongoing, weekly, multiple times a week, counter-formation happening. 00:29:08.680 --> 00:29:11.579 Because you've got to understand, when we gather every Sunday, 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:15.240 everything we do is meant to recenter us on the cross 00:29:15.240 --> 00:29:18.559 and reaffirm our baptismal identity in Christ. 00:29:18.720 --> 00:29:19.799 We sing together. 00:29:20.099 --> 00:29:21.099 We pray together. 00:29:21.339 --> 00:29:22.740 We confess our faith together. 00:29:22.980 --> 00:29:24.500 We sit under God's word together. 00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:26.140 We eat from the same bread. 00:29:26.480 --> 00:29:27.819 We drink from the same cup. 00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:31.140 It's all designed to remind us in a fragmenting world, 00:29:31.539 --> 00:29:32.940 you are spiritually one. 00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:40.579 So all of these practices are designed to counteract the forces of sin that pull us apart. 00:29:41.299 --> 00:29:43.900 And we need that in our lives every week. 00:29:45.240 --> 00:29:47.420 So first, counter-formational community. 00:29:47.539 --> 00:29:50.559 Number two, and this is related to being a purple church, 00:29:50.640 --> 00:29:55.539 to being a church that maintains and celebrates its diversity in all of its various forms. 00:29:56.839 --> 00:30:02.200 We have to commit ourselves to building consensus whenever we can with the people around us. 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:04.220 I want to be clear. 00:30:04.299 --> 00:30:07.900 Paul is not calling the Corinthians or us to uniformity. 00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:08.839 Right? 00:30:08.900 --> 00:30:10.599 So unity is not sameness. 00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:13.220 Unity is not the absence of disagreement. 00:30:13.220 --> 00:30:16.880 Unity is shared submission to Jesus. 00:30:17.680 --> 00:30:20.519 Unity means kneeling together at the same cross. 00:30:21.500 --> 00:30:26.620 So in verse 10, when Paul says that we should seek to be united in the same mind and judgment, 00:30:27.420 --> 00:30:30.660 he's talking about doing the hard work of consensus building. 00:30:31.740 --> 00:30:33.759 He's saying because you're spiritually one, 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:37.420 you need to be working to find common ground with the Christians around you. 00:30:37.420 --> 00:30:41.920 You need to be focusing on what you're for rather than what you're against. 00:30:43.140 --> 00:30:48.759 You need to be working to understand why people have different opinions than you do and respecting those people. 00:30:49.680 --> 00:30:55.720 You need to be working to identify your own blind spots and being open to learning something from people here and there. 00:30:56.360 --> 00:30:58.320 You need to do the hard work of consensus building. 00:30:58.319 --> 00:31:03.079 And then number three, sort of, we did the church and we did relationships. 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:05.659 Now we're zooming in on us as individuals. 00:31:05.859 --> 00:31:08.059 What can you do right now to be part of the resistance? 00:31:09.139 --> 00:31:09.980 You can pray. 00:31:11.359 --> 00:31:12.159 You can pray. 00:31:14.159 --> 00:31:17.899 One of the tools that has helped me, a lot of people I know and respect, 00:31:18.659 --> 00:31:22.639 stay focused on the cross is the Jesus prayer. 00:31:22.640 --> 00:31:27.600 If you've never heard the Jesus prayer before, it's very simple. 00:31:28.080 --> 00:31:33.340 Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. 00:31:34.560 --> 00:31:43.380 And if you've never prayed this prayer before, you can start by simply praying it to yourself quietly and attentively, 00:31:43.860 --> 00:31:45.580 five, ten minutes a day. 00:31:47.080 --> 00:31:48.720 Just pray it quietly to yourself. 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:54.640 Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. 00:31:56.640 --> 00:31:58.100 And see what that does in your heart. 00:31:59.759 --> 00:32:07.839 What I experience when I'm able to do this is I experience I slowly get brought back into the presence of Jesus. 00:32:08.140 --> 00:32:12.440 I slowly get brought back into that room, back to the foot of the cross. 00:32:12.819 --> 00:32:15.259 I slowly am reminded of what is most true of me. 00:32:15.259 --> 00:32:19.680 That my only hope in this world is the mercy of Jesus. 00:32:20.200 --> 00:32:25.779 Now some people might object and say, well, why does it sound like we're continually begging God for mercy? 00:32:25.879 --> 00:32:27.859 Doesn't he give mercy abundantly? 00:32:28.140 --> 00:32:29.480 And I would say absolutely. 00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:32.019 And it's one of my favorite responses to that. 00:32:32.119 --> 00:32:35.680 It comes from Federica Matthews Green where she says this. 00:32:36.180 --> 00:32:39.359 She says, God doesn't need us to remind him to be merciful. 00:32:39.359 --> 00:32:42.919 He's merciful all the time, even when we don't ask. 00:32:43.740 --> 00:32:44.579 Here's the point. 00:32:45.199 --> 00:32:50.099 But unless we make a habit of asking for mercy, we forget that we need it. 00:32:51.740 --> 00:32:57.879 Ego builds a cardboard fortress that humility must every day tear down. 00:32:57.880 --> 00:33:04.720 As soon as ego starts to build that cardboard fortress, that's when the division creeps in. 00:33:05.460 --> 00:33:09.600 And the only way to tear that down is to come to the foot of the cross. 00:33:10.580 --> 00:33:15.680 That prayer for me and for many people I know has been a tool to make that happen. 00:33:15.680 --> 00:33:23.180 So all of these are ways, friends, that we are able to build the kind of community the world desperately needs. 00:33:23.320 --> 00:33:27.960 It's a way for us to be the resistance in a society that desperately needs it. 00:33:28.259 --> 00:33:33.160 And it's a way for us to be a community that puts the heart of God on display. 00:33:33.960 --> 00:33:34.420 Let's pray. 00:33:36.580 --> 00:33:38.460 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:33:38.680 --> 00:33:42.180 And we thank you for the blessing of the cross. 00:33:42.180 --> 00:33:45.580 We thank you for Paul's reminder of its power. 00:33:46.580 --> 00:33:50.220 And that it makes foolish the wisdom of the wise. 00:33:51.060 --> 00:34:00.480 Lord, that you have chosen the weak and foolish things of the world to expose the emptiness of all that seems wise and all that seems powerful. 00:34:01.700 --> 00:34:08.500 Lord, may we learn what it means to be a community that lives in victory at the foot of the cross. 00:34:09.400 --> 00:34:11.579 May we be a counterculture. 00:34:12.179 --> 00:34:13.539 And may that be for your glory. 00:34:14.219 --> 00:34:17.539 That people might come to discover their freedom in you. 00:34:18.019 --> 00:34:20.059 We pray this in the name of your son, Jesus. 00:34:20.419 --> 00:34:20.599 Amen.