week of 5/5

Unit 32 Session 5

UNITED IN THE GOSPEL

1 CORINTHIANS 1; 12

The church is one body, joined together by Christ and His Gospel.

As the Gospel spread, the first Christian missionaries established new churches in metropolitan areas. One such city was Corinth. Destroyed in 146 B.C. by Rome, the revitalized about one hundred years later, the "new" Corinth was a bustling crossroads filed with trade, tourism, and travelers seeking to settle in this land of opportunity. It was a strategic place for ministry, and the apostle Paul established a church there during his second missionary journey in the early AD 50s. After eighteen months of ministry, Paul left the Corinthian church. First Corinthians provides a peek into the state of the church just a few years after her birth, and the prognosis was not good.

Points to consider:

✞   The church is united under one leader.

     * How does disunity threaten the 

        growth of the church?

     * How ought Paul's rebuke in this 

        passage shape what we look for 

        and celebrate in a church leader?

✞   The church is united by one Gospel.

     * What are some "red flags" that 

        might indicate our leaning on 

        the world's wisdom instead of God's? 

     * What happens when we rely on 

        human wisdom instead of God's 

        wisdom found in the Gospel?

✞   The church is united in one body.

     * Why is it sometimes difficult 

        to celebrate the differences 

        within the body?

     * If you knew that your spiritual 

        gift would be taken away 

        tomorrow, what would you 

        do today so you could use 

        it to the fullest?