Party Affiliation

1 Cor 1:10-18

    We live in a deeply divided culture. Living in a different manner is an

incredible challenge.

    Two weeks ago our nation suffered the horror of the shooting in Tuscon,
AZ. Since that time we’ve been yelling about yelling too much. We’ve divided
over divisions.

    We KNOW about divisions!

    “I am of Barack Obama!”

    “I am of Sarah Palin!”

    “I am of the Constitution!”

    “I am of the anarchists!”

    We have this desire, for some reason, to slice it up, set up our camps, and
start lobbing political grenades at each other.

    The trouble is we may have that tendency in our churches as well.

    “I am of John Piper.”

    “I am of Greg Boyd.”

    “I am of Joyce Meyer.”

    “I am of Joel Olsteen.”

    Corinth is certainly a city and a church that knew its divisions. Culturally,
it was important. It is not very different from our own culture in some
respects. Cultural ties. Family ties. Social ties. Those are things that can be
important. It was certainly true in Corinth.

1 “Party Affiliation”
    So, setting up your connection was vital. The connections mattered to
them. They were theological camps, of sorts.

    Picture Apollos, Peter and Paul looking at this. Three men who preached
the gospel. Yet, people have picked up on differing points of approach to
ministry and CAMPED ON THEM.

    Perhaps Apollos was more eloquent, so those who elevated speech as
important drifted to that camp. Perhaps having a more rigid set of rules was
important a group picked up that Peter tended to be that way, so they set up
their theological camp around him.

    Imagine Apollos, Peter and Paul looking at that and thinking, “What in the
WORLD is going on?!?”

    But in a culture where belonging to a group was important, it made sense
to the Corinthians. To be “of Rome” was vital in that culture. You didn’t want
to be seen as against Rome! To be “of Jerusalem” could be an advantage, too.

    We look to DIVIDE. What is your “party affiliation?”

    Several years ago in our city clergy group we had one pastor who always
wanted to talk about what made each of us different. What was different
from United Methodists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, etc. He was fascinated by
those discussions. The rest of us weren’t so enthralled.

    What kept us together as a group was finally the decision to unite around
what we could AGREE on. Since that time, we have enjoyed fabulous
fellowship. It has even allowed us to discuss differences from time to time.
But it is out of our deep love for each and Christ that we can approach some
of those differences.

    The Cross of Jesus Christ is the game changer. Paul calls the Corinthians
back to the center.

    In our world it’s about status. We NEED those party affiliations. We
NEED to set up our dividing lines so we can be over and against someone or

2 “Party Affiliation”
something else. It comes out of our broken world. We are trying to defend
our little territory.

    The cross transforms the value of our actions and status. The cross
creates a brand new economy. This world doesn’t recognize it.

    We look for identity markers. We look for what we now call “branding.”
Then, you have to “market your brand.”
   
    What Paul calls on is for us to learn it’s not about our branding. It’s about
the new economy. It’s the economy of the Cross. The economy where there
are NO DIVISIONS. He will say this again in this way: Where there is no
Greek or Jew. Bond or free. Male or female. All of those are brands.
Dividers. Affiliations.

    Because of the cross we need to view the world differently. We need to
understand that our minds are being transformed... renewed.

    The call is to participate in a new story -- the story of the cross. How we
think about the world, its value, its knowledge, its wisdom, its virtue gets
rearranged! God’s great act of salvation SHOULD rearrange our worldview.
The entirety of our life SHOULD be changed.

1. The Cross Brings Unity

    We are not mind-numbed robots, but we realize the basics of what brings
us together and WE STICK TO IT! Paul’s call is to be united in mind and
thought.

    This is why the first creeds are so vital. It was something to AGREE on.
They didn’t split hairs on it. There was plenty of time to do that centuries
later. But early on, you see those very basic points to AGREE ON.

    Christ is risen.

    Christ is coming again.

    Phil. 2:6-11 might be an early hymn or creed:

3 “Party Affiliation”
     6 Who, being in very nature God,
  did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own
advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
  by taking the very nature of a servant,
  being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
  he humbled himself
  by becoming obedient to death—
     even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
  and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
  in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
  to the glory of God the Father.

1 Tim. 3:16 is also a possible creed:

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is
great:
  He appeared in the flesh,
  was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
  was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
  was taken up in glory.

    Again, simple words that were probably repeated in worship so they could
know what UNITED them.

    There was room for differing opinion. Paul and Peter sure disagreed at
times. That didn’t separate them in Christ, however!

2. The Cross Brings a New Perspective

4 “Party Affiliation”
    How we view others will become radically different when the cross has its
work in us.

    We are invited to a new story. A new narrative.

    Paul asks, “Was PAUL crucified for you? What PAUL the name you used at
baptism?”

    We need to recognize it is GOD’S action that saved us. Christ was sent by
God. We didn’t ask for it. God acted. The story is not our story.

    We play a part in the drama by entering into the story through baptism.

    Let me say this. As pastor, I have not been diligent to talk about baptism.
I have worked harder to bring in the Lord’s Table, but I have been negligent
in talking about baptism. Part of it is due to a baptistry that malfunctions
and not having hot water on a cold winter day. Those are poor excuses,
though. We can arrange things for a lake in the summer.

    Baptism is CRUCIAL in the life of the believer, just as the Lord’s Table is
vital. Baptism is the sign that you are willingly entering into the story of
Christ. The cross has had its effect on you and you want to publicly declare,  
“I am Christ’s follower. I renounce the ways of this world and I am all in for
Christ.”

    I ask your forgiveness for being so negligent in this matter.

    If you are here and are following Christ but have not been baptized, you
need to follow Christ in this command. We aren’t going to cut a whole in the
ice and do this tomorrow or next week. However, we want to be obedient.

    If you desire to follow Christ in this way, please get a note to me. Jot it
down right now and make sure I get it after the service. Or, let me know.
Just tell me. But let’s follow Christ in this way.
       
    Baptism is our commitment to enter into this new narrative. No more
party affiliations.

5 “Party Affiliation”
    We can LIKE certain teachers more than others. But we don’t create
dividing lines over them. We can have disagreements in approach, but that
does not mean we are separated in Christ.

    How we view others in this world SHOULD change because of the cross.
We shouldn’t view others as mortal combat enemies!

    Within the Body of Christ there certainly shouldn’t be so much combat.
All things are level at the cross. Paul’s appeal is to stop working against each
other!

    Christ has radically upset the world’s view of position. SO SHOULD THE
CHURCH!

3. The Cross is Power

vv. 17, 18 -- Paul doesn’t want the cross to lose its power.

    It doesn’t make sense, really. The status of ultimate humiliation in this
world is actually the gateway to the very power of God. How absurd!

    There are so many ways we are called to look at “status.” It’s about who
we know, what we have, how we are connected, what we own... or what owns
us.

    But in the cross of Christ we find a symbol of humiliation. Death.

Horrifying death. Ultimate defeat. Cruel death and brutal humiliation.

    It’s not about what we own, where we live, how we look... it’s about the
One who owns us. The One we serve. The One who gives us life and power.

    The cross is about US getting out of the way so that Christ can be
magnified.

    I personally think this reality in Paul’s life is directly related to his own
ministry. He came to Corinth after his stay in Athens. In Athens he was
alone. He was completely off his “game,” so to speak. But he wanted to
preach the gospel. He tried to communicate in a way that was reasonable to

6 “Party Affiliation”
the Athenians. He went the rhetorical route. It was not Paul. It wasn’t
effective. A few believed. No big revival. No riot. In Paul’s terms, that’s just
disappointing!

    His next stop was Corinth. He stayed longer in Corinth than any other
place up to that point in his ministry. He dropped the pretense of beautiful
rhetoric and went back to relying on the power of the Spirit. God gave him a
vision for the city and Paul’s ministry got back on track.

    I think Paul is reflection on his time in Athens and the difference made
when he came to Corinth that first time. HE needed to get out of the way.

    In a day and age when it’s all about “branding,” we need this message
again. WE need to get out of the way! We need to allow the cross of Christ
to work in us, calling us to die to ourselves and find life IN HIM once again.
It doesn’t make sense to this world. SO BE IT!

    Let our identity be found in Christ. Not in some particular teacher. In
Christ.

    The table of the Lord is the place where we are reminded of the power of
the cross. Every week. It’s not us. It’s Jesus.

    Let us walk in unity of purpose. We are varied in our gifts. Body parts
don’t all look the same. Paul will get to that. Body parts don’t always move in
the same direction because they need to function in their particular way to
get the body moving. Body parts don’t all have the same function.
   
    But they have unity of purpose.

    So it is with us. We have different gifts. But our purpose does not waiver.
We glorify Jesus. We proclaim him as our Savior.

    Let’s proclaim a very simple truth together:

CHRIST HAS DIED. CHRIST HAS RISEN. CHRIST IS COMING AGAIN.

7 “Party Affiliation”
    Come to the table today with the determination to be renewed once again
in the power of the cross. It is about JESUS. Not our own lives. Not our own
reputations.

8 “Party Affiliation”