February 8th, 2026 - UNITY: Part 1 (9:00 AM)

The exposition opens by situating First Corinthians in a city of wealth, leisure, and moral chaos, drawing a parallel to contemporary American culture where entertainment, materialism, and sexual immorality press on the church. It moves quickly into Paul’s opening identity—an apostle sent on mission—and highlights that his authority and purpose center the community on Christ’s work rather than on personalities or gifts. Attention is given to the destructive factions in Corinth: those who align with Paul’s freedom, Apollos’s eloquence, Peter’s tradition, or an exclusive following of Christ as individual conscience. Each faction is shown to distort allegiance, turning gifted leaders into idols instead of channels to Jesus. The text insists that such divisions are not about core doctrine but about preferences and secondary convictions, which nonetheless can fracture the body when left unchecked.

Paul’s corrective is stark: unity must be pursued by the authority of Christ, anchored not in human wisdom or impressive oratory but in the crucified Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. The contrast between flashy persuasion and plain proclamation is stressed—Paul chose timid, simple preaching so faith would rest on God’s power, not on human charisma. Theologie of mission emerges: the church is an army with a shared leader and purpose, and its cohesion depends on mutual submission to Christ’s call, not unanimity of taste.

Finally, the imagery of a mosaic reframes diversity as the material out of which God composes beauty. Different colors, shapes, ages, traditions, and temperaments are not liabilities to be erased but differences to be arranged by the skilled Artist. Humility, shared baptism, common mission, and dependence on the Spirit allow a heterogeneous community to witness effectively to a watching world. The practical summons is to subordinate personal preferences for the sake of gospel witness, to cultivate unity that is real but not uniform, and to prioritize God’s power over human performance.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Unity must be rooted in Christ True unity is not cultural conformity but a shared rooting in Christ’s person and work. When allegiance rests on baptism and the gospel rather than personality or style, differences become secondary to a common mission. This root sustains cooperation under pressure and reframes disagreement as opportunity for growth rather than grounds for division. [46:51]
• 2. Factions reveal misplaced loyalties Splits often expose a deeper worship than confessed—people worship influence, style, or tradition more than the crucified Savior. Recognizing a factional impulse invites repentance and reorientation: dismantle the idol and return gifts to their role as servants. It also calls for leaders to resist self-branding and for congregants to test loyalties against the gospel. [45:20]
• 3. Preaching should point to God's power Effective ministry aims to make God, not the messenger, the source of belief and transformation. Plainness and weakness can be deliberate virtues when they compel reliance on the Spirit rather than rhetorical skill. This posture protects the church from celebrity culture and cultivates durable faith rooted in divine action. [52:10]
• 4. Diversity forms a single mosaic A healthy church trusts a skilled Artist to arrange varied pieces into coherent beauty rather than segregating sameness. Differences of culture, gift, and temperament become theological resources when subordinated to mutual submission and the gospel’s unity. This vision reshapes conflict: not as failure to find clones, but as a canvas for God’s creative work. [60:30]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [33:32] - Series and Context Introduction
• [34:10] - Corinth’s Wealth and Culture
• [35:51] - Paul’s Identity: Apostle and Mission
• [38:14] - The Problem: Divisions in the Church
• [41:28] - The Four Factions Explained
• [46:51] - Call to Unity in Christ
• [49:43] - Jesus’ Prayer for Perfect Unity
• [52:10] - Preaching: Spirit over Show
• [60:30] - Mosaic of Diversity and Application
• [63:15] - Benediction and Sending

Bible reading
1 Corinthians 1:10–13 (ESV)
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

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Observation questions

1. What four groups in the Corinthian church were causing division by aligning with different leaders?
2. According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:13, what two rhetorical questions does he use to challenge their factional loyalties?
3. How does the sermon describe the cultural environment of Corinth, and what parallels does it draw to modern society? [34:10]
4. What was Paul’s stated method and tone in preaching when he was in Corinth, according to 1 Corinthians 2:1–5? [52:10]

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Interpretation questions

1. Why do you think Paul emphasizes his identity as an “apostle” (sent one) at the very beginning of this letter? [36:14]
2. How might preferring a certain style of preaching or worship (like those who followed Apollos) actually distract from the power of the gospel? [43:34]
3. In what ways can the desire for personal freedom (like the “followers of Paul”) or strict tradition (like the “followers of Peter”) become a source of division rather than unity?
4. Jesus prayed in John 17 that his followers would have the same kind of unity he had with the Father. What would that kind of unity actually look like in a local church made up of very different people? [49:43]

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Application questions

1. Which of the four Corinthian factions (Paul, Apollos, Peter, or “only Christ”) do you most naturally identify with? What does that reveal about what you value most in church life? [44:44]
2. When have you been tempted to disengage or leave a community because the preaching, music, or people didn’t match your preferences? What would it look like to surrender that preference to the “skilled Artist” instead? [01:00:30]
3. How can you intentionally celebrate the diversity of ages, cultures, and spiritual backgrounds in your church rather than seeing those differences as obstacles to unity?
4. What is one practical step you can take this week to build gospel-centered unity with someone in your church who is very different from you?
5. In what areas of your life (politics, traditions, personal convictions) do you find it most difficult to submit to the authority of Christ and the mission of his church? [47:57]
6. How can you encourage those who lead and serve in your church in a way that honors Christ rather than elevating their personality or gifting? [55:47]