Messy
Series Starts Sunday, may 8th, 2022
Messy Message Series Teaser
Today Corinth is a small town with little significance other than historical. But in New Testament times, the city of Corinth was the thriving capital of the Roman province of Achaia. Corinth’s two seaports and strategic location in Southern Greece made it a major trade center in the empire. With a population of close to 400,000 Greeks, Romans, Eastern peoples, and Jews, about two thirds of whom were slaves, Corinth was one of the largest cities in its day. Like most Greek cities, Corinth had an acropolis, or a high mound, which was used as a place of defense and for worship. But, on Corinth’s acropolis, was a famous temple devoted to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The temple housed 1,000 ritual prostitutes that would come down into Corinth each night to sell sex. Corinth thrived on commerce, entertainment, vice, and corruption. In fact, Corinth was known around the world for its moral corruption, so much so that anyone who behaved immorally was said to behave like a Corinthian.
The Apostle Paul planted a church in Corinth during his second missionary journey (Acts 18). He ministered in Corinth for one and half years before moving on to Ephesus. Later, Paul wrote some corrective letters to the church at Corinth because it had become messy. The Christians in the church at Corinth were fighting, and they were involved in all kinds of gross sin. There was fornication, incest, adultery, materialism and even demon worship going on in the church. Church members were suing each other in court, rebelling against the Apostles’ authority, and abusing Christian liberty, spiritual gifts, and the Lord’s Supper. The Christians in Corinth were not loving God and others!
Well, over the next four months, I’m going to teach you some lessons that Paul taught the church at Corinth. These lesson from 1st Corinthians will help you help your church accomplish its mission. I hope you join me each Sunday as we learn how not to be a messed up church!
-Pastor John