Who do you root for? Legia or Lech, Widzew or ŁKS, Winiary mayonnaise or Kielce mayonnaise: every day we keep choosing and looking for reasons to convince others that we chose well. This poll opens a sermon on the beginning of 1 Corinthians (1 Cor 1:1-17) and on a church where people said: “I follow Paul,” and “I follow Apollos.” The church is not a community of ideal people, but of imperfect people called by a perfect God, and its identity is defined by Christ, not by a favorite preacher or our own preferences. Listen if you want to check whether “I prefer” has taken first place in your thinking about the church.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- How does Paul describe the people of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, and what does it mean to you that he calls them "called to be saints" despite their problems?
- The Corinthians said: "I follow Paul," and "I follow Apollos." Where do you think such divisions came from, when everyone was listening to teachers who proclaimed Christ?
- The sermon says that a real church is a community of imperfect people called by a perfect God. What does that statement change in the way you see the church?
- Which preferences, for example about the preacher, the music, or the way a service is led, most easily start to separate you from others?
- Paul asks: "Is Christ divided?" What can you do this week so that it is more clearly visible in your church that Christ unites you?
- How can you shift your attention this week from who is speaking and how, to the One they are speaking about?
