The church at Corinth was evidentially a fairly small congregation. Some scholars think that it may have had only fifty members. However, it had a host of problems.
For starters, they were divided into political factions. They were at each other’s throats about ministerial style. They were debating sexual ethics. They were tearing themselves apart over spiritual gifts. They were arguing about baptism … they couldn’t agree on the Lord’s Supper … and most of the members had difficulty believing in the resurrection.
Other than that, they were doing just fine!
In his first letter, Paul addresses each one of these problems. But before he does, he begins with a word of prayer. I would too! My prayer would go something like this: “O God, we are a troubled congregation. But we pray that you would help us understand that there are some good things happening at this church as well. We give you thanks, O Lord, for those things.”
That’s not what Paul does. If you look carefully, his prayer list consists of thanking God for the very same problems that he will consider later in the letter. For example, he starts out saying, “I give thanks to God, because in every way this congregation has been enriched in speech.” (Enriched in speech? You’ve got to be kidding, Paul. Speaking in tongues was one of the things tearing them apart!)
He contiunes, “I give thanks to God, because these people are not lacking in spiritual gifts.” (Come on, Paul. This was a congregation piping 220 volts into a 120 volt circuit, and they had pennies in the fuse box. Spiritual gifts were about to burn this church down!)
However, the more I reflect upon this prayer, the more I have come to appreciate it. In effect, Paul is thanking God for the broken places in our lives, because it is precisely in those places that we discover the grace of God and the strengthening power of Jesus Christ.
When was the last time that you thanked God for your weaknesses? If you are like me, it has probably been awhile—if ever. But there is a wisdom in thanking God for our broken places, as it is often there that we discover God’s healing presence.
For starters, they were divided into political factions. They were at each other’s throats about ministerial style. They were debating sexual ethics. They were tearing themselves apart over spiritual gifts. They were arguing about baptism … they couldn’t agree on the Lord’s Supper … and most of the members had difficulty believing in the resurrection.
Other than that, they were doing just fine!
In his first letter, Paul addresses each one of these problems. But before he does, he begins with a word of prayer. I would too! My prayer would go something like this: “O God, we are a troubled congregation. But we pray that you would help us understand that there are some good things happening at this church as well. We give you thanks, O Lord, for those things.”
That’s not what Paul does. If you look carefully, his prayer list consists of thanking God for the very same problems that he will consider later in the letter. For example, he starts out saying, “I give thanks to God, because in every way this congregation has been enriched in speech.” (Enriched in speech? You’ve got to be kidding, Paul. Speaking in tongues was one of the things tearing them apart!)
He contiunes, “I give thanks to God, because these people are not lacking in spiritual gifts.” (Come on, Paul. This was a congregation piping 220 volts into a 120 volt circuit, and they had pennies in the fuse box. Spiritual gifts were about to burn this church down!)
However, the more I reflect upon this prayer, the more I have come to appreciate it. In effect, Paul is thanking God for the broken places in our lives, because it is precisely in those places that we discover the grace of God and the strengthening power of Jesus Christ.
When was the last time that you thanked God for your weaknesses? If you are like me, it has probably been awhile—if ever. But there is a wisdom in thanking God for our broken places, as it is often there that we discover God’s healing presence.
posted by Dr. Robert Crilley at
2:05 PM
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