Corinth was a loud, wealthy, morally confused, status-obsessed city. The church Paul planted there looked a lot like the culture around it. They argued over leaders, sued one another, misused the Lord's Supper, showed off spiritual gifts, and doubted the resurrection. And yet Paul opens his letter by calling them saints. Not because they had it together, but because God did.
This series walks through 1 and 2 Corinthians because these letters were written to a church that struggled with the very things churches still struggle with: division, hurt, immaturity, pride, idolatry, suffering, and doubt. Paul does not write them off. He writes to them. He corrects, pleads, teaches, and loves them toward maturity.
Over twelve weeks we will discover that being the church has never meant being flawless. It has meant being formed. The gospel makes a people who are built different, shaped not by the culture around them but by the cross at the center of them. If you have ever been hurt by the church, disappointed by the church, or unsure whether the church is worth it, this series is for you.
by Dion Frasier
Preaching
"I follow Paul." "I follow Apollos." "I follow Christ." The Corinthian church split itself along personality lines, and the damage was real. Many people carry wounds from a church, sometimes from leaders, sometimes from people in the pew beside them. Paul does not minimize the problem, but he refuses to let it be the final word. He points them back to the one thing that cannot be divided: the cross. This message names church hurt honestly and holds out church hope, because the community that wounded us is not the community that saves us. Christ does that, and He is still building His people.
by Dion Frasier
Preaching
Paul's first letter to Corinth begins in a city known for wealth, power, and moral chaos, and with a church that had absorbed more of the city than it realized. Acts 18 tells the story of how the church began: a tentmaker, a synagogue, opposition, and a promise from God that He had many people in that city. Then Paul opens his letter not with a rebuke, but with thanksgiving. He calls them sanctified, called, and enriched in Christ. This message sets the table for the whole series by reminding us that God has never worked with perfect churches. He works with real ones.
