When We Come Together

Five times Paul uses the same phrase: “when you come together.” And almost every time, what follows is a problem. Corinth's gatherings had become a competition. Some prized the showiest gifts, everyone spoke at once, and their gatherings were less about God than about who stood out. It is worth noticing that the love chapter sits right in the middle of this argument. Chapter 12 is about the body, chapter 14 is about the worship service, and chapter 13 stands between them, because love was the thing their worship was missing. Paul's test for worship is not style, volume, or preference. It is one question: does it build up? “When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation… Let all things be done for building up.” He even asks what an outsider would conclude after walking in. Would they fall on their face and say, “God is really among you”? This message speaks to churches that fight over worship. It moves the question from “Do I like it?” to “Does it build up the body and point to God?”