In Ephesus, The Population Had A Problem With Idolatry
- Paul is writing to them in a higher spiritual level versus Corinth
- The people of Ephesus worshipped the great goddess Diana Acts 19:35
- Some of them got delivered from that idol Acts 19:26
- The silversmith’s (who made idols for a living), occupation was in danger Acts 19:27
- The silversmiths made an uproar and ran Paul out of town Acts 19:28-20:1
- We have idolatry today
- The “spirit” of those idols you read about in the bible is with us today
- The spirit of Baal is in the people’s hearts and minds
- You have to be careful because you could be worshipping that god
- It is manifested through one’s behavior & lifestyle
- Your lifestyle is what you like to do and where you like to go
- One of the things that is killing the saints is MODERN TECHNOLOGY
Modern Technology Takes Away Our Desire To Live For God II Pet 2:8-9
- That is why we can’t get these people to come to prayer
- It wipes you out & you can’t concentrate and focus in prayer
- You can’t stay on your knees to pray, you have to get up
- It’s a spirit of an idol god screaming within you to get up from prayer
- And you won’t read your bible, it looks harmless and innocent
- We are exposed to the world, it comes to your home through the tv & music device
- Watching & listening to the world vexed Lot’s righteous soul from day to day
- What is vexing the righteous soul? Watching and listening to the world II John 2:15-17
Some Facts About Corinthians
- This was a key city in Greece located between the Aegean & Adriatic seas
- It was a commercial center in Greece
- Corinth was rebuilt by Julius Caesar about 46 BC
- The population at that time was about 700,000 people
- When he establishes the church, it’s Greek
- Greek philosophy influenced the population & church. Acts 17:16-34
- Paul would use Timothy & others to contend with that in the church Acts 18:1-17
- Paul ran into some of the Greek philosophers at the marketplace Acts 17:17
- His church was the only Christian church in the area
The Division In The Church Was Over Personalities
a. The first problem was over the division of the preachers
- Some said I am of Paul because he founded the Corinthian church
- Others said I am of Apollos because of his eloquent speech
- Some said they were of Peter because of his Jewish background
- The rest said they were of Christ because they would have nothing to do with the factions or parties of men
- The Corinthians judged Paul according to his appearance, the way he spoke, and not by his demonstration of the Spirit and power II Cor 10:10
- The Corinthian saints were arguing about baptism & who baptized who
- Baptism is an outward show that one has given up the old way of life unto a new way of life through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
- Baptism doesn’t bring salvation, it is an outward confession of faith I Pet 3:21
- In other words, you get baptized under what you believe
Other Problems In The Church
- A brother should not go to the law against another brother in the church
- Saints should’ve resolved the matter before the father went to court I Cor 6:1-8
- Some were puffed up I Cor 4:18-19
- Fornication, adultery & other sins of the flesh I Cor 6:9-10
The Dangers Of Being A Fault-Finder
- If you find fault with everything, what do you like in the church?
- There is a dead cat on the line, to everything that is pure all things are pure
- Stop finding fault, get yourself together and pray for everybody
- You use that excuse, so you can’t get right
- Only the strong can bear the infirmities of the weak Rom 15:1
- Its not good for the saints to know everything that is going on wrong in the church
- The more you hear and see, the more it can negatively affect you
- You have to be strong in the Lord in order to know what’s going
on in the church and not be negatively affected II Tim 2:20 - If I were you I would let God take care of it
- A poor fellow was barely hanging on by a thread, and when he’s found
something else out, he stopped coming to church. - You might be in a spiritual struggle right now, because of something
you seen & heard, and it’s not good to know what is wrong in the church
By The Time Paul Writes His Second Letter To The Corinthians There Is Progress
- Paul made reference to this man again (I Cor 5) and to forgive him II Cor 2:3-7
- Paul told the church to take the man back after putting him out II Cor 2:6-7
