1 Corinthians 10:31-33

In Corinth there was a serious rift in the church over meat. Specifically, it was over whether or not it was acceptable to eat food purchased from the temple.  Temple meat was cheaper because it came from animals sacrificed to Apollo, and Aphrodite.  So the church appealed to The Apostle Paul to give them a ruling.  They wanted to know who was right and who is wrong.  But here’s the conundrum:  Does it matter if a piece of meat comes from a critter offered in sacrifice or not?  Don’t be too quick to answer because it is a little complicated.  For one thing, the animals that were sacrificed to the gods were used in a religious ritual and there was some belief that they promoted good health and fertility.  On the other hand, if you don’t believe in the idol, then it would seem a burger is a burger, regardless of how the cow was slaughtered.  Truly, in this circumstance the cow was more of a victim of religion than a practitioner. If you don’t really have any belief in the deity, it’s not going to have a lot of impact on your dinner.  But if you used to believe in the deity, if members of your family are still practicing adherence to the worship at the temple of Apollo or one of the other gods, then where it came from will matter a bit more than whether it’s over cooked.

The Apostle Paul’s response to this conflict was that what matters is the health of the fellowship and that the fellowship should exist to support each other’s growth.  If someone was going to have a spiritual problem, then it is up to those who are strong in their faith to accommodate those who are weak. If someone is struggling to deal with their faith, or is new to their faith, then those who are established in the church need to adjust in order to support and encourage that person to the best of their ability.

This is significantly different from how we seem to perceive our relationships in the church. We tend to see each person as responsible for their own faith.  If we take a look around before doing something, it’s more to see who’s going to gossip about it than to wonder who might struggle as a result.  We have a tendency to feel that people are on their own, and they just have to deal with their own feelings.

So how does this end up working out for the church?  The point of Paul’s instruction was so that the Church would be known as the people who will support you and care for you.  Paul’s concern was that every person who came into the fellowship of the church would be provided a place where their growth was of ultimate importance.  Frankly, the Church today (universal, not just us) falls short of this goal.  It appears to me that people are not conscious of being “teammates” in spiritual growth.  Instead we are a group of coexisting solo acts.

The process of becoming lovingly involved in each other’s spiritual growth will take some time.  For one thing, learning to think more about others in the room, than we think of ourselves requires maturity and self-discipline.  It’s a significant step to getting to where we are trusting, appreciating another person’s interest is a challenge for many of us.  Those who have felt labeled, judged, or belittled in the name of faith are very slow to open themselves to this type of concern, even if it is lovingly offered.  But this process of seeing ourselves as working together for each other’s growth and to encourage each other’s knowledge of God empowers us to be a powerfully transforming body of Christ. It enables us to be inspiring, encouraging, and enlivening for one another. And that is a valuable vision for us to continue to hold and to share.

Peace,

Pastor Jack