Church Is Messy: Church in the Wild - Food Fight
In this episode of Church Is Messy, Rick and Svea explore the second half of 1 Corinthians 11, where Paul sharply rebukes the Corinthian church for their divisive behavior during communion. Paul’s warning reveals how seriously God takes unity within the church.
Rick explains that unity is not just a goal for Christians—it reflects God’s very nature as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The problem in Corinth wasn’t personal sin before communion, but pretending to be unified while practicing division, as wealthier believers feasted while the poor went hungry.
Rick and Svea discuss what true unity looks like in practice: moving beyond tolerance to actively honoring and welcoming people across differences in age, background, culture, and life stage. They remind listeners that biblical unity in diversity is not a cultural trend but an ancient foundation of the church.
The episode closes with a picture of this unity in action through multigenerational faith communities learning from one another around the same table.
Topics discussed in this episode:
Rick explains that unity is not just a goal for Christians—it reflects God’s very nature as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The problem in Corinth wasn’t personal sin before communion, but pretending to be unified while practicing division, as wealthier believers feasted while the poor went hungry.
Rick and Svea discuss what true unity looks like in practice: moving beyond tolerance to actively honoring and welcoming people across differences in age, background, culture, and life stage. They remind listeners that biblical unity in diversity is not a cultural trend but an ancient foundation of the church.
The episode closes with a picture of this unity in action through multigenerational faith communities learning from one another around the same table.
Topics discussed in this episode:
- 00:00 - Intro
- 02:32 - Introduction to 1 Corinthians 11 Passage
- 03:39 - God's Discipline and Importance of Unity
- 04:37 - The Trinity and Unity
- 07:01 - A Thought Experiment
- 08:40 - Divine Discipline vs. Condemnation
- 09:42 - Better Not to Meet - A Church Out of Whack
- 10:20 - Taking Communion in an Unworthy Manner
- 12:33 - Communion as a Meal in Small Groups
- 13:32 - Clarifying Unity in Christ vs. Loving All People
- 15:42 - The Tolerate, Celebrate, Elevate Progression
- 16:30 - Philippians 2 - The Mind of Christ
- 18:11 - Practical Application in Church Life
- 20:32 - Idealized Small Group Expectations
- 21:07 - Loneliness Epidemic
- 22:51 - Cultural Shift on Unity and Diversity
- 26:54 - Christian Foundation for Unity
- 28:12 - Beauty and Goodness of Unity
- 30:38 - Preview of Next Week
