1 Corinthians 11:17–19: Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.
Since the beginning of the church, it was customary for the believers to eat together (Acts 2:42, 46). It was an opportunity for fellowship and for sharing with those who were less privileged. No doubt they climaxed this meal by observing the Lord’s Supper. They called this meal “the love feast” since its main emphasis was showing love for the saints by sharing with one another. The “agape feast” (from the Greek word for “love”) was part of the worship at Corinth, but some serious abuses had crept in. As a result, the love feasts were doing more harm than good to the church. For one thing, there were various cliques in the church and people ate with their own “crowd” instead of fellowshipping with the whole church family. 1
Application
- Read Ephesians 4:1-6. How do you “bear with one another in love?”
- Is your love absent in your fellowship? What are you going to do about this?
Thought to Share
Love: easy to pronounce, but difficult to live out unconditionally. – TWEET IT
Prayer
Lord, teach me to decrease, and allow Your presence to increase.
1. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
