We question leadership at every level.  Politicians, big businessmen, judges, doctors, teachers, police…. our culture has declared open season on those in authority.  This is also true in the church, where the days of the pastor leading the congregation like a general leads an army are long in the past.  This is not all bad, as absolute power corrupts absolutely.

But the church can go too far and “evaluate” the pastor that prevent biblical unity.  Paul found that same problem in the Corinthian church.  What makes a good leader?  How can we evaluate our pastoral staff?  And how should we treat our pastors?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:19 — 30.6MB)

Winning an argument is like eating chocolate cake. Whoever gets the last piece or word…. wins.

Paul knew this. The Corinthian church knew this. But Paul understood an important factor in their conflict. It wasn’t Paul vs. the church. Paul wanted to correct the Corinthian belief that their conflict was “us vs. Paul”. Paul needed to set a new foundation of who got the last word.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:38 — 6.8MB)

The church in Corinth was starting to splinter.  How could it be stopped?  How can churches like ours in today’s world prevent being divided?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:50 — 8.0MB)