“My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow [Peter]”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” -1 Corinthians 1:11-3
This is great on so many levels!
- The church kept it simple, not institutional—meeting in homes.
- Paul—the writer of a huge portion of the New Testament—knows people’s names.
- Chloe was the leader—Jesus empowered women before it was cool (and is still trying to help us get it).
- Paul tries to kill the idea of celebrity pastors.
People were already starting to elevate leaders and ascribe to slight variations of what now would be considered “doctrine,” creating division in the early church. Paul says, STOP IT!
We’re all following the same Jesus. We might be different, but the Source is the same. Keep Jesus the main thing. Don’t let persuasive leaders leverage prominence to divide. That’s never what this movement of Jesus was about. And it’s stifling progress and power.
More Jesus. Less of everything else.
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If you want to talk with me more about this concept, come to a First Dinner in Orange County this weekend.