Sermon Notes (1 Cor. 1:1-3)

I recently preached a sermon in Spanish at my home church, Enfoque. I based my sermon on 1 Corinthians 1:1-3. Here are the verses and a few quotes (translated and lightly edited):

(1) Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, (2) To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: (3) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Even though the majority of us, I would say, grew up in an environment where we beleived that the Church was defined by four walls and a roof, the Church really is the people.

The church is a very big group. The Church is the people, and just as the church is not limited by these walls, neither is it limited by region. The Church consists of believers.

If you really want to be part of the Church you have to commit to a local church.

I believe that it is very difficult to join a church because it is very easy to be a stranger: enter, sing, listen to a sermon, chat a little, and then leave, and no one expects anything from you. No one says, “You have to go to this group,” or “You have to work on your love for your family.” We are not going to invade your privacy. But if you are part of this congregation and we involve ourselves with each other, we’re going to find that the church is not only a group, but a group committed to each other.