1 Corinthians 1… ¹⁰ I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. ¹¹ My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

1 Corinthians 3… ¹ Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. ² I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. ³ You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?

Revelation 3… ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

/ THE 3 P’s THAT PUSH JESUS OUT OF THE CHURCH…

(ONE) POPULARITY– We trade the Person of Christ for Popular Personalities 

1 Corinthians 1… ¹² What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 

1 Corinthians 3… ⁵ What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

(TWO) POLISH – We trade the Power of the Cross for a Showy Performance

1 Corinthians 1… ²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

1 Corinthians 2… ¹ And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  ² For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,⁵ so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

(THREE) POSTURE- We trade the posture of humility for the platform of pride

1 Corinthians 1…²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 

1 Corinthians 3… ¹⁸ Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight…” ²¹ So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephasor the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, ²³ and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

1 Corinthians 4… ⁶ Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. ⁷ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Key Takeaways:

1. We can easily fall into doing “church” without truly focusing on Jesus.
2. Three things that can push Jesus out of the church: Popularity, Polish, and Pride.
3. Our faith should be centered on Christ crucified, not human wisdom or eloquence.

Discussion Questions:

1. Steve asked, “Can you do church without Jesus?” How would you answer this question? In what ways might we unintentionally push Jesus out of our church experiences?
2. Discuss the danger of trading “the person of Christ for popular personalities.” How have you seen this happen in Christian culture? How can we guard against this in our own lives?
3. The sermon mentioned the difference between “style” and “substance” in our faith. How do we ensure we’re prioritizing substance (Christ) over style (polish) in our personal and Church worship?
4. Paul emphasized boasting only in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31). How can we cultivate a posture of humility in our Christian walk? Why is this important?
5. Steve said, “The deepest part of your faith is at the foot of the cross.” What does this mean to you practically? How can we keep the cross central in our daily lives?
6. Reflect on this quote from the sermon: “We need to be like a mirror. It’s not that God is not good, right? And people don’t see the glory of God, but you don’t take the glory of God, you return it back to the giver.” How can we live this out?

Practical Applications:

1. This week, intentionally redirect any praise or compliments you receive back to God. Practice being a “mirror” rather than a “sponge.”
2. Evaluate your media consumption (podcasts, books, social media) related to faith. Are you more focused on personalities or on Jesus? Make any necessary adjustments.
3. Spend time meditating on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. Ask God to deepen your appreciation for the “foolishness” and power of the cross.
4. Look for an opportunity to share your testimony this week, emphasizing God’s work rather than your own achievements.

Closing Prayer: Close by having group members pray for each other, asking God to keep Jesus at the center of their faith and church experiences.