The phenomenon of me-ism.
I’ve titled this sermon "The Cult of Me-ism". A cult is a group of people who blindly share misguided beliefs or unwise philosophies about life. Do you know anyone of whom you would say, "She is a bit misguided" or "Her approach to life is unwise?"
A number of years back Lara lost a hubcap to her car. I don’t know, she was probably in a police chase or something. This was during her pre-NASCAR days. So I went to a local junk yard. Someone told me that junk yards are best place to get replacements for hubcaps.
I drive up to this junk yard, knock on the door, call around, and no oneis to be found anywhere. So I yell a little louder and make a little more noise until finally this gigantic man in overalls walks out. He was unshaven and covered in dirt and grime. He looked like he had just awakened and he smelled like he hadn’t had a showered in a month. He was probably a former WWF wrestler or something. In his hand was a large screwdriver.
In a gruff, somewhat annoyed voice he asked, "What do you want?" "Save me now, Lord Jesus," I thought. I pointed to Lara’s hotrod and explained that she had lost a hubcap and asked whether he had any replacements for her car.
He then took his screwdriver, pointed it into my chest and said, "I don’t. But I know where you can get great deal on a set." Almost afraid to ask I said, "Where?" And he said, "K-Mart’s parking lot. Be sure to take a screwdriver."
Now up to that moment I never realized that you could get free hubcaps in K-Mart’s parking lot. That man saved me over a hundred dollars!
Do you encounter people whose beliefs are a little misguided?
Have you ever crossed wires with someone whose beliefs, values, character, decision-making, or approach to things was just a little misguided or unwise? You’d otherwise laugh, until you realize they're being serious. I'll bet you know people like that both inside the church and outside the church.
These individuals share a common belief system anda common philosophy (or approach to life). We’ll call it me-ism. Me-ism is the philosophy of life that advances self at the expense of others. A cult doesn’t have to be religious per se. A cult can be secular, godless, and Christ-less. And this is exactly what we are talking about this morning. We are talking about the secular cult of me-ism. It consists of the throngs of people inside and outside the Church who worship at the altar of self-interest, the altar of me. It’s the I win-I advance-even if you lose philosophy of life.
Now, imagine what happens when you get a bunch of self-centered individuals together in one place! That’s essentially what church is. It's a gathering of self-centered people who are striving to become Christ-centered. In the Church you see the whole spectrum of behavior from self-centered to Christ-centered. In the Church you will find some of the most selfish people, but also some of the most giving, generous, loving, other-focused, Christ-centered folks you’ll ever meet. Isn’t this your experience?
But the issue is how do we all peacefully coexist with one another as we are becoming more Christ-centered? The main reason the church of Corinth was so deeply divided was because self-centeredness had been so deeply ingrained in people by their culture. They had to have their psyche deprogrammed. They had to learn to show regard not just for themselves, but for others, and especially for Christ.
The church in Corinth was self-centered.
At the church in Corinth there were dozens of issues on the table. As you read through 1 Corinthians 8-11 you’ll get a sense of some of the issues—some petty andsome rather grave. There were four types of Christians in the Corinthian Church who were creating division.
Know-it-alls.
First, there were know-it-alls. Certain people thought it was more important to be right than to be loving. They were so puffed up and arrogant thatthey couldn’t see the people they were alienating and destroying with their knowledge.
An example of this occurs in 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 where Paul talks about meat sacrificed to idols. Certain Christians in the church had no problem eating meat sacrificed to idols. They ate this meat with a clear conscience. Their reasoning was this—"Idols are a man-made creation. There are no other gods, except God Almighty and Jesus Christ his Son. Meat is meat, whether its barbequed in a pagan temple or in a Sunday school gathering."
These meat eating know-it-alls prided themselves in their ability to enjoy things other Christians had difficulty enjoying. They thought it kind of funny that all these legalistic Christians with sensitive consciences were having a complex and getting all worked up while they enjoyed their meat. It was creating division. It was causing people to leave the church and fall away from Christ, even causing some to slip back into idol worship. These meat eating know-it-alls had no regard for others!
Unrealistic idealists.
Then there were unrealistic idealists. Certain people had such high standards that not even the apostles could live up to them. Perhaps not even Jesus Christ himself could live up to them! These unrealistic idealists loved setting rules for others, but when it came to their own lives, they were exempt. Church leaders often take the brunt of these unrealistic idealists.
An example of this occurs in 1 Corinthians 9. The unrealistic idealists had a problem with the apostles earning a living off the presenting of the gospel. They saw the apostles eating and drinking in people’s homes. They saw that the church gave them a paycheck. It didn’t stop there. They also didn’t think that the apostles should be married and raise families. It was almost like they saw the apostles as slaves. "They're not to be paid. They're not to have a personal life, a family, or kids. They exist to serve me."
I’m glad we don’t have unrealistic idealists in the Church today who grumble over the pastors' salaries. I’m glad that no one grumbles these days that the pastor missed an event because he wanted to be with his family or kids or just wanted to watch television. I’m glad that this was only a first century problem!
Freedom loving liberals.
There were freedom loving liberals. I don’t mean this in a political sense. Most political liberals today aren’t freedom lovers. They are governmentalists. They want the government to take greater control of their wealth, personal finances, mortgages, education, and health care. That’s not freedom. That's tyranny.
I do mean liberal in a social sense. The church at Corinth was full of social liberals. This is evidenced in 1 Corinthians 10:23-33. They believed that no choice should be off limits. Their highest ethic was the ethic of personal free choice. For the social liberal the fallout never matters. All that matters is choice and the exercise of personal freedom. I eat whatever I want. I drink whatever I want. I smoke whatever I want. I say whatever I want. I dress however I want. I do whatever I want and no oneshould tell me any differently, for that would be immoral. Immorality isn’t my evil deeds. It's your intolerance for them.
The greatest sin to a social liberal is intolerance. Morality is that you must tolerate everything I do and not be offended. Who cares if my behavior is destroying me or my family? Who cares if it offends, demeans, or destroys others (even an unborn child)? Who cares if my behavior grieves or offends a holy God? I am practicing my freedom!
Rebellious non-conformists.
Last, there were rebellious non-conformists, people who protested their God-ordained roles. In 1 Corinthians 11 you see a bunch of verbage about men covering their heads and women uncovering their heads in prayer and worship. A covered head meant different things in Roman culture for men and women.
If a man covered his head in worship, it meant he was rejecting his God-ordained role as a man. He was defying Christ. In the Church there were men who didn’t want to be under Christ’s authority (lordship), nor did they want to represent God’s authority in their relationships with others (spiritual leadership). There are men in the Church today who deny Christ’s lordship over their lives and who reject their God-ordained role as spiritual leaders of their households.
The rule for women was different. They were to keep their heads covered in worship out of respect for their husband’s role as spiritual head/leader of the household. When a woman uncovered her head it was a sign of disrespect to God and her husband. It signaled that she was denying Christ’s lordship over her life and rejecting her God-ordained role within her household.
I don’t want to do a sermon this morning on the role of women. Here is the issue. Self-centered people don’t respect authority. Kids don’t respect their parents. Wives don’t respect their husbands. Husbands don’t respect Christ. Church members don’t respect their leaders, students their teachers, citizens their public servants (police officers), or civilians their government.
The core problem in Corinth was me-ism. Me first!
The core problem in all four of these examples—the know-it-alls, the unrealistic idealists, freedom-loving liberals, and the non-conformist rebels--- is this misguided philosophy of, "Me-first, I advance at the expense of others, I advance over others,I win, You lose, Christ and God’s kingdom loses."
Are you Christ-centered or me-centered?
So how does Paul respond? What advice does he give? What does it mean to be Christ-centered in a me-centered world? Get online and download these questions later. Print them up and discuss them in your Life Group. Ask yourself these questions to determine if you are Christ-centered or me-centered. For now, just take it in.
Do I show as much love as I do knowledge? Knowledge, especially spiritual knowledge, is to build people up and not to destroy them. The ultimate credential isn’t a degree, it's love. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:1 (NIV), "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."
Am I causing others to stumble spiritually? Just because you are right doesn’t mean you are doing right. If your behavior causes others to fall back into sin, you have crossed the line. It should be this simple.1 Corinthians 8:13 (NIV) says, "Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall." If (fill in the blank) causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never (fill in the blank) again, so that I will not cause him to fall.
Is my ultimate goal a person’s salvation? Our guiding ethic as Christians isn’t whether we have a "right" to do something. Our guiding ethic is whether our exercise of freedom brings people to salvation in Christ. Does our freedom bring them closer to Christ or farther from Christ? 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NIV) says, "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." In 1 Corinthians 10:33 (NIV)Paul says, "For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."
Is my behavior beneficial and constructive? When you reflect on your attitude, speech, and behavior, what is the fruit you are producing? Are people around you becoming more like Christ? Are you raising the bar among your peers for what it means to follow Christ, or are you lowering the bar? 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (NIV) says, " 'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others." In 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV) Paul says, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
Finally, am I glorifying Christ? Does your behavior attract people to God or distract their attention from God? Does your behavior show respect for God’s authority (Christ’s lordship), or contempt? 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
What does it mean to be Christ-centered? It means letting our love complement our knowledge. Instead of causing people to stumble, we come alongside them and help them stand. Instead of focusing on our rights, we focus on others' salvation. Instead of flexing our freedom, we do what’s beneficial,constructive, andgood. Instead of distracting people from Christ, we attract them to the glory of Christ.We pave the way.