1 Corinthians 10:14-17 Forsake Not a Civil Assembly

1 Corinthians 10:14-17

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise people; you then, judge what I say. 16 Is the cup of blessing which we bless not a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is the bread which we break not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf.

Some believe Dr. Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement is for African Americans, but he hoped to teach Americans to have civil God-like love for each other as a pastor. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, was a doctor, but his doctoring was in medicine sharing God’s love. The Holy Bible was Dr. King’s textbook, and it teaches him and us to love God and others, which is done by obeying him with love. Despite how some Christians believe, God’s law is still valid, and, like the Lord, His law is good. The fourth commandment of God’s word tells Christians to have a civil holy convocation and remember to do it each Sabbath day. Convocation means assembly or congregation or fellowship like a church.

Leviticus 23:3 ‘For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation (calling together). You shall not do any work [on that day]; it is the Sabbath of the Lord wherever you may be.

As a Baptist minister, the Spirit of God moved Dr. King to preach the importance of fellowship in assembly worship. Dr. King did not like the division in American churches, so he expressed that in his sermons. Christians are supposed to worship the same God and read and obey the same bread of God’s word, but they do not. So Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, used his Ph.D. wisdom to prepare a sermon titled, “Paul’s Letter to American Christians,“ On June 3rd, of 1958, Dr. King preached his Paul-like sermon to the United Presbyterian Church. His preaching and belief about Christian fellowship, say the following. 

“Oh, how I long to share your fellowship? Let me rush on to say something about the church. Americans, I must remind you, as I have said to so many others, that the church is the Body of Christ. So, when the church is true to its nature, it knows neither division nor disunity. But I am disturbed about what you are doing to the Body of Christ. They tell me that in America, you have within Protestantism over two hundred and fifty-six denominations. The tragedy is not so much that you have such a multiplicity of denominations, but that most of them are warring against each other with a claim to absolute truth. This narrow sectarianism is destroying the unity of the Body of Christ. You must come to see that God is neither a Baptist nor a Methodist; He is neither a Presbyterian nor an Episcopalian. God is bigger than all of our denominations. If you are to be true witnesses for Christ, you must come to see that America. “

 To a minister and bondservant of the Lord, division in the Body of Christ is shameful. A sinful world is why there is a division in Christianity. People want to believe in God but want to worship Him, how they see it fit to do so, not how the Lord asks. For example, in 1534, the official Church of England was formed by King Henry VIII, so that he could divorce his wife and remarry. The papal church the Roman Catholic was totally against divorce. Soon after that, other Protestant church denominations formed, like the Presbyterian, Baptist, and Puritan. The Puritans left England on the Mayflower and came to a new world in America to worship God however they wish. Christianity is not the only religion, with sects of groups that worship the same deity but serve them in a different way, the Islamic religion has a few sects.

Mark 12:13 Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement. 14 They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and do not care what anyone thinks; for You are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God in truth. Is it permissible to pay a poll tax to Caesar, or not?

Acts 23:6 But Paul, perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, began crying out in the Council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” 7 When he said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

Anyone who knows God’s word well enough knows Pharisees, Sadducees, and other Jewish sects did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, and it is easy to understand why they did not have civil harmony with each other. The Pharisees believed in a resurrection, and the Sadducees did not, just that you live and die. From Paul’s point of view, Dr. King’s message was, why is there division among you, so many Christian church denominations? Can you not all follow the same God and obey the same book of His commandments and word is within? Why are American Christians being their division among you? Why are some Christians pure to God’s word, and others follow it in a liberal way? Dr. King is repeating the desires and wishes Paul had for the Body of Christ. Please, do not forsake the assembly of saints. Please American Christians. worship the Lord how, His word says, not you see fit. God bless you all, the Body of Christ Jesus loves you and so do I. His bondservant, Samuel Jerry Head.

Colossians 3:14 In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts: and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.