In our last visit we began to see a new strategy develop in the mind and heart of Paul.  He had seen churches grow and flourish in rural areas and moderately sized cities.  Now he was in Corinth, the largest city of Eastern Europe.  If the church could grow strong in this city with its many challenging demands and dangers it could become a catalyst to reach the surrounding region.  This was a great idea, but would time prove it strategically valid?  He went on to implement the same strategy in Ephesus. 

The competing cultural forces in the city of Corinth seemed to infiltrate the church in a short period of time after Paul left, evidenced by the problems Paul addressed in his first letter to this church: petty divisions, sexual compromise, taking disputes to secular courts, lack of love for one another during love feasts, pride in using spiritual gifts, and even questions about main doctrines of the faith, such as the promise of resurrection and eternal bliss. 

Wanting to reach their own culture with the message of freedom in the Gospel they tended to “dumb-down” their message to make it more palatable to the community’s lifestyle.  Gradually the cultural norms infected their own behavior.  They uncritically allowed incest, something even the pagans frowned on.  Soon such behavior led to questioning basic beliefs.  In this letter Paul worked hard, trying to correct these corrupting influences and restore the redemptive mission of the church. 

Beware!  Do not “dumb down” the Gospel in an effort to reach more people.  That always eventually fails!