“Revelation,” by Flannery O’Connor. In this posthumously published short story, the great American writer O’Connor (1925–64) points out with dark, ironic humor the problem of grouping people. O’Connor was more concerned with pride than anything else. Her short stories, which appear bizarre to some readers, insightfully examine our need to be important and to make ourselves gods in our own worlds.

In “Revelation,” her main character, Ruby Turpin, walks into a doctor’s office in the South and thinks how she could improve the office and even the people. She begins to size up the occupants of the waiting room by the color of their skin or the clothes they are wearing. She even thinks about their shoes.

Without appearing to obvious, Mrs. Turpin always noticed people’s feet. The well-dressed lady had on red and gray suede shoes to match her dress. Mrs. Turpin had on her good black patent leather pumps. The ugly girl had on Girl Scout shoes and heavy socks. The old woman had on tennis shoes and the white-trashy mother had on what appeared to be bedroom slippers, black straw with gold braid threaded through them—exactly what you would have expected her to have on. Here O’Connor provides a vivid metaphor of the way we might quickly place people in groups without knowing them, an evidence of pride.

In today's passage the Apostle Paul had heard about and was concerned that there was a growing disunity within the Corinthian Church. Some people were forming religious cliques and they were making these the object of their faith instead of finding unity in the cross of Christ. These "divisions" were internal in nature and were caused by dissensions over the leadership of the church. Paul pleaded with the church to make some much needed changes so that there would be unity once again. 

(1 Corinthians 1:10-17)

10 Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. 11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by members of Chloe’s household, that there is rivalry among you. 12 What I am saying is this: Each of you says, “I’m with Paul,” or “I’m with Apollos,” or “I’m with Cephas,” or “I’m with Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t know if I baptized anyone else. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.

Paul is not trying to fight for the right of his authority in this passage, he has the right to do that and has many times, but here he is reminding his fellow believers of the message of the cross. In fact (verse 10) is the tenth time he has used the phrase "Jesus Christ" to nail home in their minds that they are a part of Christ's Church and so they should display His character. The way they were acting would have had a devastating effect on the image and reputation of Christ. 

Their behavior was altogether something different from the message of the gospel. They were no longer representing Christ. These people had allowed the secular culture around them to influence the thinking of the Church. The divisions among them were not so much caused by disagreements among individual members as it was by a result of them losing their focus of the cross. This was a serious situation that needed to be addressed. Rather than allowing Christ to change Corinth, the church was allowing Corinth to change Christ. 

Paul asked the question "Is Christ divided?" in (verse 13). The obvious answer to this rhetorical question is no. By allowing splits and cliques in Christ's body, they had created a situation that testified against the nature of Christ. You and I know that many churches experience these same behaviors at times within their fellowship. When personalities, political affiliations, and even music tastes collide they eventually undermine the power of the gospel of Christ. If Christ who came to break down the walls the separate us (Ephesians 2:14), can't remove the cliques in His own body, the cross has lost its power (1 Corinthians 1:17) and the Church is left without a testimony. 

When Paul said "That all of you agree in what you say," in (verse 10), he meant that they should have one purpose. But he didn’t mean they had to have full agreement on every issue within the Church. It does rule out the thought that "I alone can be right." 

Church, personal agendas have no place within the body of Christ. They must give way to the greater purpose of creating a community that imitates Christ and exists to give Him glory.