1.21.2026 - James Lee

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

This week’s devotions are written by Rev. James Lee. Born in Orange County, raised in the San Gabriel Valley, James desperately holds onto his SoCal roots while currently serving on the opposite coast as the lead pastor of Christ Community CRC on Long Island (about 60miles east of NYC). He has also had the privilege to serve in various capacities for the Christian Reformed Church denomination. James is married to his better half Jin-Young and together, they have three beautiful children.

1 Corinthians 1:10 

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.

In our small town in New York, there are only two Protestant churches amongst a heavily Roman Catholic neighborhood. There is a Baptist church down the road from our CRC congregation. But by God's grace, the Baptist pastor and I have become good friends. Initially, we kept our distance because humanly speaking, there has been "territorialism and sheep-stealing" in the church's history. However, recently, God had been at work in our hearts to collaborate and walk together in faith. 

While I was away at a conference, my friend even came to preach at our church! Many of my pastor colleagues thought it was absurd that I would have the audacity to ask my Baptist friend to serve our pulpit! They were concerned for me. But that's the division we see in today's passage. 

Paul received reports that there was quarreling amongst the members of the Church in Corinth that claimed loyalty to different leaders: Paul, Apollos, Cephas (Peter), and Christ. Such a division was unfortunate because many members were passionate and gifted. But in the division, Christianity became a popularity contest and election for members to join a specific team. 

This situation resembles a lot of what we see in church in America today! We have lost sight of the purpose of the universal church. We forgot about what brings us together as a body of Christ and are now divided into countless different denominations across our country. We have become a "consumer Christian", in that we are more focused on "which church has a better worship team, better preacher, etc." instead of focusing on the power of unity in Christ.

Paul testified that he was not in the business of trying to create a fan club. He testified that a church should not be based upon similar personalities but rather based on Christ and His teachings. 

What does it mean for you to be "united in mind and thought?" How can we remedy what keeps us divided based on denominations and theological differences?