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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers? For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,” are you not unspiritual people?”
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
For we are God’s co-workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
1 Corinthians 3:3b-9
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Have you ever seen people in the church compete with one another, like they believe the Lord issues a Servant of the Month or Year award?
Unfortunately, I have and it’s sad. Because this couldn’t be farther from where God wants us to be as we serve Him and Jesus through our places of worship.
We know this because of today’s passage where Paul confronts the Corinthian church about trying to worship the servant instead of the Lord who has called them and given the opportunity to serve. Look again at his words here:
For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers? For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,” are you not unspiritual people?”
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
For we are God’s co-workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:3b-9
One of the main issues that Paul tried to confront through his letter to the Christians in Corinth was the division that had started to happen inside the church. Back in chapter one was where we saw the first reference to this divisiveness as Paul called the church to put side differences based on who the people felt they should align with (Paul, Apollos, and Cephas were mentioned in the same company as Christ) and exchange those differences for a singular focus on God and His Son Jesus, the only One who is the head of the church.
The scriptures tell us that Paul viewed the loyalty to anyone except Jesus as “unspiritual”, “fleshly” behavior only found in non-believers that led to nothing but “envy and strife”. And so Paul invested time to share pure spiritual truth, not only with the Corinthian Christians but us as well today.
What was that truth?
It was centered on Paul and a fellow apostle named Apollos as being one in the same. They were both servants purposed by God to do His work and as they did, people in the church had placed faith in them with each gaining a following. And this was the problem. Instead of just thanking God for the service that both Paul and Apollos provided, they instead glorified the men instead of the Lord, forming differing factions. One side believed Apollos was the best while others sided with Paul who sought to correct this “unspiritual” behavior.
How did he do it?
As mentioned, he placed God at the forefront and he did so using an agricultural illustration, one the people would be able to easily relate to. In order gain a crop harvest, one had to begin by planting a seed and then making sure that seed was watered. Soon the seed would sprout and become a plant which would grow to maturity before being reaped. Paul wanted his readers to know that although he and Apollos played a part in getting the plant started, it was God who made it grow. In other words, neither man could take credit for something that was all God’s doing.
And so Paul and Apollos were to be seen as God’s co-workers, carrying out the roles God called them to with one purpose as they worked to minister to the Corinthians, referred to as “God’s field” to further tie to Paul’s farming analogy.
So what is our takeaway today as God’s servants to the Christian church?
1. We are to always place God first and deflect attention from ourselves.
People shouldn’t be coming to church to worship people. Rather, they should be coming to worship God. When we seek to garner the favor and attention of our pastor and fellow congregants, the focus is on ourselves. We want the glory but that’s not the way God wants it. We should always avoid stealing away honor that God deserves. Like Paul and Apollos, our reward will come from God, not anyone else.
2. We should be working together and not against one another with the goal to glorify God.
The divisions in the Corinthian church could have made Paul and Apollos rivals but neither man would fall into that trap set by the devil. Instead, they remained grounded in the truth that they were each doing their part to a greater good that God desired. Each man was equally important to God and the people should have seen them for who they truly were instead of trying to elevate one over the other.
3. God equips different people with different gifts to achieve a central goal.
Paul had the job to sow and plant. Apollos was responsible to water. They each had their parts to play so God could do His thing, producing growth inside His field within His people, the church. In order to fulfill God’s will within the church, God first grants gifts to those He chooses to serve and then provides opportunities to use those gifts. Rather than getting drunk on how great we are in using certain abilities, we need to remember that we wouldn’t have any success without God first granting us gifts and then showing us how to best use them. Any success we might realize is because God got us there and therefore, He deserves the glory.
Jesus said that the harvest was plenty but the workers few (Matthew 9:37). God wants His people to all be co-workers with Him in His garden, in the field where His people are.
Some of us will plant. Some will water. Some will weed. Some will fertilize. All these efforts work together to set the stage for God to take charge and make things grow.
Are you doing your part with the gifts God has given you?
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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