God s Fellow Workers: Part 1 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 (NKJV)

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1 God s Fellow Workers: Part 1 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 (NKJV) In the last few months our church has been part of a building project we are constructing a 24,000 square foot building that will house our worship center and children s ministry. We have an amazing project team that is committed to seeing this project get done before the year is up. Along the way, I have watched them work through bumps that have been encountered. One of the things that I watch our project manager continue to do is to keep the team moving towards the final destination. If we get in a hole together, blaming one another for how we got there, it does nothing to get us out. There is definitely some responsibility that needs to be taken, but we don t let the hole divide us and conquer us. Getting the team to work together to get out of the hole is vital, always making sure that we are moving to our final destination: to get that building up in a timely manner and to be the most cost efficient that we can be. Paul is writing a letter to the church of Corinth to correct some things that are keeping them from moving forward in the faith they re in a hole and they need to get out. Vs. 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. Carnal = sarkikos: to live fleshly, to live unregenerate. Commentators go back and forth on whether or not a carnal Christian is possible some say it s a contradiction of terms. Carnal and Christian just don t fly together. But Paul does make it clear that he is speaking to the brethren, and he also makes a point to say that they were babes in Christ. There was an immaturity, they were still living life in the flesh, probably not in every area of their lives or there would have not been any evidence of being born again, but there must have been some evidence to call them babes in Christ. Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 1

2 There was evidence of salvation but they were not growing as they should have been. So instead of talking to them as spiritual people, he had to talk to them as carnal people. Their immaturity, their lack of spiritual growth, was now a roadblock, a hindrance. Vs. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able Paul had to feed them with the milk of the Word and not solid food because they were not able to receive it. I will never forget when we decided to undergo the task of weaning our first son, Tyler, off his bottle. My wife decided that we should do that during our vacation we were camping in a motor home. Don t ever do that, parents! There will be no vacation, only torment. The whole camp could hear him screaming and because she decided not to wean but to go cold turkey, I had to go out and find a bottle in the middle of the night. It was time for him to move on, but he wasn t interested in moving on, and he let us know every minute of the day and night! The church of Corinth needed to move on in the faith but they had hit a wall that had stunted their growth. Notice what the church of Corinth was doing Vs. 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? The carnage of living in carnality: envy, strife, and divisions. Envy always wants something else, which leads to strife always finding something wrong, which leads to division always looking for something new. This is what was happening in the church at Corinth as carnal believers fought with and split from one another. Jon Courson (Jon Courson s Application Commentary: New Testament, Thomas Nelson, 2003, p. 1029) Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 2

3 Whenever you see envy, strife and divisions in your relationships, you can be sure there is some carnality, some flesh at work. Our relationships with one another can be a gauge of where our relationship is with the Lord. If our relationships with one another show maturity in them, then it s evidence that our relationship with the Lord has a maturity to it. On the flipside, if we lack maturity in our human relationships, then it s a gauge that we are lacking maturity in our relationship with the Lord. How I treat my wife, my kids, my staff, the body of Christ, my extended family, is a reflection of where I am with the Lord. I must be extending grace, allowing them space to grow, being willing to serve them, and going out of my way for them. It s a reflection of the work of God in my life it s due to the Spirit of God in my life. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) But if I am barking and biting them, if I am selfish and self-serving, struggling to forgive and bitter towards how they treat me, then it s evidence of where I am at with the Lord that I am still walking and struggling with my old nature, the old man, the old way of doing things. It s evidence that I am carnal. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJV) Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 3

4 It would be good for us once in a while to take inventory of how good our relationships are with our spouse, siblings, neighbors, with those within the church. If there is strife or envy, or if I am bitter or angry, or if I am promoting dissension and competition, that s carnality and that s evidence of immaturity. But if there is grace and forgiveness, humility and a desire to build up one another and bless one another, listening to each other, then it s a reflection of maturity in the faith. Notice what specific area of carnality the church was striving in Vs. 4 For when one says, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are you not carnal? Again, Paul points out the issue of their flesh. The issue in the church of Corinth was their elevation of the messenger, elevating the minister one says I am of Paul, the other says, I am of Apollos. Paul was the minister that God used to plant the church, Apollos was the current pastor at Corinth. You would have thought Paul might have been more generous when it came to his fan club, but he knew that it was fleshly on their part to promote him and it would have been an even greater sin to take the strokes and not correct it. So he denounces it all and reminds them Vs. 5-8 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? only the instruments that God used to bring them Jesus. Paul points out that he planted; he was the first one to bring the gospel to Corinth Then Apollos watered; he came in after Paul and watered and nurtured the seed. Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 4

5 But then Paul makes it very clear that God he says it twice in two verses God gave the increase. God caused it to grow. He is the one who causes germination. When a farmer plants a seed, and waters it, he really does not make it grow. The miracle of life does that. All the farmer can do is provide the right environment for growth, and trust in the miracle of life. David Guzik ( 1 Corinthians 3 B.1.b.i) God uses the one who plants and the one who waters, but they are not what cause growth. He causes the growth. Our part is likened to the farmer who can provide the right environment. We don t want to provide a bad mix of soil nor do we want to muddy up the water. It s important that the environment is not a distraction or a deterrent. He who plants and he who waters are one. What a great way to look at the ministry that we have. Some plant, others water, but both are needed and necessary; yet, one is not more important than the other. The one who has the seed-planting ministry of evangelism should not have an attitude with the one who has the ministry of discipleship. Likewise, the one who has the watering gift of discipling should not have an attitude with the one who is evangelizing. Often friction in the church comes between these two camps: The church exists to evangelize, No, the church exists to disciple and equip. It s not one or the other. It s both. The church that is discipled and equipped should be a church that evangelizes, and the church that evangelizes should be a church that disciples and deepens one in the faith. Paul reminds them that they are one and we should see it that way too. They are equally important. For the planter to say, We don t need water. Just keep planting, would be disastrous. A plant without water would lack nourishment and wither. For Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 5

6 the waterers to say, We don t need planters, well, there would be nothing to water. Evangelism and discipleship go hand-in-hand. There would be no discipleship without evangelism, and evangelism should not only be the byproduct of discipleship, but without discipleship there would be no nourishment and the church would be weak. And at the end, when we stand before the Lord, He will reward our labor. Paul points out that we are laborers on the Lord s project. We may work together, but we will be rewarded individually. Vs. 9 For we are God s fellow workers; you are God s field, you are God s building. Paul saw himself as part of the labor team on God s project, for we are fellow workers. In verse 5 he calls Apollos and himself ministers. Minister = diakonos: one who runs errands, a waiter or attendant, a servant. I think of all the jobs that I have had over my lifetime. My first job was a lifeguard. My second job was working for a C.P.A. I made copies in the backroom during tax season. My next job was working at Carl s Jr. I wore that brown polyester uniform and took orders. My next job was working for Tom s Pizza. I delivered pizzas. Then, when I graduated from high school, I worked for Alpha Beta in the meat department. I was a meat clerk. After I went to college, I took summer jobs. One summer I worked at Chevron gas station as a gas attendant. Another summer I worked construction in Carlsbad they handed me a shovel and had me start digging. I got a good tan that summer digging ditches! Finally, the Lord called me to the ministry. I look back and every job I had was representing someone other than me. I was part of something bigger than me. Do you see your ministry as an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than you, to represent the One who called you? Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 6

7 If so, then don t let carnality get a grip on you or your relationships within the church. Don t allow your ministry to be the very thing that divides; instead, let it be the platform that unites you. We are all part of something bigger than us don t forget that along the way. Remember that when we fall into a hole together. Copyright 2012 Chris Fraley 7