Throughout this series, we have looked at where God interjects, or otherwise interferes with the course of human events. Because if left up to our own ways and devices, we would flounder and fail.
But God knows our hearts, and despite the wickedness of our hearts, God gave us Jesus, “while we were yet sinners” to take the penalty of our sins. God is in control of events around us and for us who know Jesus as Lord, these events, even what we would deem to bad, God can and does work it all for our good.
The point is, it is all about what God does and it is all for His glory. Today as we continue to look at the Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, we will see that church in Corinth had a problem. Their problem was simple, they were inwardly focused and not on what God has done or is doing. It was all about themselves and they had become divided. They were divided over who they should follow, Paul or Apollos. Their focus was off God and on themselves and others.
1 Corinthians 3:5–8
Some years ago, a study was done by an agricultural school in Iowa. It reported that production of a hundred bushels of corn from one acre of land required
4,000,000 lbs. of water,
6,800 lbs. of oxygen,
5,200 lbs. of carbon,
160 lbs. of nitrogen,
125 lbs. of potassium,
75 lbs. of yellow Sulphur,
and other elements too numerous to list.
In addition to these ingredients are required rain and sunshine at the right times. Although many hours of the farmer’s labor are also needed, it was estimated that only 5 percent of the produce of a farm can be attributed to the efforts of man. [1]
And so it can be said of our spiritual lives. Little depends on us, it is all about what God has done for us.
To the Jew, everything from the earth came from God. It is part of their theology of creation:
“Israelite farmers routinely confessed the same, not least in prayers like Psalm 65:9–11 when they came to offer the firstfruits in fulfillment of their “vows”
Psalm 65:9–11 (NKJV) 9 You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, For so You have prepared it. 10 You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth. 11 You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.
“It is not that the farmers had not toiled over the preparation and harvest of the crop, but they did so profoundly aware of the fact that their labors would be in vain if the Lord did not “bless its growth.” The ancient (and still traditional) Jewish mealtime blessing reflects the same theology of creation: “Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth’ ” [2]
All things come from God. Paul uses this analogy in today’s passage. The Corinthians were arguing who they were following:
1 Corinthians 3:4 (NKJV) For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
Carnal meaning they were thinking using their worldly minds and not with their spiritual discernments. So Paul explains:
1 Corinthians 3:5 (NKJV) Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?
Who or what was Paul? Who are what was Apollos? They were “ministers.” Most other translations have “servants.” The Greek word used here is “diakonoi” which we get our word deacon. It’s basic meaning is that of a manual labor servant. In the Greek culture of that day, a servant who did manual labor was despised, and considered the lowest of the lowly. To the Greek, it did not carry the status, as the Jew would see, as Moses, who was given a the high status as “the servant of the Lord” (see Joshua 1:1).
But in the early church, Paul promoted a humble view of Church leadership, they were servants who operated under direction, authority and empowerment of the Master. We do not celebrate the servants for the servants have no ability, authority, or power of their own.
“Through whom you believed” they were the means by which the Corinthians believed, not the cause.
“as the Lord gave to each one.” Paul and Apollos was given by the Lord, job and they were doing as they were told and God did a marvelous work through their efforts. This begs the question, what has God given you and me to do? And are we doing it?
So what was it that God gave Paul and Apollos to do?
1 Corinthians 3:6–7 (NKJV) I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
Under the direction and authority and empowerment from the Lord, Paul planted the seeds of the Gospel, and founded the church in Corinth, Later the great orator Apollos came and taught those in the church, thereby watering the crop to see to its growth. But all credit for their growth goes to God. God get the glory. Paul made sure they understood this simple fact, so he repeated it twice. Verse 6 “God gave the increase” and in verse 7 “God who gives the increase.”
It is all about what God has and is doing. The first “gave the increase” is in the past imperfect tense meaning that God not only gave the increase but continues to so and in the second phrase, of “gives the increase” is in the present active tense meaning God continues to increase now.
But God gave the increase. If God was not working through them, their work was all in vain. This is an important point for us stop and consider. We do no good, we accomplish nothing, in the eyes of God, unless God is underwriting the expense, God is moving in the work, God is changing the heart.
John 15:5 (NKJV) “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Yet we often try to do things for God without God. And we wonder why we are falling flat? Not only must God be in the work, we must do the work God’s way. We member last week’s message? “God uses the foolish things to confound the wise.” Often we believe we can do things the world’s way and God will bless. We have heard that we need run the church more like a secular business, and certainly business practices are good.
But it is surprising to some people that the church cannot be run as a business and still be the Lord’s work. There is a wisdom of this world that works for the world, but does not work for the church.
- Peter & the coin in the fish’s mouth.
- Jesus multiplying the loaves & fish.
- John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness.
- Jesus avoiding crowds.
- The church praying Peter out of jail.
The world depends on promotion, prestige & the influence of money & important people. The church depends on prayer, the power of the Spirit, humility & sacrifice.[3]
“So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters” So Paul who planted and Apollos who watered are nothing compared to God. They are tools in His hands. It is not that they are nothing, but compared to Almighty God, they are nothing And so are we. We must not ever say, “look at what I have done, but rather we must say words to the effect of “Look at what God has done through us” or “what God has enabled us to do.” It is all about giving all the credit and glory to God.
1 Corinthians 3:8 (NKJV) Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
God called Paul and Apollos to different tasks. But they are not in competition with one another. Their work complemented each other. The verse says they
“are one.” One in purpose and one in opportunity. We are in this all together. It takes all of us working together. If Paul didn’t plant, what purpose would there be for Apollos to water? If there were to be no watering, what purpose would there be for Paul to plant?
We each must work as God as called us. Often things don’t get done in the church because the failure of those who did not do what God has called them to do. And it often because of a lack of faith and trust in the One that calls us. There is a lack of faith that the call will not result in the empowerment or equipping to do what he ask us to do. We often do not know what God has equipped us to do until we actually do it. It is called a step of faith, getting out of our comfort zones, and so forth.
So what was their purpose? Their one purpose was to see the church grow and bear fruit. They were to grow in both in numbers (quantity), and they were to grow deeper spiritually quality). It was not always easy and there were obstacles along the way.
So how are we doing? If I would to stand here and say our growth has only been to grow spiritually, that would be a cop-out. Our call is to grow both in terms of quantity and quality. The two go hand in hand. I will be preaching more on this in the coming weeks.
We all have been called to good works. No one has been called to sit and do nothing.
Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Are we each individually doing what we have been called to do? Our works will be judged. Because back to verse 8: “each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” This is not about our salvation but about our treasures in heaven. What have we done for the Kingdom, the work that we were called to do. Are we working in the power of God or in our own power, or in the power of the world? From further down in chapter 3 we read about rewards:
1 Corinthians 3:13–15 (NKJV) 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Our labors for the Lord will be judged. Work done apart from God will fail, only that work that is done through Him and by Him through us will be of any worth.
The size of the work does not matter, large or small. God will test us in the small things before He will call you do to larger things. Remember big or small, ours is to be faithful in what he gives us to do.
Remember, God gives the increase. All things accomplish is to the glory of God. What has God called you to do?
[1] Michael P. Green, 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 355–356.
[2] Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter to the Corinthians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 146.
[3] www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/you-are-a-co-laborer-with-god-gene-gregory-sermon-on-christian-disciplines-119215?ref=SermonSerps
