GOING PUBLIC
“Friendship Evangelism”
1st Corinthians 3:1-10
In our text, today, Paul is addressing the church in Corinth. This is a church that Paul started around AD 50. This letter appears to have been written about 5 years later. So this is a very young church, full of men and women who are very young in the faith. They were simple people. They didn’t come from a background of wealth or royalty. There were all kinds of people in Corinth and all kinds of people in this church. They had very little understanding of Christianity. In addition, there were basically two groups of people in the city---the rich and the poor. There was no middle class. And these two classes had little to do with each other. On top of all of this there were all kinds of “spiritual” problems:
• They abused the Lord’s Supper. There were those who came early for church and drank all the wine.
• They would constantly take each other to court … suing one another over various matters.
• There was a great deal of sexual abuse taking place. Adultery and prostitution.
So, Paul writes to call them to a higher standard. And to call us to a higher standard as well. There should be a difference in how we live and how the world lives. And Paul tells us this in a very strong manner by saying: “I had to talk to you as though you belonged to this world—as though you were spiritual infants. I had to feed you with milk: couldn’t give you solid food. Why? “Because you were not ready for anything stronger. And (guess what?) You still aren’t!” Because you are still controlled by your sin nature. And this is what he gives as an example.
v. 4. “Some of you say you are a follower of Paul; others say you’re a follower of Apollos. We pick up there at verse 5ff. So how does all of this speak to us today? In 2002 I am challenging you to go public with your faith. My challenge goes against what this pandemic tells us to do right now. Because the pandemic tells us to stay at home. Inside. Keep our distance. Stay out of public places. But listen, God’s word does not give believers a hall pass during Covid. (Hall pass). God’s word doesn’t tell us, in case of a pandemic, stop sharing your faith. In case of a pandemic, set your faith aside. God has not decided to put His work on hold. This is a difficult time, but not a time to quit.
Now in all of this, there is a process here that Paul gives to us---and this process gives us some comfort---some relief. Here are some things we need to understand.
Like Paul and like Apollos, we are only servants. We are diakonoi.
How is that word translated? We are all deacons, ministers, servants. This is a term used in the early church to describe those who served. This term was also used to describe Jesus. And Paul uses it here to describe our role in sharing the gospel. Like Paul, we are servants. Paul then says, now God has given all of us at least one task/job/purpose. Some plant; some water. God makes it all grow. Which brings us to our next question.
Which one is most important?
We will all be rewarded for our labor.
Here is how Paul answers this question. We will all be rewarded for our labor. And we can only assume that we will all be rewarded in the same way. Paul seems to imply that a crown will be given to those who help bring others to Christ. The OT says that He who wins soul is wise. The question that comes to me, is who is the actual soul winner? Is it the one who plants the seed, is it the one who waters or is it the one who is with them when they make the decision? And which one is the most important? If we think of this process as something like planting/farming; perhaps like planting an apple tree, we realize that all of the steps matter. For instance, to grow an apple tree, what matters the most?
• The one who puts the seed into the ground
• The one who waters the seed
• The one who prunes the tree when it starts to grow?
• The one who is there when the first apple appears?
Which matters the most? The answer is obvious; one does not matter more; they are all necessary. So who is more important? The one who shares his faith at the beginning, the one who encourages along the way or the one who is there when someone actually makes a decision to follow Christ? They are all necessary and one step cannot take place without the other.
So Paul says, stop saying you’re a follower of Paul; stop saying you’re a follower of Apollos, because if you know Christ then you are a follower of Christ! He says and “each of us did the work” and that is what matters. He gives us an example of this in verse 6. He says, “I planted the seed in your hearts and Apollos watered it but it was God who made it grow. Verse 7. It’s not important WHO does the planting or WHO does the watering. What’s important is that God is the one who makes the seed grow. He alone gives the increase. Whether you plant or water you are working for the same purpose and that is to make the seed grow. Both will be rewarded for their work.
I believe that for many people as they come to Christ; it involves more than one decision. In other words, it is a process. And because it’s a process; because it takes time, there are things that get in the way. If you have ever lived in a farming community or taken care of a garden you will really be able to grasp this context. Jesus, in the first parable He shared spoke about this in Matthew 13. We call it the “Parable of the Soil.” In the parable, the farmer goes out to plant some seed and as he scatters the seed, here is what takes place and what type of soil the seed falls on.
• Seed that falls along the path. The path would have been walked on, packed down; nothing growing there, so the seed was obvious to the birds. In this teaching, He tells us that the seed represents Satan. The person hears but they don’t understand.
• Seed on the rocky soil. They hear it and may even say they believe but it never takes root. As soon as a difficulty arises, they fall away.
• Seed among the thorns. The thorns choke out the message. Two things in particular do that; Worry and Wealth. As a result there is no fruit.
• Seed that falls on good soil. This the one who hears, takes it all in and in turn they produces a good harvest.
Now, what should keep us from spreading the seed because it’s not up to us to determne whether the soil is good or not. Our job is to spread the message. God is the one who saves, not us. Our job is to share the message in the oath that we walk, daily. If you go back to Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, over 5000 were saved. Why? Because men and women were going public with their faith. They began to speak to their family, friends, neighbors, those they worked with. It worked 2000 years ago and is still the most effective way to share our faith. In a survey that was done, 14,000 people were asked the same question:
Who was responsible for you coming to Christ and the church?
(1) Think about WHO was responsible for you coming to Christ.
(2) 7 categories were mentioned. Here are the results:
• You had a special need ……………………….. 1.5%
• Just happened to walk in to church ………… 2.5%
• A pastor talked to you ……………………………… 5.5%
• Someone from the church knocked on your door …………………………….. 1.5%
• Attended Bible study/S.S. or another church program …………………….. 7%
• TV/Crusade, Billy Graham, etc. ………………. .5%
• A friend or relative …………………………………… 82%
So, bottom line…..
8 out of 10 people we lead to Christ are most likely to be friends or relatives.
Don’t overlook your friends and relatives. They need Jesus and God has placed them in your path for a reason. You are more likely to reach them than your pastor.
Start doing these 5 things.
1. Build relationships with your friends, relatives and neighbors. Talk to them regularly. Show genuine interest.
2. Pray for them by name. Establish a prayer list of those you desire to lead to Christ. Pray that God will change their heart.
3. Always be prepared to speak of your faith. As you talk to them, be open to share what Christ is doing in your life.
4. Be the friend you want them to be to you. Don’t wait for them to make the first move. You can’t save a drowning person without getting onto the water. You can’t rescue someone without getting close. Bake a pie. Cut their grass. But do something.
5. Live my example, not just words. Anyone can talk the talk.
Ghandi said, I would have become a Christian, were it not for Christians. It’s time to change that.
