Who Are We ? A lesson in Humility and servitude. 1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1Co 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
1Co 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is {Apollos [A Jew from Alexandria, eloquent (which may also mean learned), and mighty in the Scriptures; one instructed in the way of the Lord, according to the imperfect view of the disciples of John the Baptist, Act_18:24, but on his coming to Ephesus during a temporary absence of St. Paul, A.D. 54, more perfectly taught by Aquila and Priscilla.} Priscilla, being the wife of Aquila, is sometimes mentioned before her husband ,in scripture, as having taught Apollos the finer points of scripture, concerning women and the gospel, some call her a disciple. Apollos learned his teachings primalary from the writings of John the Baptist. So we can see here that even the most eloquent of men, may need to be retaught.
After this, he became a preacher of the gospel, first in Achaia and then in Corinth. Act_18:27; Act_1819:1. When the apostle wrote his First Epistle to the Corinthians, Apollos was with or near him, 1Co_16:12, probably at Ephesus in A.D. 57.], but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? Paul, as an example to all, shows humbleness. He puts himself in a place of servitude and not as lord over the people. Paul received this blessing from the words of Jesus, who stated that, “I came to serve and not to be served.” Paul and Apollos were in total agreement, they were the servants of God and of the people. Paul goes on to state their role in the plan of salvation a lesson that we all need to take another look at.
1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. Paul ,as an Apostil [Our Lord gave them [ apostils] the “keys of the kingdom,” and by the gift of his Spirit fitted them to be the founders and governors of his church (Joh_14:16,], established the Gospel here and Apollos increased the people’s knowledge of Jesus but God was the one who ,saved and increased the membership of the church. Sense neither Paul nor Apollos could ,save nor add to the church , He put the Glory and addition of saved souls to the church to the account of God.
1Co 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Who are we, are we someone special that sets us apart from the rest of Christianity or are we, as Paul stated, just messengers of God to deliverer the word to others? There are special blessings in scripture for the ministers of the gospel, but what we want to look at here is our place in God, again, as servants and not as lords over the people. People come to Jesus, not because of who ministers the word [we all must preach the same to all men , so that one minister is no different, in the word, than another.] , but they come to Jesus because of the word. It’s the word that saves, and the drawing power of the Holy Ghost that urges repentance on the heart of the individual. There are many today that have forgotten their place in God and are thinking more of themselves than they should. I’ve talked to some who act like the old town sheriff who counts his worth by the notches on his gun. We save no one, I have never met a minister that has ever saved a soul, not one. Surprised, don’t be, it is not in man to save, but to deliver the word that God might save. “ that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you;” If we are following the word of God, we all must be following the same path, there should be no division among us.
1Co 1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe [A matron at Corinth, some of whose household informed Paul of the divisions in the Corinthian church.], that there are contentions among you.
1Co 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. The repeated δὲ and, expresses the opposition between the respective parties. The followers of Apollos preferred his more philosophical and rhetorical preaching to the simpler and more direct utterances of Paul. Others ranged themselves under the name of Peter. The differences here the people were referring to was ,the delivery of the gospel, ministers deliver the word as per their ability. [1Pe 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.], some like a, soft delivery and some an evangelistic approach, but the word must all be the same. For example, My brother, the Pastor of, Three Mile Baptist Church, is more of an , philosophical preacher with a soft touch and I, a Evangelistic approach, Hell Fire and Brimstone, my Mother, a teacher as Pricilla, but we still preach the same word.
And who was Cephas its Aramaic for Πέτρος Peter.
See on Joh_1:42. It is Paul’s usual name for Peter, Πέτρος occurring only Gal_2:7, Gal_2:8. Peter would be the rallying-point for the Judaizing Christians, who claimed him as the apostle of the circumcision.(Paul at times in scripture rebuked Peter for separating himself from the gentiles when Jews entered the room, Paul was teaching that all men are equal in the eyes of God.) The state of the Corinthian church offered the most favorable ground for Paul’s Jewish-Christian adversaries, who took advantage of the reaction created by the looser views and practice of Gentile Christians, and by the differences of opinion on important questions, to press the necessity of legal regulation, and of ceremonial observances in non-essentials.( Primarily, circumcision of the flesh.)
1Co 1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? This is one verse that all need to pay particular attention to, Paul states his position most clearly, Jesus is the one that died for you, he was the one that God sent to save the world and in His name are all Baptized. You must look to Jesus for salvation , not us.
1Co 1:14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
1Co 1:15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. ( Paul was not out to establish a name for himself, but a name for Jesus)
1Co 1:16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
1Co 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize,[ Paul was stating that baptism was a time consuming job at this point in time and his work in the gospel was of the utmost importance. So he preached and allocated the Baptism of the saved to others. but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words[ He kept it simple], lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.[ The gentiles at this time were unlearned and needed ministers, like Paul, to preach in a manner that they could understand] ( If the word we preach cannot be understood how then can man be saved?) 1Co 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. ( Paul was being realistic, many are trying to save the entire world, and its not going to happen)
1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish [Those who are unregenerate.] foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1Co 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
1Co 1:20 Where is the wise? [(Isa_29:14). By turning to the passage in Isaiah, its meaning is clear. God will put aside the wisdom and understanding of men; these will not save; but he will save by what the world called foolishness, The preaching of the Cross] where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? [One who disputes, or who is given to disputes; a controvertist.]
hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. [We preach a savior that man cannot see, we preach a word that man has neither comprehension of nor part in.](Man did nothing to develop the gospel, it was entirely by the inspiration of God) Man cannot understand a divinely inspired word that never came from his wisdom or knowledge.
1Co 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock( The Jews looked for a King, such as David and Solomon to reign on the earth and not for a savior to reign in a Heavenly world.) , and unto the Greeks foolishness (the Greeks looked for the knowledge of a natural source, not spiritual);
1Co 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. I pray that this lesson has opened up understanding about who we are according to scripture. The following is an article that I thought every Christian should hear. ars
{Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Zeevi was quoted Wednesday as saying Tehran might have the bomb by 2008 if the international community does not halt Iran’s march to acquiring nuclear weapons.
"Iran is the country that has announced that one missile toward Israel will destroy the Jewish state. So we should be concerned about the Iranians’ efforts to develop nuclear weapons," Shalom said.}
