But God Makes It Grow
4/24/05 a.m. service
Lighthouse Assembly of God, Mt. Juliet, TN
Pastor Greg Tabor
Introduction
Read Text: 1 Corinthians 1:11-13; 3:1-9 NLT
From the text we see a church divided over loyalty or sentiment for their favorite pastors and teachers. Who were the two main one’s whom factions were forming between? Paul and Apollos. But as we see from the text, they were only stewards of what was God’s. The concept of Steward was made alive to me in the third movie of the trilogy Lord of the Rings. Let me illustrate.
Illus. Gandalf’s reminder that Denethor was only a Steward.
It was time for the Corinthians to get their eyes off of men and back onto God. He alone is the author and finisher of our faith.
God’s Stewards
Obviously from the main body of text, God’s stewards were specifically Paul and Apollos. Verse 9 likens the church unto a field. And verse 6 likens Paul and Apollos unto farmers or gardeners in that field.
Their Purpose
Paul spent 18 months in Corinth on his 2nd missionary journey (see Acts 18:11). During this time he established the church and discipled the converts. In his own words, Paul says “My job was to plant the seed in your hearts” (1 Cor. 3:6 NLT). We could refer to Paul as Church Planter.
But then Paul moved on to Ephesus.
After Paul’s departure from Corinth, Acts 18:27 and 19:1 tell us that Apollos went to Corinth. Evidently Apollos did a great work as Pastor there and was loved by many of the people. “Apollos watered it” (1 Cor. 3:6 NLT) was the phrase Paul used to describe Apollos ministry in Corinth.
Paul and Apollos had “the same purpose”(v.8 NLT) fulfilled in differing roles and at differing times. That purpose was the salvation and discipleship of men and women.
Their Partnership
While these men were in Corinth at different times of the congregation’s development, they shared a partnership.
With Eachother
Paul writes that he and Apollos were not divided, but rather “a team”(v.8a) and “partners” (v.9). They were not in competition with each other.
And Paul understood competition. In Philippians 1 he addressed the fact that while he was in prison some preached the Gospel with wrong motives trying to stir up trouble for him. How’d he respond? “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice” (Philippians 1:18 NIV). Paul was not about blowing his own horn. He was about working together with others to get the Gospel message to the world.
In response to the divisions being produced within the Corinthian church, Paul writes: “When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I prefer Apollos,” aren’t you acting like those who are not Christians?” (1 Cor. 3:4 NLT). The ESV says, “Are you not being merely human?” Steven Curtis Chapman sang a song about not acting only naturally because we’ve got the Spirit of the living God inside of us. We shouldn’t act merely like unregenerate human beings would. Christians should live with a spirit of unity. Ephesians 4:3-4 NLT says, “Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future.” Unity between Christians is essential for the work of the Lord to go forward. We are all on the same team. We cannot afford to be divided, jealous and territorial.
With God
“Through us God caused you to believe. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. We work together as partners who belong to God” (1 Cor 3:5b & 9 NLT)
The ESV says “For we are God’s fellow workers.”
God worked through Paul and Apollos to reach folks for Christ. Paul and Apollos both did the work God assigned them. God still chooses to partner with us in this adventure called the Great Commission today.
Friends, when you work with God you need to realize that you are following His plan His way. He has the right to pick you up and set you down anywhere He wants to and have you do the work He wants you to do. And He empowers you to accomplish the task.
“You are God’s field, God’s building—not ours.” (1 Cor. 3:9 NLT)
It is always important to remember that we are Stewards and that the church is God’s. It isn’t our vision, it’s His. It isn’t our Body, it is Christ’s. We will be responsible for the work we do in God’s field, or as this verse begins to set up another illustration, God’s building. In the verses that follow our chosen text, Paul warns that whatever folks use to build on the foundation of Jesus Christ that has already been laid will be tested. So when you are working for God, build right.
God’s Field
This is God’s field.
“My job was to plant the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God, not we, who made it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7 NLT)
Our Growth
Paul states without hesitation that “it was God, not we, who made it grow.”
Stanley Horton writes, “In God’s providence, Paul planted the seed of god’s Word to establish the assembly at Corinth (Acts 18:1-7). Then Apollos watered it and cared for it, encouraging the assembly’s spiritual development. But all the while Paul was planting and all the while Apollos was watering God was making it grow. Thus, Paul and Apollos are really nothing. The attention of the assembly should not be on them, as if they were the important ones, but on God who alone makes possible salvation, spiritual growth, and growth in numbers (cf. Acts 2:47).” – (Horton, Stanley. 1 & 2 Corinthians. A Logion Press Commentary)
“And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” Acts 2:47 NLT
His Glory
“It makes no more sense for Christians to glorify men, even a Paul or an Apollos, who are only brushes or palettes in the Master’s hands. Such are to be esteemed and loved for their work (1 Thess. 5:12-13), but not revered or set against each other.
It is appropriate that God’s faithful servants be appreciated and encouraged while they are on earth. But they are not to be glorified, set apart, or made the center of special groups or movements.
Paul and Apollos were but God’s fellow workers. It was not their own ministry that they worked in, but His. What divine companionship! It was God’s church in Corinth, not Paul’s or Apollos’s or Peter’s. The believers there were God’s field, God’s building, and His alone. And the glory for any good work done there, or anywhere, is also His alone.” (John MacArthur’s Commentary on 1 Corinthians)
1 Corinthians 1:13 NIV says, “Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” This was Paul’s way of saying, “It ain’t about me.” You see, the Corinthians had their eyes on men. This is not uncommon today. Their eyes being on men was stunting their spiritual growth and destroying their fellowship. By acting this way it seems to me that they had lost proper perspective. Paul attempts to reset their perspective.
Too many people are looking to a man as their savior. They want a tangible god of sorts to put their trust in. Just look at the hoopla surrounding the selection of a new pope. The very concept of a pope creates a man-centered Gospel. It seems to me that people look to him for their hope rather than Christ. I think Paul would be appalled.
Remember when Paul and Barnabas went to Lystra in Acts 14? God healed a man who’d been crippled since birth. The locals concluded that they were gods and were going to make sacrifices to them. What was Paul and Barnabas’ response? “We are merely human beings like yourselves!” (v.15 NLT). They recognized where the power came from. They knew they were merely vessels through which that power flowed.
Conclusion
Be careful during this transition period not to get your eyes on mere men. While God has assigned men to do their part in planting and watering just like Paul and Apollos, we must always remember that it is ultimately God who causes growth to take place. This is His church and He has a plan and a destiny for this Body and if you are faithful to do your part, He will grow this church beyond your expectations. He will send other stewards to this church to take up the “watering” ministry. Remember, Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow. Get your eyes on God, not men. For your hope is in Him.
