Introduction
I. It has been suggested by some that I have been speaking a lot, perhaps too much, about church growth, and church health lately.
A. I have tried to take those comments very seriously, and evaluate the validity of “too much.”
B. I will confess that I honestly believe that church growth and church health, cannot really be addressed too much.
1. After all, if as believers in Jesus Christ our focus is to be on the building up of the body of Christ, then the issues of growth and health are vital.
2. But there is perhaps another reason as well; the Bible spends a great deal of time speaking to the issue as well.
3. Please allow me to demonstrate.
II. Our base text this morning is 1 Corinthians 3:16 - 16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
A. When I first read this verse, in preparation for this series, I looked at it based on it’s typical application.
1. “Your body belongs to God.”
2. “Since your body belongs to God, take care of it, or suffer the consequences.”
B. That application is certainly worth paying attention to; BUT, it is not really the point of this verse.
III. Please allow me to give you the most basic truth in biblical interpretation.
A. Never pull a verse out of its context and make application.
B. One of my professors put it this way, “Context determines meaning.”
1. When you read a word that you do not really know the meaning of; look at how it is used in the sentence, and the meaning will probably come to you.
2. In reading the bible the same principle applies.
C. When you are reading a verse of scripture, always look to the context of its setting to determine what it really means.
IV. The context of verse 16 and 17 are set squarely in Paul’s admonition concerning how the general membership of a local church should view its leaders.
A. Don’t make little god’s out of former leaders, at the expense of current leaders.
B. Build on the foundation that was laid, realizing that every leader will probably not have the same emphasis, with one exception, the Jesus is Lord.
Diversity of Method, Unity of Purpose (vs. 5-8)
5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
I. The church of the Corinthians must have been some kind of church.
A. It was a church that had been greatly blessed by God.
B. It was evidently a large church, that had an abundance of spiritual gifting.
C. It was also a church torn by sin,
1. Sins of idolatry
2. Sins of immorality
3. Sins of disunity
4. And the list goes on and on.
II. Acts 18 is the story of Paul’s founding of the church of Corinth.
A. According to Acts, Paul preached and taught in Corinth for 18 months.
B. Paul was the founder of the church, and God increased the church greatly under his leadership, but Paul was no permanent pastor of any church.
C. After Paul left, it seems that Apollos gained a reputation and a following in Corinth.
D. Not atypically, Paul had his followers, Apollos had his followers, and some followed still other church leaders, and they all thought that no one could ever compare to the one they followed.
III. When I first moved up here, some 20 plus years ago, I attended a relatively new church.
A. This church was attempting something new in leadership form.
1. They had a co-pastorate.
2. Two very different men, with equal authority, attempting to lead one church body; and it was working rather well.
a. The church was growing,
b. People were getting saved,
c. Ministry was taking place, BUT
d. Within the church walls, were actually two churches.
(1) Some followed Mike, and thought he was great.
(2) Some followed Gary, and though he was great.
e. Eventually, there was a split between the pastors, which ultimately saw a split within the church.
f. Some in the body, I believe including the pastors, even while claiming to be followers of Christ, forgot to follow Christ.
B. These men were different,
1. They had different preaching styles,
2. They dealt with people differently,
3. Both loved the Lord, and the church loved the Lord, but style got in the way of substance.
IV. Can the same thing happen in churches with only one pastor; you bet it can.
A. “I sure wish we had pastor such and such back.”
B. “That’s not the way pastor so and so would do it.”
V. What does Paul say,
A. “I planted, (that was my calling) Apollos watered (that was his calling) but only God could give the increase.
B. We had different styles, different methods, a different vision, but only one purpose.
VI. There may be diversity of method, but there must be only one purpose; and that to see God able to give an increase.
VII. Do you see Paul’s admonishment here?
A. In verses 1 to 4 Paul had said, “I would like to talk to you in a spiritually mature manner, but I can’t. You have been so busy priding yourselves on what human you have been following that you have failed to follow Christ.”
B. Accept the diversity of God has placed in your midst, and then God will be able to work in your midst in a mighty way.
Appearances Can Be Decieving (vs. 9-15)
9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.14 If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.
I. Paul referred to the building of God again in Ephesians chapter 2.
A. There he wrote - 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
II. From time to time when someone will says things like,
A. “We don’t have to worry about the church growing; Or
B. It doesn’t matter much what we do; Ultimately
C. It’s up to God whether the church grows or does not grow.
III. In one sense that is true, BUT I ask you to read again verse 9 - “...we are God’s fellow workers;...”
A. The word means, “companion in work”
B. In Ephesians, Christ is the corner stone
C. In these verses Christ is the foundation
D. A temple is being built,
1. God is working to do His part, and yes it is God who gives the increase, BUT
2. But we, EACH OF US, get to be fellow laborers, co-workers with Christ.
IV. I believe it is fair to assume that when Paul speaks of “gold, silver and precious stones” he is referring to insuring that future builders must insure that using quality materials to complete what Christ started.
V. It is also probably fair to assume that when he speaks of “work, hay and straw” he is referring to materials of inferior quality.
VI. But there is another, probably more important point to all this;
A. We, that is those judging another man’s work, cannot always tell the difference between what is quality and what is inferior.
B. Look what he says in verse 13, “each man’s work will become evident ON THAT DAY.”
1. In other words, only God can decide what is quality product, able to stand the test of time, and what is only temporary.
2. We must be careful what materials we use to build, and we must be even more careful how we judge another man’s work.
VII. So far I believe Paul has made two very important points
A. Point 1 -
1. Stop holding the work of one church leader as being more significant than another.
2. Allow for diversity of method, and unity of purpose.
B. Point 2 -
1. Leave the judging of quality of workmanship to God.
2. Appearances can sometimes be deceiving.
VIII. Is serving in the nursery as important as preaching an inspiring sermon?
A. The answer is yes.
B. You have no idea who that infant will become.
IX. Is teaching a youth group of 5 less important than teaching a youth group of 50?
A. The answer is certainly not.
B. You may not realize how the impact of your faithfulness before God will effect that young person.
X. Is it really important whether we sing one kind of song or another?
A. Not at all.
B. What is really important is whether God is glorified by what is being done.
XI. We sometimes get so concerned with building our own temple that we can fail to build the temple of God.
Many Stones Produce One Temple (vs. 16-17)
16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
I. Now we get to our based verse, verse 16 - “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
A. The key to the interpretation of this verse is found in the word “you”
1. That word is not in the singular, but rather the plural.
2. “Together” that is the entire church called together as one person is the temple of God.
B. O, and by the way, “a temple” is better translated in the King James which say, “THE temple of God.”
II. Yes, the Holy Spirit has taken up permanent residence in each believer in Jesus Christ, therefore yes, in one sense YOU ARE A TEMPLE OF GOD.
III. But the context of 1 Corinthians, is a call for “unity in the body of Christ.”
A. Do you not know church that together we are the temple of God.
B. Do you now know church that every member is dependent on every other member.
IV. When God created Adam, he created him incomplete.
A. Adam needed someone to fill in the spaces that God had left empty.
B. Adam needed a wife, a women to complete him.
V. Some have said,
A. “I don’t have to attend church to worship God.”
B. “I don’t have to be with other people to worship God.”
VI. That theology is incorrect.
A. Yes it does matter
B. Do you not know that (together) you are THE temple of God?
C. Together you are the place where God has taken up residence.
D. If we are to be obedient to God, then we need to be in fellowship with others.
VII. If you are not doing your part to build the temple of God, then in contrast, you will be destroying it.
VIII. So what have we seen this morning.
A. Verses 5 to 8 - Every church must allow for a diversity of members; including leaders, who will have a diversity of methods, BUT every church must have only one purpose; to glorify the risen savior.
B. Verses 9 to 15 -
1. Don’t be to quick to judge;
2. Appearances can be deceiving.
3. God is the only one that can judge the worth of what the builder has done.
C. Verses 16-17 -
1. God dwells in the unity of the church.
2. If you are not building, you may well be destroying.
IX. As for me, I want to build.
