Daily Bread 1 Corinthians 3
Daily Bread
1 Corinthians 3
Paul and Apollos, Servants of Christ
1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
Observation:
Paul starts chapter 3 by admonishing or challenging the believers at Corinth that there are still patterns in their life that reflect more worldliness than godliness. Paul uses the metaphor of feeding them with milk rather than solid food, which he uses in other parts of the New Testament as well. The example he uses is that they are still quarrelling and still have jealousy toward each other.
Again, Paul points out that part of this quarrelling is over what leader different people are following, Apollos or Paul. Paul uses the analogy of a growing seed to illustrate that some plant and some water, but most importantly God makes it grow. As human beings we are instrumental in creating fertile soil and maximizing conditions for the birth and growth of a seed, but it is God who makes it happen. The important thing is not who is doing what, but that the growth happens.
We are all working for the same purpose, to bring people to Christ and help them to grow to the point where they will lead others to Christ. And we do this to the glory and honor of God, who gave us this purpose when we came to believe. There is no room in the church for comparison or grand-standing. It is not about us, our church, our leader, our building etc..
God calls us to be faithful to plant and water with His Word, and He will provide the growth. This is not up to us!
Application:
Are you ready for solid food? What will help you to take next steps to get past needing milk as an infant? My whole desire to do these daily bread devotionals is to help you become a self-feeder. This is someone who desires to hear from God on a daily bread and put what He says into practice. Of course some of you are mature and some aren’t. It doesn’t matter. They key thing is that you are growing in a desire to hear and put into practice God’s Word on a daily basis. If you do this you will be like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season, and whatever you do will prosper! (see Psalm 1)
Prayer: God help us to become more mature in handling Your Word. First of all help us to accept Jesus Christ the Word of God into our hearts to receive the power of Your Spirit. As Your Spirit works in us we can grow to become the fruit bearing seed you created us to be for Your glory! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 Corinthians 3
Paul and Apollos, Servants of Christ
1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
Observation:
Paul starts chapter 3 by admonishing or challenging the believers at Corinth that there are still patterns in their life that reflect more worldliness than godliness. Paul uses the metaphor of feeding them with milk rather than solid food, which he uses in other parts of the New Testament as well. The example he uses is that they are still quarrelling and still have jealousy toward each other.
Again, Paul points out that part of this quarrelling is over what leader different people are following, Apollos or Paul. Paul uses the analogy of a growing seed to illustrate that some plant and some water, but most importantly God makes it grow. As human beings we are instrumental in creating fertile soil and maximizing conditions for the birth and growth of a seed, but it is God who makes it happen. The important thing is not who is doing what, but that the growth happens.
We are all working for the same purpose, to bring people to Christ and help them to grow to the point where they will lead others to Christ. And we do this to the glory and honor of God, who gave us this purpose when we came to believe. There is no room in the church for comparison or grand-standing. It is not about us, our church, our leader, our building etc..
God calls us to be faithful to plant and water with His Word, and He will provide the growth. This is not up to us!
Application:
Are you ready for solid food? What will help you to take next steps to get past needing milk as an infant? My whole desire to do these daily bread devotionals is to help you become a self-feeder. This is someone who desires to hear from God on a daily bread and put what He says into practice. Of course some of you are mature and some aren’t. It doesn’t matter. They key thing is that you are growing in a desire to hear and put into practice God’s Word on a daily basis. If you do this you will be like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season, and whatever you do will prosper! (see Psalm 1)
Prayer: God help us to become more mature in handling Your Word. First of all help us to accept Jesus Christ the Word of God into our hearts to receive the power of Your Spirit. As Your Spirit works in us we can grow to become the fruit bearing seed you created us to be for Your glory! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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