Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.
--1 Corinthians 3:8-9 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on May 22, 2013 of Psalm 97; 1 Corinthians 3; 1 Samuel 30-31.
In the third chapter of his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul addresses the divisions that exist and are growing in the church. He warns that by allowing this contention to continue, they risk their spiritual growth being stunted and even the loss of future rewards in heaven. To make his point more understandable to the people, he takes a page from Jesus' lesson plan and uses two allegories folks should be familiar with: that of farmers growing crops and of master builders raising a structure.
Part of the division that existed in the church in Corinth came about because of its members choosing sides. Some would say they followed the teachings of Paul, while others that of Apollos. Now Apollos was a learned and eloquent Jew, originally from Alexandria in Egypt, who became a very influential leader in the early church. A former disciple of John the Baptist, he was well-versed in the Old Testament scripture and "spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord" (please see Acts 18:25). Paul started the church in Corinth, and Apollos later served there. This led Paul to say that while he had planted the seed (begun the church), Apollos came along afterwards and watered it (continued preaching and teaching the things of the Lord) (verse 6). But, Paul notes, it is God alone who causes the growth of the seed, or in this case the spiritual growth in His children (verse 7). Paul and Apollos are one, united in their goal of spreading the Gospel and bringing people to Christ, and each of them will be rewarded in heaven based on their individual efforts toward achieving that goal (verse 8). Both are God's workers, as are all preachers and church leaders today. The people, God's children, are God's field, where the seed of the Good News of Christ Jesus is to be planted, watered, and nourished (verse 9).
Jesus more than once used the analogy of sowing seed, even noting that, "the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world" (please reference Matthew 13:37-38). Jesus also tells us that, "the harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few" (reference Luke 10:2). We need more folk like Paul and Apollos, men and women willing to till God's field, to plant the seed of the Gospel, to water and nourish that seed by continuing to teach the word of God, to watch over it as God makes that seed grow and flourish within our hearts. The petty divisions we allow to creep into our church family keep us from the more important business at hand. Leave the bickering behind, and get back in the field. There's much more work to be done before our harvest reward. Amen.
O Lord of the harvest, we pray that we are up to the task of planting and watering Your seed. Please forgive us when we allow our differences to distract us and keep us from the real work. Help us remember our promise to Jesus when we accepted Him into our heart, so that His seed might continue to grow within us and spread out into all the world. In the glorious name of our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
Part of the division that existed in the church in Corinth came about because of its members choosing sides. Some would say they followed the teachings of Paul, while others that of Apollos. Now Apollos was a learned and eloquent Jew, originally from Alexandria in Egypt, who became a very influential leader in the early church. A former disciple of John the Baptist, he was well-versed in the Old Testament scripture and "spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord" (please see Acts 18:25). Paul started the church in Corinth, and Apollos later served there. This led Paul to say that while he had planted the seed (begun the church), Apollos came along afterwards and watered it (continued preaching and teaching the things of the Lord) (verse 6). But, Paul notes, it is God alone who causes the growth of the seed, or in this case the spiritual growth in His children (verse 7). Paul and Apollos are one, united in their goal of spreading the Gospel and bringing people to Christ, and each of them will be rewarded in heaven based on their individual efforts toward achieving that goal (verse 8). Both are God's workers, as are all preachers and church leaders today. The people, God's children, are God's field, where the seed of the Good News of Christ Jesus is to be planted, watered, and nourished (verse 9).
Jesus more than once used the analogy of sowing seed, even noting that, "the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world" (please reference Matthew 13:37-38). Jesus also tells us that, "the harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few" (reference Luke 10:2). We need more folk like Paul and Apollos, men and women willing to till God's field, to plant the seed of the Gospel, to water and nourish that seed by continuing to teach the word of God, to watch over it as God makes that seed grow and flourish within our hearts. The petty divisions we allow to creep into our church family keep us from the more important business at hand. Leave the bickering behind, and get back in the field. There's much more work to be done before our harvest reward. Amen.
O Lord of the harvest, we pray that we are up to the task of planting and watering Your seed. Please forgive us when we allow our differences to distract us and keep us from the real work. Help us remember our promise to Jesus when we accepted Him into our heart, so that His seed might continue to grow within us and spread out into all the world. In the glorious name of our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
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