Paul gets very practical with how we should treat each other in the church.
1 Corinthians 3: Divisions in the Church
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labour.
9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw---
13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness,"
20 and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future---all are yours,
23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
1 Corinthians 4: The Ministry of Apostles
1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.
4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.
5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favour of one against another.
7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!
9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.
10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honour, but we in disrepute.
11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless,
12 and we labour, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.
18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.
19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.
20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?
Things to think about…
1. Paul gives thanks to God for the Corinthians in chap 1, but that still doesn’t mean that he withholds truth. He says they are ‘fleshly’ and says that they are not being spiritual but rather factional when they exalt one man’s ministry over another. In this case it was between Apollos and Paul. The glory goes to God because He alone gives the growth, 1Cor 3:6, 7. Paul says everyone else is just a servant. Let’s make sure our identity remains in Christ and not our position or calling. While we can thank God for the servants He uses, pride is always at the door and Satan would be happy to see them fall. Let’s praise God for the gifts each one has in the church and not exalt one over the other.
2. Paul says he laid the foundation. This foundation can only be in Christ. The issue for the church now is how they are going to build on the foundation. We are God’s temple – let’s endeavour to build with the most exalted building material – gold, that is refined in a fire, rather than burned up. God is jealous for us. We are His temple where the Holy Spirit abides. Paul’s point is – as such, let’s not be divisive, because we are Christ’s, 1Cor 3:21-23.
3. Paul’s whole point in 1Cor 4 is that those in the Corinthian church are rich, but the Apostles are poor and exposed to the world as poor and are a spectacle. Paul says he is worthy of listening to because although the Corinthians have many teachers, they have only one father. He has laboured, even to his own detriment for their spiritual good and welfare. He is saying as a father that he does not want to come and admonish them, but come to them with a spirit of gentleness, 1Cor 4:21. This is the desire for any church pastor. Love and peace are always the goal, but where someone is behaving in a fleshly or selfish way they must be confronted. Why? Because it affects the body. This is Paul’s point.
4. Many in the Corinthian church had much to say or much to listen to depending on which teacher they followed. As such they were a divided church. Paul says these arrogant ones say he will not come to the church. May our words show the power of God, 1Cor 4:19, 20. Words are cheap as we often hear. May our words and actions be a reflection of the power of the Holy Spirit that is on display as we live our lives with integrity and honour before God and man.
Vision Point for Cell groups
CBC's Vision "To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission".
Cell groups on break.
Prayer Points
1. Christmas Day service. Friday 9:00am.
2. Those travelling this time of year.
3. Victorian parliament discussing gay conversion therapy, antichristian bill next year.
3. America. Pray for truth, grace and peace.
4. Keep praying for those with health and family concerns at this time.
5. Sunday’s message. This week – “True wisdom, lessons from 2020”, 1Cor 1, Doug.
6. Church finances to meet our expenses and to put a roof over our café.
7. Our City and Country – Pray for revival over our city and the leadership of our country even through these challenging times.
Praise Points.
1. Carols - wonderful music, Praise God for the team and the night. Final song done, fastest pack-up in history. The Lord brought a wonderful light show before the rain!
2. The worship team and streaming on Sunday. Great job Rod and Kim.
3. All those who served at Carols – Especially Dan Horne, Rod and muso’s – weeks and hours of work. Steve, Murray, Richard and many others – thankyou for making the night a success.
4. Angelo, iMan, Helen, Doug, Maddison, Yuki thankyou for your efforts every week.
5. Unity, peace and grace at CBC.
6. Finances have been blessed. Thankyou.
7. New Visitors to CBC
Announcements
1. Please consider signing the petition to continue prayer in Qld parliament so that we stem the tide of intfluences that are currently overtaking the Victorian Parliament. Petition link here - https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/.../petition-details...
2. Christmas Day service – 9:00am, Friday 25th December. 1 hour service.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
