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. The language Paul uses with the Corinthians in 1Cor 3:1,2 is one of the reasons I believe the Apostle Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. Hebrews uses an identical example with very similar wording, Heb 5:11-14. While this example may have been used by other writers, it seems likely that Paul used it as an expression to encourage Christians to move from being spiritual infants and move onto adulthood. Reading God’s word, studying it and asking Him through prayer to help us understand it and grow in our faith are the remedies for shallow, weak, breast milk Christianity. Something more pulpits of Christ need to embrace in our day. Paul is also saying that infant believers remaining in that state for too long is nothing new.
2. Paul gives thanks to God for the Corinthians in chap 1, but that still doesn’t mean that he is going to withhold some tough truth for the Corinthians. He says they are ‘fleshly’ and 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.
3. 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 – as such it is imperative that we build with the most exalted building material – gold, that is refined in a fire. Building materials that burn are not only insufficient but can be dangerous. The only encouragement is that if we do build with wood, hay or straw, even though our works we be burned up, we at least will be saved. While this is not ideal, it does show again that we are saved by the Lord’s grace and not our own works, 1Cor 3:15.
4. God is jealous for us. We are His temple where the Holy Spirit abides. Paul’s point, let’s not be divisive because we are Christ’s and Christ is God’s, 1Cor 3:21-23
5. As it was for the Apostles, so it should be with all ministers of the gospel, that as they are “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God…that they be found trustworthy”, 1Cor 4:1, 2. A minister of Christ who does not hold these things constantly in their minds and hearts is not called by God’s Spirit.
6. Paul is not worried about any judgement or criticism from the Corinthians regarding his counsel, 1Cor 4;3. He says in fact that he doesn’t even judge himself. Not that he can think of anything against himself, but that doesn’t mean he is without guilt or fault. Paul knows he is not sinless; he simply can’t record any sin that he has on his conscience at the time of writing. But it is of little concern, why? Because it is the Lord who judges him, vs 4. He knows all things will be brought into the light, vs 5.
7. The hardships endured by the Apostle Paul were significant, 1Cor 4:10-13. These things display the heart of the man for the gospel. Remember he was a Pharisee in his previous life. That was well paid, well respected with many perks that came with the role. He gave it all up and endured much suffering. The blessing in it all was that the Lord had told him beforehand what he would endure suffering in his calling, Acts 9:16.
8. Paul further builds his premise regarding the spiritual lethargy of the church 1Cor 4 by saying that the Corinthian church are rich. The Apostles however were poor and exposed to the world as 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. Paul is certainly not afraid of a fight and to rebuke hard hearted men where required, vs 19. But as their father 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 when someone is behaving in a fleshly or selfish way they must be challenged. Why? Because it affects the body. This is Paul’s point.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups Wednesdays. 6:30pm every Wednesday. 5:30pm prayer.
Young adult Life group – This week – how do we know the bible is God’s word?
Prayer Points
1. Pray for the work we have going on with site development and TMR.
2. Pray for Helen who has badly damaged her meniscus. She is recovering at home.
3. Keep praying for Anna and the PlaygPatch on Fridays, pray for more families to be reached.
4. Pray for Chaplaincy and Kids Hope at Karalee State School. Training happened this week
5. Pray for peace over the US elections
6. The ongoing conflicts in Israel and Ukraine.
7. Church finances to continue to grow and expenses to be more than met.
8. Pray for Kids@Church, Life groups. Young Adults.
9. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Wednesday afternoons, 5:30pm at church. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
10. Pray about the possibility and planning of a Farmers Market at Chuwar Baptist Church once a month on Saturdays. Anastasia taking the lead on this. Pray for us as we plan
11. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
12. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise God for all the work done at the working bee on Saturday. Great effort.
2. Praise God for our Bean Redeemed Café team! Serving you every week
3. Reconciliation beginning in some areas in estranged families
4. Worship team did a great job.
5. Praise God for young people stepping up in a number of ministries.
6. New people helping with Playgroup.
7. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Ron Naylor – Creation Ministries International coming to CBC on the 18th Aug 6pm
2. Members meeting 25th Aug after morning tea.
3. Monday and Wednesday evening prayer at church 5:30-6:30pm
4. Life Group Wednesday 6:30pm at church.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for July...
Q. 22. What is Sin? A. Sin is any transgression of the law of God.
Bible References – 1Jn.3:4; Rom.3:20; James 2:9-11
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
