“March 15, 2024 - God Gave the Growth”

Thursday, March 14, 2024

God Gave the Growth

Reading:  1 Corinthians 3:5-9
    
    Paul has come back around to addressing the Corinthians’ divisions based on which man they follow (1 Cor 3:4).  “What then is Apollos?  What is Paul?  Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth”(1 Cor 3:5-6).  These men they are making so much of are mere “servants,” mere gardeners.  Of course those who teach us are meaningful to us because they are the ones “through whom you believed,” but we are missing the point when we honor the men.  “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth”(1 Cor 3:7).  Who deserves praise here?  

     There is something deeper here as well.  “He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor”(1 Cor 3:8).  Even though Paul and Apollos had different roles in the conversion of the Corinthians—probably based on when they were involved in the process—they are actually “one.”  Neither is more important than the other; they are on the same team.  They are scandalized to learn that the Corinthians are pitting them against each other.  The work we do for Jesus is never about us because “we are God’s fellow workers” and other Christians are “God’s field, God’s building”(1 Cor 3:9).  Who deserves praise here?

    Gospel work is planting and watering.  We teach where we can, almost always building on someone else’s work (see John 4:36-38).  Often we do not see the results of the seeds we plant, but someone else does.  No matter our role or success rate, it is never about us.  God enlists us in his work, empowers us, places his word in our hands, works alongside us, and gives the growth.  Who deserves praise here?

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One Thing to Think About:   Why do we tend to praise men and not God?

One Thing to Pray For:  A spirit of teamwork with other believers
 

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