5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe- as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:5-11

Introduction: Team Issues

Our team is currently thinking through an important issue. Last year mission went very well. Team members got to know and like one-another, quickly and well. We enjoyed the work we did and did it well. Many holiday makers heard the gospel as we found lots of ways of getting to know them and of sharing with them what God tells us about himself in the Bible.

This raises an issue or causes a problem. It's just the problem we'd like to have, though. It is natural for us to want to invite our Christian friends to join the happy and helpful mission we have become. We want our friends to share the joys and benefits we have enjoyed ourselves. The good problem we have is that if we return to Ocean Lake with our friends we'll probably overwhelm the campers there, there'll be too many of us for them to cope with. So what should we do?

Three sensible options are:

(i) Stick with what we've got-
keep working with the friends we've made, don't invite new people in.

(ii) Plant a new team-
send a group off to do new work and invite new people to join us and them.

(iii) Stick together and invite new friends-
but move to somewhere where we can reach more people without overwhelming them or running out of work to do.

1. One God - Unity

These first chapters of 1 Corinthians keep contrasting the wisdom of God with the so-called wisdom of the world. Last time we saw that a key difference is the world's wisdom looks to find life in this world, God's wisdom however is the way to life in the next. Verse six reminds us that the wisdom that looks for life in this world will come to nothing

We do, however speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

...
"No eye has seen,
  no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
  what God has prepared for those who love him"[Isaiah 64:4]-

10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

... we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

No-one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

New age, sooky, sentimental rubbish is not spiritual. The "holy" laughter of the Toronto "blessing" is not spiritual. Nonsense of any kind does not come from God's Spirit. The Spirit teaches the truth about Jesus and gives us understanding, trust and hope in that truth.

We are speaking spiritual words when we encourage one-another in Christian things. We are speaking spiritual words when we knock on people's doors and are able to discuss the Bible with them. What we speak should be what Paul, Sosthenes and their friends spoke.

13This is what we speak, ... in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

2. Different Jobs

There is only one God, that is a basis for unity. But even God is Trinity. God himself is three persons with different roles. It's not surprising then that we, made in God's image, can not only be united but also show much diversity.

In the first part of chapter three Paul addresses some typical problems that happen when sinful Christians, that is all Christians, try to work together. These problems happen with unbelievers but we should be able to do better, if we recognise God's supremacy, our servanthood and the reality of diversity.

The main problem we encounter is everyone wanting the same job. For some crazy reason heaps of year 12 students want to be doctors. People are hard enough to cope with when they're healthy, let alone when they're sick, if you ask me. The TER is a way of sorting out who gets what they want when it comes to uni placements. More people want particular courses and jobs than there are places. The TER is a civilised duel to see who gets what they want. Christians should not be competing to be youth leader, church board member, Bible reader or minister. We should be co-operating to see the most people hearing the gospel most clearly. This involves us in seeing what is really needed and applying our abilities to others needs rather than seeking the glamorous jobs. Clearly seeking glamorous jobs is worldly. It is also immature because experience teaches us the futility of such self-importance and this-world focussed aims. How do we avoid such wrong thinking and acting? Paul answers this in three ways:

(i) God's Supremacy

First, Paul reminds the Corinthians that God's the one who really does the work. God's the only one who can soften hearts. He's the one who gives us all we need to do what he wants. He reminds them, and us, that God is the one to be trusted, not ourselves. Verses five and six say:

5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants through whom you came to believe- as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Appollos watered it, but God made it grow.

(ii) Our Servanthood

Second, Paul reminds the Corinthians and us that as ministers of God's gospel we are servants. Remember verse five. Not only should we be focussed on glorifying God rather than ourselves but we should be focussed on serving the needs of others rather than ourselves. As Christians we should see that non-Christians have a need more desperate than any need we may think we have. They need to know God's goodness and be encouraged to trust it. If we look to glorify God and serve the greatest need of others, we become convinced of the truth, that we should always be thinking and acting evangelistically. This should stop us from competing with one-another.

(iii) Our Diversity

Third and last, Paul illustrates the diversity of what God has given each of us to offer by the gardening example. Some of us prepare ground, others sow seed, others water, still more others reap. If someone becomes a Christian it is tempting to fight to get them to come to our church or fight to claim it was our efforts that saw them become Christian. We need to stick carefully to remembering God chose them to become Christian and is working in their heart to make them grow. We need to stick carefully to working out what they really need and how they would be best served. We also need to remember that God will be giving some the job of sowing and others the job of reaping.

So, if we remember God's supremacy, our servanthood and the reality of diversity we can remain united by knowing the one God and the one way of salvation. We can remain united by speaking the spiritual words that glorify God and hold out his offer of salvation. We can remain united in evangelism.

Paul ends this section by warning us that if we work on a foundation or using tools that are not based on Jesus, his words, his death and resurrection, our work will not have eternal rewards. We will be saved but our friends won't. If we want to see our friends saved we must stick to the unity of purpose provided by sharing the good news about Jesus. Mission is a great way of learning good habits in doing just this. Let's keep working at building one-another into these habits.

3. Different Worlds

So far we have seen Paul explain why we are and should work at staying united. There is one God and as his people we should be one people. We have seen him explain that there is still legitimate and appropriate diversity among us, just as the persons of the Trinity- Father, Son and Spirit have different roles, so do we. Now he reminds us that there is a flip-side to unity. Being the united one people of God means we are and should work at staying separate from the world.

He reminds us in verse 16 that,

... you yourselves are God's temple and ... God's Spirit lives in you.

Do not deceive yourselves. If anyone thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise.

Part of Christian unity is being different to the world around us. This is often very hard to see clearly. Let's keep meeting with other Christians, looking for them to correct us when we stray and looking to help them see clearly where we have learned to correct ourselves.

Paul concludes the chapter with this wonderful encouragement, starting at the end of verse 21:

All things are yours, 22... the world or life or death or the present or the future- all are yours, 23and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

Conclusion: Work at Unity and Difference

We've looked at two sides of the same coin- unity with other Christians and difference from the world. In response to what Paul is urging on us, what can we do? There are more things than we can list and they're different for each of us. However, as mission members facing the issues the team is facing at the moment, perhaps the following are appropriate.

(a) Working at Unity

*Work at finding an option as a  team- stay, plant or move- based on what is best for as many people hearing as much as possible about what God says about Jesus in the Bible.

*Look to do all that needs to be done to make this happen. Don't wait to be asked. Be imaginative, volunteer.

*Let's put up with one-another's 'rough-edges,' try to fit in with one-another.

*Enjoy one-another's company and the work we do with a clear conscience- it's supposed to be hard work but also good clean fun.

(b) Working at Difference

*Work at accepting discomfort and inconvenience for the sake of the future and other people.

*Learn to take courageous risks for the sake of others.

We want wisdom to be continually making the decisions implied by the aims above, don't we? God promises that if we lack wisdom he will grant it if we ask. Let's accept God's promise by praying for the wisdom we want, let's pray...

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©Copyright 1997 by Danielle Treweek