Lovekr07
Member
- May 25, 2024
- 74
- 72
Coworkers In The Kingdom
'Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? 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. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness” ; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.' (1 Corinthians 3:1-23)
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1CO.3.1-23
It is true that we are to respect our leaders and to follow their good example, but we should never follow them over the Lord. They are merely servants of the most High God of whom we are also servants. If we follow humans too closely, we will end up not following the Lord, picking up their bad habits, and putting them before God. A good sign of being an infant in Christ is when there is jealousy and quarreling over matters that are not of heavenly value. Being worldly and seeking to follow and please people over God is a sign that one needs to grow up in Christ. Paul explained this concept in Romans. The 10 commandments and the words that Jesus spoke are the non- negotiable matters. Anything beyond that is not something that we need to be focused on and quarreling about. It is also not a yoke that should be placed on others. The only yoke around our necks is Jesus for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
As children of the Lord, we are coworkers for the Kingdom of God. Noone does all the work in leading God’s children home. We all have our parts that work together as the Body of Christ. No part is more important in God’s eyes. We are each to use what the Lord has given us to help build the Kingdom without adding to it or taking away from it anything that the Lord did not give. His Word is not to be altered and His instructions are to be followed completely. Our work will be tested with fire so that only what He wants will stay; the rest will be burned up. If what we build survives the fire, we will be rewarded for our faithfulness. If what we build gets burned up, we will suffer the consequences, though with mercy.
We are God’s temple and His Spirit dwells in us. That means that whoever harms us (as a church or individual) will be destroyed. God loves us that much and takes His church seriously. It is all about His Kingdom. He is faithful over His House!!
The wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. God will put it to shame. Whoever thinks they are wise according to the wisdom of the world will be put to shame. He catches the wise in their craftiness; they will be blocked and put to shame. Their work will be burned up in His Holy fire when it is tested. God will glorify Himself and will not let another steal His glory!!
'Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? 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. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness” ; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.' (1 Corinthians 3:1-23)
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1CO.3.1-23
It is true that we are to respect our leaders and to follow their good example, but we should never follow them over the Lord. They are merely servants of the most High God of whom we are also servants. If we follow humans too closely, we will end up not following the Lord, picking up their bad habits, and putting them before God. A good sign of being an infant in Christ is when there is jealousy and quarreling over matters that are not of heavenly value. Being worldly and seeking to follow and please people over God is a sign that one needs to grow up in Christ. Paul explained this concept in Romans. The 10 commandments and the words that Jesus spoke are the non- negotiable matters. Anything beyond that is not something that we need to be focused on and quarreling about. It is also not a yoke that should be placed on others. The only yoke around our necks is Jesus for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
As children of the Lord, we are coworkers for the Kingdom of God. Noone does all the work in leading God’s children home. We all have our parts that work together as the Body of Christ. No part is more important in God’s eyes. We are each to use what the Lord has given us to help build the Kingdom without adding to it or taking away from it anything that the Lord did not give. His Word is not to be altered and His instructions are to be followed completely. Our work will be tested with fire so that only what He wants will stay; the rest will be burned up. If what we build survives the fire, we will be rewarded for our faithfulness. If what we build gets burned up, we will suffer the consequences, though with mercy.
We are God’s temple and His Spirit dwells in us. That means that whoever harms us (as a church or individual) will be destroyed. God loves us that much and takes His church seriously. It is all about His Kingdom. He is faithful over His House!!
The wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. God will put it to shame. Whoever thinks they are wise according to the wisdom of the world will be put to shame. He catches the wise in their craftiness; they will be blocked and put to shame. Their work will be burned up in His Holy fire when it is tested. God will glorify Himself and will not let another steal His glory!!
