It Starts Small

 For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ. ² I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, since you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready, ³ because you are still worldly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans?

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

What is the problem of the Corinthian church in verses 1-3?

What does it mean that they are fleshly?

Paul is speaking directly to spiritual immaturity. God’s Word has a lot to say about those who are spiritually immature.

²⁰ Brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking.

1 Corinthians 14:20

Paul is instructing us to stop thinking like children. They should only be infants in their knowledge of evil, not in their knowledge of good.

¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. ¹⁴ Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. ¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ.

Ephesians 4:13-15

Do not be infants, but be mature.

¹² Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. ¹³ Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

Hebrews 5:12-14

Another group should have been teachers, but was still taking milk. Solid food is for the mature.

4 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?^[a] 2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask.

James 4:1-2

Their strife and divisions came from the evil desires that they were fighting within them, the fleshly desires.

²² to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, ²³ to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.

Ephesians 4:22-24

We should put off the old man and put on the new.

In these verses Paul really comes to the core of the problem of the Corinthian church. It was carnal, worldly, immature, fleshly (these are all words used for it in different translations and verses). It just had not grown as it should have. Can you relate to this?

The influences of the world were too strong in the church. Paul wanted to go on and speak deeper things, and give them solid food, but they were not ready. He had to keep on repeating the same basic principles to them again and again. (I feel like Paul is preaching my life story here.)

What is milk? What is solid food? How come Paul still had to give them milk to drink?

Milk is what young babies drink and solid food is what you start eating when you grow up. In academics milk would be (2+2 = 4). Solid food would move past simple addition to multiplication, subtraction, division and so on. Spiritually, milk might be the belief that God is powerful. He can answer prayers. Jesus had to teach this same lesson to the disciples again and again. He needed to show them that He could do miracles. Milk might be “don’t be influenced by the culture around you.” Solid food might be “this is how you can influence the culture around you.”

The Corinthian church was fleshly. They loved the world and the things of the world too much. It was influencing them. They were prideful. They exalted human wisdom as opposed to God’s wisdom. They created factions. They were not being the kind of testimony they should be to others. How can a believer be fleshly? As believers we still have our old nature. It does not rule over us, but it still effects us. It is a continual battle that we have to fight. The Corinthians were losing the battle at that point in time. We need to be spiritual. What does that mean? It means we need to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

If Paul were to write to you, do you think he would consider you fleshly and in need of milk? Or would he consider you mature and able to handle solid food?

The Corinthians seemed to have a problem with perpetual/continuous immaturity. They just were not growing. They were staying at the same level spiritually or maybe even going backwards!

Do you think the Corinthian problem of seeming “perpetual immaturity” is repeated often in the worldwide church? Why?

This is a huge problem in the church. People come week after week and hear the sermons and sit there, but never really change their lifestyle or grow. Church became a habit more than a place of worship. They are complacent. They are satisfied with their spiritual lives because they feel secure in their relationship to God. They are saved or think they are so that is enough for them. They have a form of religion but deny its power. They love the world. They are happy to go to church once a week. However, they are very satisfied with their worldly lives, jobs, careers, vacations, entertainments, etc. The world has influenced them and dulled their sensitivity to spiritual things. I’ was this sort of Christian. Do you know how many grocery lists and “to-do” lists I made during sermons? How I would zone out in Sunday school and occasionally drop into the conversation. They, like myself, just seem to float along, always around, but never doing anything, always learning, but never mature.

But you know it is easy to look at other people and say they are like that, but how about us? How about me? I think I am often like that too. I am often satisfied with my own level of maturity and understanding. I am too complacent and love the world too much. We must continue to push forward. No matter how much we have learned and studied we need to dig deeper into God’s Word. We need to forget what is behind and push on toward what is ahead.

Do you think you are growing and becoming more and more mature?

Or do you think you are still kind of worldly and taking milk like the Corinthians?

Really think about it. Make a decision to pursue God with your whole heart and grow. Do not just come here and to church and listen. Truly grow. Become more and more Christlike all the time.

 ⁴ For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans?

⁵ What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. ⁷ So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s coworkers.^[c] You are God’s field, God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3:4-9

How was this problem exhibited in their life and actions?

What part did Paul have in sharing with the Corinthians? How about Apollos? How about God?

Paul is addressing the divisions, unity, working Together and God causing the growth.

For as the earth produces its growth,
and as a garden enables what is sown to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.

Isaiah 61:11

As soil makes the sprout come up so God makes righteousness and praise to come up around the world.

For just as rain and snow fall from heaven
and do not return there
without saturating the earth
and making it germinate and sprout,
and providing seed to sow
and food to eat,
¹¹ so my word that comes from my mouth
will not return to me empty,
but it will accomplish what I please
and will prosper in what I send it to do.”

Isaiah 55:10-11

God’s Word will accomplish exactly what He intends it to.

One of the ways this “fleshliness” was exhibited was their divisions. It was never about what Apollos, Peter, and Paul preached. It was a popularity contest to the people, not the preachers. Some liked each for a style of preaching or personality. Remember what Paul spoke yesterday, it is not about the person but the message being preached. To the believers, they were causing divisions based on personal opinion.

Mature people should look over the little things and learn how to work together in unity for serving the Lord. Instead they were bogged down in worldly quarrels. This was a prime example of their immaturity. Unfortunately the church today also has many divisions, showing that it is immature as well.

Paul and Apollos were prime examples of Christian workers with different gifts. They complemented each other as they worked together. Their common goal was building God’s kingdom. Paul’s chief ministry focus was on starting up new churches. He established numerous churches during his missionary journeys. Many times after he started it he let someone else lead it. You could almost say that Paul was the Evangelist. He was the one who shared the gospel and formed the church. If Paul was the Evangelist, Apollos was the Pastor/Teacher. Each one was gifted by God for what they did. However, they both realized that they themselves were nothing. It was NOT their work. They were servants. Servants are not concerned with building up a following. Servants are not concerned about recognition or credit. They are focused on doing a necessary and vital task. They are fulfilled in doing what needs to be done.

Why is it ridiculous for us to lift up people in this process?

People are the instruments. If we praise Paul and Apollos or MacArthur or other famous preachers, we praise the tool. It is not the craftsmen we are praising. Can you imagine Divinci finishes a master painting? Then all the people start oohing and aahhing over the paintbrush. They also admire the canvass he used. Can you imagine Mozaart finishing a brilliant performance? The people rush the stage and lift the PIANO onto their shoulders. They start shouting to it. Can you imagine an amazing Olympic athlete who has the quickest 400m run in history? Then the gold medal is given to their shoes? Of course not!!

All these ideas are ridiculous. It is just as ridiculous to lift up people for their part in the process of salvation/teaching. We are only a tool, an instrument. God is the master workman, the master smith. It is His work and He must get all the glory.

Some questions to ponder today:

• How should this affect our attitude towards ourselves?
• How should this affect our attitude towards other Christian workers?
• How should this affect our attitude towards the people we teach?
• How should this affect our attitude towards God?

¹⁰ According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. ¹² If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved—but only as through fire.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Paul is speaking specifically about what we are focused on building in this life. Will these things stand the test of fire? What fire?

¹⁴ For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

Ecclesiastes 12:!4

Every thing we do will be revealed one day, whether good or bad.

¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2 Corinthians 5:10

Every one of us will appear before the judgment sight of Christ. We will receive what is due to us for the good and bad things we did.

¹⁹ “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

Store up for yourselves treasure in heaven.

¹² “Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to repay each person according to his work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Revelation 22:12-13

The Alpha and Omega will give to each person according to what he has done.

²² Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, ²⁴ knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24

Work heartily to receive an inheritance from the Lord, it is Him we serve.

Paul’s ministry focus was establishing churches. He laid the foundations for these churches. But even in doing so, the foundation was only Christ and what He done. And it was only by the grace of God that He could do this. The idea was that Paul laid the foundation, while Apollos built on top of it. Neither is really more important than the other. They are different stages of the same work. Then Paul introduces a topic that applies to all of us. It concerns what should be built on the foundation.

From 1 Corinthians 12 we know that all of us are to help in this work, in this building process. We are all to do our part to help the church be built up and become mature. Although the pastors/teachers started this work, it is the responsibility of every believer to contribute.

The gold, silver, and precious stones represent the works that we do in this life that have eternal, lasting value. The wood, hay, and straw does not represent evil things that we do. Rather they simply represent things we do that do not have lasting value. They are not necessarily bad, but neither are they productive or useful in God’s kingdom.

What kind of things might be included in this? TV, internet, many degrees, our bank account size, entertainment, etc. What kinds of things might be included in the gold, silver, and precious stones? Learning about God, spending time in prayer, and sharing the gospel. Discipling others and giving out Bibles. Sharing with other believers and serving, etc.

When will our work become evident?

Fire is a kind of testing. Fire was used to purify and refine some objects. Gold and silver would put through the fire. The fire would burn off the dirt or junk and leave the gold. In this passage the gold, silver, hay etc. is figurative and so is the fire. It simply speaks of the fact that God will test our works. They will all be evaluated by Him. The useless, unproductive ones will be counted and we will receive no rewards for them. But the productive ones of lasting value will stand and receive the rewards.

Notice that this judgment/testing is not deciding on who is a believer and who is not. That was decided long before. Unbelievers will be going to the great white throne and believers to the judgment seat. Rather, it is a judgment of rewards. It is a judgment for believers not to doll out punishments, but to give out rewards for faithful service. Do we want to just be an also-ran? Do we want to join the race and not receive any prizes? Are we satisfied with just being saved? We should not be. We need to do our absolute best for God. We should seek to do as many valuable works in this life as we can. This is not so that we can be saved by them, but to glorify God. We should enjoy Him and receive the fitting rewards for them.

¹⁶ Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and that is what you are.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

How are we a temple of God?

What does it mean “if any man destroys the temple of God”?

Here the temple of God is not referring to one individual, but the collective body of Christ. It is a recognition of the important position every believer has as a part of God’s temple. It is a motivation to live worthily of such a position. It warns us not to do anything that would hurt it. If we do, we will face the consequences from God.

¹⁸ Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so that he can become wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, since it is written, He catches the wise in their craftiness; ²⁰ and again, The Lord knows that the reasonings of the wise are futile. ²¹ So let no one boast in human leaders, for everything is yours— ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come—everything is yours, ²³ and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

1 Corinthians 3:18-23

What is the point of these verses?

What does it mean that “all things belong to you”?

This is pretty much a review of what we have already discussed on the wisdom of God/world. We must appear foolish in the eyes of the world.

The world sees God as foolishness. In the same way, we need to view the world’s wisdom as foolishness.

To gain wisdom in God’s eyes, we must reject worldly wisdom, which is deemed useless. The divisions seen in the Corinthian church over leaders like Paul and Apollos highlight this. Every believer collectively shares in God’s blessings. These blessings are not exclusive to any single local church or group. They belong to the entire worldwide body of believers. There is no basis for boasting. All believers equally partake in God’s spiritual blessings. Ultimately, all glory returns to Him.

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