I believe we all want to reach a level of maturity. We want to know that we can do the necessary tasks in life well for our survival and also handle crises well. Our parents probably had this expectation of us as we were growing up.
The apostle Paul in our lesson for Sunday had to confront the immaturity of Christians in Corinth. They were caught up in a cult of personalities. There was jealousy and quarreling. As a result, the apostle could only deal with them at a certain level. Here is what he wrote:
"Brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?
For when one says, "I belong to Paul" and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." 1 Corinthians 3:1-6
Paul is indicating that we are all co-workers for God. We might have different roles, but everybody is needed in what one does. In the end, it is God who gives the growth! It's amazing here how Paul spells out that we all have a part to play.
Discipleship Question for Reflection
What implications do you think Paul's words have for how we work in the church and also what these words say about doing outreach?
The apostle Paul in our lesson for Sunday had to confront the immaturity of Christians in Corinth. They were caught up in a cult of personalities. There was jealousy and quarreling. As a result, the apostle could only deal with them at a certain level. Here is what he wrote:
"Brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?
For when one says, "I belong to Paul" and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." 1 Corinthians 3:1-6
Paul is indicating that we are all co-workers for God. We might have different roles, but everybody is needed in what one does. In the end, it is God who gives the growth! It's amazing here how Paul spells out that we all have a part to play.
Discipleship Question for Reflection
What implications do you think Paul's words have for how we work in the church and also what these words say about doing outreach?
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