GOD MAKES THINGS GROW

Passage: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Key verse: 7

NIV

The Church and Its Leaders

3 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit(A) but as people who are still worldly(B)—mere infants(C) in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food,(D) for you were not yet ready for it.(E) Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling(F) among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,”(G) are you not mere human beings?

5 What, after all, is Apollos?(H) And what is Paul? Only servants,(I) through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed,(J) Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.(K) 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service;(L) you are God’s field,(M) God’s building.(N)

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Divisions in the Church

3 But I, brothers,[a] could not address you as (A)spiritual people, but as (B)people of the flesh, as (C)infants in Christ. 2 (D)I fed you with milk, not solid food, for (E)you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is (F)jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For (G)when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” (H)are you not being merely human?

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? (I)Servants through whom you believed, (J)as the Lord assigned to each. 6 (K)I planted, (L)Apollos watered, (M)but God gave the growth. 7 So (N)neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each (O)will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are (P)God's fellow workers. You are God's field, (Q)God's building.

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Footnotes
  1. 1 Corinthians 3:1 Or brothers and sisters
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. Worldly Christians (1-4)

Worldly Christians are Christians who need to grow. Paul calls them infants. They do not see things from God's point of view, but see everything from a human point of view. So they compete with others; sometimes they are proud, and sometimes, jealous. They follow human leaders instead of growing in Christ. We must grow up in Christ until we become spiritual men and women. Then we can please God and be useful to him. And we will have joy.

2. God's fellow workers (5-9)

God's servants are limited human beings, but God works through them. They cannot make another person grow spiritually. They cannot even make themselves grow. God alone gives life, and God makes us grow. God's servants only plant seeds, then water them with prayer and love and the word of God. Both the one who plants and the one who waters is a fellow worker with God. Their purpose is the same.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for using your servants to lead me to Jesus and to help me grow. Help me to grow in Christ until I can be a spiritual person and fruitful servant of God.

One Word: Grow up in Christ