1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Being Part of the Miracles

Brothers, I couldn't speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ. I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren't yet ready. Indeed, not even now are you ready, for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren't you fleshly, and don't you walk in the ways of men? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," aren't you fleshly? Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed; and each as the Lord gave to him? I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's farming, God's building.

World English Bible

There is no church in the New Testament that had as many challenges and problems as the church in Corinth. It seems they got everything wrong! They rejected the authority of Paul and other men sent by God, and embraced false teachers with comfortable ideas. They twisted the sacrament of communion into a fancy dinner party to embarrass and discourage the poor. In this passage, they find creative ways to divide and split the church, this time based on allegiances to their favorite traveling evangelists. Poor Paul! Most of the time, he got no respect from this church, and when he did get respect, it was for the wrong reasons.

Paul's specific teaching in this passage is focused on drawing believers into unity around Jesus Christ and rejecting the temptation to fixate on any human, no matter how wise that teacher, dynamic that evangelist, or spiritual that leader might be. A myriad of churches over the centuries have needed this caution preached with boldness, to chastise those who would make a cult around the winning personality of one preacher.

But there are more ways that divisions can come into a church, and more ways to appropriately expand Paul's message to apply to those serving in churches. The Corinthians showed their immaturity in dividing themselves by loyalties; today, we show our spiritual immaturity in separating ourselves from others according to theological theories, preferred worship styles, organizations within the church we support, or in many other ways. Paul is clear—for us to allow something to separate us from other faithful Christians is a sin that weakens the church's ability to do Christ's work.

Most of the time, these divisions come from misplaced enthusiasm. What starts as our eagerness towards some part of church life becomes redirected as a resentment towards some other part of church life that appears to hinder our chosen area. We might complain that another ministry area received what we feel is generous funding while our ministry area has to make do with tight finances. We might protest that another group getting use of the facility we desired at the time that was most convenient to us. The blessing of a growing congregation brings with it greater pressures on the existing facilities, and many will overlook the wonder that God has brought about in their distress at the changes necessitated by the growth. However, churches that consistently demonstrate that attitude rarely have to concern themselves with the "discomfort" of growth.

These examples, and any others you have observed, all are rooted in a misplaced allegiance. We are God's people—maybe we accept baptism by sprinkling, attend the 9:00 service, are members of the Bright Light Sunday School class, or were converted to Christianity by the preaching of Apollos. But we can only have one allegiance! We must be God's, fully and completely. Everything else must be secondary to our primary allegiance, and we must be mature enough to accept and affirm those who have different preferences to ours, even when it means that things don't go as easily for us.

Paul tears at those divisions in the Corinthian church in this passage. What does it matter which evangelist they prefer? There is only one God. It is the sinful, worldly way to promote one leader and tear down a rival leader, but when church members grow in their faith, the divisions and factions non-believing observers would expect to see are not there. Maybe the Rainbow Sunday School class does have the better room, but the love and acceptance in the Bright Light Sunday School class is a testimony that God is real and active in the lives of the members. Church members with different backgrounds, preferences, or participation who love and respect each other are witnesses to miracles that God is working in their lives.

As we understand this scripture passage, we can see there is a choice that anyone working in a church must make. Are we going to do our tasks in our own strength, hoping that we are holy enough to prevail against the selfishness and sinfulness that threatens all human activities? Or are we going to do our assignment by first giving ourselves wholly to God, so that the work is done in God's way and God's strength? Are we going to be a part of God's miracles, or are we going to miss that chance?