Dwell in the Word 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Think on these questions as you dwell in 1 Corinthians 3:1-9:

1. How does Paul emphasize the role of God in the process of spiritual growth, and what does this teach us about our own efforts in growing in faith?

2. In what ways can believers actively participate in the growth and nurturing of fellow believers' faith, according to Paul's analogy of planting and watering?

3. What practical steps can individuals take to ensure that they are both receiving and providing the spiritual nourishment needed for growth, especially in the context of community and worship?

Transcript:

 So, we come to chapter three with Paul addressing this issue that he's mentioned before. He has people who are saying that, well, I follow Paul, or I follow Apollos, or I follow Christ, and they are having these factions among them. These are just some of the issues that are going on in the church in Corinth, but obviously it's a big deal.

And so, Paul is saying, hey, When I came to you, I addressed you as infants because you weren't ready for, you know, solid food. You weren't ready for the hard stuff, basically. And so, what Paul is saying is here, you need to continue to grow. You're not, you're still not ready because you're acting in the flesh.

And so, Paul is going to spell out for them how this growth happens.  As he says, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. And so what Paul is saying here is that he and Apollos were the instruments that God used, but ultimately, God causes the plant to grow. You know, we, we can plant a little, a bean in a cup, like a, like a child's science project, right?

Styrofoam cup, little bit of soil, a bean, and you have to remember to water it. But, but how does the growth happen? I'm not causing it to grow when I water it. God is causing it to grow. The, the things that God ordains, the sunlight that comes through and the processes in the seed cause it, cause it to grow.

And the same is true of our spiritual lives. As it says here, So neither he who plants nor he whose waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.  And so, as we think about what this means for us, we have to remember that we're God's field. As we  are God's building. He is using us. And so how do we grow spiritually?

Often, we feel that somehow we are the chief ones that do this. This is in our corner. Well, instead, what we need to remember is that we need to water. We need to, uh, have, well, we have been planted, but we need to be watered. We need to be watered with God's word because that's how we grow spiritually.

We're watered by the word and the spirit works in us and we grow. But God is the one who does it. God is the one who works in us. He is the one who helps us to grow in holiness through the means that he has ordained.  And so the biggest application for this isn't just that we need to have this in our lives that we're not Not that we're just making sure we hear the word or that we read the word so that the spirit can work in us But we have to remember that it's our job to be the ones who helped attend the garden, right?

Look at how God used Paul and how God used Apollos in the life of these people in Corinth. God is using you in that same way. How are you proclaiming the Word? How are you planting seeds and watering those around you who have faith? This isn't just the job of those who work in a church, it's the job of all of us to proclaim the Word, particularly with our covenant children.

We need to make sure that they are hearing the Word and knowing the Word, that God might use that watering that we have done so that they can grow in faith. So may we think about this. May we be looking for opportunities to not only plant the seed, but to water. And it starts just by, by simply being around other believers, you know.

God can even use you proclaiming your faith in the middle of a church service that's heard by someone else. That's how God works. He uses the proclamation of the gospel. In our hearts and that happens in worship it happens when you're having coffee with someone it happens when you're doing Devotions with other people in your family it happens all over the place But it's important that we put ourselves in such a place that we are watering others and we're watering ourselves That God might continue to help us to grow because he is the one That does the work.

We are God's field. We are God's building, as Paul says. May we grow and may we be built up.