Sunday Rantings

It is after service and in an attempt to bring life back into this blog I will (or hope to) reflect on the sermons on Sundays. Hopefully this will be a good exercise size for me to both think over and meditate on God's word that was preached. By this I hope that God will be glorified.

Today's message was based on 1 Corinthians 3:10-23. Here Paul discusses about key indications of what causes church divisions and therefore how to remedy the problems. Richly flowing through the whole of chapter three is the complete sovereignty of God in the activity of the church. God is in control from the conception, to the maintaining, and even to the end of the church.

Verse 7-8, remebered by many states, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God gives the growth". Here we see God's activity in bringing to life the seed which is going to be the church. In verse 10 Paul claims that "according to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation". What gives Paul's work any form of merit or value is God. It is God's grace that clearly enables Paul to build, instruct and nurture the church. In verses 14-15 we see here that God is the judge of the work of the labourers who toiled on the church. And only those churches that stand the test will recieve the reward. But again, what churches can meet these qualifications? It is obvious from the test, that it is the churches built by the grace of God, with men who trust in Him to help their labours.

God is sovereign in the activity of the church from the beginning to the end. Brothers and sisters we have to remember this. It is God who is in control of all our ministries and endeavors. We do not need to grow embittered with one another for other peoples work. It is God who appoints people to ministry, and it is God's grace that sustains people in their work for God. How much quarrelling and chaos can be avoided if we understand this truth. Even if men are appointed, we trust that God ordained those people for those purposes. And if they are not qualified for that position, God will deal with them, and may God's mercy rest on those people.

Reflecting on this after service helps encourage me. Too many times we see and here things in the church which are discouraging. We sometimes are too judgmental on people and what they are accomplishing, believing that their work is wrong. We are quick to criticize and point out flaws on the church. We are in an age where people want to satisfy their own selfish desires. We choose churches because we like the preachers or the people or even the cushions in the church. Brothers and sisters, the church is maintained by God alone, and by no other. We do not take credit for His work. We are merely his servants, and what a blessing this is that God would even allow us to partake in the building up of His church.

In no way am I saying that we do not need to be critical. We must and have to defend the truth of the Gospel. We need to maintain the integretity of the word. But what we desire is to promote maturity and growth in the Church so that God gets the glory. We must take up our responsibility in building up the church.

This brings to mind for me Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." This is the calling of every individual in God's family. And Paul roots this in a wonderful truth:

"Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heavan and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:5-10

And with this in mind, with Christ as the ultimate examplar of humility, we too need to be humble. The church is not about ourselves, it is about serving others. Paul knew this, "What is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed" (1 Cor. 3:5). We need to think of others. This is our duty as Christians, this is how God receives glory and honor. When we stop thinking about our own desires, point and offer them God, look at the work of Christ on the cross, and joyfully and gratefully serve others, we know that this is for the glory of God the Father.