Church For the Rest of Us (4)

1 Cor 3:5 - 23

Most New Testament believers - Jewish or not - were familiar with Jewish synagogues. Many of those in Corinth to whom this letter is addressed had first heard the the message of Christ crucified (1 Cor 2:2

1 Corinthians 2:2 (HCSB)

For I didn’t think it was a good idea to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.)

According to one Bible Dictionary

The synagogue was, literally, a meeting-place, the term used in Theodotus’ inscription when he records his building of ‘a synagogue for reciting the Law and studying the commandments’. It was especially a place for prayer (proseuche), like the Temple (see Mt. 21:13, etc.; Acts 16:13). Subject to the law of the land, the synagogue had its own government (Jos., Ant. 19.291). The congregation was governed by elders who were empowered to exercise discipline and punish members. Punishment was by scourging and excommunication. The chief officer was the ruler of the synagogue (cf. Mk. 5:22; Acts 13:15; 18:8). He supervised the service to see that it was carried on in accord with tradition. The attendant (Lk. 4:20) brought the scrolls of Scripture for reading, replaced them in the ark, punished offending members by scourging and instructed children to read. The dispenser of alms received the alms from the synagogue and distributed them. Finally, a competent interpreter was required to paraphrase the Law and the Prophets into the vernacular Aramaic.

C. L. Feinberg, “Synagogue,” in New Bible Dictionary, ed. D. R. W. Wood et al. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 1143.

Jewish and Gentiles, coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, carried many of these ideas into gatherings of believers that we commonly call ‘churches.’

One important distinction, though between the synagogue and a church is this:

Synagogue members were Jewish males, circumcised according to the law. Women and uncircumcised Gentiles were welcome to attend synagogues, but they were unable to fully participate. Synagogues were formed by men who were born Jews. Period.

Churches, however, were comprised of all sorts of individuals - men, women, families with no attention to one’s family of origin. What members of a church have in common is a common confession of faith, a common conviction that Jesus, God’s Only Son, died on the cross for sin, was raised on the third day, and was coming again.

Except in Corinth! As we have already examined there were believers boasting about which preacher/teacher had introduced them to Jesus, and which one of those leaders was most influential. Instead of agreeing on the one fundamental that unites believers, the church in Corinth was fractured, broken, and possibly near disintegrating.

Repair Your Foundation

Have you seen the commercials for companies like ‘RamJack?’ I took this from their website:

If your home has signs of foundation problems trust the expert foundation contractors at Ram Jack foundation repair. We offer innovative foundation solutions for various foundation issues.

www.ramjackwest.com

The homes in which we live, this building in which we meet settles over time. The ground underneath us may not appear to be moving, but deeper than we can see the earth is constantly shifting, which causes foundation issues.

The fracturing Paul had heard of in Corinth was revealing a significant issue with their foundation!

1 Corinthians 3:5–11 HCSB

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.

When individual believers start forming subgroups honoring one pastor or teacher over another, there are problems in the foundation.

Paul addresses the issue head on - Neither Paul or Apollos are the important one. It is God who creates growth. Paul writes it twice -

1 Corinthians 3:6 (HCSB)

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

1 Corinthians 3:7 (HCSB)

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

I have no idea what the innovative strategies of RamJack are, but Paul makes no apology for insisting that there is only one foundation on which God’s servants can build: The foundation is Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

Paul suggests a couple of strategies for foundation repair:

a). Remember whose field, building on which you are working.

1 Corinthians 3:9 (HCSB)

For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

b). Carefully choose your building materials

One writer helps us understand vs 12-13:

1 Corinthians & 2 Corinthians (Commentary)

The six materials listed basically amount to three that are combustible and three that are not.

The three that are—wood, hay, straw—were materials for common homes but would never be used in massive, public building projects.

The three noncombustible materials—gold, silver, jewels—would not be used for building structures but would provide the decorative splendor of a palace or a temple.

Warren Wiersbe suggests

The Bible Exposition Commentary (Chapter Three: Be Wise about … the Local Church (1 Corinthians 3))

The world depends on promotion, prestige, and the influence of money and important people.

The church depends on prayer, the power of the Spirit, humility, sacrifice, and service

Remember Your Identity as a Community

Later in this letter Paul will focus on how each believer is a ‘temple’ or dwelling place of the Spirit of God (see 1 Cor 6).

Here his point is to remind his readers that together - as a corporate body - they are THE dwelling place of God here on earth.

When Christians come together - regardless of what the building may be called or where it is located - when God’s people are gathered Jesus is PRESENT - Matthew 18:20

Matthew 18:20 HCSB

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.”

When anyone speaks ill of the church gathered, the church as a corporate entity, they are treading on dangerous ground!

We are not perfect, we have flaws, we fail and commit sin, but we are the visible presence of God in the midst of a confused and troubled world. Let’s not add to their confusion and their trouble by acting in ways that are destructive.

Use Your Unlimited Resources

In the Greco/Roman world it was assumed that there was no equality, that by nature everyone was unequal. There were those born to different levels of society and there were no strategies by which one could change their social status.

Paul has pointed out that what the world around us considers ‘wisdom’ is foolish in God’s way of life. He pointed out that God’s wisdom is only accessible to those who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. Apart from the indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit we are clueless in terms of God’s ways of operating.

Paul called on those among them who considered themselves wise to renounce the normal human perspective on this and fully embrace the principles of the cross, principles of humility and self-sacrifice, which the world ridicules as folly.

William Baker, “1 Corinthians,” in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, vol. 15 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009), 60.

We can renounce the ‘normal human perspective’ because through the cross we have died to our old self, we have been resurrected to new life.

Paul expresses this so clearly in Romans 6:4

Romans 6:4 (HCSB)

Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life.

Paul wraps up this section of his letter by reminding us of something we can’t hear too often:

In Christ we have been given everything we need for the purpose for which God has called us!

REFLECT AND RESPOND:

When was the last time you inspected your foundation?

No, not the foundation under the location where you live.

When was the last time you took time to simply reflect on this simple truth:

Jesus loves ME, this I know - For the Bible tells me so

Imagine yourself in a room, sitting in your favorite chair and knowing that Jesus loves you right now and He celebrates the knowledge that He died for your sin - all of it; and that He was raised to new life so that YOU could receive His life...

This new life is a shared life, a life in community...

Look around you - do you trust this group with your very life? If some tragedy came upon you today, would you trust these people to share your pain, your discomfort? Would you be willing to accept whatever assistance they could offer?

Is this merely a place you come on Sunday’s?

The new life in Christ is meant to be shared with other believers...

Are you fully persuaded that within this group gathered here today that God has given us EVERYTHING we need to do all He has given us to do?

If we are failing to do all God has given us to do it is not God’s fault. He has given us every resource we need to do all He has commanded our fellowship of believers to do.

Maybe - just maybe- before we take the next step in obedience God has for us He is waiting on you to allow the new life you have in Jesus to be shared - fully and completely - with everyone who claims the name of Jesus as Community Baptist Church.