Four Vital Perspectives Concerning Christian Service

Preface

The Corinthian church had many issues, but the fundamental problem is that it began to resemble the surrounding community. It was supposed to be a community marked by unity and fellowship, one that showed all “in Christ” were of equal worth before God. Instead this church looked like the rest of Corinth, marked by divisions, jealous, and strife.

This church divided over their preferred teachers. This occured in the Greek culture. They followed teachers of philosophy who were the best orators, the most logical, and the most gifted. This practice had leaked into the Corinthian church. One group said, “I am of Paul,” another said, “I’m of Apollos,” others said, “I’m of Peter,” and “of Christ.” God’s community was no longer distinct from the world. In our text, Paul continues to directly address this problem. He will show the futility of elevating men to such high positions and will call the church to a perspective of teachers informed by gospel truth.

Introduction

My friend and I were set to meet 2 other pastors at a gas station off of I-75. I had never met these men, but they called and asked if the 4 of us could carpool to a jail ministry I participated in. We agreed.

I arrived at the station first and waited for the other men to arrive. One eventually did, but before the last man arrived, one of the pastors called me and my friend over to his car. He gave us a serious look and said, “gentlemen, we are carrying very precious cargo tonight,” then he named the man we were waiting for. He continued, “this is a man of God, someone with a special filling of God.”

About that time, the “man of God” arrived, and it got weirder. The man who gave us the speech went directly to the newly arrived pastor’s car. He turned into something like a foot-man serving a king. He opened the man’s car door, and directed him to the car we were taking down. He then opened the back door and waited for the pastor to get in. Once he did, the man closed the pastor’s door and told me and my friend it was now okay to leave. It was an interesting evening.

Q: How are we to view preachers and teachers? Is it appropriate to elevate them to such a status? 1 Tim. 5:17 says,

1 Timothy 5:17 ESV

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

The idea of “honor” in that text is associated with wages, not making them objects of reverence. I don’t think what I saw that evening was healthy. It felt cultish, elevating a man to a level that seemed somewhere between God and other humans.

BACKGROUND: Paul shows the Corinthians elevated teachers to an inappropriate level. Some elevated Paul, others Apollos, and others Peter and formed groups whose primary identity centered on these men.

TRANS: Today, in our text, I think Paul provides 4 vital gospel-informed perspectives regarding all who minister.

Let’s read 1 Cor. 3:5-9

1 Corinthians 3:5–9 (ESV)

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

TRANS: In ch. 3, Paul uses 2 metaphors to teach the Corinthians about teachers. In the first section, he first compares the church to a garden, vineyard, or orchard - a place where things are grown. And in that metaphor, Paul shows...

I. God’s Laborers Possess a Shared Status and Goal (1 Cor. 3:5)

A. Teachers Share the Same Status as “Servants” (v. 5)

“What is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed...”

διάκονοι: simply a person working in the service of another. He and Apollos, and by extension Peter, though they were uniquely gifted men, ultimately the were nothing more than servants.

In this section, the church is a garden/orchard, God is the Lord and owner of the garden, and the teachers are the servants laboring in the garden of the Lord.

APP: This should be the perspective of all followers of Christ, not just teachers. Paul will show all believers are called to serve in various ways. Some may serve by teaching, working in the nursery, making snacks for kids events, or cleaning the building. All are called to serve, and all should see themselves as servants.

TRANS: However, in 1 Cor. 3, Paul deals with how the church should view teachers.

2. It’s important for Teachers in particular to Remind the Church of this truth. Teachers are first and foremost servants of God. We only need look throughout church history to discover the Corinthian problem was not unique.

ILL: It happens more than you may think. On a Sunday, I’m pulled aside by someone, usually a visitor, and asked questions about a particular famous preacher. “What do you think of __________?” “What do you think of Dr. Jeremiah, Charles Stanley, John MacArthur, John Piper,” and the list goes on.

But it’s often clear, they ask these question because that teacher has become the epitome of what a preacher/teacher should be. They’ve been so impacted by his style, look, philosophy, or something that that teacher becomes the measuring stick to compare all other teachers. At times, they are so aligned with that teacher that whatever they say is held as truth.

APP: Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve been blessed by many preachers and teachers, even some of those I mentioned. However, we must be cautious. We cannot elevate, even godly men, to an unhealthy status. They are not the source of divine truth. We should not to do what the Corinthians did. We cannot make our primary identity as believers revolve around those who merely servants. We can appreciate them, but our identity must be found in our Lord and Him alone.

Paul and Apollos were no way fomenting the divisions in Corinth. This is something the Corinthians did naturally. And it’s good that Paul, a man one of these groups elevated, set the record straight. He reminds everyone that he and Apollos were nothing more than servants of God.

TRANS: And as servants, he and Apollos share the same goal or purpose, and it did not include collecting followers to themselves.

B. A Teacher’s Goal Should be to Bring Glory to Our Master

APP: Beware the one whose ministry revolves around the teacher and not Christ. Beware those “ministries” that elevate one man’s so-called special giftedness, that seeks to bring glory to the man and not God!

QUOTE: I came across an anonymous quote that says, “many wear God’s livery but are not his servants.” They wear the clothes of a servant, giving all appearances of being His servant, but in reality they are seeking to serve only themselves. As William Jenkins said, “there are many who are lip-servants but not life-servants.”

APP: Throughout the centuries there have been many not seeking to build the kingdom of God but the kingdom of self. And if you ever wonder if that is still going on, just turn on the TV.

“There is nothing less tolerable in the servants of Christ than ambition and vanity.” - John Calvin.

TRANS: The next vital perspective that we must possess is...

II. Spiritual Fruit Only Comes from God 1 Cor. 3:5-7

1 Corinthians 3:5–7 (ESV)

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

TRANS: Paul affirms God has elected spiritual fruit to come through the labor of human instruments.

A. Fruit Through the Use of His Human Instruments (vss. 5-7)

Notice the phrase in v. 5,...

“Servants through whom you believed” (v. 5) - The Corinthians came to belief in the gospel through the labor of God’s servants. These men were the tools God used to bring forth spiritual fruit.

God uses various tools to accomplish His purpose.

ILL: In my garage and shed, I have various tools, each with a specific use. And, its through the use of these tools that I seek to accomplish a task.

Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered...” Paul came to Corinth, and to continue in the “garden metaphor,” he deposited the “seed of the gospel” in the ground. He sowed the seed, presenting Jesus as the only Lord and Savior. Then, Apollos came after Paul and watered the seed.

APP #1: Each man served different functions in the church. God gave each man different abilities and brought them to the church to do a particular work. Think back over the history of MMCC. God has brought various pastors with various abilities to do a particular work in the church.

APP: #2: Notice, each man’s work depends on the other. The sower’s work requires one to come after and water. And in order to water, someone had to first sow the seed. Isn’t it absurdity to compare Paul with Apollos and Peter? God provided each one with unique and specific gifts, and he brought them to Corinth at a specific time to perform a specific work. Apollos was not meant to be like Paul! Paul was not meant to be like Peter. But in the life of the church, each one’s work depended on the labor of the other. They were not at odds with one another but realized each laborer served a unique tool in the service of the master and performed a vital function within the body.

TRANS: But Paul shows spiritual fruit cannot be attributed to these men. They are God’s tools, servants called to a specific task. But these men could not cause a seed to take root and produce fruit.

B. Only God Causes the Fruit (v. 7)

1 Corinthians 3:7 (ESV)

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

Only God gives the growth. Fruitfulness can only be attributed to the work of the Spirit within the seed and work of the laborers. READ 1 COR. 2:1-5.

ILL: Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel from 1508-1512. He would paint more in 1534-1541, but his paintings are considered among the greatest achievements in Western culture. It would be absurd to give credit to his brushes for producing the paintings. They were only tools. All credit is to be given to the artist, the one who uses the brushes. +

TRANS: The 3rd perspective we should have concerning Christian servants is...

III. His Laborers Will Be Rewarded According to their Individual Faithfulness (1 Cor. 3:8)

1 Corinthians 3:8 (ESV)

He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.

Paul again affirms he and Apollos, the ones who planted and watered are one, not one in their task but one in their status as servants. And it’s also true though they have different functions, they are ultimately seeking to fulfill the same task.

TRANS: But they will not receive the same wages or rewards. They will not be compensated or rewarded according to the world’s criteria but will be rewarded by God. We will get to that in a moment, but note each will receive a...

A. Future Wage (v. 8) - “each will receive”

The verb “will receive” clearly speaks of taking possession of something in the future. In just the next chapter, Paul writes in 1 Cor. 4:5,

1 Corinthians 4:5 (ESV)

Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

God’s servants will receive their wages or commendation after “the Lord comes.” He’s not talking about receiving the wage of eternal life or implying a works-based salvation but showing each believer will receive a reward for their faithful service. Paul refers to this again in vss. 14-15.

1 Corinthians 3:14–15 (ESV)

If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

APP: My friends, we do not serve God to achieve earthly rewards or recognition. Do not gauging success by the amount of “at-a-boys” or some sort of positive response. Those things can be an encouragement, but we should not base the worth of a ministry on the feedback of men. Nor should we be crushed when men speak ill of one’s ministry. Paul wrote in 1 Cor 4:2-4

1 Corinthians 4:2–4 (ESV)

Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.

APP: We should listen to other godly men and women who are seeking to help us, however we should not guage the value of our ministry and service by the appraise of men. Our reward as servants will come after He returns. Until then, serve well. Be faithful, not for acclaim or rewards on this earth, but for the future awards that will be given by our Savior.

TRANS: Paul shows those rewards or wages are...

B. Based on one’s individual Labor (v. 8) - “according to his labor”

“Labor” speaks to the “difficult toil” and the specific tasks the individual is called to perform. Each servant will receive his wages according to his [own] labor.

ILL: Jake was new to ministry, called to a church that already had a senior pastor. After a year, Jake came to believe the Sr. pastor was not serving well. He wasn’t given to study and didn’t seek to serve the people. Jake shared his struggles with a mentor who reminded Jake that God would judge Jake for Jake’s own labor, and God would do the same for the Sr. Pastor. Jake should strive to be faithful in what God called him to do.

TRANS: Notice, a servant is reward for his labor, not for other things.

One’s future reward will Not Be Based on Talents and Abilities - This is what the Corinthians focused on. God has allotted various abilities, but our future rewards are not based on how many talents and abilities you possess. He will judge us based on how well we used what He provided us.

Nor will our future rewards be Based on Opportunity or Position

Not on Opportunity: Sometimes, God calls certain men to places with abundant resources and where God determines to uniquely work. God placed Peter in Jerusalem on Pentecost. He preached a sermon and 3,000 responded. Their response was not because of the preacher but because of God’s sovereign choice to work in that way on that day. Not all servants will be used like Peter. In fact, more often then not, we are called to serve with small resources, in places where people often reject. And yet, we are called to labor hard.

TRANS: Nor is one’s reward based on position.

b. Position: God will not reward pastors more because of their position. He will no reward those who do more public ministry. I am convinced those who may be rewarded most will be those we’ve never heard about, who faithfully labored in the role God gave to them.

c. Nor will our rewards be Based on Results - Vss. 5-6 clearly shows: spiritual fruit is not attributed to the laborer but to God. God appointed some to come to faith through Paul’s ministry, some through Apollos’ ministry. He assigned fruit to their ministry. God doesn’t reward His servants for the fruit they produce because they can’t produce it. He rewards them for their faithfulness in their labor.

IV. Everything Belongs to Him (1 Cor. 3:9)

A. The Servant Belongs to God

The servant’s life is not about self-glory; it must be about bringing glory to His Master. He is not serving in order to pursue selfish ambition.

APP: You may serve as an elder, deacon, usher, custodian, children’s worker, nursery worker, making snacks for our kids ministry, working crafts, helping with outreach, etc. None of this labor can be about the servant! We don’t do it to bring ourselves glory.

B. The Church Belongs to God (Field/Building)

His servants must always remember they are not in the business of building their own kingdoms. Rather, they are laborer, servants seeking to be faithful to their Master. His Church is His Church! He owns it; we don’t.

TRANS: Let these 4 perspectives inform us! Those who are His followers, let us be informed by

Conclusion

His laborers possess the same status and goal.

Spiritual fruit only comes from God.

Laborers are reward based on individual faithfulness.

Everything belongs to Him.

I want to close with 1 question. How are you serving? That question leads to more questions. Are you serving God’s people? God has called each of us to a unique service. Some will water. Some will plant, etc. However, all of us are called to serve.

Are you faithfully serving? Are you laboring? This does not merit our salvation, but we will stand before Him, and He will judge our labor. And He will reward us for our labor.