We are God's Fellow Workers
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Intro
Intro
Text - 1 Cor 3.5-9
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.
Title - We are God’s Fellow Workers
Background
Background
The word “fellow worker”
grk SYNERGEOS - fellow worker; coworker; worker together with;
Synergeos is a favorite word by the apostle Paul
he used it many times to commend those who worked with him in the gospel proclamation
In our text, Paul used the word to give us another perspective in our relationship with God - that of a fellow worker.
most common term is servant, servant of God - it means we work FOR God
gek DOULOS, DIAKONOS, HYPERETES
synergeos means we work WITH God.
The Main Point
Christian ministry is not a personal career or ambition to aspire and attain. This is a call to work with God in accordance with His divine counsel before the foundation of the world for benefit of His people and for His own glory.
Why is God calling men and women to the ministry? Can’t He do all the work by Himself?
The Call to the ministry is a call to work with God.
The Call to the ministry is a call to work with God.
From creation to the church age, God has been calling His people not only for salvation, but also to work with Him in the fulfilment of His plans.
Adam’s call
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
in God’s benediction, He expressed His desired outcome and position for His people
“have dominion over...” - God intended man to rule with Him on earth over creation
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
the first man was instructed to take care of the earth in behalf of God
19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
this can be understand as the beginning of man’s rule over creation
Sadly, Adam’s rule did not last, nor extend beyond the garden.
Man’s “fall” into sin was the work of Satan, the adversary and opposer of God’s divine plans.
Abraham’s call
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
from the start, God has already declared His plan - to bless the nations - and Abraham was called to work with God towards that goal!
Moses’ call
7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
God called Moses to work with Him in destroying the power of Egypt - pharaoh and his gods - and to bring out the nation of Israel from bondage
Jesus’ ministry
17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
John 8.29 “29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.””
John 8.38 “38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.””
to continue the proclamation of the gospel the kingdom that Jesus began
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
to do the same works that Jesus performed
11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
to build His Church
Matthew 16.18 “18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
WHAT’S THE POINT?
OUR CALLING, BY THE GOSPEL IS NOT ONLY FOR SALVATION - GOD HAS CALLED US TODAY IN ORDER TO WORK WITH HIM TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PLANS IN THEIS END-TIME.
What does it mean to work with God?
To work with God is to invest in His Kingdom work
To work with God is to invest in His Kingdom work
Different types of works -
servile work - the work of a servant
pro bono - without charge
actually - pro bono publico, for the good of the public
for profit - work for personal enrichment
ALL work is done for benefit
servile work - for food and shelter
pro bono - we benefit indirectly in the good of the public
for profit - to earn, get rich, and perhaps retire
Therefore, all work is a form of investment.
you invest your skill, time, etc. for profit
WHEN WE WORK WITH GOD, WE ARE NOT ONLY RECEIVING WAGES - for daily subsistence.
God does not want us to merely survive our daily existence
God wants us to enjoy eternity with Him!
WHEN YOU WORK WITH GOD, YOU ARE INVESTING IN HIS KINGDOM.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
TO WORK WITH GOD IS TO INVEST 100 PERCENT OF YOURSELF TO HIS WORK
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
to give up your life or self (grk PSYCHE)
THERE IS NO LOSS IN WORKING WITH GOD
28 Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.”
29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,
30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
THE PROFIT OF WORKING WITH GOD IS A HUNDREDFOLD PLUS…
27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”
28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
ETERNAL RETIREMENT PACKAGE!
Notice - of course, people do get rich without God
the billionaires of the world have so much wealth for maybe a thousand years of retirement
the problems is, they don’t have even a hundred years to enjoy their wealth!
BELIEVERS OF GOD GET TO ENJOY THEIR RETIREMENT BENEFITS FOR ETERNITY!
Notice - those who work for big companies on grand buildings and hotels DO NOT GET TO LIVE IN THEM.
WHEN YOU WORK WITH GOD, YOU ARE WORKING FOR FUTURE HOME!
WHAT’S THE POINT?
MAN HAS ONLY 1 OPTION / CHOICE TO ETERNAL LIFE - WORK WITH GOD OR LOSE IT ALL!
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[ PART 2]
What does it take to work with God?
In order to work with God we must do things His way
Doing things God’s way means 3 things -
His plan,
His strategy, and
His working
If we are going to work with God, we must -
understand His plan
understand His strategy
understand His working
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Conclusion
Conclusion
Not all Christians want to work with God.
they are not willing to give it all - to invest with by giving up their earthly life
they want God to work for them!
a gospel that favors their lusts
a Bible that condones their sins
a ministry that is not laborious
they are focused on their personal ambitions and self-fulfilment
Then there are those who do “part-time” work with God.
part-time - because they still want to enjoy the worldly life
THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF MAN OR WOMAN THAT GOD HAS CREATED.
SALVATION AND WORKING WITH GOD GO HAND IN HAND -
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
God saves those to whom He has appointed a work in His kingdom
those who were saved are always the ones who are willing to work with God in saving more souls
SONG
Lord I Offer my Life to You