God Makes it Grow

Epiphany 2020  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  33:07
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1 Corinthians 3:1–9 NIV
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

The Corinthians loved certain Pastors

I follow Paul. I follow Apollos. As if men were worthy of devotion. There are always differences. Paul was a pioneering pastor and demanding leader. Apollos followed him and was an expert in philosophy and a strong speaker.
Now that the church was established he was likely able to focus a bit more on teaching. It was a different time in the life of the church.
But both people brought their unique gifts to the table and the church benefitted from it. Hopefully Apollos knew better than to support this idea. But I know that it can happen even when we aren’t encouraging it.

We can struggle to follow leadership

Loyalty is a good trait to have. Don’t be quick to drop someone. Value them as human beings. Try to build a close relationship with your pastor. But keep Christ in an unrivaled position in your life. But be able to transfer that loyalty to the new pastor. They will need it. Then, even if the old guy wasn’t your favorite, be generous to their memory also. Again try not to get pulled to the left or the right. Keep looking straight ahead. Leaders and Pastors have an important role in the church. But they always have to look at their role as temporary and the mission of the church as permanent until Jesus comes.
As a pastor I had good mentors. As a result of them pouring into my life I benefited from some wisdom even while I was young. I try to think about how my decisions will affect anyone who has to follow me. Of course, I want people to value my ministry and my family well. But here’s what I have tended to see after 52 years of living and 26 years of being a pastor: A certain percentage of people tend to either worship a pastor or thinking of them as someone to be managed, manipulated or opposed. Church relationships need to be healthy and transparent relationships. If you are gossiping about the pastor you should stop. You are sinning. If you are elevating the pastor so high it’s impossible for them to do wrong or you can’t transfer your loyalties you should also stop. You are also sinning.
When I left my first congregation I told them the best way they could demonstrate loyalty to me was by staying put, cooperating with the district to find a new pastor quickly and to support that new pastor as much as they had supported me. For the most part people did and it was nice to see many of them still there when they had me back to speak at a funeral and then a special service a few years ago.
Jesus said to let your yes be yes and your no be no. That means don’t say “fine” to someone’s face then go bad mouth them behind their back. If you change your mind later about a conversation, you know what to do. You go back to the person and you share what you are feeling while also listening to them. There may be times where I don’t agree with you or your behavior. I will tell you unless I think you are hanging by a thread and are vulnerable and don’t even realize what you are doing to me. Either way I will pray for you and love you. If I mess up, I will apologize and seek to make things right. You should be open to that and not put me off, especially if hard feelings are there. Christians keep working on it.
And here is my point: this should be true not just for me but for any leader who serves this congregation. Stay and work out relationships. That’s God’s plan for helping all of us to continue to grow. God is all about growth. But it begins with our spiritual growth. The outgrowth of your spiritual growth with be the growth of the church. And the bottom line is that God is the one who provides for the growth of the church. Pastors, leaders, and church members do their part. One plants one waters…but God makes it grow. We give people credit for being faithful. We love them and appropriately honor them. But we give God the glory, amen?

God provides for the growth of the Church

Paul and Apollos are servants of the living God! If Paul had his way he would have been climbing the ladder in judaism and putting Christians in jail, but God. But, God. But, God! Rich in mercy intervened. But God, came to this stubborn and prideful man on the road to Damascus. But God shined a bright light from heaven that cast a long shadow over Paul’s violent actions. But God, stopped him cold and brought him into the fold! So nothing good would have happened through him, if God hadn’t called a cosmic time out! And blinded Paul so he could see. By the way try to learn the lessons the easy way so God doesn’t have to stop you cold, amen? :)
Acts 18:24–27 NIV
Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
Apollos had the finest Jewish philosophical education available in the great cultural city of Alexandria in Egypt. It would be like having a degree from Harvard or Oxford University today. He knew about Jesus, not unlike Paul, because he had been a fervent student. Now, he was a fervent preacher of the good news. But he needed some help along the way. And God was the one who provided for Alexandria to exist as a haven for learned Jews and eventually Christians. And God orchestrated things for the giftedness of Apollos to match up with the training. The same kind of cross-cultural ability Paul had but an even more diverse and full training experience. So he could help take the church to the next level. But it was God’s gifting in him, amen? It was Jesus he was preaching about! Apollos was great, but God! But God is the one to get the glory. I’m glad they were loyal to Apollos. I’m glad some appreciated his ministry. But some kept looking back to when Paul was there. But guess what? Paul wasn’t there anymore! And the last thing Paul wanted was anyone looking back. Look forward in Christ. These men were a blessing, but God is the one who made them!
God makes the church grow.

We can grow together in God

Now don’t get me wrong. It’s nice when people notice that you are working hard and take care to specifically notice it and remember and not easily forget the good you have done. But we must do that in God and to God’s glory alone. But don’t spend so much time looking back to some sort of glory days that we miss the glory of God and how God is working gloriously now. Because our faith would have to be pretty messed up to believe that God only did great stuff in the past. He is the God of the living. He is the Lord of now. He is King over the future as well. So many things are possible as we seek to grow in him and grow together and grow bigger as he leads and works in our midst.
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