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Confusion Concerning the Church

What About These Shootings?

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Paul writes to clear up confusion in the church of Corinth. There was confusion about leaders, about church discipline, about gifts, etc. Since there was confusion about the ministers (I Cor. 1:12-13) in chapter one, Paul comes back to this again in Chapter 3. Confusion might have arisen out of a lack of knowledge concerning the duties of the ministers.

Three pictures are given to illustrate the church:

1. A Family - Goal is maturity 2. A Field - Goal is quantity 3. A Temple - Goal is quality

I THE FAMILY - GOAL IS MATURITY (vs 1-4)

Natural	Spiritual
Lost	Saved

Two groups among the saved:

Spiritual	Carnal
Mature	Immature

Carnal means flesh. Immature believer lives for the satisfaction of self. In the human family, every member helps the new baby grow, so in the Family of God we must encourage and aid spiritual maturity. Consider some marks of maturity:

1. Diet (vs 2)
Milk versus meat (Heb 5:10-14; Heb 6:1-3)

The Word of God is our spiritual food. “As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby.” (I Peter 2:2)

We need a balanced diet of spiritual food. (I Cor 2:6-8)

The immature Christian has not progressed from milk to meat. This is a day when congregations want to be entertained more than edified and enlightened.



2. Demeanor versus behavior
The mature Christian practices love and seeks to get along with others.

Maturity in the believer is revealed by the way he or she acts. The work of the Pastor is to help the church grow spiritually and mature in the Lord. A mature Christian uses his gifts as tools to build with, not as toys to play with nor trophies to boast about. Many of the Corinthian believers delighted in “showing off” their gifts.

II THE FIELD - GOAL IS FOR QUANTITY (vs 5-9)

“Ye are God’s husbandry:” (vs 9) You are God’s garden, God’s cultivated field. The local church is a field that should bear fruit. We hear the term, “just preach the Word”’ used a lot. The Gospel is more than that. Now hear me out. The task of the ministry is sowing the seed, cultivating the soil, watering the plants, harvesting the fruit.

1. Emphasis is on God not on the laborers.
“Lord of the harvest.”

2. No one person can do all the necessary work.

Three main lessons to be learned.
1. Diversity of Ministry: sowing, cultivating, watering, harvesting.
2. Unity of Purpose: Paul, Peter, Apollos were not competing against each other.
3. Need for Humility: God was not receiving the glory.

Satan is busy sowing the seeds of doubt, discord, deception and sin. We must be busy cultivating the soil and planting the good seed: God’s Word.

III THE TEMPLE - GOAL IS QUALITY

Paul is discussing the building of the local church. Individual believers are His temple but in this passage the local assembly is in view. It is the local church and it is God’s church. You’ve all heard the story of the little fellow on the side of the road. A man stops by looking for the Church of God. The little fellow says, “let’s see ... there’s the First Baptist, First Methodist, Faith Bible, Holiness Temple.....No, Sir, I don’t believe God’s got a church here.”

1. We must build on the right foundation.
Foundation is important! It is the most important part of the building.
The foundation determines: size, shape, strength.

2. We must build with the right materials. What are the material? The doctrines of the Word of God.

God’s Word is food for the Family.
God’s Word is seed for the field.
God’s Word is material for the temple.
(Prov. 3:13-15; 2:1-5; 8:10-11)

It is not wise to judge ministries and compare one against another.
“For we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves you servants for Jesus sake.” (II Cor 4:5)

3. We must build according the right plan.

The wisdom of the world works for the world but does not work for the church.

The world depends on (1) promotion; (2) prestige; (3) people. The church depends on (1) prayer; (2) humility; (3) sacrifice; and (4) service. The church in the book of Acts owned no property, had no influence in government, leaders were ordinary men, had no attendance contests, brought in no celebrites.

4. We must build with the right motives. (vs 21-23)

“All things are yours” (vs 21b) - Christian liberty
“And ye are Christ’s (vs 23a) - Christian responsibility

Ernest M. Lundy, Evangelist (#3 in a series of 7)