09/17/2023
Happy Sunday! We invite you to read and share this brief meditation on the word of God.
When the Church Grows Up
I Corinthians 3:1-9
1But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So nneither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each owill receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are pGod’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
The church at Corinth has been referred to as Paul’s problem child. He wrote at least four letters to the Corinthians each one dealing with internal issues and conflicts within the church. The city of Corinth posed specific challenges, strong enough to test the most seasoned disciple; let alone this group of Christian upstarts. On the one hand, Corinth was a vibrant cosmopolitan destination, a mix of many cultures, its ports and roadways were busy as it was a major hub for importing and exporting. On the other hand, Corinth was a getaway for pleasure seekers. It was the Las Vegas, or Amsterdam of its region and day, a place where people could escape and indulge in all types of dark desire. To make things even more challenging, the congregants at Corinth came from different places and traditions; many of which did not understand or practice the moral law of the Hebrews. Yet, with all of their challenges and shortcomings, Paul saw something invaluable in them, and believed that if his message could take hold in Corinth, it undoubtedly could catch fire anywhere.
The modern day church, just as the church at Corinth exists in dark and challenging times. America has seemed to have lost its way. Immorality is the order of the day, ignorance is the status quo, injustice is acceptable, and materialism is the new religion. While historians will one day try to explain where things went wrong, Paul, in v this portion of his letter informs us that a community out of control is the result of a church fast asleep on the job; however just as Paul found value in the Corinthians, God also sees our potential, and he is counting on us. The African American church is no stranger to challenges. Through many dangers toils and snares we have already come, and while the task at hand seems insurmountable, we must always remember that we have climbed mountains much bigger than the range niw in our horizon. So, this evening I want to encourage you. For I know we can achieve anything. We can transform lives, we can empower our communities, and we can impact the world. We just need to remember who we are, and get back on our job, because the world is waiting on us. Luckily, Paul offers us some help here in I Corinthians 3.
Not one to waist time, Paul begins by addressing the root of the issue. Spiritual immaturity. He clarifies this point by directly attributing their ineffective ministry to their in-house peril; namely envy, strife and division. We know this story all to well. Internal conflict has almost become synonymous with the black church experience. At times it appears that we rather enjoy not getting along with one another. Our insatiable appetite for confusion has hindered our work, and our willingness to show off our hypocritical nature has all but ruined our credibility in our communities. Just as Paul tells the Corinthian church that their behavior prevents him from speaking to them spiritually, we must recognize that our lack of spiritual maturity also prohibits us from reaching our potential as servants of Christ. Simply put, it is time for us to grow up, for God won’t clean up the worlds messes with a dirty rag.
So what is it going to take, how can we rid our ministry of our bad habits and drive this world into better days? Well, Paul uses a motivational tactic in verse 9 that I believe is very useful, he reveals reminds the believers of their importance.
We live in a day and age where me-ology has many times replaced theology. One of the biggest misconceptions running prevalent in today’s spiritual world is the thought that church is unnecessary for the Christian believer. The Church, instituted by Christ for the salvation of the unsaved world is looked upon by many as optional. However, Paul debunks this misinformation in verse nine, as he addresses the church as a whole. You are God’s field, what a remarkable statement. We tend to look at preachers and musicians as the only avenues to receive a legitimate calling, but here Paul tells us that we are all crucial when it comes to the mission of Kingdom building. We are God’s field, we are the place where God plants seed, toils, nurtures and produces harvest. We just need to make the conscious decision that we will be good soil.
Paul goes on in verse 9 to say to us; “you are God’s building”; my brothers and sisters, on Sunday mornings, when we receive benediction and exit our houses we are not vacating the church, no! Instead what actually happens is once we depart from one another, the church breaks into a million different pieces, and spreads in a million different directions. It is then up to us to be the Johnny on the spot Christians the world needs us to be. We’ve heard it countless times, the church is the people. So I guess the bottom line is we all have a choice to make. Are we going to be carnal, or are we going to be the ever-present church of God. Will we sit and watch this world slip further down in sin and destruction; or are we going to accept the fact that we are necessary when it comes to the salvation of the world. You may look at yourself and see limitations, you may think of yourself only through the lens of mistake and regret, but the truth is you are a VIP. The world is distressed and in need of the Savior, and the only way they can meet Him is through us. So with made up minds, unshakable determination and unity amongst each other, let us get back on our post, and show the world what the enemy already knows. Satan is defeated, God is almigjty; and Jesus Christ is Lord of all!
