This is Monday evening, August the 6th, 1973.
In Richmond, Virginia, ministry is being given through
Brother Stephen Kong.
May we look to the Lord in prayer.
Lord, we do come to thy presence together
this evening not because we are worthy, not
because we are able to come, but because
thou hast shed thy blood for us.
Oh, how we praise and thank thee for
the precious blood.
How we praise and thank thee for the
new and living way that thou hast opened
for us.
How we praise and thank thee that we
can trust thee as our great High Priest.
And Lord, it is only by thyself that
we are here and that we come, we
come to thee, Lord.
We pray, Lord, that thou will open our
eyes, open our ears, open our hearts to
thyself, that we may hear thy voice, we
may see thy glory, and we may be
touched by thyself.
Oh, Lord, we will see nothing, no one,
but Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Lord, keep us very open, very humble before
thee.
We pray that by thy light we may
see light, that we may walk in the
light as thou art in the light, that
we may have fellowship with one another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord, cleanses
us from all our sins.
We commit this time into thy hands and
trust thy Holy Spirit to quicken thy word
to us.
In the name of our Lord Jesus, amen.
We have been fellowshipping for the last two
times on 1 Corinthians.
Last night we were on 1 Corinthians chapter
1.
Is the Christ divided?
Paul raised that question, not only to the
Corinthian believers, but this question is raised by
the Spirit of God to us tonight.
Is Christ divided?
If Christ is not divided, then the Christ
is not divided.
As Paul said, as the body is one,
but has many members.
Though the members of many, yet the body
is one, so also is the Christ.
Christ is indivisible.
Therefore, the Christ, which is the Church, His
body, in union with the head, is undivided.
This morning we were on 1 Corinthians chapter
2.
Paul said, I am determined to know nothing
among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
That's the foundation.
But on that foundation, Paul says, but we
speak wisdom among the perfect.
To the grown-up in Christ, there is
the wisdom of God.
The preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ
is the foolishness of God.
Now, if the foolishness of God is wiser
than the wisdom of man, then how much
more wiser will be the wisdom of God?
Now, thank God we know the foolishness of
God.
We are saved by that foolishness.
But dear brothers and sisters, do we know
the wisdom of God?
We know Christ crucified, but do we know
why was He crucified?
The cross is not the end.
The cross is the means to the end.
Now, what is the end?
The end is Christ glorified in and among
His people.
Now, tonight we would like to go on
to 1 Corinthians chapter 3.
Again, we will read the whole chapter.
I hope, brothers and sisters, as we are
reading the Word of God, that we will
pay very close attention to what the Word
says.
And just look to the Lord that as
His Word is read, somehow, somewhere in the
Word, He may speak to each one of
us.
You know, very often we may read the
same Word in the same chapter, but I
doubt that we will get the whole chapter.
I believe that probably when we read a
chapter, the Spirit of God may speak to
one sentence to speak to the other another
word.
So I do hope that we will look
to the Lord when His Word is read,
that the Spirit of God is able to
speak to each according to our need and
according to His need in us.
1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 1.
And I, brethren, have not been able to
speak to you as to spiritual, but as
to fleshly, as to babes in Christ.
I have given you milk to drink, not
meat, for ye have not been able, nor
indeed are ye yet able, for ye are
yet carnal.
For where is there all among you emulation
and strife?
Are ye not carnal, and walk according to
man?
For when one says, I am of Paul,
and another I of Apollos, are ye not
man?
Who then is Apollos, and who Paul, ministering
servants, through whom ye have believed, and as
the Lord hath given to each?
I have planted, Apollos watered, but God hath
given the increase.
So that neither the planter is anything, nor
the waterer, but God, the giver of the
increase.
For the planter and the waterer are one,
but each shall receive his own reward, according
to his own labor.
For we are God's fellow-workmen, ye are
God's husbandry, God's building.
According to the grace of God which has
been given to me, as a wise architect,
I have laid the foundation, but another builds
upon it.
But let each see how he builds upon
it, for other foundations can no man lay,
besides that which is laid, which is Jesus
Christ.
Now if anyone build upon this foundation, gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, grass, straw, the work
of each shall be made manifest.
For the day shall declare it, because it
is revealed in fire, and the fire shall
try the work of each, what it is.
If the work of anyone which he has
built upon the foundation shall abide, he shall
receive a reward.
If the work of anyone shall be consumed,
he shall suffer loss, but he shall be
saved, for so as through the fire.
Do ye not know that ye are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of
God dwells in you?
If anyone corrupt the temple of God, him
shall God destroy, for the temple of God
is holy, and such are ye.
Let no one deceive himself.
If anyone thinks himself to be wise among
you in this world, let him become foolish,
that he may be wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness
with God, for it is written, He who
takes the wise in their practice.
And again, the Lord knows the reasonings of
the wise, that they are vain, so that
no one boasts in them.
For all things are yours.
Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the
world, or life, or death, or things present,
or things coming, all are yours.
Isn't that tremendous?
All are yours.
And ye are Christ.
And Christ is God.
You know, the first four chapters of 1
Corinthians deal with one subject matter.
The first four chapters deal with only one
thing, and that is divisions in the Church.
The parties in the Church.
The party spirit that existed in the Church,
which was in Corinth.
As we mentioned in the beginning, Paul didn't
write this letter starting with answering their questions.
They wrote to Paul and asked several questions,
which to them were very important.
But when Paul answered their letter, he did
not start with answering their questions.
He reserved that until the seventh chapter.
But when he wrote a reply to the
Church in Corinth, he began with what he
considered as the most serious problem in the
midst of these Corinthian believers.
They did not realize the seriousness of it.
Probably they overlooked the whole thing.
Probably they were taking for granted, as if
it was something you had to have and
had to live with.
But not with Paul.
When Paul heard that there were divisions in
their midst, that is to say, some say,
I am of Paul.
Some said, I'm of Apollos.
Some say, I'm of Cephas.
And some would come out and say, I'm
of Christ, in an exclusive way.
Paul said, is the Christ divided?
Dear brothers and sisters, in the sight of
God, and with those who know God's heart
and His eternal purpose, there is no problem
more serious among God's people than this problem
of division.
Today we take division for granted.
We have to live with this evil.
It is the evil of our days.
And what can you do with it?
We are too intelligent.
We are too sophisticated.
We are too clever.
Just like the Corinthian believers.
But God forbid that we should take divisions,
party spirits, sectarian spirits, among God's people for
granted.
Because the division of God's people strikes at
the very heart of God's purpose.
It violates the very meaning and nature of
our calling.
It destroys the testimony of the Church.
Therefore you'll find Paul used the first four
chapters.
Of course, in the original, it is not
divided into chapters.
But at least you'll find Paul used four
chapters.
That is, Paul wrote extensively on this most
serious and basic thing that existed among the
people at Corinth.
And sad to say, it still exists.
And very often our attitude towards that is
just like the attitude of the Corinthian believers.
We are more interested in marriage, virgin, remarriage,
things offered to idols, spiritual gifts, and so
forth.
And we seem to allow divisions among God's
people to exist as if it is nothing.
Dear brothers and sisters, divisions among God's people
destroys the very testimony of the Church.
Paul deals with this matter from different angles.
And when he came to the third chapter
of 1 Corinthians, remember, he was still dealing
with the same problem.
He hadn't finished that yet.
So I do hope when we are fellowshipping
tonight on the third chapter, that we will
bear in our mind that Paul was still
dealing with this problem of divisions among God's
people.
He said, I, brethren, have not been able
to speak to you as to spiritual, but
as to fleshly, as to faith in Christ.
When Paul was in Corinth for 18 months,
he was in their midst.
He preached nothing but Jesus Christ and Him
crucified.
He did not treat these Corinthian believers as
grown-ups.
And they were not, because they were newly
saved.
They were bathed in Christ.
He did not treat them as spiritual, as
if you can be spiritual in a day.
Oh, brothers and sisters, if anyone will come
to you and say, I can make you
spiritual instantaneously, I think you will listen.
If anyone will give you a formula, if
anyone will tell you, if you do certain
things, you will become spiritual instantaneously.
Who does not want it?
He will have lots of hours.
But Paul did not help our ego very
much.
When Paul was among the believers in Corinth
for 18 months, he treated them as bathed
in Christ.
Not in any sense looked down upon them,
no.
But Paul knew what they were.
So he preached nothing among them but Jesus
Christ and Him crucified.
They needed to know the cross.
They needed to know Christ crucified.
Oh, Christ crucified.
You may preach on that for 18 months,
day in and day out, like Paul did,
and never get tired of it.
He said, when I was with you, I
was not able to speak to you as
spiritual, but as professionally.
Now, you know, in the original, there is
a little bit variation in Greek concerning that
word fleshly in the first verse and in
the third verse.
In the first verse, it said, and I,
brethren, have not been able to speak to
you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly,
as to bathed in Christ.
Then in the third verse, for ye are
yet carnal.
Now, in our English version, you use different
words.
It is very refined.
But sometimes it is so refined that you
miss the meaning of it, or you miss
the emphasis of it, right?
In the original, it is the same word
with a little variation.
Fleshly and carnal are the same word, and
yet not exactly the same.
In verse 1, it is sakinos, fleshly.
That is to say, you are made with
the material of the flesh.
The emphasis is on the material, the substance
that composes a thing.
You are fleshly.
You are made up of flesh.
And, of course, they were.
Why?
Because even though they were saved, they had
a new life in them, yet so far
as they were concerned, they were still fleshly.
Very much of the flesh.
The new life in them was very young.
The new life in them had not taken
over the whole being.
Even though they were saved, yet they were
still fleshly.
They still acted like bathed in Christ.
That is to say, lots of the things
that were manifested were still of the flesh,
made up of that material.
Now, isn't that true with us?
When we were first saved?
That's the material.
Made up of.
I don't know.
Maybe we use a different word in English.
I don't know if there is such a
word.
That may help us to see a little
bit of distinction.
I would rather translate that word but to
the fleshy.
Take away the L and just let the
Y remain there.
Not speaking to the spiritual, but to the
fleshy.
You are still fleshy.
Lots of flesh.
Even though you are saved, but there is
lots of flesh there.
All very fleshy.
Just bathed in Christ.
Anything wrong with that?
Nothing wrong with that.
You do not expect a bathing in Christ
to be spiritual.
You don't expect that, do you?
You do not expect one who newly believed
the Lord to be fully matured.
You don't expect that.
One who is newly saved, he is bathed
in Christ.
There is new life in him and yet
you find what he manifests is his flesh.
Very innocent though.
You look at a baby.
Is a baby fleshy?
Very fleshy.
Oh, if you have company, oh, how that
baby will act.
Very fleshy.
But it's quite amusing though.
It's quite interesting.
Do you condemn a baby?
No.
That's what he is.
He is not conscious of it.
When he is trying to attract attention, he
is trying to do something which he thinks
is of tremendous achievement.
Do you laugh at him?
Not at all.
You clap your hands.
Oh, great.
Isn't that true?
Now, my God's people, this is the same
thing.
When one newly believes in the Lord and
he begins to act in a way, you
know, and you know he attracts people to
himself, you don't condemn him.
You say, praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
Right?
Fleshy.
Very fleshy.
And to a baby, you give a baby
milk.
Now, what is milk?
Milk is pre-digested food.
You digest it for him, and then you
give it to him.
Why?
Because he cannot digest it himself.
Oh, brothers and sisters, to the babes in
Christ, all you can give is milk.
It is Christ crucified.
The foundation truth of Christ.
That's all he can take.
And nothing wrong with that.
Dear brothers and sisters, if someone is newly
saved and he is a little bit fleshy,
don't condemn him.
He's just innocent.
But the thing is, Paul said, for ye
have not yet been able, nor indeed are
ye yet able, for ye are fleshly.
Now, that is something, dawg.
After a few years, they ought to grow
out of their babyhood.
They ought to be able to consume solid
food through the exercise of their abilities.
But, Paul said, when I was with you,
I treated you as babes, and that was
all right.
That was the right thing to do.
I know knew nothing among you but Jesus
Christ and him crucified.
You needed a foundation truth, and that was
perfectly normal and right.
But now a few years have passed, and
you are still not able to take solid
food.
You are fleshly.
So far as time is concerned, you should
not be babes anymore.
You should have grown up a little bit.
You should have grown out of your fleshiness.
You should not try to attract people to
yourself.
You should not try to display yourself.
You should know Christ in a deeper way.
You should be able to enter into the
purpose of God.
To be God-centered, Christ-centered, instead of
self-centered.
You are no longer innocent.
That's ignorant.
Oh, brothers and sisters, when Paul said you
are fleshly, his heart was at peace.
But when he said you are fleshly, his
heart was disturbed.
We who have believed in the Lord Jesus,
there should be a period of babyhood.
That's normal.
If a baby is born and he acts
like an old man, that's abnormal.
That's ugly.
Act like spiritual.
That's ugly.
Be natural.
Don't be too spiritual.
But after a few years, and if you
still act so babyish, it grieves the heart
of the parents.
That's fleshly.
Now, fleshly is psychical.
It may mean the material or the physical
substance that makes up the thing.
But it also may mean morally.
Fleshly.
In other words, it is more than the
makeup.
It remains in a moral deficiency.
In a state of moral deficiency.
You ought to be controlled by the Holy
Spirit, and you are still under the rule
of the flesh.
You still walk according to the flesh and
not according to the Spirit.
That is fleshly.
That is carnal.
Why did Paul say you are still fleshly?
Why?
By what symptom was Paul able to distinguish,
to discern that they were still fleshly and
they were not spiritual?
There is an unmistakable sign here.
And the unmistakable sign here is for whereas
there are among you emulation and strife, are
ye not carnal and walk according to man?
Brothers and sisters, one sure sign of carnality,
one sure sign of being fleshly, is division,
strife, emulation, walk according to man.
You ought to be able to walk according
to God, but you are still walking according
to man.
You act like any man will act, even
though you are the Lord.
That is fleshly.
That is carnal.
What was this strife and emulation?
What was this walking according to man?
For when one says, I am of Paul,
and another, I of Apollo, are ye not
man?
Dear brothers and sisters, after we have known
the Lord for years, and we are still
saying, I am of Paul, I am of
Apollo, remember, this is the sure sign of
carnality.
You say you are spiritual, but you are
still saying, I am of Paul, I am
of Apollo.
You are carnally.
What is it?
Brothers and sisters, if anybody should come to
you and say, I am of you, I
am all for you, are you happy about
it?
Probably you would like more people to come
to you in that way, but not with
Paul.
When some of the Corinthian believers said, I
am of Paul, I stand for Paul, I
exhort Paul, I am a follower of Paul,
I know only Paul, all the Christ that
Paul knows, brothers and sisters, Paul's heart was
broken.
He would not lend himself to party and
party spirits.
Why?
This evening I would like to share with
you on one thing.
I believe it is of great significance.
Let me put it in a question, into
a question first.
And I hope you will answer this question
before the Lord.
And the question is, is the church a
platform for a servant of God, or the
works of the servant of God for the
building of the church?
Now let me repeat it.
It may be a little bit complicated.
The relationship between God's minister, or ministry, and
God's church.
Put it this way, to simplify it.
What is the relationship between ministry and church?
What is the relationship between ministers and the
church?
Is the church a platform for the ministers?
In other words, is the church to support
a ministry?
Or does a ministry support the church?
I wonder if you consider this as a
very important question.
It is very, very important.
Because unless we can see the difference here,
and unless we choose the right answer, dear
brothers and sisters, party, division, will continue.
There is no way to stop division.
But if we can really answer that question
according to God, then there is no way
for division, for party.
Is the church a platform for ministry?
Does the church exist for ministry, or for
the minister?
Or, the ministry and the ministers are given
by God to the church for its building
up.
Very simple.
And yet, very important.
These Corinthian believers say, I am of Paul.
I support Paul.
We exist for Paul.
Paul is our leader.
We support him.
We are his platform.
We follow him.
And somebody will come out and say, no,
no, no, we are of Apollos.
Paul is only a very rough teacher.
But Apollos is a refined teacher.
And we are greatly helped by him, so
we are for Apollos.
We follow Apollos.
He is our leader.
We support him.
We are his platform, that his ministry may
be fulfilled.
And then some other people come out and
say, we are of Cephas.
We are the most original.
We go back to Jerusalem.
And some people come out with a spiritual
so-called pride and say, we are of
Christ.
Now, brothers and sisters, in doing that, they
make the ministry or the minister bigger than
the church.
The church is for supporting a special minister
or a special ministry.
And some will support one minister, some will
support another minister, some will support one ministry,
some will support another ministry.
In other words, the center is ministry, work,
minister, not Christ.
Isn't that simple?
And when people are supporting a minister or
a ministry or a work, you'll find it's
bound to have divisions.
Because some other people will support other people
and other ministry and other work.
But if all the ministers, if all the
ministries are for the church, then you'll find
everything flows into the church and there is
unity.
Otherwise, everyone would take away some people and
make a center of itself.
The church is divided.
I wonder if you have experienced it.
Suppose there is a group of people coming
together to serve the Lord with Christ as
the center.
And when we uplift Christ, and when we
gather together unto Christ, we are one.
Then some great man of God or small
man of God, it doesn't matter.
Small man draws small crowd and big man
draws big crowd.
Now suppose a servant of the Lord comes.
Now he may be a Paul, a great
apostle.
Now suppose he comes and he began to
preach the pure gospel of Jesus Christ.
And many people are helped.
Now these people will follow Paul and say,
Paul said, now who follows me, come over.
And then you'll find a group follow Paul
out.
And then Apollo, the great teacher, comes.
And after he has taught for a while,
then a group follow Apollo and set up
an Apollo church.
And then Cephas comes and says, now both
Paul and Apollo, they enter in the midway.
I started from the very beginning.
So you have to go back to the
original.
Those who want to be original, come with
me.
So there is a people in church.
Then some people try to be more spiritual
than everybody else and say, we are of
Christ.
So they form another set.
Brothers and sisters, do you see?
The more ministry you have, the more ministers
you have, the more divided you are.
And the division is according to man.
The division is according to ministry.
Every man becomes a center.
Every ministry becomes a center.
Every special teaching becomes a center.
Brothers and sisters, if that should happen, the
church is divided.
There is no way to save it from
division.
But does God give these ministers to the
church for division?
In Ephesians chapter 4 you'll find God has
given to the church some apostles, some prophets,
some evangelists, some teachers and pastors for the
perfecting of the saints.
God gave these ministers with their special ministries
to the church, not to draw people away
from the church to themselves or to their
ministry, but they are given to the church
for the perfecting of the saints with a
view to the building up of the body
of Christ.
Surely Paul, his heart was broken by those
who admired him.
You know, sometimes you are more troubled by
your friends than by your enemies.
Paul's heart was broken by these people who
said, I'm a Paul.
Paul said, I don't want you to be
a Paul.
I'm not going to be a party leader.
I'm not.
What about Apollos?
When the Corinthian believers were divided, some of
Paul, some of Apollos, you know what happened?
Oh, Paul would say, Apollos, from now on
I forbid you to go to Corinth.
Corinth is my territory.
Did Paul do that?
No.
On the contrary, Paul encouraged Apollos to go.
He said, why don't you go to Corinth?
And how did Apollos react?
Apollos said, no, I'm not going.
I'm not going.
I'm not going to be a cause of
division.
No, no, no, I'm not going.
He will not take opportunity and try to
build his own kingdom.
No.
A true servant of God never tries to
attack people to himself.
Never tries to make him or his work
a center.
A true servant of God leads people to
Christ for the building of the body of
Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters, thank God for Paul.
Thank God for Apollos.
Thank God for Cephas.
Thank God for these men of God.
Even though people try to use them to
build up divisions, but they will not give
themselves their name to these sectarians.
Especially our temperament is involved.
The likes always affect the likes.
Because somehow your temperament just fits.
Dear brothers and sisters, God's people shall see
that the servants of God are given by
God to the church.
And each serve as the Lord gives.
In other words, these servants of God are
only God's channels of blessing.
If you are blessed by any of God's
servants, do not look at them.
They are the channels.
What you have received is from God, not
from them.
They are nothing.
It is God.
It is Christ.
Oh, let us keep our eyes on Christ
and not on men.
You know one thing?
Lots of God's servants are destroyed because they
were exalted by men.
God is a jealous God.
He will not share His glory with anybody.
For sometimes God's servant, maybe it is his
own fault, and sometimes it may not be
his own fault.
He may not see that.
But people just uplift him as if he
is God and worship him.
And the result is God's hand will be
very heavy upon that man of God.
It is not threatening.
It is true.
Dear brothers and sisters, don't spoil God's servants.
You shall respect them if they are God's
channel of blessing to you.
But don't worship them.
Do not make them what they are not.
You know, one thing that Paul was afraid
of, and that was that people look at
him more than he actually was.
He said, Don't consider me more than I
really am.
Because if you do that, you will put
me in a precarious position.
I may lose my head.
And the hand of the Lord may be
heavy upon me.
O servants of God, be afraid of the
praise of man as the fire of hell.
But it must work both ways.
If a servant of God began to attract
people to himself and longed to establish his
own kingdom, that's fleshly, carnal, that divides the
church.
But if the people of God shall try
to uplift man instead of Christ, no matter
how much that man may help you, you
are acting in the flesh.
You divide God's people.
Who then is Apollos?
And who Paul?
Paul said, You are uplifting me as I
am something.
And some are uplifting Apollos And if Apollos
is somebody, Paul said, Who is Paul?
Who is Apollos?
Ministering servants.
They are not masters.
They are servants.
They are appointed by God for special job
to be done through whom ye have believed
and as the Lord has given to you.
In other words, both Paul and Apollos are
any servant of the Lord.
They are just ministering servants.
God called them, called them, and appoints them
for certain works to be done.
They are just God's channels of blessing.
They don't have the blessing.
They can only bless as they are given
by God.
So why do you stay with the servants?
Why don't you look through the servants to
the Lord, to the Master?
Dear brothers and sisters, we have only one
Master.
Not many.
It is the Lord Himself.
I have planted Apollos' water, but God has
given me the increase.
It is true, Paul has planted.
He came to Corinth.
He sowed the seed of the gospel.
He planted the gospel.
And Apollos came and watered the seed and
made it grow.
But it is God who gave the increase.
Now we will say if you plant it
and you water it, it bound to have
increased.
It is not.
You may plant it, you may water it,
and it does not give the increase.
Automatically.
Now that doesn't mean you don't need to
plant it.
Nor you don't need to water.
Surely you need to plant, you need to
water.
But whether there will be increase, it depends
on the giver.
That is God.
So, neither the planter is anything, nor the
waterer.
But God, the giver of the increase.
Oh, dear brothers and sisters, what is man?
What is a servant of the Lord?
Now, again, I don't want you to...
You know, sometimes I may give people a
wrong impression.
I remember once when I was in a
certain city.
I was talking with brothers and sisters.
I realized that these brothers and sisters uplift
man too much.
They make man everything.
If that man shall say so, they'll do
it.
I challenged them.
I said, do you have the word of
God?
Does the Lord speak to you?
Are you sure that this is what God
wants you to do?
And one answer come back from one brother
and said, no, but because so and so
is my authority, and he says this, so
I don't do it.
I say that's not good enough.
Not because I despise any servant of God.
We shall respect those who help us.
But, dear brothers and sisters, a servant of
the Lord is nothing.
Is nothing.
He may be a planter.
He may be a waterer.
He plants, he waters, according to God's appointment,
by God's grace, but he is nothing.
If God does not give the increase, no
matter how he plants, no matter how he
waters, there is nothing coming up.
God is everything.
Man is nothing.
Dear brothers and sisters, to make man something
is of the flesh.
Are we fleshless?
Are we still looking to man?
Are we still following man?
Are we still uplifting one man over another
man?
That's God.
That's flesh.
That will divide God's people.
They are nothing.
God is everything.
Oh, brothers and sisters, how I thank God
that these words come out from the mouth
of Paul, one of the greatest servants of
God.
And yet, he humbly confesses he is nothing.
I'm afraid many so-called servants of God
think of themselves more than they should.
And if they can affect people to themselves,
they are glad.
Brothers and sisters, that's carnality.
But, the planter and the waterer are one.
It is true.
One is called to be the planter.
The other is called to be the waterer.
You need the planter, you need the waterer.
But the planter and the waterer are one.
Even though their works are distinct, their works
are different, and yet, they are one.
In what sense?
They are all ministering servants of the same
Master.
They are doing one work, the work of
God.
They are one in work, they are one
in spirit.
Do not differentiate them.
Do not divide them.
But each shall receive his own reward according
to his own labour.
Oh, if the servants of the Lord should
be faithful, they will receive their reward.
That's their share before God.
But to reward them before the time will
make them lose the reward that comes from
God.
For we are God's fellow workmen.
All the servants of the Lord engage in
God's work.
They are engaged in different works.
They are given different gifts.
They are fellow workmen, and their work is
one.
And what is the work?
You are God's husbandry, God's building.
Brothers and sisters, when Paul said, you are
God's husbandry, God's building, whom thus did he
point to?
To the church that was in Corinth.
The church that was in Corinth was the
work of God.
Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas, they were
all engaged in the same work.
Paul came to plant, Apollo came to water,
and maybe Cephas came to strengthen it.
But it is one work.
In other words, the church is the work
of God, which is greater, bigger.
The church are the workmen.
The workmen work that the church may be
built.
The workmen are only the means.
The church is the end, which is bigger.
Oh, brothers and sisters, let us realize that
the church is greater than any or all
the servants of God.
The servants of the Lord exist for the
church.
The church does not exist for them, for
their sake.
The church is not a platform for any
of God's servants.
But all the labors of God's servants should
contribute to the building of the church of
God.
The church is like a husbandry.
And when you think of the field of
a husbandry, the emphasis is on life.
The church is like a building.
When you think of building, the emphasis is
on relationship.
One stone is to be built to another
stone, relationship.
So you find the work of God's servants
is to help, to develop the life of
God's people, and to help in their relatedness
one to another.
These are the two sides of the work
of God's servants, whether your plant or your
water.
The work is, on the one hand, that
God's people may be deeply rooted in Christ,
going down, deep in life, and also rising
high up as a building.
And all the servants of God are engaged
in that.
Oh, brothers and sisters, I don't know how.
Only the Holy Spirit can make you see.
The church of God is God's work today.
All the servants of the Lord are called
to that work.
And if any servant of the Lord should
make his work or himself the center, he
destroys the work of God.
Many are working for God.
But not working with God.
That's what our brother Watchman, he says.
I remember that.
Many are working with God.
All God.
But not working with God.
They are engaged in so-called God's work.
But are they working God's work?
And then Paul began to broaden it.
In a sense, you know, not only Apollos
and Paul are working God's work.
The building of the church.
Here you find he broadens it and includes
all the Corinthian believers.
That is to say, he includes everybody.
It is true.
Paul, Apollos, given by God to the church
for the perfecting of the saints with a
view to the ministry.
The ministry of the body.
With a view to the building up of
the body of Christ.
In other words, after the foundation is laid,
after the servants of God have worked upon
these people of God, then everyone is engaged
in the same work.
We are being worked upon and we are
working upon it.
So here you'll find we are all involved.
How do we build upon this foundation?
There is no other foundation but Jesus Christ.
And Paul says he is like a wise
architect.
He has laid the foundation and you cannot
lay any other foundation.
There is none of them.
Now notice how you build upon it.
Brothers and sisters, we are all building upon
that foundation.
We are all engaged in the work of
God.
Some build with gold, silver, precious stones.
Some build with wood, grass, straw.
Gold speaks of the nature of God.
The glory of God.
Silver speaks of the redemption of Christ.
Because silver is used as redemption money.
Precious stone speaks of the operation of the
Holy Spirit.
He works hidden and long to produce something
very precious.
Brothers and sisters, if we build upon the
foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones, that
is with that which is of God.
Or you may build upon that foundation with
wood, grass, and straw.
Wood speaks of the nature of man.
Grass speaks of the manifestation of the flesh.
All flesh are as grass.
And the glory of the flesh are as
the flowers.
And straw speaks of the work of man.
Because, you remember, Pharaoh commanded the children of
Israel to mix straw with mud to make
bricks.
The work of man.
Dear brothers and sisters, if you build upon
that foundation with that which is of God,
or if you build upon that foundation with
that of man, today, people having no spiritual
discernment will not see the difference, and they
may just see the opposite.
If you build with gold, silver, and precious
stones, no one will see it.
Why?
It must be very small.
It is too costly.
Too heavy.
But if you build with wood, grass, and
straw, my, you can get a big building
visible for miles.
How people look for something big, visible, success.
But it is not now.
It is then.
When the Lord shall return, the work of
each shall be made manifest, for the day
shall declare it.
The day shall come when we shall all
stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Then we shall be judged each according to
our worth, not the great white throne judgment.
Thank God that is past.
The judgment is past.
Because Christ was judged for us on the
cross.
But that doesn't mean a Christian will not
be judged.
Paul said we shall all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ, not the throne, but
the seat.
It's a family judgment, not a government judgment.
Not eternal life and eternal death, but loss
and reward.
One day when Christ shall return, we shall
all stand at the judgment seat of Christ,
and it is revealed in fire.
And the fire shall try the work of
each what it is.
Brothers and sisters, if our work is to
be tried by other ways, the truth may
never be known.
But if it is tried by fire, then
it is very clear.
Gold, silver and precious stone, when fire tries
it, instead of consuming it, it purifies it,
it gives it a glow.
A brilliancy, a valiancy.
But wood, grass, straw, they are fuel for
the fire.
It's all burned, all finished.
Are they not saved?
They are saved.
But as saved through the fire.
In other words, barely saved.
Why?
Because the fire cannot consume the foundation.
The foundation is Christ.
So they are still saved.
But saved as through the fire.
All your life on this earth, after you
are saved, are completely wasted.
Dear brothers and sisters, what a loss.
But if your work can stand the fire,
then you shall receive reward.
The law says, come, enter into the joy
of the Lord.
You can rule ten cities, you can rule
five cities, because you have proven yourself as
faithful and wise.
Dear brothers and sisters, do you not know
that you are the temple of God, and
that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone corrupt the temple of God, him
shall God destroy.
For the temple of God is holy, and
such are you.
We often use these words and apply them
individually.
There is a place for it.
But if you read the context, you have
to apply it correctly.
You are, you plural number, you are the
temple, singular number of God.
What is God's work?
God's work is to build His temple.
And every one of us is engaged in
this work.
You are building a pot.
I'm building a pot.
Now, if you build it with gold, silver,
and precious stone, and I build it with
wood, grass, and straw, we are all building
a temple of God.
We are the temple of God.
Not everyone a temple, but we are the
temple of God.
Now, of course, in the Scripture, there are
other places where you can find that individual
is a temple of God.
Our body is a temple of God.
But here, in the context, you find Paul
has before him the covenant.
You are the temple of God in which
the Spirit of God dwells.
And if anyone should corrupt that temple, God
will destroy him.
If you read the context.
You know what is building with wood, grass,
and straw?
You know what is destroying the temple?
It is I am of Paul.
I am of Apollo.
That's wood.
That's grass.
That's straw.
That's destroying the temple of God.
And God said He will destroy you because
God is holy.
How?
The fire shall appear.
You will be saved, but as through the
fire.
So, dear brothers and sisters, here Paul says,
let no one deceive himself.
If anyone thinks himself to be wise among
you in the world, let him become foolish
that he may be wise.
Dear brothers and sisters, do not deceive yourself.
You think you are wise.
You think that you say, I am of
Paul.
I am of Apollo.
That's wise.
Because that's eating.
That's sin.
That's big.
That's building with wood, grass, straw.
And look at these people.
They have to pay so much in order
to have so little.
You think you are wise.
Paul said, I hope you will be foolish.
You are very thinking you are wise.
You are deceiving yourself.
Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness
with God.
So, dear brothers and sisters, Paul said, let
no one boast in man.
Let us not boast in man.
And if you read the first chapter, you
will find, let him boast in the Lord.
Don't boast in man.
Why?
Why not boast in man?
Has not Paul helped me?
And it is through Paul that I am
saved.
Has not Apollo helped me?
It is through the teaching of Apollo that
I grow.
No.
Paul said, do not boast in man.
Why?
For all are yours.
Isn't that surprising?
All are yours.
Paul is yours.
Yes.
Oh, you hold on to Paul and then
I boast of Paul because Paul is mine.
Paul said, why are you so small?
Not only I, Paul is yours.
Apollo is yours too.
Why don't you hold on to Paul and
you don't want Apollo?
You need both.
All these are given by God to the
church for the building of the church.
No one servant of God is perfect and
complete.
Every servant of God has his share, has
his portion.
But, all are yours.
Oh, dear brothers and sisters, the church is
bigger, greater, than any servant of God, than
all the servants of God.
All are yours.
Whether Paul or Apollo's.
What will you rather have?
You will rather have Paul or you will
rather have Apollo or if you can have
both.
Why not both?
And God gives both to you.
Thank God for these two thousand years all
the servants that have been and are being
sent by God, they are all ours.
Yes, Paul is ours.
Oh, how we receive help from Paul.
From the reading of his epistles.
Severs is ours.
How we are helped by his epistles.
Apollo's is ours, even though he does not
leave us any epistle.
Now, some people say the book of Hebrews
probably is written by Apollo's.
Now, I will not quarrel with you.
It is uncertain.
Uncertain.
Who wrote that letter to Hebrews?
But anyway, by his very life and example
we are helped.
Augustine is ours.
Martin Luther is ours.
John Wesley is ours.
Oh, brothers and sisters, how rich we are.
We inherit from God all the servants.
Are we rich?
All the ministers.
All the grace and gifts of God.
In these people are contributed and deposited in
the church.
They are ours.
Whether Paul or Apollo's or Severs.
Now, strange.
Or the world.
Now, what do you mean by that?
Even the world is ours.
Are we not called out of the world?
We are in the world and yet we
are not of the world.
And how can the world be ours?
Oh, dear brothers and sisters.
Or life?
Or death?
Well, life is ours.
That's good.
But death is ours too.
Are the things present?
Are things coming?
All are yours.
Isn't that too much?
You remember that famous verse in Romans chapter
8, verse 28.
All things work together for good for those
who love the Lord who are called upon
Him for purpose.
Oh, that's what it is.
Not only those servants of God are all
ours and we shall receive from all of
them.
This is our inheritance from God.
Do not be so narrow minded.
Do not be contented with a little.
Open your mouth wide and receive much.
And not only all the servants of God
are ours.
Even the world.
Life.
Death.
Things present.
Things coming.
All are ours.
Why?
All things work together for good.
Sometimes it is life.
Sometimes it is death.
Some things are here.
Some things are coming.
Our environment.
The things that we are in contact with.
Even the world itself.
Why is it we are not of the
world and yet we are still in the
world?
Because the world is ours.
We can learn something here.
There are precious lessons to be learned.
We learn discipline.
We learn to forsake the world.
We learn to endure the sufferings in the
world.
We learn to see through it.
We learn to claim it for the Lord.
O brothers and sisters, you find that our
everyday life, all the things and events that
happen in this world, whether it is adversity
or prosperity, you find everything is ours.
They are all for the building of the
Church.
That's the work of God.
How big is the Church.
But don't forget, all are yours.
But that's not the end.
You are Christ.
Do not hold these things and say that
all are mine, so I'll hold them.
No.
They are all given to you that you
may give all to Christ.
You are Christ.
You do not belong to any man.
You do not belong to Paul.
You do not belong to Apollo.
You do not belong to Cephas.
You do not belong to the world.
You belong to Christ.
All the gifts and the grace of God
that come to you are Christ's.
For his glory.
For his honor.
For his pleasure.
And Christ is God's.
Look at Christ.
Everything that he has, everything in his life
is for the Father.
It's for God.
And he has set an example for us.
So whatever God has given to us, whatever
is deposited in the Church, it is for
the glory of the head.
Dear brothers and sisters, if we can see
the relationship between ministry and the Church, ministers
and the Church, and if we can see
the right relationship, that is to say, the
ministers or the ministries given by God are
for the Church, for the building of the
Church.
The Church is not for these ministries.
If we can see it in the right
perspective, how can God's people be divided?
We are able to receive all God's servants.
We will be rich spiritually.
We will be the deposit of all the
grace and the gifts of God.
But sad, sad.
God's servants are such.
When a servant of God comes, he takes
some away and builds his own kingdom.
God's people are such that they hold on
to man instead of hold on to Christ.
That's why the Church is divided.
May God be merciful to us, dear brothers
and sisters.
May we see that God's purpose is the
building of the Church.
We all contribute to it.
We don't take away from it.
We are for it.
It is not for us.
We don't expect anything from it.
If we all take that kind of attitude,
there can be no division.
There can only be increase and the building
of the body of Christ.
Shall we pray?
Dear Heavenly Father, Thou knowest, Thou knowest what
is happening in Thy Church today.
Thou knowest the hearts of each.
Oh, we do confess before Thee how we
are still in the flesh.
How we boast in man and how man
try to make themselves statues.
Oh, forgive us.
Do open our eyes to see that Thy
work is the building of the Church.
And we are to contribute to it, not
to take it away.
Oh, Lord, have mercy upon us.
We pray that Thy Holy Spirit would impress
us very deeply that makes it impossible for
us to be a cause of division.
Rather, we may contribute to its building up.
Oh, Lord, have mercy upon Thy people.
Have mercy upon Thy servants throughout this world.
Oh, Lord, may Thy will be done, Thy
purpose be realized, and to Thee be all
the praise and the glory both now and
evermore.
In the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.