Did you ever consider the attitude and the way you live could be offensive to others? You may think you are the most obedient person to God and still be acting very immaturely. You may need to "Grow Up."
"I go to the best church in my area and I have the best pastor." "Our church has everything I need and I have no need to go anywhere else" "My pastor baptized me and I am blessed to be part of his congregation."
These are words from a very excited, committed, person. They may seem to be thriving where they are at. However, they have missed learning about humility.
In these statements, inadvertently they are expressing to others that all other pastors and churches are inferior. This person may mean no harm in what they say, but pride has grown in their heart and their statements are excluding others. This is what Paul had found in the church at Corinth.
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (NKJV)
Paul was writing them to discipline problems which had started in their church. The Corinthians were squabbling on who should be church leaders based upon who baptized them, taught them, and each felt they were better than the other.
Paul was disgusted by their attitudes; for when they should have been growing in God’s grace for each other, they were sewing divisions.
Paul tells them that he has to talk to them like they were new believers. Paul was going to have to teach them Christian fundamentals about love, acceptance, and humility.
When these people should have been able to focus on the more weightier things of God they were having to be schooled on beginning principles of faith. That’s like raising a full grown child and still giving them feeding bottles of milk with rubber nipples on them. To Paul it was just as disgusting as seeing a fully grown adult having to be nursed on the milk of the word.
How many of these people do we have in our churches today? Are you one who squabbles or think yourself better, more spiritual, than other Christians?
We have so many who come to church on Sundays and week after week they sit in a pew and listen to the gospel over and over, year after year. Yet regardless of what they heard, they still go away to live unfaithful to the message.
These have trouble forgiving others. They fight for their own rights and seek the best for themselves. Instead of serving others, they are waiting to be served and it is disgusting to God.
For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 1 Corinthians 3:4-5 (NKJV)
The Corinthians were counting their own worth based upon the person who baptized them. They would only go to church when their favorite teacher was teaching and they somehow thought they were better because of it. They became followers of men and not of God.
Many people error when they follow a certain pastor. They hold the pastor in high regard; which puts the pastor on a pedestal, as if all will admire this pastor.
They go to hear them speak and these will live their life according to what the person preached. They eagerly wait to see what this person will challenge them with next and rarely do they realize they turn off God’s voice in their life.
They hold the pastor's relationship with God as so blessed, they no longer have their own relationship with God. They live their life changing to what they heard in the last sermon and often forget what was said after a short few weeks. All they want to hear is what will their pastor challenge them with next week.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 (NKJV)
The key phrase in what Paul is communicating is "each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor." A relationship with God is to be personal. Accountability to God is personal. No matter what you have heard, God measures you on your obedience to Him.
A pastor is only a person who preaches and gives advice; they are to point you in the right direction. Yet you are to follow their leading to God so you may fulfill the mission God has for you. Each of us has a calling and where one might preach, others might teach; some may help conduct ministries, others may lead them. We all have a part and each of us is the same in God's eyes. We are co-laborers with Christ in building the Kingdom of God.
Paul is eagerly trying to get them to quit following men and follow God. Seek God on what He wants them to do and when attending a teaching to consider it is from the voice of God to them. Men are only the tools that God uses; it is God doing the work.
For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. 1 Corinthians 3:9 (NKJV)
When we follow the Lord, the Holy Spirit gives to every man certain gifts which are to be used in service of God. When these gifts are working in unity together the church is a strong force; but when the church is divided it cannot work in the same capacity.
We must remember our enemy knows, if division is allowed to go deep enough into the lives of people, the whole church will fall. Therefore, we must be fans of each other and support the work which God is doing in the lives of others. It does not matter who your teacher was, for they were only a tool used to speak. It was God doing the speaking through them.
If this message finds you rethinking your own life's direction, grow up and seek the Lord. Go past the initial doctrines and learn about the meaty knowledge which God would have us to feed on.
