Today our text is from the book of 1 Corinthians
chapter 3. So we continue to work through this
passage, this wonderful passage that Paul speaks
here from chapter 1 through 4 and then we'll
move on to additional ones in chapter 5. But
today we're going to be looking at the nature,
work, and responsibility of the Christian minister.
The nature, the work, and responsibility of the
Christian minister. Our text begins in verse
5. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but
ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord
gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered,
but God gave the increase, so that 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,
for we are God's fellow workers. You are God's
field. You are God's building. Let's pray. Father,
we thank you for this passage. We look to you
today to enlighten us on this matter. Give us
great understanding, Lord. Open up this passage
to us. And by the Holy Spirit, would you feed
us with it? Would you speak to our hearts? Would
you show us your ways, Lord? And let us shed
the ways of man. Oh, Lord, we look to you. And
we thank you for the gifts you have given to
us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Before we mine
the riches of this passage, I'd like to ask you
a few questions. In considering the nature, the
work, and the responsibility of the Christian
minister, what should a church's leadership team
or pastor or pastors be like? Let me give you
some ideas or questions. as is sometimes taught,
like a CEO, a chief executive officer of a large
company with lots of programs and lots of things
going on, and he is the chief executive of it.
Or should they be maybe like the head of a marketing
company attempting to market Jesus and sell a
product? You should believe in Jesus because
of what he will do for you kind of thing. It's
to your advantage. Now, it's true that it is
to our advantages, but there are also many difficulties
that come. So is that what it should be like?
Or maybe should the church be led by managers?
Whereas Michael Foster says a view of the pastoral
ministry as overseeing a heavily systemized rule
-focused process. where people are given narrow
goals to fulfill under the close supervision
of the pastor. Instead, what about a dynamic
leader with plenty of charisma and energy and
ideas and with a real strong personality that
just attracts people? Is this the biblical ideal?
Or, kind of similar, but should he be like a
cult leader? where he can say or do no wrong,
and he uses his power and authority to manipulate
people and to get them to do what he wants. And
of course, he gets a following who hang on his
every word as if he is a prophet or an oracle
or a mini -god. Now, as you are probably thinking,
none of the types that I have just described,
none of them are marks of genuine biblical truth.
leadership in his church now it is true that
there are some who are more dynamic than others
and there are things that need to be done and
accomplished but we are not the the leadership
of christ church should not be characterized
in the way that i just asked these questions
and yet how many times are these kinds of models
followed how many churches grew quickly under
one of these kinds of leaders only then to flame
out in a generation or sometimes even less, sometimes
much sooner, especially when public sin and scandal
happen to that dynamic leader. We have seen this
over and over again. The principal words that
define biblical leadership in Christ's church
in the New Testament are these. They are instruments
of God. as overseers or elders and shepherds.
Indeed, the calling and function of the shepherd
of sheep are very similar to the calling and
function of those whom God has placed in leadership
of his church. Even Jesus himself calls himself
the good shepherd who leads his sheep to green
pastures and to still waters, like Psalm 23.
speaks of even god himself is called a shepherd
in psalm 23 the lord is my shepherd i shall not
want even the very word pastor denotes that of
shepherding this morning And when we read Ephesians
4, my translation or the translation I use, the
New King James, has the word pastors in Ephesians
4 when it describes the offices. And what Brother
James read said shepherds. Shepherds. The word
pastor and shepherd are pretty much one and the
same. So what are shepherds and overseers or
elders? What are pastors? What are they to do?
That scripture gives several things. that are
very, very clear. They are to, number one, feed
the flock of God. They're to feed the flock of
God. 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 2. Shepherd
the flock of God which is among you, serving
as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly,
not for dishonest... dishonest gain but eagerly
not as being lords over those entrusted to you
but by being examples to the flock he gives three
things that they're not to be and three things
that they are to be they're not to do it by compulsion
they're not to do it for dishonest gain and they're
not to do it as lords over those entrusted to
them but they are to shepherd they are to oversee
they are to do it willingly they're to do it
eagerly and are to be an example to the flock.
That's 1 Peter chapter 5. To the elders in Ephesus,
Paul tells them in Acts chapter 20 verse 28,
Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all
the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made
you overseers to shepherd the flock of God, the
church of God, whom he purchased with his own
blood. Secondly, they are to read the word, they're
to give the sense of the word, and they're to
apply the word in helping God's people to understand
the reading. We see this in Nehemiah chapter
8. When the preaching of the word occurred, they
read the word, they gave the sense of the word,
and they applied the word. They caused them to
understand the meaning. And in so doing, they're
to preach the pure word. 2 Timothy chapter 4
and verse 2. preach the word, be ready in season
and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with
all longsuffering and teaching. And this happens
both in the pulpit and out of it. This is to
be done by all of the elders and overseers of
the congregation, not just the one who stands
in the pulpit every Sunday. Thirdly, they are
to guard against wolves and those who would divide
God's people. Acts 20, verse 29. For I know this,
that after my departure, savage wolves will come
in among you, not sparing the flock, Paul says.
And continuing then in 2 Timothy 4, as I read,
preach the word, be ready in season and out of
season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering
and teaching. And then he continues, for the
time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine, but according to their own desires,
because they have... But you, Timothy, be watchful
in all things, endure afflictions, do the work
of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.
Guard against wolves and those who would divide
against God's people, making sure that they are
fed and that the word is given. Now, this passage
today speaks to us in a number of ways. This
is both a very humbling passage, and it is sobering,
but it is also quite comforting. Because on one
hand, we're going to see that ministers are simply
instruments of God. They're ministered, they're
instruments before a holy God. And this is very,
it's humbling because he says in here, Paul,
the word of God is like, we do not have anything.
We are nothing. In other words, we are his instruments.
But we also see the comforting presence of the
Holy Spirit who works through his instruments
and that he does the work that no man. And thus
it is humbling, but it is also quite comforting.
Remember that the big issue at hand are the divisions
in the congregation at Corinth. There were factions.
There was a neglect of the foundational doctrine
of Jesus Christ crucified. And there was the
elevation of human. reason in the understanding
and practice of the christian faith they said
some said i follow paul as if you're he's the
man of god or i follow apollos he speaks great
words he's a great orator as the scripture bears
witness to it he has such a way with words but
after stating the case against them in their
immaturity paul now speaks to their misunderstanding
of christian ministry Their misunderstanding
of it in this exposition of what Christian ministry
is all about. He exposes the senselessness of
their allegiance to particular Christian leaders
by asking what such individuals are in themselves.
So reads the pillar commentary. So let's dive
into the first portion of this chapter and then
Lord willing we will continue next week. Our
first and our main point today is that ministers
are humble servants in the field of God. Humble
servants in God's field. Who or what is a minister?
Paul begins this discourse on ministers with
a description of what they are. First of all,
we want to take a look at the word minister or
servant, depending on your translation. The word
is diakonos. It's the Greek word. It means a
servant, an attendant, and a waiter. A waiter,
as in a waiter at a restaurant serving food.
This word is used to refer to deacons, to ministers,
and to other servants in the Bible. It is somewhat
contextually defined. Paul describes both himself
and Apollos in this way. Jesus himself is called
by this description in Romans chapter 15 verse
8. Paul says, now I say that Jesus Christ has
become a servant to the circumcision for the
truth of God to confirm the promises made to
the fathers. Ministers are those who are servants
of Christ who preach and speak the word of God
to others, those to whom God has sent them. While
this word is sometimes used to refer to anyone
who serves, such as Phoebe, a servant of the
church at Centria in Romans chapter 16, the context
of the passage today in 1 Corinthians 3 refers
to those who are in an office of the church.
Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, elders,
teachers, those listed. in Ephesians chapter
4 verse 11 and 12 and he gave himself I'm sorry
and he himself gave some to be apostles some
prophets some evangelists and some pastors and
teachers for the equipping of the saints in the
work of ministry for the edifying of the body
of Christ I think that the ministers or servants
spoken of in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 would also
include deacons. Now, while we believe that the
gifts and offices of apostle and prophet are
no longer given to men since the word of God
is now revealed and the canon of scripture of
God's revelation is now closed. But evangelists,
pastors, teachers, deacons, yes, they are all
God's ministers. They are God's. servants as
his instruments now the section this section
of the passage speaks in agricultural terms we're
going to see a little bit later lord willing
next week that paul then switches and he speaks
in terms of architecture a great building and
he speaks to that considerably but today the
passage is in agricultural terms in verse 9 he
says you are god's field You as the congregation,
you are God's field. And then it continues, you
are God's building. So we're not going to be
looking at building today, but we're going to
be considering the field. As the ministers of
the Lord, in particular Paul and Apollos, have
labored in the field to sow the seed of God's
word, and they have watered it. This is brought
out very plainly in verse 6. Paul says, I planted,
Apollos watered, and God gave the increase. God
gave the increase. Now Paul is the one who planted
the church. He went to Corinth, recounted in
Acts chapter 18. He began his ministry by attending
the Jewish synagogue first on every Sabbath.
And he reasoned from the word of God to them,
persuading both Jews and Greeks. Because as was
common in many of the Gentile areas at the synagogue,
there were God -fearers among the Gentiles who
would come and listen to the word of God being
read. By the Jews. So they would come. And so
this mixed multitude could be together in a synagogue,
even though there was a lot more separation at
the temple. But in the synagogues, they would
come and they would listen. So as Paul ministered,
he ministered both to the Jews and the Greeks.
He was accompanied with Silas and Timothy, who
came from Macedonia. But when some of the Jews
opposed him and they blasphemed God, then they
started meeting, guess where? In the house of
justice, whose house was right next to them.
synagogue so the people could come and they could
go there instead of to the synagogue and still
continue to hear paul preach acts 18 verse 8
then crispus the ruler of the synagogue believed
in the lord with all his household and many of
the corinthians hearing believed and were baptized
paul planted the seed and i remind you What kind
of a place that Corinth was. It was a very wicked
and yet cosmopolitan city. There was all sorts
of things going on. One writer describes it as.
There was the seed of God was planted in the
muck and the mud of Corinth. And yet this beautiful
flower was coming up. And yet we know that this
church had a lot of problems. And yet there they
heard the word. They believed and they were baptized.
Well then Paul leaves. And Apollos comes over,
and we know this from Acts 8, verse 27 and 18.
It says, when he desired to cross to Achaia.
The brethren rode, exhorting the disciples to
receive him. The region of Achaia is where Corinth
was. So Apollos comes, and he's referenced here
in 1 Corinthians, and he spent some time there,
and he greatly helped those who had believed
through grace. For he vigorously refuted the
Jews publicly, showing from the scriptures that
Jesus is the Christ. Acts 20, Acts chapter 18.
So Paul plants the seed. Apollos waters it. the
seed with the preaching of the word of God both
of them as servants and ministers of Christ now
Paul then goes on and he says emphatically God
gave the increase he goes on to say a most startling
statement so then neither he who plants is anything
and nor he who waters, but God who gives the
increase. He is saying here that in themselves,
in Paul, in Apollos, in almost a hyperbolic statement,
they are nothing. It is God who gives the increase.
I say somewhat hyperbolic because we know that
Paul had been given certain authority as an apostle.
Titus is told to speak and exhort with all authority
in 1 Timothy 2 verse 15. I'm sorry, Titus 2 verse
15. But the point is that God's ministers as
mere men, they are nothing. They are not anything
is the words. And God does not differentiate
between the one who plants and the one who waters.
Look at verse 7. So then neither he who plants
is anything nor he. And yet, as verse 8 says,
they are one. They are one. They are instruments
in the hand of a mighty God who sends forth the
Holy Spirit to do God's purposes through his
instruments. For after all, can the planter of
seeds make the seed grow? Can a water hose make
the water and perform the miracle that watered
seeds die and resurrect again with new plant
life? Of course not. We know that they cannot
do this. They do not have this power in and of
themselves. And so neither do God's instruments.
We convey God's word, but God gives the increase.
Without the Holy Spirit's work of regeneration,
those who plant and water might as well be planting
rocks. What good would it do to plant rocks?
Children, if you go out and plant a rock, is
it going to give out more rocks? No, it's not
that way. Sometimes it seems like it, though,
because they keep reappearing, right? But no,
rocks don't grow rocks. Plants bring forth life.
And the one who plants cannot bring forth that
life. Consider this further. Who made the soil
that the seed is planted in? Who made the seed
in the first place? who made the water, and who
created the whole process of germination. It
is God, the creator. He is the Lord. And we as
men and women, we can do nothing in bringing
forth that new life. It is God. This life -giving
power of God is spoken of in this wonderful Psalm,
Psalm 65. To the chief musician, a psalm of David,
a song. Praise is awaiting you, O God, in Zion.
And to you the vow shall be performed. O you
who hear prayer, to you all flesh will come.
Iniquities prevail against me. As for our transgressions,
you will provide atonement for them. Blessed
is the man you choose and cause to approach to
you that he may dwell in your courts. We shall
be satisfied with the goodness of your house.
of your holy temple. By awesome deeds and righteousness
you will answer us, O God of our salvation, you
who are the confidence of all the ends of the
earth and of the far off seas. Who establish
the mountains by his strength. Being clothed
with power. You who still the noise of the seas.
The noise of their waves and the tumult of the
peoples. They also who dwell in the farthest
parts are afraid of your signs. You make the
outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.
You visit the earth and water it. You greatly
enrich it. The river of God is full of water.
You provide their grain for so you have prepared
it. You water its ridges abundantly. You settle
its fronds. You make it soft with showers. You
bless its growth. You crown the year with your
goodness and your paths drip with abundance.
They drop on the pastures of the wilderness and
the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures
are clothed with flocks. The valleys also are
covered with grain. They shout for joy. They
also sing. It is God, the creator, who causes
all of these wonderful things to happen. And
so Paul's point in all of this is that factions
around men are worthless. They're irresponsible
and they're useless. They elevate men to places
they should not be. To build a movement or a
faction around a man will do nothing but disrupt
and divide. And in the end, those who trusted
in the leaders of those factions will be disillusioned
and disappointed. The efforts of those who were
developing factions and sowing division needed
to be stopped. And so Paul rebukes them. But
in this rebuke, he is also showing the worthlessness
of man without God. The complete inability to
shepherd, to feed. And so why would we create
factions after them? Back in chapter 1, I remind
you, when he first talks about this problem,
he says, Now I plead with you, brethren, by the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak
the same thing, and that there be no divisions
among you, but that you be perfectly joined together
in the same mind and the same judgment. For it
has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren,
by those of Chloe's household, that there are
contentions. Among you. Now I say this. That
each of you says. I am of Paul. Or I am of Apollos.
Or I am of Cephas. Or I am of Christ. Is Christ
divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were
you baptized in the name of Paul? Chapter 1.
10 -13. There may be times. In fact this was
the case here. When the overseers of a congregation.
Need to exhort the congregation. Even warning
them. And making a plea. to stop the division
and the contention. Indeed, when that happens,
they are to take heed for, as Hebrews 13 verse
17 says, those who have been placed as the shepherds
of God's people, watch out for your souls as
those who must give account. As those who must
give account. And so ministers are instruments.
In the hands of God. So don't develop factions
after them. Don't create division and contentions.
Now, let's look then furthermore at the work
of the Holy Spirit. Excuse me. The nature, that
is the work, the responsibility of a farmer,
a husbandman, a vineyard dresser, a laborer in
God's field. a minister, a deacon, or a servant
is to faithfully do the work of soil preparation,
planting, and watering, and trust in God through
the Holy Spirit to bring the growth, to trust
in God through the Holy Spirit to bring the growth.
As I said, this is both humbling And freeing.
It's humbling in that we are only instruments.
But it's freeing in that God, through the power
of the Holy Spirit, works through us to do the
good. And it's all attributable to Him. We are
simply... instruments we cannot give life but
he can and he does we get perplexed we get cast
down we get weary and unable to help people to
change but the holy spirit changes life frees
people from their sins and their bondages and
brings life from the dead that is the work of
the holy spirit The calling of a minister then
is to labor faithfully as God's servant. And
then God will give each one his reward according
to his labor. We find this in verse 8. Now he
who plants and he who waters are one. And each
one will receive his own reward according to
his labor. His own labor. God does not measure
by results. He rewards according. to the labor.
Sometimes there are those who labor for years
and years in a hard field and have little to
show by way of results. But these labors are
not in vain and neither are yours. Though not
ministers in the sense of an office in the church,
parents are also a form of minister. Because
it's hard to raise a family. It's hours and hours
of blood and toil and sweat, of hard decisions
and tender care and discipline and sleepless
nights and discipleship and prayer. And so all
of us, as we serve Christ in and of our own capacity,
in whatever it is that God has given to you,
you need the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish
the work. But yet God remembers your labor, your
labor of love, even as you are a channel of instrument
for the Lord to work in your children, to others
around you. Maybe you're discipling someone else
or to leaders of churches and shepherds and overseers.
In all of this, we must remember that our labor
is not in vain. To all Christian believers. That
wonderful chapter on the resurrection of 1 Corinthians
15. Paul encourages every believer with these
words. Therefore my beloved brethren. Be steadfast.
Be immovable. Always abounding in the work of
the Lord. Knowing that your labor is not in vain
in the Lord. Your labor is not in vain. There
are times in history where God. enabled shepherds
to lead and and as i said the ground was very
hard it was a very difficult place to minister
and very few were were converted through the
fruit of their ministry but they labored faithfully
and were rewarded by god only then for someone
else to come and maybe even the next generation
and the seed had been that all the ground had
been worked even though it was hard and all of
a sudden the spirit of god moved and great amounts
of people came into Christ's church over a short
amount of time. That wasn't because of the man
who came and watered. It was the work of the
Holy Spirit using both the labor of the man who
planted and the one who watered. And they together
are one in Christ. Do not develop these factions
is what Paul is saying here. Now Paul differentiates
here between the ministers and the congregation
in that ministers are God's fellow workers. He
says, we, verse 9, we are God's fellow workers.
He's referring to their, to Christ's servants.
We are God's fellow workers. You are God's field.
You are God's building. And so to the Corinthians,
these apostles and the others who followed on
after them, They labored and labored before the
Lord, some planting, some watering. And it wasn't
only Paul and Apollos. There were many others
who came after and who continued to work in this
congregation so that they would prosper, which
they did do. They did prosper. They were able
to deal with some of the sin in their midst,
even though they still had issues and problems,
just like pretty much all congregations do, yet
they were able to grow and prosper by the work
of the Holy Spirit in them. And so, he says,
we are laborers together. We are God's fellow
workers. This is an incredible thing, to think
that we... are able, even as mere instruments,
that God works in a unique way with us. But again,
I would remind you that even though the context
here is up to the church, God also works through
you as parents. or as counselors, or to one another
in various ways. God uses you in the gifts that
he has given to you, but it's still the Holy
Spirit that accomplishes good in whatever way
you are an instrument, whatever way it is. Nevertheless,
here, looking at the text and staying with the
text, he says, we are God's fellow workers. You
are God's field. God's servants are instruments,
which brings us back to the beginning. They are
shepherds who feed the flock of God, laboring
together with God, and trusting the Holy Spirit
to do the work of sanctification, that of making
God's people holy. Now, let's apply this in just
two different ways. First of all, as a congregation,
Strive to be of one mind. Over and over in the
scripture it says, be of one mind. And even where
there are some differences, then love, love one
another. 1 Peter 3, verse 8 and 9. Finally, all
of you be of one mind, having compassion for
one another. Love as brothers. Be tenderhearted,
be courteous, not returning evil for evil or
reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, wise
blessing, knowing that you were called to this,
that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3, 8
and 9. And so, yes, we're going to have disagreements,
brothers and sisters. We will. But we can work
through them. And we need to love one another
as brethren, to love one another as being part
of the family of God together, even where we
have disagreements and we seek to be one, to
be united together as much as lies within us.
And so my encouragement and application to you
is do not develop factions, but strive to be
of one mind and even where there are differences,
love, be tenderhearted and courteous. courteous
toward one another secondly use the gifts that
god has given to you because god has given to
each one in the body unique gifts the apostle
paul gives clear instructions on this in romans
chapter 12 after we have presented our bodies
as a living sacrifice to god we see ourselves
in a new light. And so he says, for I say through
the grace given to me to everyone who is among
you, not to think of himself more highly than
he ought to think, but to think soberly as God
has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For
as we have many members in one body, but all
the members do not have the same function, so
we being many... Are one body in Christ. And
individually members of one another. Having then
gifts. Differing. According to the grace that
is given to us. Let us use them. If prophecy,
let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. Or
ministry, let us use it in our ministry. He who
teaches, in teaching. He who exhorts, in exhortation.
He who gives, with liberality. He who leads,
with diligence. He who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is
evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affection
to one another with brotherly love. In honor,
giving preference to one another, not lagging
in diligence, fervent in spirit. Serving the
Lord. Rejoicing in hope. Patient in tribulation.
Continuing steadfastly in prayer. Distributing
to the needs of the saints. Given to hospitality.
Now that's quite a list there. And sometimes
our minds kind of glaze over as we look at, as
we just, it kind of all jumbles together. The
fact is that everyone has a gift. We're all instruments
of God. And we need to seek to use the gifts
that God gave us in a way that glorifies Him.
knowing that it's the power of the Holy Spirit,
the grace of God that has given you the gift
and the ability to do it. So it is also with
our ministers and with our leaders. We are called
to be those instruments, but look to the power
of the Holy Spirit. Let's pray. Father, we thank
you that you have called us to yourself. We thank
you that you have given to us these great gifts.
We bless you and we praise you. And we ask for
your blessing on this congregation that we would
be like -minded and that we would walk in your
ways and that we would be overflowing and abounding
in love for one another. And we ask this in Jesus'
name. Amen.