Often, as I read the Bible, I wonder if the problems and situations cautioned about could be us. The church in American culture has changed drastically in the last 50 years. Some things are for the better, and some are not honoring to Christ. In I Corinthians chapters 1 and 2 Paul speaks to a church that is fractured by cliques and those seeking their own way. Their view of themselves would fit well in our celebrity culture. Paul reminds them that God sees us all the same; the cross of Jesus is the equalizer. As he continues to speak in chapter 3, he tells it like it is! He looks at their division and explains to them that they are like babies on milk; they have failed to grow spiritually and cannot handle the “meat” of the word.
I Corinthians 3:1-3 “ And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? that the root cause of this is spiritual immaturity.”
These believers prided themselves on their spiritual gifts, knowledge, and eloquence. Their faith was more about them than about Jesus. Paul identifies their weaknesses, such as their fleshly desires of envying, strife, and divisions among them, and tells them they are acting just like those who are unsaved. In I Corinthians 3:4, they were sticking out their chests and proclaiming whose team they were on. “For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” In verses 4 and 5, Paul reminds them that he and Apollos are servants. They cannot, and neither can we, save anyone. Those who share the gospel merely sow the seeds. Just as the farmer plants and waters, but only God can give the increase. Paul sowed the seed, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
I Corinthians 3:7 “ So then neither is he that planted anything, neither he that watered; but God that giveth the increase.”
If you ask the average person in America why they go to church, a vast majority will tell you it is because they like a certain preacher. Don’t get me wrong, if a preacher is not a good expository preacher, I will also find another church, but that is not the reason I go to church. When we elevate pastors, teachers, or church leaders and put them on pedestals, we set ourselves up for division. They are to be mere tools in the Master’s hand. They belong to God, and everything they do belongs to Him. He gets the glory, not men.
I Corinthians 3:8-9 “Now he that planted, and he that watered are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”
In verses 10-11, he gives God the glory for what has been accomplished. It is the One who lives within him, the One who is the foundation for all that he has built, that makes him a wise master builder. He laid the foundation on the solid rock, Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 3:10 “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
All Christians are to build a life on the foundation of Christ. However, we must ensure we use the right building materials. In I Corinthians 3:12 Paul gives us the materials we are to have as our foundation. “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble. The gold, silver, and precious stones are permanent and precious. They are built from a life that loves God so much that they are living a life of obedience, humility, and seek God’s glory, not their own. The opposite of these permanent and precious materials are the temporary and cheap ones. These are illustrated by wood, hay, and stubble. They are exhibited in fleshly desires such as ambition, pride, and the seeking of men’s approval. The permanent survives the fire; the temporary is consumed by the fire.
I Corinthians 3:13 “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”
Every single action, motive, and ministry will one day be tested by fire. If we spend our lives chasing worldly status, doing what we do for the approval of men, or the accolades of the masses, our works will one day be burned as wood, hay, and stubble. Though we may be saved, we will be ashamed as we stand before God with nothing to offer Him. But when we build with hidden acts of obedience, love, mercy, and faithfulness, we are laying down gold that will endure forever.
It is time for evaluation. Are you harboring envy, or are you letting pride dictate how you interact with other believers? Are you doing all you do for God’s glory, or doing things that people will notice? How do you feel when you are exhausted from serving others, but no one notices? If God were to look at your daily routine, your thoughts, and your motives, would they survive the fire?
Could we, in the modern church in America, survive the refiner’s fire? Could it be us who stand before God, ashamed of the selfish life we have lived?
