Friends in Christ Message for February 15, 2014

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Friends in Christ Weekly Message
February 15, 2014

My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. That's why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned. So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. You could not take solid food, and you still cannot, because you are not yet spiritual. You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves that you are not spiritual and that you are acting like the people of this world.
Some of you say that you follow me, and others claim to follow Apollos. Isn't that how ordinary people behave? Apollos and I are merely servants who helped you to have faith. It was the Lord who made it all happen. I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow. What matters isn't those who planted or watered, but God who made the plants grow.
1 Corinthians 3:1-7 (CEV*)

The church at Corinth had experienced factionalism. They had created what were in effect two rival camps, based on which human servant of God they most identified with. Paul noted this indicated spiritual immaturity, because they were acting just like people outside the church do.

Today we are still tempted to factionalism in the church. Like the Corinthians, we often elevate human church leaders improperly, and our loyalty becomes to them (or what we think they represent). Paul advocates a mature approach in which we recognize and appreciate the gifts of different servants of Christ, but our loyelty is to God, who is ultimately responsible for every good thing.

Do we allow ourselves to mature in Christ? Do we refuse to focus on the relative merits of various Christian “leaders” and instead focus on the great work God is doing through many people?

Bill Samuel