ESOCS Devotional 18 September
TEXT: 1 Corinthians 3: 1- 23 KJV
MEMORY VERSE: “For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” 1 Corinthians 3: 4
Paul founded the church in Corinth during his second missionary journey in A.D. 51(Acts 18:1, 9, 10, 11). Corinth was the political and commercial centre of Greece, surpassing Athens in importance, but it had a reputation for great wickedness and immorality. The church brought into it what was in the social and political circle, especially division. So, Paul was not happy and he wrote several letters to them.
Paul was a missionary pioneer. He planted the seed of God’s word in the people’s heart; he brought the message of salvation. Apollos’ role was to water – to help the believers grow stronger in the faith. He founded the church in Corinth, and Apollos built on the foundation. Tragically, the church had split into factions, pledging loyalty to different teachers (1 Cor. 1:11-13). So, Paul was not happy that he referred to them as babies in the Christian life because they were not yet spiritually healthy and mature. They quarrelled like children (1 Cor.3:4), and became a disgrace to the community at a stage. He addressed the issue in the following ways. First, after the preachers’ work is completed, God is the one who makes Christians grow. Second, God’s work involves many different individuals with a variety of gifts and abilities; there are no superstars, only team members performing their own special roles. Third, we become useful members of God’s team by setting aside our desires. Fourth, the foundation of the Church (collective of all believers) is Jesus Christ. Fifth, the Church is a unified assembly. Sixth, Paul gave them three pictures to illustrate how God wanted them to grow:
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
(a) The Church is a family – the goal is spiritual maturity, which marks are: what we do, how, and what we say.
(b) The Church is a field – the goal is fruitfulness (1 Cor.3:5-9). It does not matter who planted or who watered; the point is, are the plants growing? Fruit includes the result of our work, response of the people, and the reward of our fulfilment.
(c) The Church is a building – the goal is quality. We are like a building. A building is as strong as its foundation, the right materials, the right motives (1 Cor. 3:9-11; 12-17; 18-23). The foundation of our life and the Church is Jesus Christ; He is our base.
Today, many churches are faced with division for many reasons. It should be quickly resolved amicably; if not, it is capable of depriving the body of Christ spiritual growth.
CHALLENGES
- Is there division in your church no matter the magnitude? What are the causes?
PRAYER POINT:
- Ask God to expose those who cause division in the Church of God. Pray for them to change.
FURTHER READING: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; James 4:1-3
Thank you for reading the ESOCS Devotional today. Please share and follow us on all our platforms to contribute to the spread of the Gospel.
ESOCS Devotional 18 September
