Spiritual Maturity

Today is our fifth message in our series entitled, Grow Up. The first week we looked at what it means to be a member of the body, then we looked at the importance of serving, and why we serve in the body, then we looked at the word of God and how it should drive everything we do as a church, then last week we read Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 as he shares the Gospel with the Jewish people and we talked about how important it is to understand what the Gospel is. And today we look at a situation that is going on in the church at Corinth. We will be in 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 today. Some context is needed though before we read our passage today. The Corinthian church is fighting, and they are divided, and they are divided over the different teachers who have come through the church up to this point. Paul, Apollos, and Peter have all influenced the church in different ways, and instead of being appreciative of all the various teachings they have received the people are picking sides. As they were picking teams, they were boasting in these men instead of boasting in the gospel. So Paul has some harsh words for the church because they are placing more value on the teachers than the teaching. The Corinthians were not thinking highly of Paul because Paul was not super eloquent in his speaking and his gospel message of a crucified messiah was not glamorous news to many people. So let’s dig into the text.

The Gospel is Enough:

"But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready." — 1 Corinthians 3:1-2

As we unpack this passage today keep in mind that Paul is talking to believers. But he begins the passage by telling the Corinthians that he could not address them as spiritual people. Paul is not saying that they are not Christians, but he is saying that they are acting as if they are not Christians.

They are acting like people of the flesh. We can relate to what Paul is talking about right? Because many of us in this room are believers in Christ and yet we act according to the flesh all of the time. Becoming a Jesus follower does not make you immune to sin. We all have made mistakes and done things that we know do not honor Christ.

When Paul uses the word “flesh” here what he means is that which characterizes human nature. The physical desires that all humans have. Some of your translations might even have the word “worldly” instead of “flesh.”

Paul is giving the Corinthians believers a harsh rebuke. He is telling them they are not acting with spiritual maturity. They are acting like infants in Christ. But they shouldn’t be acting this way because the Spirit of God resides in them.

Most of the time when we think about being an infant in Christ we think about those who have just come to faith in Christ, but the reality is that even those of us who are mature in Christ still have infant moments. We have all acted like babies at some time or another. These Christians were not acting like Christians at all but like their Greek friends and neighbors who were seeking worldly wisdom instead of gospel wisdom.

Typically, Paul uses "child" in his writings like that of a father and child. But the word he uses here is "infant," and it carries with it a negative connotation. The Corinthian believers were beginning to think that they understood the Gospel and should be able to mature to greater knowledge.

• This passage should remind all of us that there is no progressing from the gospel. We should rediscover the gospel daily. We have never arrived at a perfect understanding of the Gospel, and we certainly shouldn’t strive to get past it.

The Corinthians behavior proved to Paul that they still did not understand the basics of the Gospel. They wanted solid food, but their actions revealed that they still needed the milk. Paul asks them, aren’t you acting according to the flesh because of the jealousy and strife that is among you.

Jesus is our Teacher:

"For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each." — 1 Corinthians 3:4-5

How fitting that, through God’s providence, we get this passage today. As we are in this time of transition, it can be really easy to compare all of the different preachers we have had come in since David retired. What I am about to say I say as a caution, I’m not implying that this is happening but please hear what Paul is teaching. Some of you in this room preferred David’s teaching, some of you prefer my teaching, some of you prefer Andrew’s, Trey’s, or Bob’s but hear me Jesus is our teacher.

If you are basing your church decisions solely on the style of the preacher you are contributing to a consumeristic mentality that is rampant in our churches today. Someone comes in that you don’t like and you choose not to come. What if the next pastor is not the greatest preacher in the world? Are you going leave the church because of that? If you genuinely believe that God has called you to be a part of this body of faith then regardless of who the preacher is you sho,uld be committed to this body. Not every pastor is the greatest preacher. Some pastors are gifted leaders, others are talented communicators, and others are gifted shepherds. Sometimes a church gets a pastor who is great at all 3 but sometimes that doesn’t happen. We don’t just leave because we don’t get our way. That’s called immaturity.

Remember, the decisions we make as adults in the church effects future generations. Do we want our kids and grandkids to see us leave a church every time we are unhappy with a decision that is made?

• I did not have that type of experience as a child. The church that I grew up in dealt with all sorts of issues throughout my life. A staff suicide, an adulterous staff member, fights at business meetings, and much more. So many times my parents could have said, "we are done with this! Let’s find a church that doesn’t have these problems." But they didn’t do it because they stayed firm in their commitment to the church to which God had called them. When you find the perfect church, let me know because they don’t exist.

God assigns particular teachers to particular churches, and we as members of the church should remain faithful to that church as long as the Gospel is faithfully proclaimed week after week.

God Provides the Growth:

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." — 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

Paul himself planted the church at Corinth, but Paul did not stay there forever. He was there 18 months and then continued his traveling. We know this because Acts 18 gives us a description of his travels. After Paul left, Apollos began a significant part of the church leadership because he continued what Paul had initially started. Think of opportunities on mission trips or even locally where you had the chance to share the Gospel with someone, and they accepted Christ, and somebody came after you and discipled that person. Apollos followed Paul and was crucial in the spiritual formation of the church at Corinth.

Notice that Paul is using a farming illustration in this passage. Paul is the one who planted the church, Apollos watered the church, God gave the growth of the church, and in verse 9, we will see that the church is considered God’s field.

Paul himself is quick to point out that neither he nor Apollos is responsible for the growth though. This is the work of God in the lives of the Corinthian believers. What a great reminder that Paul gives us here. #1 we are not responsible for anyone’s growth in Christ. So don’t feel the pressure for someone’s spiritual growth. We are called to be faithful to the opportunities that God gives us, but don’t put the weight of someone’s spiritual growth on your shoulders. It also should help keep us humble because even if someone grows in their faith that we disciple, we should remember that it is God who is working in that person’s life and giving them a desire and passion for growth.

Paul is telling the Corinthian church to stop griping over Paul or Apollos because, at the end of the day, neither one is the source of growth.

• Our growth in Christ is not because of a small group leader, pastor, or some teacher you listen to or watch on tv. They are merely an instrument that God is using to create growth in you. Do not put any human teacher or leader on a pedestal because, at some point, you will be disappointed in them. This is Jesus’s church. I stand on the shoulders of men and women throughout the centuries who have faithfully planted and watered the soil. But it has always been and will always be God who provides the growth. I don’t care how strategic we are, how fancy our buildings are, how eloquent the preacher is, or how polished our programs are. If God is not the source of all of those things, then the church will not grow. But even if it does grow, numerical growth does not equal spiritual growth. The scariest thing we could do as a church is bust out the doors in our attendance and remain as immature as the church we are reading about today.
  
  

Remember the Owner:

"For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building." — 1 Corinthians 3:9

Three times Paul reminds the Corinthian church that God is the one in control. Paul and Apollos are God’s workers put in this position as a result of the sovereignty of God. Paul concludes this entire argument by making sure that the church knows that they are under the ownership of God.

If we go back to v. 4 and see where some of them were saying they belonged to Paul and others were saying they belonged to Apollos what this verse shows us is that at in reality they all belong to God. You are God’s field. You don’t own your field anymore. When you professed faith in Christ, you gave up the right to be in control of your life.

The best thing you can do as a part of this body in this time is to release control to the one who owns already. It’s not your church because you grew up here, it’s not your church because you serve on a committee, it’s not your church because you have a strong personality. This is the church of Jesus Christ and we move forward with him as the head.

10 years ago I moved here thinking New Orleans would be temporary stop on my way to bigger and better things. This is typical of many 23 year old seminary students who think their ideas and ministry models will change the world. But what I’ve come to find out is all of those ideas and models are meaningless apart from the relationships we are called to cultivate with those God puts in our midst. The success or failure of this church will not rise and fall with the next pastor, it will rise or fall to the extent the people of God in this building remain faithful to the owner of the building. I can remember a little boy that we used to coach at Bunny Friend playground. He had some major anger issues and would experience temper tantrums. Sometimes we would literally have to pick him up and force him into our vehicles so that we could take him home because we were not able to get him under control. But we remained connected to that little 8 year old boy who is now old enough to drive. The Spirit of God grabbed a hold of his heart and now he is a follower of Jesus. The city of New Orleans loves you to the extent you love it. Love deeply, go all in and be prepared for God to use you to make a difference for his kingdom.