building

We continue this month with the study of the Corinthian Church. It has been a while since the last study due to holidays and moving to Augusta, Georgia. The ministry is being refined as well as expanded. You will hear more about this when the newsletter comes out. Some of the features will be articles to help you grow as well as answering some of the nagging questions you have about Christianity. There will also be ministry news. Whatever questions you have can be emailed to me at [email protected].

We start by looking at servanthood. The Corinthians had a problem with spiritual maturity. They lacked it. Paul has to deal with this before he can do anything else. This church had been around for a while. Paul had established it. Over time the church leadership became corrupt. Not that they were criminals, but simply not true to the word of God. As we go through these two letters you will see the corruption.

The people in the Corinthian Church had a severe problem with understanding what servanthood is all about. In the opening verses of the chapter Paul tells them that they still need to be taught the basics of the faith. They were, after some 18 months since he had planted the church, still letting sin control their lives. While sin is sin we tend to classify these sins as heavy duty: jealousy, selfish personal desires, and quarrels. These people were controlled by them! When sin controls us, we are not being controlled by the spirit. In Ephesians 5:15-22 we can read how to live by the spirit.

One of the transgressions that the Corinthians carried out was preferential treatment for leadership. Some followed Appolos, some Paul, and some Barnabas. Unfortunately we do the same thing today. Ours drive fancy cars, wear expensive clothes, have large ministries, etc. There is nothing wrong with any of that if your heart is right with the Lord. Moreover, while the Lord is the sole judge, we do have a right to question some of what we see as long as we have asked the spirit to help us see. It�s not about Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, or anyone else. It is about Jesus and Jesus alone.

As we continue we see that each person has a role to play in the body. One plants, one waters, and another reaps the harvest. Let�s take a closer look at these. Planting: This involves preparing the ground as well as sowing the seed. In gardening or farming before the seed is planted the soil must be tilled {or turned over.} This softens the ground so that the seed can be buried. In some cases you also add fertilizer to help the seed to grow.

In our spiritual lives the same thing applies. Before we can really be useful to the Lord our spirits need to be broken so that we can be more like Jesus. Sometimes this hurts. This breaking helps us to grow. The person who plants in our lives is making an investment in us. This may be a Pastor, Sunday School teacher, or someone who has an interest in our welfare. In the church where I was a staff minister the Pastor�s wife was always planting in my life. In some cases it was a message she had preached, other cases an encouraging word of instruction, and other times just letting me be around where she was. She always valued my opinion and trusted my judgement.

Now let�s look at the one who waters. The soil was tilled, the seed planted. Now an irrigation system needs to be built to water the crops or plants. Most of the time this is done at the time of planting so that the system is part of the foundation. There are times when it is laid on top of the ground for easy removal. Whether on top or underground there needs to be a network to provide water.

The Lord works in the same way. Buried within our foundation is a network to water our spirits. He is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit uses people, circumstances, and other environmental factors to feed us. When we listen, we grow and become strong. It may be someone encouraging us, a snippet of something you heard someone say, from television or movies, etc. The bottom line is that we are responsible for turning the irrigation system on.

I want to give you some examples of a spirit being watered. There have been times when I have been watching a program on television {nothing spiritual} when in the middle of it someone says something that directly affects my spirit. I�m not talking about programs that are generated by TBN or one of the Christian Stations, but programs like Law & Order, Walker Texas Ranger, etc. Sometimes I overhear conversations people are having and something is said that helps me along.

Finally, the time to harvest comes. Harvesters may have been planters, waterers, or both. To harvest is to gather in the crop. Everything has a season to grow in. In Ecclesiastes 3 we read about seasons. A time to plant, a time to reap. A time to sing, a time to mourn. Farmers plant in the spring and harvest in the fall. We who are Christians harvest in seasons also. Whether it is to gather in souls, finances, or blessings and favor. You have to plant before you can harvest. It may be someone else�s crop {souls}, or your own work but the rule is: plant, water, and harvest.

A problem arises when we try to harvest out of season. Whether in farming, gardening, or spiritual matters we face great disappointments in what we attempt to do. In farming the crop will taste bitter when picked out of season. In Florida if the oranges aren�t picked at the right time the juice will be bitter. I lived just about a mile away from the Tropicana plant where they make all the wonderful juices we drink. They know their business. In gardening the same is true. Too soon-no bloom, too late-the flower wilts and dies before you can enjoy it. Some vegetables and fruit can be picked early, but they need to sit on the shelf to ripen before they are eaten and enjoyed. {Some examples are bananas, avocados, and tomatoes.} This is also true in the Christian life. If we force a convert before his time we will have to let him sit out and �ripen� before he can be of any good use. I have seen too many new believers forced into a mature relationship with the Lord along with the expectations only to fail and walk away from the faith. We don�t give a newborn infant meat when he comes home from the hospital-we give him milk, then strained foods, soft foods, and finally meat and potatoes. So does the Lord. Spiritual milk and nurturing, then meat and potatoes. This principle can be applied to every area of our lives.