1 CORINTHIANS 1

SLIDE – How would you like to have our church look like this?

Renovations allowed for people to enter both of these but it took some

great construction workers – supporting, and securing these buildings

Construction over 8 mil. workers – one of the largest industries in the US

Your in good company if you are a builder.

Did you know you are a builder too?

SLIDE – 1 Corinthians – Christian Living Mini-Message

Open to 1 Corinthians 3.1- 17

1 Corinthians was a book written by Paul to a church with lots of

different kinds of people: slaves and slave owners, rich and poor,

famous and very common, educated and ignorant, etc.

This church wrote him some questions and he wrote back

First he deals with his issues (1-6) and then their questions (7-16).

  1Brothers and sisters, I couldn’t talk to you as spiritual people but as

people still influenced by your corrupt nature. You were infants in your faith
in Christ. 2I gave you milk to drink. I didn’t give you solid food because you
weren’t ready for it. Even now you aren’t ready for it 3because you’re still
influenced by your corrupt nature. When you are jealous and quarrel
among yourselves, aren’t you influenced by your corrupt nature and living
by human standards?
One of his first concerns with this church is their maturity

When he came before he fed them milk because they were babies

Spiritually speaking of course

He couldn’t give them a steak because they weren’t old enough but now

they should be older, wiser, more mature in many ways

But they aren’t – their stuck – influenced by their corrupted natures

They are still acting like little kids – tantrums and fits
4
When some of you say, “I follow Paul” and others say, “I follow Apollos,”
aren’t you acting like sinful humans?

I like Paul! I like Peter!

Little kids on the playground in their little clichés – watch out!

I’m not going to play with YOU because you’re not one of us

Ever seen that in the church? Watch out!

5
Who is Apollos? Who is Paul? They are servants who helped you come to
faith. Each did what the Lord gave him to do. 6I planted, and Apollos
watered, but God made it grow. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one
who waters is important because only God makes it grow. 8The one who
plants and the one who waters have the same goal, and each will receive a
reward for his own work.

It’s NOT about whose in YOUR gang! Who you like or don’t like

Its about GOD!

Servants are just servants – maybe doing different jobs but still working for

the same master!

God directs each and makes the growth or production happen

PLUS each servant gets REWARDED for their work!

9
We are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field. You are God’s building. 10As
a skilled and experienced builder, I used the gift[a] that God gave me to lay
the foundation for that building. However, someone else is building on it.
Each person must be careful how he builds on it. 11After all, no one can lay
any other foundation than the one that is already laid, and that foundation
is Jesus Christ.

We work with God.

We work on God’s field and in his building

People are God’s field! They are his building!

Those who know Jesus and those who haven’t met him yet.

God is interested and working on people

To make them mature, strong and part of his family.

12
People may build on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, or straw.

We are called to work with God

Unfortunately some are acting childish in the Church: here, in

Alta, in Storm Lake, in the US and all over the world

Some are not working with God but against him

Paul says they are still building but they’re using the wrong stuff

ASK - What do you build a house with?

Ever heard the story about the 3 little pigs?

What works?
13
The day will make what each one does clearly visible because fire will
reveal it. That fire will determine what kind of work each person has done.
14
If what a person has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15If his work
is burned up, he will suffer the loss. However, he will be saved, though it
will be like going through a fire.

What we do now – what you’re doing & I’m doing – will all be reviewed!

Ever heard of an IRS audit?

This will be MUCH deeper and bigger!

Everything will be revealed, identified and clearly exposed

Like the smelting of ore in a furnace

Our thoughts, our actions, our intentions, our maturity and childishness

EVERYTHING

If it’s quality then your be rewarded for it

If it’s not – you miss out on the reward - going through your own fire

But this isn’t Hell he’s talking about

Paul’s quick to highlight that this isn’t about being saved

God will save you! But everyone will know how you spent your life

Selfish entertainment or selfless efforts Love or Lust

Video games or virtues Greed or Generousity

Your life will be on display for every human to see just as God sees it

Think about that!

SLIDE - 16Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit
lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him
because God’s temple is holy. You are that holy temple! 1 Cor 3.16-17 GW

He seems to jump to another subject but this is still the same issue

FACT – You (together) are God’s Temple

FACT – God’s Spirit lives in Us (together)

You’re a brick and you’re a brick and you’re a brick and I’m a brick

And inside us – among us is God’s Spirit

That’s VERY Special and should NEVER be taken lightly

And how we treat each other is actually how we’re treating God’s Temple

I think we’ve grieved God’s Spirit a lot – you and me – in our actions

He wants to forgive but we need to confess and walk with him!

Stand for Prayer