属神的工人 Workers Belonging to God
哥林多前书 1 Cor 3:8–9
Remember these points
I put these points at the top of my sermon-prep template to remind myself every week:
- Show that main point of passage relates to Jesus and his saving work
- (1 Cor 1:18) A truly gospel-centred message will not be acceptable in a synagogue or mosque
- Did I proclaim the gospel as the headline news of the sermon, rather than as a “by the way…”?
- Unbelievers are called to repent, believe, and be saved
- Believers are encouraged to abandon their old self, renew their minds, put on the new self in Christ
- Preach simple sermons, so that God’s people can see Christ more clearly and love him more dearly
News & Review
Thanksgiving for a great Christmas celebration last Sunday!
Happy New Year! Remember to be thankful every day, to read the Bible every day, to pray every day.
Hook
Do We See Ourselves as Important?
Imagine this is at some get-together in some company. Who do you think is the boss? Why?
People often like to be seen with someone they perceive as important, or famous, etc.
Do we do the same in church?
Consider these different scenarios.
Imagine you’re the janitor foreman, would you refer to your company president as, “She’s my colleague?”
What about the reverse? If you’re the company president, or someone very high up in the company, would you refer to the receptionist as, “My colleague?”
At a party, would you rather be talking to the janitor, or to the president?
How do we behave in a church environment? What do we do when a famous evangelist is in our midst?
Passage
This is from 1 Cor 3:7.
1 Cor 3:5–9 are one unit, should really be studied together.
Paul planted, Apollos watered, but they’re all “nothing.”
What’s important (“everything”) is the God who gives life,
the God who makes the seed grow (and he supplied the seeds),
who supplies the water (rain), and who choose the people who do the work (us).
Remember that planting and watering are low-level work, despised by the society of Corinth.
All these workers are the same. I.e., all are insignificant.
This is against the Corinthians view that maybe Apollos is better or more important than Paul, etc.
We’ll come back some other time about the question of rewards.
In Chinese translations, only CCV says we’re coworkers belonging to God.
I.e., we’re God’s servants.
All other Chinese translations say we’re co-workers with God,
sort of putting us on the same level as God.
In English translations, NET and NIV agree about this (we’re simply servants belonging to God);
the others, including ESV, say we’re God’s co-workers.
Saying we’re coworkers is sort of putting ourselves on the same level as God.
与我有什么关系? So What?
- Don’t think too much of ourselves or our abilities.
- Success depends on God, not on us (BECNT)
- Every worker is equally insignificant before God
(don’t boast of your own consequence) - Every worker is equally indispensable
(don’t consider one person as being more important than another) - Every worker will be held accountable to God
(don’t be so satisfied of your own accomplishments)
- Every worker is equally insignificant before God
- Workers (ministers, evangelists, deacons, etc.) come and go, but God’s work continues.
Don’t be too tied up about one minister or worker.