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November 17, 2019
Jason Meyer | 1 Corinthians 3:5-9
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 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. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.—1 Corinthians 3:5–9
Introduction
Right now I have visitors on my mind. I am imagining you coming to Bethlehem and not having much context for the multi-campus conversation we are having right now. Let me back up and provide some of that context.
First, we are in the midst of a 10-year vision that we have called 25 x ’25. You might remember that this 10-year vision had four major initiatives: (1) engage 25 unengaged people groups and (2) plant 25 new churches by 2025, (3) build a 24/7 facility for the South Campus, and (4) strengthen the core on our campuses. The first three have been fairly specific and well defined. The fourth initiative has been the hardest to define. The Lord has shown us some of what that means in the last few years, but recently we believe the Lord has given us a new vantage point and a new level of clarity.
Some of you may remember a statement that the elders wrote that gets to the heart of where we think the Lord is leading. I will read it again:
In light of God’s many graces and our desire to strengthen the core at Bethlehem, the elders are asking the congregation to pray with us for the future structure and organization of Bethlehem. In particular, we are considering a transition to regular, live campus specific-preaching and campus-specific Quarterly Strategy Meetings. This means that the campus pastors would be mainly responsible for the preaching at each campus and that most strategy meetings would be decentralized from the downtown location and instead held at each specific campus location.
We recognize this would be a significant change for the church and, if made, there will be implications for our congregation, pastoral staff, and ministries. Therefore, we earnestly desire to hear the thoughts and reflections of the congregation in this process, inviting you to pray with us for God’s direction.
Thus far, the elders have explained this proposed change at the October 20 Quarterly Strategy Meeting, and we have hosted Q&A times on each campus. In that October 20 sermon, I also said that I would preach a sermon on November 17 that would talk more about this proposed change from the pulpit. That day has come.
The text for today helps us think through what God does in the life of his church through his servants. Sometimes it seems that the focus can be more on the servants than on the Master. Dave Zuleger, Steven Lee, and I have received a fair amount of focus in this discussion about transitioning from one vision-casting preacher (i.e., all three campuses getting one video) to having more regular live preaching on each campus (Dave Zuleger being the main preacher at the South Campus, Steven Lee being the main preacher at the North Campus, and myself being the main preacher at the Downtown Campus).
Now it is natural that certain leaders will become a focal point in the church because they are very visible. In some ways, we are the faces of the transition at each campus. First Corinthians 3 talks about two very important, very visible leaders in the life of the church in Corinth: Paul and Apollos. It was natural that the Corinthians wanted to compare and contrast Paul and Apollos, and Paul is willing to do so – but only from a certain vantage point. Paul gives us an example of how to look at our leaders from the standpoint of God’s perspective instead of a man-centered perspective. So we need to pray that we would have God’s mind in this text and we would have God’s presence in this sermon.
Prayer
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 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. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.—1 Corinthians 3:5–9
Outline
Now Paul does not deny the fact that there are differences, but he wants to put those differences in perspective: a perspective that put them on the same team. So let’s look at both the differences and the similarities.
Paul says that he and Apollos served the Corinthian church in different ways: Paul had a planting role and Apollos had a watering role. Both jobs certainly required a different skill set. Paul did not ask which one did his job better. They had different jobs, and so it is almost impossible to compare. The important point that Paul raises is that the diversity (different jobs) only makes sense in the context of unity (those different jobs were part of a unified work).
But those differences should not outshine the glorious things that unite them.
Outline
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed …
We learn earlier in Corinthians that people were actually choosing sides—I am of Paul or I am of Apollos (1:12). In other words, they were acting like they belonged to Paul or Apollos. But they had it all wrong. They did not belong to Paul or Apollos; Paul and Apollos both belong to God as servants. Paul and Apollos are “fellow workers” for God (3:9).
But Paul and Apollos are not the only ones who belong to God. He also says that the Corinthians believed through them. Who did they believe in? Not Paul or Apollos, but Jesus. At the end of the text, Paul will remind the Corinthians that they belong to God as well as God’s field (3:9).
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
Every verse that follows mentions these different tasks, but verse 5 puts them into perspective: They were assigned by the Lord.
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.
Paul and Apollos did the work that needed to be doth (aorist tense), but God is the one actively gave the growth that was needed (imperfect tense). The next verse provides the obvious conclusion.
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
The way Paul sets up this contrast shows that it is not really a contrast between Paul and Apollos, but between God and his servants. Paul and Apollos are nothing, which means God is everything. It sounds almost exactly like what Jesus taught: We only bear fruit for Christ as we abide in Christ—for apart from him we can do nothing (John 15:5).
He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
No one should be able to separate Paul and Apollos and boast in one over the other because they are both one.
This is supposed to put Paul and Apollos in their place together—they are like the plowboy and the water boy. It is also designed to put God in his rightful place—he is the reason for the church’s life and health and growth.
Therefore, the relationship between Paul and Apollos comes into sharp perspective. First, Paul emphasizes that these two tasks are “one.” He means that one would be useless without the other. Though they are different tasks, they are both needed for one goal: producing a crop.
Therefore, any rivalry between the plowboy and the water boy would be ridiculous. They both function together and need each other—so they work best together on the same team, not on opposing teams. This is a certain kind of field—this is cropland, not a battlefield. They are working the same field for the same purpose: the flourishing of the crops. They are not trying to claim the field as their own. God has already done that. Look at verse 9.
For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building
Verse 9 says it has already been claimed. It is God’s field. And the workers have already been claimed. They are God’s servants and fellow workers. Paul makes God the emphatic point in this verse. In the original language, he puts the word “God’s” right at the front for emphasis: God’s we are co-workers; God’s field; God’s building, you are.
Therefore, let’s put these verses into perspective.
First, it is obvious that the real comparison and contrast is not between Paul and Apollos, but between God’s servants and God himself. In fact, Paul makes this point so clear that he makes it in every verse.
| 1 Corinthians 3 | God’s Servants | God Himself |
| 1 Corinthians 3:5 | Apollos and Paul are servants | God assigned them the task |
| 1 Corinthians 3:6 | Paul planted; Apollos watered | God gave the growth |
| 1 Corinthians 3:7 | The planter and waterer are nothing | God who gives the growth is everything |
| 1 Corinthians 3:8 | The planter and waterer are one | God will reward them each individually |
| 1 Corinthians 3:9 | The workers belong to God | And the field belongs to God |
So I want to take the same perspective in this proposed transition. This text guides us in four ways. First, we must re-center God as the focal point of this transition. This is not about what Dave, Steven, and Jason will be doing at Bethlehem as much as what God is doing and will do at Bethlehem. We must keep our eyes on him. Let us keep our focus on him. God should be the focal point—the center of everything. If he is in this, then it will be good because he is good and he is working all things for our good.
Second, we must de-center the pastors so that they are not the focus. These two points hold together because we will not re-center God until we de-center the pastors. The corollary of making God the focal point is that it takes the central focus away from the preachers. This text gives us a healthy dose of humility. We need to get the math of these verses right. I love what Paul emphasizes here in terms of the unity of Paul and Apollos. Paul plus Apollos equals zero. They are nothing without God. The planter uses the seed that God gives him (2 Corinthians 9:10). They put it in the soil created by God. Those who water it and keep it moist use the rainwater supplied by God.
I find so much comfort in this perspective. Here we are, these little creatures of time, living this life and trying to make much of Christ in Christ’s own church. He has to do it. He has to build his church. If he does the work, then the gates of hell not only can’t undo it, but they can’t stand against it. No weapon that is fashioned against us shall stand.
Third, once God has been re-centered and the workers have been de-centered, then and only then can we affirm the value of the work. The Corinthians want to boast in one person or one worker over the other. But Paul says that it is not the workers that matter as much as the type of work that is needed. God assigns tasks that the field needs. Paul talks about Paul as the planter and Apollos as the waterer, but in the rest of the passage their names drop out and they are replaced with the name of the work: “the one who plants” and “the one who waters.” The focus, in other words, is not what the pastors want, but what the field needs. And God knows what the field needs so he assigns the work that needs to be done. And we believe that focus with align with the callings that God assigns to the workers.
Fourth, this text puts judgment into perspective. The clues are already present in verse 9: The workers belong to God and the field belongs to God. Therefore, God’s workers need to be careful how they judge God’s field and God’s field needs to be careful how it judges God’s workers. Paul expands upon this point at the very end of this passage, in verse 9. It is interesting how easily Paul shifts metaphors from a cultivated field to a construction site. He continues the idea of reward from God, but this time the idea that is developed from the building metaphor is that the work will pass through judgment (3:12–17). The Corinthians are a building. God puts out a contract for the construction project and he is the chief building inspector. He makes sure that it was built correctly with the right materials according to the right specifications. He will compensate or fine accordingly. Therefore, in the final analysis, Paul says it will not matter as much how the Corinthians judged their work as much as how God judged their work.
Dave, Steven, and I feel remarkably unified in the truths of this text. We are unified in the sense that we belong to God and we believe that God assigned our work for the good of the field. We believe that Dave plus Jason plus Steven equals the sense that we do not believe we are anything. We belong to God. We believe that God has assigned this work to us. And we believe that God alone can give the growth. We can only do what God gives us to do. The three of us together equal nothing apart from God. So we are entrusting ourselves into God’s hand. We believe that you also belong to God as God’s field. We truly believe that the transition we are talking about is right because we are unified in wanting to do what the field needs and the growth that God is going to give. You are not our field. You belong to God. And so do we.
The elders would testify that as we have taken steps to become more focused on each of these three fields, God has given more health and more growth. That is also true of the workers that God has given. It is right that in God’s good providence, he has given Steven and Dave an ever-increasing knowledge of and love for the fields in which they labor: the North and the South campuses. This is right.
Now let me say something right away so that you don’t hear the wrong thing. We are not using this text like a club. It does not say, “don’t grieve.” I don’t hear anyone saying, “I am of Dave or I am of Steven or I am of Jason.” I don’t hear competing. I just hear grieving. I haven’t heard anyone say that they are against Dave or Steven. I have just heard people say that they are going to miss me.
Let me speak very personally. And I will miss you too. More than I could possibly put into words. It is not like I have less love for North or South. No way. If I had three lives to give, I would give them all to Bethlehem. And I would be sad if you weren’t sad. I am glad that no one is saying, “It is about time we don’t have to deal with Jason anymore! Bring on Dave; bring on Steven—can we speed this process up a little bit more! I don’t hear anyone saying that. And if you are, then I am glad that you are not saying it to my face.
This is not about what Dave and Steven and Jason want, this is about what the church needs—it is for the growth of the crop. We believe that the steps we have taken to focus more on these three fields have made them more fruitful. All the elders would acknowledge that we are in a healthier place. We believe this move will take the graces that we see and water them and make them grow stronger.
How will live preaching make the crops grow better than video preaching? The answer to that question takes us to another text and another metaphor.
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.—1 Peter 5:1–4
The most immediate connection between this text and the 1 Corinthians text is the phrase “shepherd the flock of God” (v. 2). The flock does not belong to the pastors anymore than the field belongs to the workers. It is God’s flock and God’s field. This is the first lesson of pastoring and the second and the third! The flock in fact belongs to the Chief Shepherd and so the Chief Shepherd will be the judge of the under-shepherds (v. 4).
But the next point that landed on the elders was the next phrase: “Shepherd the flock of God “that is among you” (v. 2). A shepherd exercises oversight as an overseer, which means he keeps watch over the flock. Obviously, “to keep watch over” them means to know them. Hebrews 13:17 adds that overseers are going to give an account for those whom they watch over.
We want to grow in our ability to shepherd the flock, which has to involve knowing the flock. But shepherding the flock also involves feeding the flock by preaching. In fact, the basic job description of a shepherd is three-fold: know/watch over the sheep, feed the sheep, and protect the sheep from predators like wolves.
The elders have a growing conviction that preaching is part of shepherding. We are not saying that video preaching has been sinful. Not at all. It has been a blessing. But video preaching only does two of the three things well: feeds the sheep and protects the sheep from wolves. But even these two things are not done as well as they could be by knowing the sheep. The better you know them the better you can look out for them and care for them and protect them. Preaching is part of shepherding. Preaching should not merely make an impact on you in general, it should lead you somewhere. Your pastor leads you through preaching.
Another text that helps us as we grow in biblical convictions about how leaders relate to people is 1 Thessalonians 2:8.
So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.—1 Thessalonians 2:8
Part of shepherding is not only getting to know the flock, but the flock getting to know us. It is important not only for the leader to know the people, but for the people to know the leader who shares the gospel with them.
Someone might ask why is it important to know the sheep in order to preach to the sheep? I have felt this in experience many times. Much of my sermon preparation feels like this: I come to a text and I am excited to preach it. I am excited to apply it, and then I feel a little held back. I can’t go into as much detailed application because the three campuses are in different places in so many life contexts and conversations. So I get stuck: Well, I can’t quite say that here because it is not quite the same North as it is Downtown and it is a little different South. I used to meet with Pastor Jared Wass, for example, and I would talk about how small groups function Downtown and how to bring together the air war of preaching with the ground war of small groups & discipleship. Time and time again, I could not say the same thing about small groups because they all function somewhat differently at each campus.
Therefore, the connection between the pulpit and the ministries of the campus can feel disconnected at times.
Conclusion
We need to be very clear about the timeline. We totally acknowledge the unknown here. We are taking a green light, yellow light, red light approach. The elders are unified in seeing that there are many campus-specific graces that have come as we have become more focused at the campus level. We believe that this move will strengthen those graces and cause them to flourish further.
So we are proposing this because we believe it will help us be a healthier church. We believe that it will cause the crops to grow. We believe it will help the shepherds know the sheep more and the sheep to know the shepherds more.
As the Lord leads us, if the light stays green we will keep moving forward. If the light turns yellow, we will slow down (not speed up to hurry and avoid the red light like many of us do). If the light turns red, we will stop and re-evaluate.
As you think about the immediate future, let me discuss the next six months. Next week is campus-specific preaching on Thanksgiving weekend. Then, we have four weeks of Advent. I will be preaching through Mary’s Song, the Magnificat, in Luke chapter one.
Then we have our January sermon topics: Prayer, the Word, Ethnic Harmony, and Sanctity of Life. If you look ahead to May, June, and July I will be on Sabbatical. It is my first sabbatical in more than 13 years of full-time ministry (nine of those years serving as a professor and pastor at Bethlehem). We try to give our pastors a three-month Sabbatical after five years. But we were not at a point where I could take a Sabbatical at that time. The Lord has seen fit to provide one this coming summer.
If you are counting your months, then that leaves us February, March, and April. We are going to do a series on a singular question: what is the church? We will be asking the Lord for fresh grace to be all that He calls us to be as the church of Jesus Christ. If the Lord keeps giving the green light, that means we would vote on new job descriptions for Steven Lee, Dave Zuleger, myself, and Ken Currie. We would likely vote on those at the April QSM.
The Lord has led us through many changes in our 150-year history. Don’t forget that at the beginning, the entire church spoke Swedish. He will lead us through changes as well. We must keep him at the center and keep our eyes fixed on him.
Outline
Discussion Questions
Application Questions
Prayer Focus
Pray for a grace to have a God-centered perspective on the church—including pastors and people. Pray for a grace to be shepherded by the Chief Shepherd.