Maturing Beyond Leaders

1 Corinthians 3

Siblings, I couldn’t address y’all as spiritual people, but as fleshly, as babies in Christ. I fed y’all with milk, not with solid food, for y’all weren’t yet ready. Indeed, y’all aren’t ready even now, because y’all are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy, infighting, and factions among y’all, aren’t y’all being fleshly? And aren’t y’all walking around like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t y’all acting as mere humans?

Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but deacons through whom y’all believed, and as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who makes things grow. Now the one who plants and the one who waters are the same, and each will receive a reward according to their own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. Y’all are God’s field, God’s building.

According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But let each one be careful how they build. For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each person’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each person’s work is. If the work which one has built remains, that person will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, they will suffer loss, but they will be saved, but only as through fire.

Y’all Are God’s Temple

Don’t y’all know that y’all are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in y’all? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God is holy, and that is what y’all are.

Let no one deceive themself. If any of y’all thinks that they are wise in this world, let them become a fool so that they can become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”+Job 5:13 And again, “The Lord [YHWH] knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.”+Psa 94:11 Therefore let no one boast in human leaders. For all things are y’alls, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. Everything belongs to y’all, and y’all belong to Christ, and Christ belong to God.