Maturing Beyond Leaders

1Siblings, I couldn’t address y’all as spiritual people, but as fleshly, as babies in Christ. 2I fed y’all milk, not solid food, because you* weren’t yet ready. Indeed, y’all aren’t ready even now, 3because 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? 4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t y’all acting as mere humans?

5Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but deacons through whom y’all believed, and as the Lord gave to each one? 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. 7So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who makes things grow. 8Now the one who plants and the one who waters are the same, and each will receive a reward according to their own labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers. Y’all are God’s field, God’s building.

10According 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. 11For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13each 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. 14If the work which one has built remains, that person will receive a reward. 15If 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

16Don’t y’all know that y’all are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in y’all? 17If 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.

18Let 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. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”+Job 5:13 20And again, “The Lord [YHWH] knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.”+Psa 94:11 21Therefore let no one boast in human leaders. For all things are y’all’s, 22whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. Everything belongs to y’all, 23and y’all belong to Christ, and Christ belong to God.