The Nature, Work, and Responsibility of the Christian Minister, 3/1/26

Today our text is from the book of 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3. So we continue to work through this

passage, this wonderful passage that Paul speaks

here from chapter 1 through 4 and then we'll

move on to additional ones in chapter 5. But

today we're going to be looking at the nature,

work, and responsibility of the Christian minister.

The nature, the work, and responsibility of the

Christian minister. Our text begins in verse

5. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but

ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord

gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered,

but God gave the increase, so that neither he

who plants is anything. nor he who waters, but

God who gives the increase. Now, he who plants

and he who waters are one, and each one will

receive his own reward according to his own labor,

for we are God's fellow workers. You are God's

field. You are God's building. Let's pray. Father,

we thank you for this passage. We look to you

today to enlighten us on this matter. Give us

great understanding, Lord. Open up this passage

to us. And by the Holy Spirit, would you feed

us with it? Would you speak to our hearts? Would

you show us your ways, Lord? And let us shed

the ways of man. Oh, Lord, we look to you. And

we thank you for the gifts you have given to

us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Before we mine

the riches of this passage, I'd like to ask you

a few questions. In considering the nature, the

work, and the responsibility of the Christian

minister, what should a church's leadership team

or pastor or pastors be like? Let me give you

some ideas or questions. as is sometimes taught,

like a CEO, a chief executive officer of a large

company with lots of programs and lots of things

going on, and he is the chief executive of it.

Or should they be maybe like the head of a marketing

company attempting to market Jesus and sell a

product? You should believe in Jesus because

of what he will do for you kind of thing. It's

to your advantage. Now, it's true that it is

to our advantages, but there are also many difficulties

that come. So is that what it should be like?

Or maybe should the church be led by managers?

Whereas Michael Foster says a view of the pastoral

ministry as overseeing a heavily systemized rule

-focused process. where people are given narrow

goals to fulfill under the close supervision

of the pastor. Instead, what about a dynamic

leader with plenty of charisma and energy and

ideas and with a real strong personality that

just attracts people? Is this the biblical ideal?

Or, kind of similar, but should he be like a

cult leader? where he can say or do no wrong,

and he uses his power and authority to manipulate

people and to get them to do what he wants. And

of course, he gets a following who hang on his

every word as if he is a prophet or an oracle

or a mini -god. Now, as you are probably thinking,

none of the types that I have just described,

none of them are marks of genuine biblical truth.

leadership in his church now it is true that

there are some who are more dynamic than others

and there are things that need to be done and

accomplished but we are not the the leadership

of christ church should not be characterized

in the way that i just asked these questions

and yet how many times are these kinds of models

followed how many churches grew quickly under

one of these kinds of leaders only then to flame

out in a generation or sometimes even less, sometimes

much sooner, especially when public sin and scandal

happen to that dynamic leader. We have seen this

over and over again. The principal words that

define biblical leadership in Christ's church

in the New Testament are these. They are instruments

of God. as overseers or elders and shepherds.

Indeed, the calling and function of the shepherd

of sheep are very similar to the calling and

function of those whom God has placed in leadership

of his church. Even Jesus himself calls himself

the good shepherd who leads his sheep to green

pastures and to still waters, like Psalm 23.

speaks of even god himself is called a shepherd

in psalm 23 the lord is my shepherd i shall not

want even the very word pastor denotes that of

shepherding this morning And when we read Ephesians

4, my translation or the translation I use, the

New King James, has the word pastors in Ephesians

4 when it describes the offices. And what Brother

James read said shepherds. Shepherds. The word

pastor and shepherd are pretty much one and the

same. So what are shepherds and overseers or

elders? What are pastors? What are they to do?

That scripture gives several things. that are

very, very clear. They are to, number one, feed

the flock of God. They're to feed the flock of

God. 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 2. Shepherd

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

the flock of God which is among you, serving

as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly,

not for dishonest... dishonest gain but eagerly

not as being lords over those entrusted to you

but by being examples to the flock he gives three

things that they're not to be and three things

that they are to be they're not to do it by compulsion

they're not to do it for dishonest gain and they're

not to do it as lords over those entrusted to

them but they are to shepherd they are to oversee

they are to do it willingly they're to do it

eagerly and are to be an example to the flock.

That's 1 Peter chapter 5. To the elders in Ephesus,

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

Paul tells them in Acts chapter 20 verse 28,

Acts 20:28

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all

the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made

you overseers to shepherd the flock of God, the

church of God, whom he purchased with his own

blood. Secondly, they are to read the word, they're

to give the sense of the word, and they're to

apply the word in helping God's people to understand

the reading. We see this in Nehemiah chapter

Nehemiah 8 · chapter mention

8. When the preaching of the word occurred, they

read the word, they gave the sense of the word,

and they applied the word. They caused them to

understand the meaning. And in so doing, they're

to preach the pure word. 2 Timothy chapter 4

2 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

and verse 2. preach the word, be ready in season

and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort with

all longsuffering and teaching. And this happens

both in the pulpit and out of it. This is to

be done by all of the elders and overseers of

the congregation, not just the one who stands

in the pulpit every Sunday. Thirdly, they are

to guard against wolves and those who would divide

God's people. Acts 20, verse 29. For I know this,

Acts 20:29

that after my departure, savage wolves will come

in among you, not sparing the flock, Paul says.

And continuing then in 2 Timothy 4, as I read,

preach the word, be ready in season and out of

season, convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering

and teaching. And then he continues, for the

time will come when they will not endure sound

doctrine, but according to their own desires,

because they have... But you, Timothy, be watchful

in all things, endure afflictions, do the work

of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.

Guard against wolves and those who would divide

against God's people, making sure that they are

fed and that the word is given. Now, this passage

today speaks to us in a number of ways. This

is both a very humbling passage, and it is sobering,

but it is also quite comforting. Because on one

hand, we're going to see that ministers are simply

instruments of God. They're ministered, they're

instruments before a holy God. And this is very,

it's humbling because he says in here, Paul,

the word of God is like, we do not have anything.

We are nothing. In other words, we are his instruments.

But we also see the comforting presence of the

Holy Spirit who works through his instruments

and that he does the work that no man. And thus

it is humbling, but it is also quite comforting.

Remember that the big issue at hand are the divisions

in the congregation at Corinth. There were factions.

There was a neglect of the foundational doctrine

of Jesus Christ crucified. And there was the

elevation of human. reason in the understanding

and practice of the christian faith they said

some said i follow paul as if you're he's the

man of god or i follow apollos he speaks great

words he's a great orator as the scripture bears

witness to it he has such a way with words but

after stating the case against them in their

immaturity paul now speaks to their misunderstanding

of christian ministry Their misunderstanding

of it in this exposition of what Christian ministry

is all about. He exposes the senselessness of

their allegiance to particular Christian leaders

by asking what such individuals are in themselves.

So reads the pillar commentary. So let's dive

into the first portion of this chapter and then

Lord willing we will continue next week. Our

first and our main point today is that ministers

are humble servants in the field of God. Humble

servants in God's field. Who or what is a minister?

Paul begins this discourse on ministers with

a description of what they are. First of all,

we want to take a look at the word minister or

servant, depending on your translation. The word

is diakonos. It's the Greek word. It means a

servant, an attendant, and a waiter. A waiter,

as in a waiter at a restaurant serving food.

This word is used to refer to deacons, to ministers,

and to other servants in the Bible. It is somewhat

contextually defined. Paul describes both himself

and Apollos in this way. Jesus himself is called

by this description in Romans chapter 15 verse

Romans 15:8

8. Paul says, now I say that Jesus Christ has

become a servant to the circumcision for the

truth of God to confirm the promises made to

the fathers. Ministers are those who are servants

of Christ who preach and speak the word of God

to others, those to whom God has sent them. While

this word is sometimes used to refer to anyone

who serves, such as Phoebe, a servant of the

church at Centria in Romans chapter 16, the context

Romans 16 · chapter mention

of the passage today in 1 Corinthians 3 refers

to those who are in an office of the church.

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, elders,

teachers, those listed. in Ephesians chapter

Ephesians 4:11

4 verse 11 and 12 and he gave himself I'm sorry

and he himself gave some to be apostles some

prophets some evangelists and some pastors and

teachers for the equipping of the saints in the

work of ministry for the edifying of the body

of Christ I think that the ministers or servants

spoken of in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 would also

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

include deacons. Now, while we believe that the

gifts and offices of apostle and prophet are

no longer given to men since the word of God

is now revealed and the canon of scripture of

God's revelation is now closed. But evangelists,

pastors, teachers, deacons, yes, they are all

God's ministers. They are God's. servants as

his instruments now the section this section

of the passage speaks in agricultural terms we're

going to see a little bit later lord willing

next week that paul then switches and he speaks

in terms of architecture a great building and

he speaks to that considerably but today the

passage is in agricultural terms in verse 9 he

says you are god's field You as the congregation,

you are God's field. And then it continues, you

are God's building. So we're not going to be

looking at building today, but we're going to

be considering the field. As the ministers of

the Lord, in particular Paul and Apollos, have

labored in the field to sow the seed of God's

word, and they have watered it. This is brought

out very plainly in verse 6. Paul says, I planted,

Apollos watered, and God gave the increase. God

gave the increase. Now Paul is the one who planted

the church. He went to Corinth, recounted in

Acts chapter 18. He began his ministry by attending

Acts 18 · chapter mention

the Jewish synagogue first on every Sabbath.

And he reasoned from the word of God to them,

persuading both Jews and Greeks. Because as was

common in many of the Gentile areas at the synagogue,

there were God -fearers among the Gentiles who

would come and listen to the word of God being

read. By the Jews. So they would come. And so

this mixed multitude could be together in a synagogue,

even though there was a lot more separation at

the temple. But in the synagogues, they would

come and they would listen. So as Paul ministered,

he ministered both to the Jews and the Greeks.

He was accompanied with Silas and Timothy, who

came from Macedonia. But when some of the Jews

opposed him and they blasphemed God, then they

started meeting, guess where? In the house of

justice, whose house was right next to them.

synagogue so the people could come and they could

go there instead of to the synagogue and still

continue to hear paul preach acts 18 verse 8

Acts 18:8

then crispus the ruler of the synagogue believed

in the lord with all his household and many of

the corinthians hearing believed and were baptized

paul planted the seed and i remind you What kind

of a place that Corinth was. It was a very wicked

and yet cosmopolitan city. There was all sorts

of things going on. One writer describes it as.

There was the seed of God was planted in the

muck and the mud of Corinth. And yet this beautiful

flower was coming up. And yet we know that this

church had a lot of problems. And yet there they

heard the word. They believed and they were baptized.

Well then Paul leaves. And Apollos comes over,

and we know this from Acts 8, verse 27 and 18.

Acts 8:27

It says, when he desired to cross to Achaia.

The brethren rode, exhorting the disciples to

receive him. The region of Achaia is where Corinth

was. So Apollos comes, and he's referenced here

in 1 Corinthians, and he spent some time there,

and he greatly helped those who had believed

through grace. For he vigorously refuted the

Jews publicly, showing from the scriptures that

Jesus is the Christ. Acts 20, Acts chapter 18.

Acts 18 · chapter mention

So Paul plants the seed. Apollos waters it. the

seed with the preaching of the word of God both

of them as servants and ministers of Christ now

Paul then goes on and he says emphatically God

gave the increase he goes on to say a most startling

statement so then neither he who plants is anything

and nor he who waters, but God who gives the

increase. He is saying here that in themselves,

in Paul, in Apollos, in almost a hyperbolic statement,

they are nothing. It is God who gives the increase.

I say somewhat hyperbolic because we know that

Paul had been given certain authority as an apostle.

Titus is told to speak and exhort with all authority

in 1 Timothy 2 verse 15. I'm sorry, Titus 2 verse

1 Timothy 2:15 Titus 2:15

15. But the point is that God's ministers as

mere men, they are nothing. They are not anything

is the words. And God does not differentiate

between the one who plants and the one who waters.

Look at verse 7. So then neither he who plants

is anything nor he. And yet, as verse 8 says,

they are one. They are one. They are instruments

in the hand of a mighty God who sends forth the

Holy Spirit to do God's purposes through his

instruments. For after all, can the planter of

seeds make the seed grow? Can a water hose make

the water and perform the miracle that watered

seeds die and resurrect again with new plant

life? Of course not. We know that they cannot

do this. They do not have this power in and of

themselves. And so neither do God's instruments.

We convey God's word, but God gives the increase.

Without the Holy Spirit's work of regeneration,

those who plant and water might as well be planting

rocks. What good would it do to plant rocks?

Children, if you go out and plant a rock, is

it going to give out more rocks? No, it's not

that way. Sometimes it seems like it, though,

because they keep reappearing, right? But no,

rocks don't grow rocks. Plants bring forth life.

And the one who plants cannot bring forth that

life. Consider this further. Who made the soil

that the seed is planted in? Who made the seed

in the first place? who made the water, and who

created the whole process of germination. It

is God, the creator. He is the Lord. And we as

men and women, we can do nothing in bringing

forth that new life. It is God. This life -giving

power of God is spoken of in this wonderful Psalm,

Psalm 65. To the chief musician, a psalm of David,

a song. Praise is awaiting you, O God, in Zion.

And to you the vow shall be performed. O you

who hear prayer, to you all flesh will come.

Iniquities prevail against me. As for our transgressions,

you will provide atonement for them. Blessed

is the man you choose and cause to approach to

you that he may dwell in your courts. We shall

be satisfied with the goodness of your house.

of your holy temple. By awesome deeds and righteousness

you will answer us, O God of our salvation, you

who are the confidence of all the ends of the

earth and of the far off seas. Who establish

the mountains by his strength. Being clothed

with power. You who still the noise of the seas.

The noise of their waves and the tumult of the

peoples. They also who dwell in the farthest

parts are afraid of your signs. You make the

outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice.

You visit the earth and water it. You greatly

enrich it. The river of God is full of water.

You provide their grain for so you have prepared

it. You water its ridges abundantly. You settle

its fronds. You make it soft with showers. You

bless its growth. You crown the year with your

goodness and your paths drip with abundance.

They drop on the pastures of the wilderness and

the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures

are clothed with flocks. The valleys also are

covered with grain. They shout for joy. They

also sing. It is God, the creator, who causes

all of these wonderful things to happen. And

so Paul's point in all of this is that factions

around men are worthless. They're irresponsible

and they're useless. They elevate men to places

they should not be. To build a movement or a

faction around a man will do nothing but disrupt

and divide. And in the end, those who trusted

in the leaders of those factions will be disillusioned

and disappointed. The efforts of those who were

developing factions and sowing division needed

to be stopped. And so Paul rebukes them. But

in this rebuke, he is also showing the worthlessness

of man without God. The complete inability to

shepherd, to feed. And so why would we create

factions after them? Back in chapter 1, I remind

you, when he first talks about this problem,

he says, Now I plead with you, brethren, by the

name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak

the same thing, and that there be no divisions

among you, but that you be perfectly joined together

in the same mind and the same judgment. For it

has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren,

by those of Chloe's household, that there are

contentions. Among you. Now I say this. That

each of you says. I am of Paul. Or I am of Apollos.

Or I am of Cephas. Or I am of Christ. Is Christ

divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were

you baptized in the name of Paul? Chapter 1.

10 -13. There may be times. In fact this was

the case here. When the overseers of a congregation.

Need to exhort the congregation. Even warning

them. And making a plea. to stop the division

and the contention. Indeed, when that happens,

they are to take heed for, as Hebrews 13 verse

Hebrews 13:17

17 says, those who have been placed as the shepherds

of God's people, watch out for your souls as

those who must give account. As those who must

give account. And so ministers are instruments.

In the hands of God. So don't develop factions

after them. Don't create division and contentions.

Now, let's look then furthermore at the work

of the Holy Spirit. Excuse me. The nature, that

is the work, the responsibility of a farmer,

a husbandman, a vineyard dresser, a laborer in

God's field. a minister, a deacon, or a servant

is to faithfully do the work of soil preparation,

planting, and watering, and trust in God through

the Holy Spirit to bring the growth, to trust

in God through the Holy Spirit to bring the growth.

As I said, this is both humbling And freeing.

It's humbling in that we are only instruments.

But it's freeing in that God, through the power

of the Holy Spirit, works through us to do the

good. And it's all attributable to Him. We are

simply... instruments we cannot give life but

he can and he does we get perplexed we get cast

down we get weary and unable to help people to

change but the holy spirit changes life frees

people from their sins and their bondages and

brings life from the dead that is the work of

the holy spirit The calling of a minister then

is to labor faithfully as God's servant. And

then God will give each one his reward according

to his labor. We find this in verse 8. Now he

who plants and he who waters are one. And each

one will receive his own reward according to

his labor. His own labor. God does not measure

by results. He rewards according. to the labor.

Sometimes there are those who labor for years

and years in a hard field and have little to

show by way of results. But these labors are

not in vain and neither are yours. Though not

ministers in the sense of an office in the church,

parents are also a form of minister. Because

it's hard to raise a family. It's hours and hours

of blood and toil and sweat, of hard decisions

and tender care and discipline and sleepless

nights and discipleship and prayer. And so all

of us, as we serve Christ in and of our own capacity,

in whatever it is that God has given to you,

you need the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish

the work. But yet God remembers your labor, your

labor of love, even as you are a channel of instrument

for the Lord to work in your children, to others

around you. Maybe you're discipling someone else

or to leaders of churches and shepherds and overseers.

In all of this, we must remember that our labor

is not in vain. To all Christian believers. That

wonderful chapter on the resurrection of 1 Corinthians

15. Paul encourages every believer with these

words. Therefore my beloved brethren. Be steadfast.

Be immovable. Always abounding in the work of

the Lord. Knowing that your labor is not in vain

in the Lord. Your labor is not in vain. There

are times in history where God. enabled shepherds

to lead and and as i said the ground was very

hard it was a very difficult place to minister

and very few were were converted through the

fruit of their ministry but they labored faithfully

and were rewarded by god only then for someone

else to come and maybe even the next generation

and the seed had been that all the ground had

been worked even though it was hard and all of

a sudden the spirit of god moved and great amounts

of people came into Christ's church over a short

amount of time. That wasn't because of the man

who came and watered. It was the work of the

Holy Spirit using both the labor of the man who

planted and the one who watered. And they together

are one in Christ. Do not develop these factions

is what Paul is saying here. Now Paul differentiates

here between the ministers and the congregation

in that ministers are God's fellow workers. He

says, we, verse 9, we are God's fellow workers.

He's referring to their, to Christ's servants.

We are God's fellow workers. You are God's field.

You are God's building. And so to the Corinthians,

these apostles and the others who followed on

after them, They labored and labored before the

Lord, some planting, some watering. And it wasn't

only Paul and Apollos. There were many others

who came after and who continued to work in this

congregation so that they would prosper, which

they did do. They did prosper. They were able

to deal with some of the sin in their midst,

even though they still had issues and problems,

just like pretty much all congregations do, yet

they were able to grow and prosper by the work

of the Holy Spirit in them. And so, he says,

we are laborers together. We are God's fellow

workers. This is an incredible thing, to think

that we... are able, even as mere instruments,

that God works in a unique way with us. But again,

I would remind you that even though the context

here is up to the church, God also works through

you as parents. or as counselors, or to one another

in various ways. God uses you in the gifts that

he has given to you, but it's still the Holy

Spirit that accomplishes good in whatever way

you are an instrument, whatever way it is. Nevertheless,

here, looking at the text and staying with the

text, he says, we are God's fellow workers. You

are God's field. God's servants are instruments,

which brings us back to the beginning. They are

shepherds who feed the flock of God, laboring

together with God, and trusting the Holy Spirit

to do the work of sanctification, that of making

God's people holy. Now, let's apply this in just

two different ways. First of all, as a congregation,

Strive to be of one mind. Over and over in the

scripture it says, be of one mind. And even where

there are some differences, then love, love one

another. 1 Peter 3, verse 8 and 9. Finally, all

1 Peter 3:8

of you be of one mind, having compassion for

one another. Love as brothers. Be tenderhearted,

be courteous, not returning evil for evil or

reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, wise

blessing, knowing that you were called to this,

that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3, 8

and 9. And so, yes, we're going to have disagreements,

brothers and sisters. We will. But we can work

through them. And we need to love one another

as brethren, to love one another as being part

of the family of God together, even where we

have disagreements and we seek to be one, to

be united together as much as lies within us.

And so my encouragement and application to you

is do not develop factions, but strive to be

of one mind and even where there are differences,

love, be tenderhearted and courteous. courteous

toward one another secondly use the gifts that

god has given to you because god has given to

each one in the body unique gifts the apostle

paul gives clear instructions on this in romans

Romans 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12 after we have presented our bodies

as a living sacrifice to god we see ourselves

in a new light. And so he says, for I say through

the grace given to me to everyone who is among

you, not to think of himself more highly than

he ought to think, but to think soberly as God

has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For

as we have many members in one body, but all

the members do not have the same function, so

we being many... Are one body in Christ. And

individually members of one another. Having then

gifts. Differing. According to the grace that

is given to us. Let us use them. If prophecy,

let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. Or

ministry, let us use it in our ministry. He who

teaches, in teaching. He who exhorts, in exhortation.

He who gives, with liberality. He who leads,

with diligence. He who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is

evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affection

to one another with brotherly love. In honor,

giving preference to one another, not lagging

in diligence, fervent in spirit. Serving the

Lord. Rejoicing in hope. Patient in tribulation.

Continuing steadfastly in prayer. Distributing

to the needs of the saints. Given to hospitality.

Now that's quite a list there. And sometimes

our minds kind of glaze over as we look at, as

we just, it kind of all jumbles together. The

fact is that everyone has a gift. We're all instruments

of God. And we need to seek to use the gifts

that God gave us in a way that glorifies Him.

knowing that it's the power of the Holy Spirit,

the grace of God that has given you the gift

and the ability to do it. So it is also with

our ministers and with our leaders. We are called

to be those instruments, but look to the power

of the Holy Spirit. Let's pray. Father, we thank

you that you have called us to yourself. We thank

you that you have given to us these great gifts.

We bless you and we praise you. And we ask for

your blessing on this congregation that we would

be like -minded and that we would walk in your

ways and that we would be overflowing and abounding

in love for one another. And we ask this in Jesus'

name. Amen.