Co-laborers With God - 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

If you're a Christian, I believe, I really believe that we're a church full of Christians, and that's a, that should be the norm, but that's actually an amazing thing to look across the congregation and go, "Yeah, you're a believer. Yes, you're a Christian family. Yes, you love the Lord." And if you're a Christian, then you have a ministry. We're all ministers, or as our text will say, we're fellow workers with God, that you are employed, or you're a servant, a bond servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you're a servant, not just to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and to worship Him and obey Him, but you're called to serve others. You're called to serve other Christians, and you're called to serve unbelievers. You're called to minister to people, the people, people, people around you, your family, your children, your church family, your co-workers, strangers that you run into. Everybody is the mission field. That's the area in which you're called to serve. You're called to serve people in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So we're all servants, and we have different ministries that God has called us to. And in the process of being ministers of the gospel, ultimately we're called to share Christ. And even if we're not a missionary or a pastor or Sunday school teacher, you are a minister of the truth. You're called to reach people with Christ, with truth. But we have a tendency to do one or two things about our ministries. We have a tendency to underestimate our ministries and downplay our role. I think probably the majority of us, that's where we fall into place. Well, I'm not much of a minister. I don't view myself as a minister. I don't view myself as a fellow worker with Christ. And so you more likely are on that side of downplaying your ministry and underestimating your role.

And sometimes we have the other problem of overestimating our ministries. We think too highly of ourselves and what we do, and we have too high of opinion. So we either think we're not called or a minister, we're not gifted enough to do it. We're just not, I'm just not able to do much.

And so we don't think much about that. Or we really do think too highly of ourselves and think that God couldn't do it without us. We wouldn't say that verbally, but there's sometimes in our mind, that's how we end up viewing ourselves. Well, what Paul is doing in our text in verses 5 through 9, what he's going to do in this text, he's starting to turn the tables. The problem that he's addressing in the church of Corinth was this divisive attitude, I'm a Paul, I'm a Paulus. And they were exalting one man's ministry above the other man's ministry. And part of the problem we've learned in chapter one and chapter two, they had a wrong view of the gospel, wrong view of the message.

There were two influenced by the wisdom of this world and Greek philosophy and oratory skills and these external abilities of the flesh. They put too much confidence in the flesh and not enough confidence in the message of the gospel. And that's what Paul says,"I determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ in Him crucified." That's the power and not is in my presentation skills, but in the Word of God itself. Now he's turning to the second aspect of their false evaluation of Paul and a Paulus and deciding who's the better one out of the two.

He says, "You got a wrong view of ministry. You have the wrong evaluation of ministers." And so in our text starting at verse five, we'll read through verse nine, he's going to give us a proper evaluation of a Paulus and a Paul's ministry.

He says, "What then is a Paulus? What is Paul? And what are we? We're servants through whom you believed as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, a Paulus 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're God's field, God's building." So in this we see Paul doesn't underestimate their ministry. He didn't say, "Hey, Paul and a Paulus don't do anything." In fact, he says, "Through our ministry, through planting and watering, you believed. God used us to bring you to faith. He's using us for your sanctification." It's not like we have no value in this fellow working with God. But remember, what are we? We're just mere servants. What are we? We're nothing because we can only water and plant, but only God can give the increase. So don't have an overestimation of us. We can't save you. We can't even sanctify you.

Don't look at ministers as the key to your salvation. It's God who saves you. It's God that gives the growth, but also realize there are value to ministers. And as we apply that, not just to a Paulus or a Paul, or not just apply it to us elders at GBC, we can make application to all of us. We're all ministers of God, fellow workers with Christ Jesus. We're all called to labor and to minister to God's people. So I want you, as we work our way through this, as a proper evaluation of our ministries, as we look at don't underestimate your role. Don't minimize your ministry that will hinder you from serving. Don't underestimate your calling, your service, but also don't overestimate your ministry. Let's have a proper view of your calling and of your ministry, and that will help us. First of all, we see in verses five through six that we're not to underestimate our ministries. We're not to downplay them to the point that we think there are nothing or of no or little importance. I want you to know, and I believe every Christian, every Christian has a role to play, and it's an important role to play, that you do have a ministry, that you do have a calling of God on your life to fulfill. First, we see three ways in which you should not underestimate your calling or your ministry. One, you see you're called to be a servant. Look at verse five. What then is Apollos? What is Paul? What are we? What's so important about Apollos? What's so important about Paul? We're servants. Though Apollos and Paul had different roles to play, one was an evangelist, one was a pastor, one planted, the other watered, they were both servants. Regardless of what your role is, regardless of what particular niche that God has called you to play, your particular ministry, the efforts that you give to serve God by serving His people and reaching the unconverted, you're a servant. We're all servants of God. We're all fellow workers with Christ. Do you view yourself as a worker in God's field? Do you see yourself as a servant who has a ministry to fulfill, a ministry to satisfy?

Waking up every morning and saying, "I'm on duty. I'm called of God to a particular people, a particular group to serve, and I must serve them, and I want to serve them well. I want to serve Christ by serving others." Paul says, "This is how you should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God, no matter your giftings." He said, "Well, I'm not very gifted.

I'm not very wise. I barely know the basic Bible stories. Some of you may be new Christians or you just don't feel like you're competent, that you're equipped. Regardless of your giftings or your maturity, you're a servant." You can say that about yourself. "I am a servant of the living God.

I serve the Lord. I'm called to this." 1 Peter 4.10 says, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in the various forms. Do not be slothful and zil. Be fervent in the Spirit. Serve the Lord." You have gifts. You have talents. God has given you a measure of spiritual gifting and talents. He says, "Now, this is not for your self-consumption. This is not for you to bury in the ground. It's not for you to be lazy with. This is for you to serve others with.

How do I serve others? This is what you're called to do." The Bible says in Galatians 5.13, "You're called to freedom, brothers, but do not use your freedom as opportunity to the flesh, but through love serve one another." What is a servant? What's the main responsibility of a servant?

Like what's your main—you're a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. You're to serve others.

What's your main responsibility? Paul says this, "A servant must be found faithful." Faithful.

Now, I'm not here to say, "Hey, you're called to preach." I'm not saying you're called to be a missionary. I'm not saying you're called to just teach Sunday school class. I'm not saying this or that you are called to serve in some capacity. God has given you the gifts that you need and the resources that you need. All things that pertain to life and godliness has been given to you. All the wisdom that you need has been given to you in the Word of God.

You have all the resources that you need to fulfill your task, your job, and you're to be faithful with that ministry. You'll be good stewards with what you're been called to do.

Now, remember, this is the greatest of all callings. So, well, I want to be the great in the kingdom of God. You know, a couple disciples had their mother come up to ask Jesus, "Could you grant when you go to the kingdom to put my sons on your right and left hand?" And Lord Jesus says, "You don't understand. You don't know what you're asking, and you've got it all backwards." This is the way the world operates. If you want to be great in the world, you need to be the president or you need to be a captain. You need to be the leader. You need to be in charge.

That's why you need to be first. You don't need to be second. But that's not the way it works in the kingdom of God. If you want to be great, then you must be the servant of all, for he who serve is the greatest. Now, think about that for a moment. You're a Christian. You've been called, not just saved from your sins and called to go to heaven. You've been called to serve.

You've been brought into the military, God's army. And he's like, "Here's a task. What is it, Lord?

What do you want me to do? I want you to put a towel around your waist and go clean dirty feet.

I want you to go serve the saints. I want you to go minister to people.

Well, Lord, that's not a high calling. The Lord says to you, "It's the greatest calling." And you only have to look at the Lord Jesus Christ and see that he was the greatest of all the servants. You've been called to serve, and that's a glorious calling from the Lord. So don't underestimate your ministry. Don't say, "Well, I don't have a great ministry." Yes, you do.

You're a servant. You don't have, it couldn't have been given a greater ministry than this.

We're all called to serve, so don't underestimate that. Second, you've been called to minister truth to others, not just to serve others, but to minister to others. Now, Paul says, "What then is a Paulist?" In verse 5, "What is Paul, servants, through whom you believe?" Now, this is an amazing thing. It's amazing to me because if I was God, I would have angels be the messengers.

Every now and then, God sent angels, right, and gave messages. I would just kept it up.

I would just use holy angels are sinless. One good thing about angels is they don't make verbal mistakes and they don't speak error. They say everything perfectly, and they have some gravitas to them. I mean, if an angel came and talked to me, I'm like, "Okay, I'm ready to listen." I wouldn't choose, I wouldn't choose myself. I wouldn't choose you.

You, feeble humans, called out of sin and still struggling with sin.

Think about this. When are you competent to preach or to teach something? When are you ready? I understand you don't want to put a novice in the pulpit. I understand there needs to be some training and understanding of the Word of God, but when are you ready? The truth is you're never ready. You're never like, "When do you know everything?" You don't ever know everything. You're never in a position like, "Well, I know exactly all the Bible says." No, I've said sayings in my sermons in the past. I'm like, "Why did that come out of my mouth and why did I think that was true? Why should I have been preaching when I was in my 20s?" I'm sure when I get my 50s, I'll be like, "Why was I preaching in my 40s?" Will you ever graduate where you say, "Hey, I'm ready to teach. When are you ready to be a parent?" Will you have all the wisdom to train your kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? No, you're never fully ready. Why did God chose babes and weaklings and immature people like us to raise children and to teach others about the Lord Jesus Christ and evangelize the Lord?

Loss, wouldn't it have been better if he just sent angels? That could have done much better job.

But God says, "No, I have chosen you. I want to speak to people through the instrumentality of my people." It's amazing that to me it's just grand. It's amazing. Paul put it this way in Romans 10, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the Word of God." Well, okay, I like that part.

Angels could do that part. Angels could preach the Word of God. But then it says,"How shall they hear without a messenger, a human instrument?" And even you read through the book of Acts, you see, that's amazing. I was on a journey yesterday. I read, I audio the whole book of Acts in one setting. It was pretty amazing. I don't remember anything.

But it's amazing in that the angels would come and speak to different people at various times, but they wouldn't give the whole message. You've got to go see this guy. You've got to go talk to this person. They'll tell you the message of salvation. "Well, go ahead. You're here. Tell me, angels, finish this up." No, nope, this is who you've got to go talk to. Why is that?

Because of the joy of being a protector in the work of God. You have been called and been entrusted as stewards with the mysteries of the gospel. You have that godly mother, godly father. Your greatest mission field, if you still have kids in your home, your greatest mission field is those children that you're raising. And you're competent, not because you're self-sufficient, not because you're a wise parent, not because you're smart or educated. You're competent because the gospel is the power of God into salvation. And you have that. You have the truth, and it's the truth that changes lives. And you get to be an instrument in conveying that truth, not just to your children.

Maybe it's your adult children at this point in your life, or your co-workers, or your friends.

Strangers, you have the words of eternal life, and God has entrusted you to be stewards with that.

Don't hide it. Don't be a poor investor with the word of God. Don't hide it under a bushel. Don't say, "Well, you know, I don't know." Pray for opportunities to evangelize, and you'll find opportunities to evangelize.

Don't underestimate your ministry.

Third, you're called to a particular assignment. Look at verse 5. "As the Lord assign to each," now, Paul recognized that him and Apollos have different roles to play. I plant he waters.

I break the gospel into a new community. I'm an evangelist. And Paul's not looking at Apollos.

You have to be an evangelist, too. No, Apollos is the pastor. I go in and do church planning.

I go in as a missionary, and I break up ground, and I do some planting. But then I need Apollos to come in after me to water, to pasture, to nurture. But we have different roles. And he says, "According to God has assigned to each of us." You see, your gifting is unique, unique to you.

And you have a particular assignment. You don't need to come and go, "What role do I play in the local church? Am I a musician, or am I some form of deacon, or do I help with the sound booth, or do I do something?" You don't have to have a church function to have a ministry.

But you do have to have assignment from God. So, "Well, how do I know what God has assigned me to do?" He's assigned you to do what's set before you. He's assigned for you to minister to your children if you're a young parent. He's assigned you to minister to your coworkers if you have a job. He's assigned to you to have a particular...you have been given particular gifts, particular unique gifts that give you a special place to play in the kingdom of God that someone else cannot do. You may be working with someone that I never know that person. Pastor Jeff can't come and evangelize that person. That's not my role to play. That's not my ministry. I'm not here to parent your children. I can't parent your children. That's not your friend's job to do that ministry, but you have a ministry, and it's unique, and you're uniquely gifted.

There's no child of God that's not gifted. None. We might be an eye or a hand. We may be a foot.

We may be what looks to be a more impressive body part, but even the impressive body parts, like the eye, cannot say to the hand or to maybe the lungs or the intestines or whatever other body part it may be. I don't need you. I don't need you. You see, you have a role to play, and you're gifted for that role. Don't devalue your ministry. Don't discredit it. Don't say,"Well, I'm just not much of a minister. I just don't have a role to play in the kingdom of God." Yes, you do. Own up to it. See it and be thankful for it.

The Bible says, "We are his workmanship created for good works, which God beforehand ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2.10.

You have good works and a ministry to perform, and when you're done performing all that God has ordained for you to do, then you're going to go to heaven, but not until you're done working.

And by the way, that means for the rest of us, we don't need to look down on any other saint of God and go, "Oh, they're not little." They're, "No, no, no." They're uniquely gifted for a particular role to play, and we need that role. The kingdom of God needs that role. Christ Jesus says, "I need you to do this assignment." And all of us, we need to get to the point, He says, "Lord, whatever you call me to do, it doesn't have to be great. It doesn't have to be grand. It doesn't have to have a lot of attention, a lot of applause, a lot of fanfare.

I just need to know that this is what you call me to do, and I'll do it." I'll make that phone call. I'll make that text message. I will go and provide a meal. I will go and pray on my knees. I will go and speak to this person. I will do whatever you have gifted me and called me to do. I love what John 15.8 says. It says, "By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit." I love the fact that God is glorified. He's like, "God has wrapped up His own glory in you producing good works, that you're producing a ministry, that you're fulfilling your calling, and every saint is called to work, to minister, to serve." But we're not to compare ourselves with others. We're not to go, "What I do, everybody else needs to do." And this is a tendency that we all have. We all tend to see the kingdom of God through the lens in which we're burdened with. We each have a burden given to us by God, and that burden might be hospitality, that burden might be prayer, that burden might be being a welcoming voice to guests that come into the church. We have a burden to take meals to people's house. We have a burden for this, or a burden to financially give in a more serious way. We have burdens, different burdens, and we begin to look, because we're burdened with the burden that we have, we begin to look down, particularly upon those who may not be burdened with those same burdens that we have, or not so gifted in those areas that we may be gifted in and concerned about. And we begin to judge others based upon our giftings and our talents and our strengths. But Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10 verse 11, "Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when we're absent we will do when we're present, not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves, but when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding." That is, we're not like those that are evaluating their own self-worth and service and ministry by comparing themselves with others. So don't do that. Don't have, don't, don't go, "Well, I'm not a missionary, therefore I'm of no value." Or don't go, "I am a missionary, therefore those who are not missionaries are no value." That's not the way to, that's, that's, "I'm a Paul, I'm a Paulist." That's, that's what they were doing with Paul and Paul is they were looking at their different giftings and say, "This is the gifting I like better." When Paul is basically, "No, we're gifted differently. We have different ministries and they're unique to us." And they're both vital. You see, you are called to a ministry and don't underestimate that.

2 Corinthians 10:11

But I like how he says, "I planted a Paulist watered, but God gave the growth. God gave the increase." And this is a transition to, as we don't underestimate our ministries, we don't also go to the other extreme and over-evaluate our ministries. We see this in verses seven through nine. Now, there are, I think, three typical ways in which we think too highly of ourselves in our ministries. One, we don't depend on God in our ministries. We become self-confident, self-sufficient. You know, you've got a little education, you've got a little bit of preaching skills behind you. You can go into the pulpit, if you would, with some confidence in the flesh. Like this is very dangerous. It's very dangerous to think that you're self-sufficient or you think you've figured out parenting. I'm a good parent now. It's like I know how to raise children. Usually people in the middle of the battle raising kids don't feel that way, but grandparents often feel that way. You know, only after the kids are gone and you forgot the battles, and all the failures, then you look back and say, "Look how great I did it." Well, maybe, but I won't put it this way. None of us can parent the way we're supposed to. We're all make mistakes. And for older parents or grandparents and great-grandparents, be compassionate upon new parents. It's hard. It's hard. We're not self-sufficient. We'll get into this in a minute.

Second way of overestimating is thinking we don't need others. We think our ministries are self-contained. You know, I don't need, I'm the hand, I don't need the arm, I'm the arm, I don't need the foot. We begin to think that I've got this. I don't need God, nor do I don't need others. And I think this leads to the third way of overestimating our ministries. And that's when we begin to think that the ministry belongs to us. It's my ministry. It's my ministry. And all these things will lead to us having a false over-exaggeration of our ministries that's detrimental.

But we have three reasons why we don't need to overestimate our ministries. First reason is found in verse seven. "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything but only God who gives the growth." You've got to understand that the ministry that you've been called to, the work that you've been called to is beyond your ability to be successful at. Parenting. Let me put it this way.

Parents, your job is not to make moral people who go to hell.

Just obedient children that toe the line and say, "Yes, sir, no, sir," and do everything you say and tuck their shelter in. And then on the day of judgment, they go to hell. What good is that?

Is that what you want? You want obedient kids who respect authority who go to hell? No, no, no.

I'd rather a disobedient kid who saved out of his disobedience and goes to heaven than an obedient one, relatively obedient, you know, understand, that goes to hell.

Then you realize if the chief aim of your parenting is to reach the heart, discipling the heart, molding the heart, changing convictions, and oh, then you realize, "I can't do that. I can't do it. I can water. I can plant. I can plant and I can water, but only God can give the increase. Only God can save souls. Only God can reach that tender heart and break the heart of stone and put a heart of flesh in my children." Boy, that takes away any self-confidence and parenting. If that's the goal of parenting, if something beyond your ability, then you can't do it alone. Now God's going to use you. Thank God for godly parents. God uses the nurture and admonition from parents to lead his people to himself. He could be a great instrument, but not self-dependent. So don't overestimate your ministry. I mean, missionaries and evangelists, pastors, you can't save a soul. You can't save anyone. You can water. You can plant.

But it's not your ability. It's not your speaking ability. It's not if you can craft your words just right, if you can get enough emotions or enough logic. I do believe you should seek to persuade and reason with people. I believe all that. And God uses those things to give the increase. He'll use your words to reach the lost. But it's not simply because you crafted your evangelistic message just right. Not just because you raised your kids perfectly that they're saved. Really, it's, Bodhi Baucom would say it's idolatry to think that we can save our kids. It's God who saves. But He uses us. But remember not to think too highly of your gifts, your coal, your part of it. But salvation alone belongs to God. Sanctification alone belongs to God. The giving of faith belongs to God.

So you're dependent upon God. You're not self-independent in your ministry. Second, we're prone to think we don't need others. Well, maybe we need God. Well, meant to that without God, I can do nothing. I need God to go with me when I preach. I need God with me and my parenting. I need God when I go evangelize and I minister and bring a meal to someone's house and try to serve someone who's sick. I need God in my life to be able to do this.

Part for me, Jesus says you can do nothing. I recognize I need to abide in the vine.

And without abiding in Christ, I cannot bear any fruit. I understand that. But we can sometimes begin to think that we're self-sufficient in our ministries. But God has designed our ministries not to be a lone ranger where you can do what you're doing simply by yourself.

Paul said it this way in verse eight, "He who plants and he who waters are one." Now, he already said that we have our unique differences and different gifting and callings where one's a planner, one's a waterer, one's evangelist, one's a pastor, one goes and prays, the other person goes and brings a meal, another person greets someone at the door, another person does this and does that. We all have our different roles, but look, in all of our differences, we serve one master and we have one overall ministry. We're all interdependent. Paul says,"I couldn't have done this without a Paulist." Not one time. They actually elevated a Paulist above him. They liked him better than Paul. But Paul doesn't go, "I need to criticize a Paulist.

I need to bring him down." He never criticizes a Paulist in all this explanation. He wants them to have a proper view of ministry, but he doesn't have to bring a Paulist down. He recognized he needs a Paulist to water what he planted. I mean, you have a ministry that's bigger than you, and you alone can't just raise your kids. You need others to invest in your kid's life.

One of our naive assumption is, "I think I can do this by myself." I recognize that I've started a little business and I've recognized that I can't hardly, I need everybody to do everything in that business. I can't do anything hardly.

You can't do anything at scale by yourself.

Thank the Lord that he didn't gift us all the same.

Thank the Lord that there are waterers and planters. Thank the Lord that there are Christians among us. I don't maybe know what their ministry is. I don't need to know.

God sees it, and I am told by God in 1 Corinthians that that role is vital for the whole rule of the church.

That you're fulfilling an important job. There's no little servants in the kingdom of heaven.

But also, for those who say to myself, don't need to think higher than myself than I should.

So, it leads me to this last over-evaluation. Once we begin to think we don't need others and whatever ministry that we have, others to come alongside of us and do things a little bit different than we wouldn't do or help us in ways that we couldn't help. Once we realize we don't need others, we're prone to begin to think the ministry belongs to us.

I've thought this a moment of transparency before you.

This church started in the living room, my living room.

In fact, maybe about 14 months from now, in January of 2000. So, we're 14 months away from our 25th anniversary as a church. It started with just four people in my living room.

And it's like a little seed. You put your water in there and you pray and you're watching that plant grow and it's growing, growing. And you know, like, "Okay, I love this church. I'm going to protect this church." And people come in and worried about people. And he's like, "This is my church, my church, my church." You can treat the ministry like your business. It's my business.

It's my ministry. You're discipling some young ladies, some of you older ladies, you might be discipling these four young ladies. "These are my little... No, these are my ladies." Or, "This is my Sunday school. This is my people. This is my vineyard. This is my building. This is mine." And you take ownership of that and you begin to think that, "Hey, this is my ministry.

Stay away from it. This is mine. Don't intrude into this." And that's a danger that we have.

We see the last part of this text tells us we are all God's fellow workers. You are God's field. You are God's building. What's he saying there? Paul is saying, "I'm a Paul. I'm a Paulus. We did this role, but you don't belong to us.

You're not our vineyard. You're not our building. You're God's building." He does the increase.

He does the growth. Jesus says, "I will build my church. I will build my church. I will use you, but I'm not going to build your church. I'm not going to build your ministry. You're the servant.

I'm the Lord. The people that you serve and you minister, they don't belong to you. They don't belong to me. This church doesn't belong to Jeff Johnson. It doesn't belong to the collection of the elders collectively. It belongs to the Lord. You belong to the Lord because you're God's building.

You're God's people. You're God's vineyard." So when we overestimate our ministries, we start taking ownership of them.

And one of the things you always need to do is ask yourself, "Lord, I'm ready to be reassigned.

If you want me to be reassigned, I'm willing to go." If I had to ask myself this about six months ago, I thought about our church. I said, "Lord, maybe you've brought me to a point where I've done all I can for GBC and it's for the wealth of the church, for the safety of the church, for the goodness of the church, for the spiritual well-being of the church. Maybe it's my time to lead." And I realize that I had begun to become too defensive of my ministry, too defensive of this as my church. And I realized that I had started to make the church an idol.

It's like, "No, my identity is not in this church. My identity is Jesus Christ.

That's who I belong to. That's who I serve." And he gets to tell me where I serve and what I do.

And so don't wrap up your identity in your particular field of ministry. That's not, maybe what you're called to do, but that's not who you are. So don't fall into underestimating your ministry or overestimating your ministry. And let me conclude. I skipped a phrase, and sometimes I do this on purpose. And verse eight, in the middle of verse eight, I skipped that phrase, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. It doesn't mean that all ministries are equal. It doesn't mean that some ministers don't work harder. Paul put it this way, "I've labored.

By the grace of God, I've labored more abundantly or harder than them are, but yet not I as the grace of God working in me." So Paul acknowledges when it comes to the mere effort and work, productivity, he's outperformed the other apostles. He wasn't being prideful or arrogant. He was just being honest. That's not by me. It's by the grace of God. I've been assigned to a greater task.

But when he's saying about this in this verse, he's saying, "As you're evaluating me in Apollos, it's not your job to say which one of us is greater and which of us is lesser.

We will each stand before the judgment seat of God, and we will each be rewarded by the one who judges." And we're going to be rewarded not by you, Corinthians, but we're going to be rewarded by God, meaning that we properly, we can't evaluate someone else's ministry.

We may be looking at someone that's struggling, but we don't know the context of their life. We don't know the difficulties they're going through. We don't understand the complexities of their giftings or lack of giftings. And we can't say, "Well, this is what this person is doing." No, we don't know. They may be outperforming us. Some people got 10 talents. Some people got one talents. And the one talent might be not producing the same amount as 10 talents, but the one talent, percentage-wise, is doing more work than the 10 talents is doing. How do we know that? We don't know. Paul put it this way, "You judge me. You evaluate my life." That's strange. He says,"I don't even evaluate my life. I don't even judge my own life." He says, "Not that I know anything against myself. My conscience is clean, but just because I have a clean conscience does not mean that I'm innocent. I'm not the proper judge. I have to wait to the day of judgment." And so I think what, when we think about evaluating our ministries, it's not for us to go on who is the greatest among us. Only the Lord can do that. But we also see this encouragement. The Lord is going to reward us for our labors. He's going, I don't understand this because we know that God gives the increase and we just are instruments in His hands. And what we do is only by the grace of God working in us. So why should He reward us when He had to enable us? I gave this illustration before, but on time as a kid asked my dad for $10 because his birthday was coming up.

I bought him something for five bucks and bought me something for five bucks.

Why should He say thank you for robbing him blind? You know, why should He say that? But He did. Thank you for the gift. I mean, why should God reward us when He gave us the gifts, gave us the grace, and we take that grace and we don't handle it perfectly. So we're mismanaging some of it.

And so we're not getting the full amount of work out of what we're putting into it. And then God receives what we do and it says, "Thank you. Well done, my good and faithful servant." Lord is going to reward you for all that you do. Your work is not a small work. If God is going to reward you, if He's going to pay you back for all that you've ever done for Him, then don't believe what you're doing is of no value. So don't underestimate your ministry.

Don't overestimate your ministry, but serve the Lord. Serve the Lord fervently with zeal, knowing it's a good work, knowing God has called you to it. Let's pray.

Lord, thank you for what you've called us to, that you've included us, mere humans, into such a great work. Help us to be stewards and faithful, to take every opportunity we can to serve others for your glory.

Lord, glorify your Son through producing fruit in our lives. In Jesus' name, amen.

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