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And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labour of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:1-9)
Smoking or Non-Smoking? Remember that question? Remember when airlines would allow smoking in the smoking section? Thank God those days are over! Imagine walking into a church and the usher asking you, "Spiritual or Flesh?" You'd probably say, "Excuse me?" And the usher would say, "Milk or solid food?" Huh? This is what Paul is asking as he's writing to the church in Corinth. "What in the world is going on over there?" Or, as some parents say, "Don't make me come down there!" Paul knew his people and he addressed them as such. For the most part the people in the Corinthian church were flesh people, ready only for milk. Some were ready for baby food. No meat yet. Why? There was quarreling and jealousy going on in the Christian church. They hadn't yet become spiritual people; they were behaving like people driven by the flesh. They were arguing about who had been the better pastor among them. Some said Paul; some said Apollos. Paul asks, "What are we anyway? We're just servants that brought you the faith, and it was the Lord guiding you. Some came to faith through me, some through Apollos; what's the big deal?" It's all about God, not about you. Or us. Sadly, some churches still have fleshy people. They've not yet "gotten it," when it comes to being spiritual people. Those are the ones who still "don't get fed," or "I'm not getting anything out of worship." Duh. Worship is geared towards God; Who deserves it. We don't deserve to be worshiped, nor should we expect that anything in worship is about us. We should come to worship with hungry hearts, open spirits set on receiving more from the Lord. The hymns chosen should be about Jesus and God; not about the ones we really like. We are there to worship God and a renewing of our faith and purpose in serving God. Paul says, we will receive what we have brought to work with; "For we are God's servants, working together; you are God's field, God's building."
Pray for yourself as you prepare for this coming Sunday's worship. Reflect on your attitude and gratitude towards God. If you think you would be assigned to the Flesh Section, ask to be moved to the Spiritual section. Pablum (am I giving away my age?) or Steak? Ask for steak (or whatever meat you eat; ask for the vegan menu if you wish - you know what I'm talking about here!).
PRAYER: Loving God, as I pray, I pray for myself and for my church. I want to be that part of the church that worships You and blesses You. I ask that You move me out of my fleshy thoughts and place me solidly in the spiritual part of worship. I want to help Your church grow, and I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
To see ConCafe Off the Cuff video on this passage click here: https://youtu.be/No_7I48ePiY
