Scripture to Read: 1 Corinthians 3:3–5
God had Paul write to the believers in Corinth concerning their fleshly behavior in 1 Corinthians 3:3–4, “for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?” God wanted the Corinthian Christians to understand that they were allowing themselves to be controlled by their fleshly desires and that they were not being submitted to God and His Holy Spirit in them. God had Paul point out that they were jealous of one another and quarreled with each other. God had Paul also point out that they were saying things like, “I am a follower of Paul,” or, “I follow Apollos.” But no one said, “I am a follower of Jesus.” Since they were quarreling over who they were following, God led Paul to remind them of who he and Apollos were in 1 Corinthians 3:5, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.” God had Paul challenge them by asking, “Who are we anyway?” God had Paul remind them that he and Apollos were servants of God and that God used them to share the Gospel of Christ with them, and that is how they came to surrender to Christ as Lord and Savior. As Christians, we must understand that we are servants of God the Father through Christ because His Holy Spirit lives in us.
Challenge & Application
Why is it so important to guard our hearts from giving in to our fleshly desires?
What is the problem with elevating people to a place of honor when it comes to the Lord’s work?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!