5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. I Corinthians 3:5-8

In my previous post, I addressed the issue that the abandonment of God’s Word as the source of both theology and methodology by modern evangelicals does not represent a shift in the historical church polity/planting/growth paradigm; it represents their abandonment of God. If that is the current pattern then how do we break out of it?

In the Paul’s epistle to the church at Corinth we find them in a similar state; they are finding their identity in an individual and placing a higher value the oratory finesse of these individuals than they are placing on the content of their message. Within this passage, we also find the solution to breaking free from this cycle.

What is Man?

Paul refers to himself in the third person and asks, “Who am I?” “Who am I that you would follow me?” “Who is Apollos that you would follow him?” The Corinthians had been arguing with regard to who they followed (1:11-12). Paul answers his own question and informs the Corinthians that they are all mere men, servants of God, whom God has sent to them. There is nothing about Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or any one else that should warrant the Corinthians’ attention except that they were sent by God.

We too must gain a proper understanding of who man is. No matter how compelling, charismatic, passionate, or sincere someone may be the only thing that warrants our attention is if they serve and are sent by God, namely the preaching of and submission to God’s Word.

What is the Seed?

In verse six, we find that Paul planted something and the Sunday school answer would be that he planted the Gospel and in I Corinthians 2:2 we find that to be the case; “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Paul decided to know nothing except the Gospel while he was in Corinth. It is imperative that we note that this means the entirety of Paul’s life was governed by and consumed by the Gospel. Paul’s theology was founded upon the Gospel, his evangelism was fueled by the Gospel, his service was encouraged by the Gospel, his endurance was sustained by the Gospel, and his methodology was formed by the Gospel.

We too must realize that the seed is the Gospel and this Gospel seed determines how, where, when, and why we plant it.

What is the Water?

In verse six, we find that Apollos watered something and once again, the Sunday school answer would be that he watered with the Gospel. In Romans 1:15 Paul writes that he is, “eager to preach the gospel” to them. This is the church in Rome and they would not be the church apart from the hearing of the Gospel; why then does Paul desire to preach it to them again? The answer is found in both verse thirteen where Paul says, “in order that I may reap some harvest among you” and verse eleven where he says, “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you.”

We too must understand, like Paul that the Gospel seed is watered by the Gospel to bring about spiritual birth (justification) and the continuation of this watering then brings about spiritual growth (sanctification). We must never tire of the Gospel, it is then message by which we are saved and by which we grow.

What is God?

God is the only one worthy of any admiration in this entire story. Paul and Apollos are called by God, send by God, bearing a message from God, and delivering it in the way in which God has specified. God then takes this Gospel message and causes it to grow. No amount of sowing and watering can cause the Gospel seed to grow apart from divine intervention.

We too must recognize that it is God alone who causes the Gospel seed to grow. If a church is truly growing, it is not because of the leadership or the church growth program; it is because of God. Now we must not assume that leadership and church structure are unimportant. Just as the Gospel shaped Paul’s theology and methodology, we must do likewise if we expect God to cause what has been sown and watered to grow. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (I Corinthians 1:18).

4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” I Samuel 8:4-9

I love the Old Testament; so much of Israel’s history, their failures and successes, so closely mirror the modern church that we would do well to study it often. Like many judges before him, Samuel was a man faithful to the Lord; however, his sons were corrupt and abusive and this led the people to desire a king. In this passage, the whoredom of Israel is revealed in several ways that closely mirror the failures of the modern church paradigm.

They Desired to Live like the World

Israel cried out “Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” They were surrounded by pagan nations who were ruled by kings and Israel wanted to be like them. In verse eight God reminds Samuel that this is nothing new, ever since their deliverance from Pharaoh in Egypt the Israelites have exhibited a pattern of unfaithfulness, which God foretold in Deuteronomy 17:14.

This is exactly what is happening in modern churches, church planting strategies, and church growth programs that are based upon secular marketing strategies rather than Scripture. Modern Christians, and I use the term loosely, have looked enviously upon the marketing and growth strategies of corporate America, and have sought to grow the kingdom of God in a similar manner. Like Israel’s desire for a king, this modern trend is nothing new but rather the culmination of the long-standing unfaithfulness of American evangelicals.

They Desired to Fight like the World

Despite Israel’s presence and responsibility in them the Lord was the one who fought their battles in the past (Exodus 14:14, 25, Deuteronomy 1:30, Joshua 10:25) and apart from God they could not succeed in battle (Deuteronomy 1:42). Their desire for a king marked their abandonment of His power and provision for their strength and strategy (v.20).

This is exactly what is happening when modern churches rely upon secular marketing strategies to grow God’s kingdom rather than the Holy Spirit transforming the hearts of men through the proclamation of God’s Word. In Israel’s past God had spoken to Moses, Joshua, and the Judges who then proclaimed the Word of the Lord to the people of Israel. Israel’s request for a king represented their abandonment of God’s Word for the wisdom of man. Just as Israel’s desire for a king led to their destruction and enslavement modern evangelicals’ desire for worldly wisdom will lead to false growth and an inability to battle the enemy.

They Desired to Submit like the World

In verse nine God commands Samuel to “solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” In the verses following Samuel describes at length the ways in which the king will abuse Israel and yet they replied “No! We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles (v.19-20).”

In the same way, that Israel desired a king, despite severe warnings of his abuses, modern evangelicals tolerate ministries whose founding values are more psychological than theological because they would rather submit to a man rather than the living God.

They Desired to Worship like the World

Ultimately, Israel’s actions were the manifestations, not the ultimate end, of their thinking. The end result of their desire what not the abandonment of God’s Word, or God’s rules, or God’s provision; the ultimate end of their desire was the abandonment and rejection of God (v.7-8).

Likewise, the abandonment of God’s Word as the source of both theology and methodology by modern evangelicals does not represent a shift in the historical church polity/planting/growth paradigm; it represents their abandonment of God.

Many of you who read this will find it to be a far cry from my previous post; in which I gave the following quote by David Prior.

“Paul looks at the Corinthian church as it is in Christ Jesus before he looks at anything else that is true of the church. That disciplined statement of faith is rarely made in local churches; the warts are examined and lamented, but often there’s no vision of what God has already done in Christ.”

I think there is continuity between these two posts in that you cannot view a church “as it is in Christ Jesus” if Christ is not taught there; the only way you could view it would be as an object of His wrath. More importantly it is only through understanding where, why, and how we fail that we can overcome these failures by the grace of God.

Ever since I attended Resolved, Humility: True Greatness by, C. J. Mahaney has been at the top of my “to read list.” Over the past week, I have had the pleasure of reading this wonderfully challenging book. This is not intended to be a formal book review; I just want to share some of my reflections on this book in light of recent conversation. While not a book review, I highly recommend this book to everyone.

I Corinthians 1:4, “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus.” This verse must be one of the most oft quoted verses in personal correspondence, I have written it at the end of many letters my self and yet I never gave the context in which this verse was written a single thought. Paul is writing the church at Corinth to confront numerous issues and serious theological error. They were often drunk at the Lord’s Supper, they were divided, some had denied the resurrection, and they were sexually immoral to a point that appalled even the pagans. The church at Corinth had serious problems and yet Paul always thanks God for them. Paul continues to display this love as he writes, “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (I Corinthians 4:14-15).

While attending Together for the Gospel last week I was very interested in seeing how these men, who have poured their lives into the local church, addressed the gaping failures of modern Evangelicism. Much of our conversation negatively focuses on the failures of local churches rather than the active work of God’s grace within them. Yes, there are serious problems, problems that cannot be tolerated and must be addressed; however, we must do so in a gracious and loving way, as Paul does. David Prior, in The Message of 1 Corinthians: Life in the Local Church, describes Paul’s perspective as follows,

“Paul looks at the Corinthian church as it is in Christ Jesus before he looks at anything else that is true of the church. That disciplined statement of faith is rarely made in local churches; the warts are examined and lamented, but often there’s no vision of what God has already done in Christ.”

How does Paul cultivate such a perspective? In Humility: True Greatness C. J. Mahaney unfolds the profundity of Ephesians 4:29 as the answer to this question. “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). The verse is very straightforward; however, we must be careful not to miss the profound simplicity of what Paul is saying. Our talk is to be constructive and build up so that we may give grace to those who hear. Where do we find the most profound expression of grace that man has ever known? What is the blazing center of God’s grace and the Christian life? Paul is saying that our language should be Cross-centered, God-glorifying, and Gospel-saturated language. Is their any greater means of grace towards an individual than the Gospel? Certainly not, may all of our language bear this good news.

This week I have had the privilege of attending Together for the Gospel, A Conference and Conversation for Pastors and Preachers hosted by Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, C.J. Mahaney, Albert Mohler. Rather than recount the experience to you I want to point you towards several important resources.

First, the Together for the Gospel website.

Second, the Together for the Gospel Blog.

Third, the Sovereign Grace Store where you can purchase individual audio messages or the complete MP3 CD for only $11.00 this is quite a bargain.

Fourth, the blog of Tim Challies, the official live blog during Together for the Gospel. Below are Tim’s live blogs for each session his notes are fantastically detailed and I recommended you read them.

• T4G
• T4G – Introduction
• T4G – Session One – Mark Dever: The Pastor’s Understanding of His Own Role
• T4G Session Two – Ligon Duncan: Preaching From The Old Testament
• T4G Session Three – Al Mohler: Preaching with the Culture in View
• T4G Session Four – R.C. Sproul: The Center of Christian Preaching: Justification by Faith Alone
• T4G Session Five – John Piper: Why Expositional Preaching is Particularly Glorifying to God
• T4G Session Six – C.J. Mahaney: Watch Your Life and Doctrine
• T4G Session Seven – John MacArthur: 40 Years of Gospel Ministry

Also, I have been posting quite infrequently as of late and I plan to do several substantial posts during the coming weeks. So stay tuned and give feedback.

While reading a friends blog I was directed to the following two provocatively and accurately titled posts: Cheap Grace: Pimp my gospel! and Pimping Jesus: consumerism and the red-light gospel. I hope you all enjoy these insights into the modern evangelism/gospel presentation paradigm.