The Victory of The Work
By Toby Crowder
Mitchell County
1 Cor 3:6-7 “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.”
The letter of 1 Corinthians shows us that Paul was writing to a church body that had experienced some divisions. This division appears to have brought to light some factions within the church that existed because some were claiming allegiance to Paul, others to Apollos, and some to Cephas (Peter.) Paul addresses this in chapters one and two of this letter, and then in the text that we just read, Paul describes them as being carnal; and unable to hear spiritual things. Why? Because they were so focused on the divisions and cliques that divided the church body. They were focusing on the workers instead of the work.
We see here that some favored Paul, but there were also two other men recognized: Apollos – a learned Jew from Alexandria, who was mighty in the scriptures and is also mentioned in Acts, as well as both letters to Corinth. Paul also mentioned Cephas, which is simply another name for the apostle Peter. We know the ministries of Paul and Cephas, and we can assume that Apollos was a like-minded colleague. In verse six, when Paul mentions planting, he is referring to the establishment of the church there. You will be able to find a brief history of what happened there in Acts 18:1-4 when this church was “planted.” Apollos would come on the scene later and minister to the church there.
In this passage, Paul reminded them that they were laboring both FOR and WITH God. Notice here that Paul brings it all into focus. As we do our part, God is faithful to do His! Consider the work of a farmer… if he does not plant the seed, water the ground, and wait on the growth process, he will starve. Yet he does not plant, water, till, weed, grow, and harvest all on the same day. There are seasons to his work, just as there are seasons to the ministry. In many churches today, we are reaping the harvest from generations of faithful men and women who labored and toiled faithfully for the sake of the Gospel. In November, the church that I pastor will be blessed to celebrate one hundred and two years of ministry. This ongoing ministry could never have continued over the years without generations of godly workers who sewed the seed of the Word of God and prayed to Him to supply the harvest. Many church workers and Pastors have had a hand in this work and ministry, but ultimately the harvest has been given by God.
The farmer trusts in the process… he trusts the seed… the sun… the water… and the God of the harvest. He watches… he waits… he remembers past seasons … he sees the stages of growth…And then one day… he sees the harvest! He has no choice but to trust in a power outside and beyond himself. The same applies to spiritual work. God produces conviction and a spiritual awareness that man cannot produce. If God does not do the work and provide the harvest, then our efforts will have been in vain. Salvation comes from God the Father and Him alone. We do our part, yet God is in total control of the increase! We may plant a seed in Sunday School… others may water it… and God increases it! We may offer a tithe… others are faithful in their giving… and God increases it! We may offer a tract… others may pray… and God saves a soul! We may support a mission work… others may join us… and then God plants a church or another ministry. We do not operate in the success of our efforts… we allow God to provide the increase!
Friend, whatever work that God has placed you in, He has you there for a reason. Your job may be to plant seeds or to water and maintain the work, or it may be to help in some special way that only you can. And while God allows us to have a part in the process, the harvest is in His hands, and therein lies the victory of the work!
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Toby Crowder serves as Pastor of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Spruce Pine. He and his wife Leslie have been married for almost 30 years and have two daughters, Emilee, and Katy. Feel free to contact him at MCfamilyforChrist.org or mtcarmelsprucepine@gmail.com
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Read more from Toby Crowder here.
