Morning Devotional February 4, 2017

1 Corinthians 3:5-7

“Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 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.”

Paul makes it clear here and puts things in their proper order. Paul and Apollos were preachers/teachers of the gospel. But, Paul makes it clear here that it was not him nor Apollos who gave the increase of souls to the Lord. No! But, rather Paul says it is God who gives the increase.

Now if we read this in it's context we will see that Paul is referring to the growth of the Lord's churches. So, Paul, being a traveling missionary and the Lord's Apostle to the Gentiles came and preached the gospel and taught new converts the ways of Christ. Then he moved on as the Lord lead. Apollos or men like him(Timothy, Titus, etc.) came behind Paul or Paul would leave them behind when he moved on to teach the new converts in the ways of Christ. But it was God who gave those new converts to the churches. It was God who saved them. It was God that gave them the “want to” or the desire to follow their salvation with scriptural baptism and then membership in the local churches. So it is today. This is still how God works. Nothing has changed with God in this.

However, today we see so many who have this very way of adding to the churches backwards. Even many of the Lord's true churches have fallen into the thought that man must help God by drawing people into the churches by worldly amusements. We see churches forsaking their first love for the lust of the world. All to draw in those who will add to the membership numbers and to the church scoffers with money.

Now there is a fine line here. We are commanded to go out and preach the gospel in our own community first. We are to encourage those in the community to come hear our Pastor preach. But, we must remember it is God who will call His elect to Himself. It is God who will call those elect to join the local church if/when He is ready for them.

Nowhere in God's Word does God tell us to have parties or concerts or sporting events or special services to draw in new members. The drawing of new members is to be left to God. We are commanded to preach the gospel. One is to plant, another is to water, and God will give the increase.

I pray our Lord's churches will get back to following the Lord's Word in this teaching. It is a sad thing to see so many pastors and churches going against the Lord's plan for His people. By following our worldly lust and greed, many have let the world into the Lord's church. And God because of these things God has turned many over to a reprobate mind when it comes to the teachings on the church.

Praise ye the Lord!!!

 

Stephen McCool Sr.