1 Corinthians 3:5-9 and 16 – 17
“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
We have a purpose for the kingdom of God. Whether our role is to spread the gospel initially or come behind someone else and water the seed they planted, the increase of knowledge, truth, insight, and belief comes from God.
Our God-given purpose is to do the good deeds God planned for us before the beginning of time (Ephesians 2:10). We can plant or water, but God will take care of the rest. We are co-workers of God in the vineyard of the world. We plant or water to give God something to increase.
To do our good deeds, we must take care of our temple. In I Corinthians 3, Paul talks about caring for our local churches. We are also responsible for caring for our physical, mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual selves.
We are holy people. Set apart to do God’s perfect will (I Peter 2:9). We are sacred.
What does God say I am? God says I am sacred.
