Working on God’s Building 1 Cor 3: 9 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

When we are saved, we are baptized by the Spirit into Jesus’ body (1 Cor 12:13).  According to John 2:19-21 the body of Jesus Christ is a temple.  In 1 Pet 2:5, therefore, every new Christian is a “lively stone“ that is added to this “spiritual house.“

You see this truth in Eph 2:19-22, we are “the household of God.” We are a building “fitly framed together” that “groweth unto a holy temple.” We are “builded together.” We are the “habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Therefore, one of the chief occupations of the ministry involves working on God’s building, adding new stones to this spiritual house, and helping them grow.

In 1 Cor 3:9-16, we are the temple of God. And “we are laborers together with God” in the construction of this building. Paul was the wise master builder who laid the foundation. Others, since him, have built on his foundation. “Every man“ is supposed to be building (1 Cor 3:10, 13). 

According to Eph 4:11-16, we all have a part in supplying the body (the building). Every part (every man) has something to do to contribute to the growth and completion of God’s building.

We are all supposed to be working on God’s building.

God created us to do this work. Eph 2:10. Christ is our head, and he puts us on the crew. He gives us our jobs. Paul planted, Apollos watered. Do your job. When Nehemiah built the wall, each crew had their section to build.  Find out what you’re supposed to do and do it.

God gifted us by the Spirit to do this work. 1 Cor 12:1, 4-7.  Our spiritual gifts match the work God gives us to do. God matches the person who has a particular spiritual gift with the specific need. Don’t try to do someone else’s job because you think it’s better. Do what you are gifted to do, the way God wants you to do it.

God gave us the materials to do this work.  1 Cor 3:12.  Men build God’s building with two different kinds of building materials.  Some use gold, silver and precious stones, like they used for the tabernacle and the temple in the Old Testament [Ex 35:5, 9; 1 Chr 29:1-5].  And some use wood, hay and stubble, like they used when they built the cities for Pharaoh in Egypt [Ex 1:11; Ex 5:7, 12].  Paul built with the gold, silver and precious stones of God’s words [Ps 19:9-10], God’s wisdom [Prov 8:10-11, 18], and God’s gifts [Prov 17:8].  Other men have come behind Paul with inferior building materials like man’s wisdom and man’s programs [1 Cor 3:18-20] represented by the wood, hay and stubble.  They don’t last.

God will reward us when we complete this work. 1 Cor 3:13-15. Your work is not done until you finish your job the right way. Finish your course well and you’ll be rewarded well.  Just remember that we are rewarded for how well we build his building; not how big we build our ministries.  His building remains; our ministries don’t.

Conclusion: you don’t have to worry about your ministry or your work. God has created you for the work he wants you to do and he has given you the spiritual gifts, grace and materials to do it. Go to work on what he wants you doing, whether you’re learning, assisting someone else or actually doing the work yourself. Acts 6:1-7 the men serving tables were not less important (Philip, Stephen). The job they did allowed the word of God to increase and the disciples to multiply greatly.