God’s Fellow Workers—God’s Field

God’s Fellow Workers—God’s Field

“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.” 1 Cor. 3:9. The apostle made it known that there was a great difference between individuals in the church. While he performed an important work with others in order to help them advance, the Corinthians still could not manage on their own.

Was the apostle Paul not also in God’s building? Yes, of course, but he let them know that by working out their salvation with fear and trembling they had abundant opportunity to be laborers in God’s kingdom, to be skilled tradesmen.

It is the same today. The way is open to those who believe. It is not God’s intention that anyone remains a child, but that they all grow up into Him who is the head, Christ. Heb. 5:12-14; Eph. 4:15.

As long as you are a child, you are unskilled in the word of righteousness and you let most of God’s word pass you by without receiving it. There is a time for everyone to be a child, but to remain as a child when, according to the time you ought to have been a teacher—an adult—testifies to a lack of interest in God’s election and His grace toward you. It is also a testimony to the fact that you have other interests.

A carnal person cannot please God, so it ought to be everyone’s natural desire to expend the effort, being eager to become spiritual. We may ask: “How does this happen?” When the light shines, the things that are in darkness in our life are illuminated, for judgment is in the light. If you therefore acquiesce in the judgment, you eat God’s word which is the light, and by diligently doing this, you grow and cease from being in the flesh. By using your senses in the Lord’s service, you exercise yourself in discerning between good and evil. Heb. 5:14. Then you are no longer afraid of acknowledging your mistakes because you understand that doing so is useful; you recognize its good effects.

What do you actually get to see? You get to see the truth about yourself. Previously, your perception of yourself was false, but now the truth has been revealed by the light. When the light shines, we ought to be like a hungry youth who comes to the table, the greatest truths being eagerly “devoured” even though they directly affect the person, the soul. But the soul must be poured out because it is earthly, and by so doing we gain the salvation of our soul. Isa. 53:12; 1 Pet. 1:9-11. We become a new person, a spiritual person in whose life the earthly-sensual is poured out and is replaced by the heavenly, with the senses operating in obedience to Christ. We learn to discern between good and evil in areas where the natural man cannot follow. We receive God’s understanding, God’s wisdom, and we understand the work in His kingdom.

Now we may think like this: “God has appointed in the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. These are spiritual workers, and the rest of us are church members who rejoice in listening to them.” But take note of what it says in Ephesians 4:12: “For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ . . . .”

It is for this purpose that God gave the various gifts to the church. People entertain many thoughts about drawing back. However, we have to choose between two things while we are under the influence of grace: either we are willing to be saved and thus become a vessel of honor, or we save our life and lose it; either let grace work unto salvation, or receive it in vain.

May everyone, by God’s grace, choose to be willing to be saved.