1 Corinthians 3:5-17

“Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ⁷ So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. ⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. ¹⁰ According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. ¹⁶ Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

Over the past few weeks, I have been teaching in the book of Ephesians at our church. Last week, we covered the first 12 verses of Ephesians 5. In that passage, Paul tells us that Christians who commit acts like fornication and coveting will not get an inheritance in the Kingdom of God. The word for inheritance has to do with the idea of being an heir. As such, one can be saved and sadly, still be involved in things that should not be.

As I was preparing for the lesson, the passage above came to my mind. Like you, I am waiting for the Lord. As I wait, I am trying to serve Him and honor Him as a dad, a pastor, a son, a friend, and a salesman. I often think of what that day at the judgment will be like for me. I wonder if you are thinking about that day? Those of us who believe in the imminent rapture of the saved have to be mindful that the journey home is just the beginning. We will have to face the judgment. How will that go for you and me?

In the passage in 1 Corinthians, there is a picture painted of one of the kinds of things that we have to offer and the things that will be judged that day. The test will be by fire, not a literal fire but a test for and of purity. Silver, gold and precious stones are made better or are not affected by fire. Wood, hay, and straw are all consumed by fire. The most important is that we have the right foundation.

Paul leads us up to the judgment by talking about the divisions there in the church at Corinth. These divisions are over the style of preaching. Some prefer Paul, other Apollos, but neither matter. What matters is on what foundation the ministries are built. All of us have preferences; we like one preaching style over another, but what matters from God’s perspective is not how we preach but WHY we preach. Are we preaching to gain followers? Are we preaching to become famous?

Lately, that seems to be the goal of many preachers to be famous. Are we preaching to fill the pews? Are we honoring the text? Are we preaching the full gospel? And, even if we are, is the message built on the foundation of honoring God and lifting Jesus up? Do you and I ever take credit for God’s victories? Did our preaching or style of teaching win someone to the Gospel? No, never. If anyone comes to salvation, it was God’s gospel, God’s word, God’s Holy Spirit that convicted, and it is God and He alone who saves. We are just vessels.

What about you? So, you are not a preacher; do not think it was just about preachers here in this text. This judgment is on anyone who is in Christ. How did you build your life? Did you live for the sole purpose of honoring God? Did you live a life that was given over to obeying and serving the Lord for the sake of that alone and out of sheer gratitude for all He did for you?

One day, not too long from now, we will be called home either by trumpet or death from here. Then, we will be judged and our ‘works’ held to the fire of God’s judgment. What then? Please be sure that this is not about salvation; no one works to be saved, Ephesians 2:8-9. But once we are saved, we are to be involved in ‘good works,’ Ephesians 2:10. These works must be built on the foundation of Jesus and all He did and is doing.

I am sure that day will not go well for all of us. In the text, we see that some will have their entire life’s work burned up and be saved ‘so as by fire.’ The mere fact that one is at this judgment is a good thing as far as eternity is concerned. This has made me think and check myself. Will I have some silver, gold, and precious stone, or will my works be burned up entirely? What about you? Have you thought about it?

We are all excited about the rapture, and rightly so, but are you ready to face the Master? How have you and I invested our talents? Will Jesus find a good return on His investment in us? Are you and I good and faithful servants or slothful servants? I go over all my failures, all my sins, all of my mess-ups, and I even begin to question the motives behind my apparent successes. What if the results were good but the foundation is wrong? You see, it is not just about the results. Even when we mess up, God’s goodness and His grace are even greater than our mess-ups.

Help me, Lord; please help us to be on the firm foundation of Jesus and Him crucified, and may our works bring Him the glory and the honor that He rightly deserves. One day we will see each other on the other side, maybe shuffling toward our judgments. What a day that will be.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church

How To Connect With Us

Online: https://mmbchurch.ca/

Email: seangooding@mmbchurch.ca

Join us on Zoom every Sunday (10:30 am) for Sunday Service AND every Tuesday at 8:00 pm for Bible Study: Meeting ID: 700 794 460 Passcode: 032661; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/700794460?pwd=M3NFRG91ZW5Sa2Z3amVyWkFnYXd6QT09

2 Peter 1:3-8: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him, who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Everywhere that Christianity has flowed, education has also followed. Missionaries understand that people need to be able to read the Bible for themselves, and as such, an education is essential. There are many instances around the world and in the history of the church that show that many, many schools were opened by Christians. In Little House on the Prairie, the local school is hosted right in the church building. Many do not know that Harvard, Princeton, and Yale were founded as seminaries. Here in Canada, the home-schooling roles doubled during COVID, and the vast majority seem to remain. Some people saw for the first time what their kids were learning (or not learning) at school.

When I began school in Barbados a long time ago, we were reminded that freedom and education go hand in hand. As Christians, we understand that there is a need for people to be able to read the Bible for themselves. Men like Tyndale died making sure that the Bible was available to be read by all who wanted to read it.

Peter, in our text above, tells us that the Scripture can equip us to ‘participate in the divine nature.’ The Scripture is filled with precious promises, promises that get us through the tough times of life and equip us to help others. Paul tells us in Colossians, “Let the word of God dwell richly in you.” This is done by reading over and over the word of God. Sadly, in our schools, public schools, the standards of reading continue to go down more and more. Many teens and young people cannot read much, and even if they can pronounce the words, they do not understand them. Many cannot write a paragraph or a story, for that matter.

I recall, as a young man in Barbados, hearing how some of the US missionaries were astonished that the older Barbadians could read when they came to begin missions in the 50s and 60s. They remarked that many of that age in the US could not read. Freedom and education go hand in hand. No one who is involved in a church should want to have uneducated people. We should equip and encourage people to learn how to read and then to encourage it as often as possible.

In addition to reading, there should be history and mathematics, geography, and the like. These are all important. The Bible is full of all of this. The Bible gives us specific locations where things happened and will happen; it tells us about science, and it tells us about people who lived in history. The books of Luke and Acts are filled with historical facts that we can use to verify information and gain confidence in the Scriptures. However, one cannot do this if one cannot read and do research.

Ignorance is the tool of the Devil. He does not want people to read, verify, and be re-assured of the Scripture by reading it for themselves. Parents, we should not tolerate the dumbing down of our education system, especially since, in the past few years, the focus has been on the indoctrination of our kids to everything that God hates. It may be time to take our kids out of public schools and put them in home-schooling or Christian schools.

I recently heard of a father who found out that his son was being transitioned into a girl at school. The school had dresses at school that he could change into when he got there, and this was done all behind Dad’s back. This is going on all around us, and the Devil is stealing our kids. This is not an isolated incident. Public school is a spiritual death trap for Christian kids. Even if they are not trying to indoctrinate them, and honestly, not all are. There is a lack of serious education that stunts out kids and ill-equips them to become sound and productive citizens. Many cannot read what rights they have either here or in the world to come. Reading will set your kids apart, and it will equip them to succeed. God wrote the Bible for the purpose that we should read it and have access to its power.

Children who go to Christian schools do not suffer from diminished social skills; they do just fine. I know; all of my kids are in or went to Christian schools. I know of countless families who have done the same with all of their kids, and they do not lack. What they do lack is ignorance. They lack stupidity. My 12-year-old is memorizing scripture and asking me about the Ottoman Empire, asking me about history and the like. I have 16-year-old twin nephews who are obedient, hardworking, can be trusted, and do not need to be babysat all the time. They have been taught that their parents are to be honoured, not shunned and lied to. They interact with adults and understand manners. These are still important.

Christians should always strive for a good, godly education. While I did not attend a Christian school in Barbados, we began each day with Scripture reading and prayers before any classes. If any of my teachers doubted God, it never came up in class, and no one ever encouraged me to defy my parents.

If your local church has the capacity to do so, maybe you should consider starting a school. It will make disciplining your kids a bit easier. And, yes, I know the argument that when we take our kids out of public school, we lose the witness. I can appreciate that observation. Then, maybe make sure that you set the foundation and have them in Christian schools until they are in grade 10 or 11, and then let them attend. Even then, be very careful; the Devil will come hard for our kids. But equip them to stand before you unleash them in the battle.

God wants us to read the Bible. He wants us to know it and to have it in us so that the Holy Spirit can recall it to us. One must know how to read and how to study the Bible. Churches should promote good education; we should want people to be able to read for themselves. Maybe begin an ESL ministry at your church and use the Bible or other Christian books to learn how to read. We should be looking for ways to get the Gospel out, and this may be one way. Teach people how to read, and get your youth involved; they have to read to be able to teach.

Psalm 19:7-11 “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

Online: https://mmbchurch.ca/

Email: seangooding@mmbchurch.ca

Join us on Zoom every Sunday (10:30 am) for Sunday Service AND every Tuesday at 8:00 pm for Bible Study: Meeting ID: 700 794 460 Passcode: 032661; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/700794460?pwd=M3NFRG91ZW5Sa2Z3amVyWkFnYXd6QT09