11-10-2019
Dr. E. Dale Locke, Rev. Trevor Johnston, and Pastor Efrain Silva
Sermon Series: Scatter
Week 2: Can You Dig It?
English PDF file for printing: 11-10-2019
Para imprimir el archivo PDF en Español: 10 de noviembre de 2019
Continue to learn the theme verse for this sermon series – Luke 10:2:“Jesus told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” Join us in praying this verse each day at 10:02 a.m.
Read from Paul’s letter to the Christians in Corinth - 1 Corinthians 3:1-11:
“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere human beings?5 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. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”What comments or questions come to your mind from this passage?
Everyone Has a Role to Play!
4. In verse 6, Paul describes the process that helped the Corinthians come to faith. Paul planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. A person seldom commits their life to Jesus Christ after just one encounter of hearing the gospel. It usually takes many encounters with Christians and with the message of Jesus before someone is ready to take that step. Think about some of the people who were part of your journey toward faith in Christ. What did they do or say that helped draw you closer to Jesus?
5. There are many different roles in the Body of Christ. If you would like to serve at Community of Hope, but you’re not sure how, check out communityofhope.church/serve to get some ideas. Look at this website page together as a group, and talk about how each of these ministry areas could be used to help people grow toward faith in Christ.
6. Sequoia seeds are very tiny, and yet they grow to be the largest tree in the world. In a similar way, small mentions about your faith could make a huge difference in someone’s life. Unfortunately, many Christians tend to keep their spiritual life separate from their unchurched friends, rather than just speaking naturally about faith in all their circles. Talk about some natural ways you could plant a seed about Jesus in unchurched people at your work, in your neighborhood, or in your family.
God Creates the Growth
7. Just as we can’t see a seed growing under the ground, we can’t always see how God is working to cause the spiritual seeds we’ve planted in people to grow. How does it make you feel to know that God is ultimately the One who makes faith grow?
8. In verse 9, Paul says that God has invited us to be His co-workers. What did Paul mean by that?
I Will Give an Account of How I’ve Done
9. In verse 10, Paul reminds us that our words and actions are often building on a spiritual foundation someone else started, so we should be careful how we build on it. Imagine how sad you would be if someone you care about and have been trying to connect to Jesus had an encounter with a jerky Christian that pushed them backwards on their faith journey. What are some ways Christians sometimes hinder unbelievers on their journey?
10. In contrast to that, describe the kind of Christian you hope your unsaved loved ones will encounter.
11. Read 1 Corinthians 3:12-13: “If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.”
What did Paul mean by this? What do the gold, silver and costly stones represent? What do the wood, hay or straw represent?