Maturing Beyond Leaders

¹Siblings, I couldn’t address y’all as spiritual people, but as fleshly, as babies in Christ.

²I fed y’all milk, not solid food, because you* weren’t yet ready. Indeed, y’all aren’t ready even now,

³because y’all are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy, infighting, and factions among y’all, aren’t y’all being fleshly? And aren’t y’all walking around like mere humans?

⁴For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t y’all acting as mere humans?

⁵Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but deacons through whom y’all believed, and as the Lord gave to each one?

⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.

⁷So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who makes things grow.

⁸Now the one who plants and the one who waters are the same, and each will receive a reward according to their own labor.

⁹For we are God’s fellow workers. Y’all are God’s field, God’s building.

¹⁰According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But let each one be careful how they build.

¹¹For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.

¹²But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw,

¹³each person’s work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each person’s work.

¹⁴If the work which one has built remains, that person will receive a reward.

¹⁵If anyone’s work is burned, they will suffer loss, but they will be saved, but only as through fire.

Y’all Are God’s Temple

¹⁶Don’t y’all know that y’all are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in y’all?

¹⁷If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God is holy, and that is what y’all are.

¹⁸Let no one deceive themself. If any of y’all thinks that they are wise in this world, let them become a fool so that they can become wise.

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”[#Job 5:13]

²⁰And again, “The Lord [YHWH] knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is worthless.”[#Psalm 94:11]

²¹Therefore let no one boast in human leaders. For all things are y’all’s,

²²whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. Everything belongs to y’all,

²³and y’all belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.