Lent 3 (27 March 2011)
Theme: Jesus and Sinners

Last Sunday we heard about the encounter of Jesus with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. This morning we hear of another encounter of Jesus – not with another religiously upright, educated, wealthy or a respectable person of society - but a woman with doubtful character from Samaria. Nicodemus sneaked into the house where Jesus stayed at night, while this woman met him as she went to the well at noon time. Though they have chosen two different times, they did it out of the same reason – i.e. in order to avoid being seen by others. Nicodemus did not want other Pharisees or religious people to see him with Jesus who they regarded as a false teacher and therefore, an enemy. The Samaritan woman went to draw water from the well at noon day because she did not want to meet other women who despised her.
When John put these two stories one after another, I believe he has one purpose in mind – that is to let us see that irrespective of where you stand in the eyes of society this morning you need Christ Jesus. The religious and the irreligious, the moral and the immoral, the educated and the uneducated, the rich and the poor, male and female – all need Jesus Christ.
It is not easy to describe the life of this Samaritan woman. As a man I cannot possibly understand her feelings as an outcast. But there are a few things which we can understand. First, as a woman in those days, she was dependent on a man for her identity as a human being. We are told that she had been married five times, and the man she was living with was not her legal husband. We do not know how her marriages to the other men ended, whether by death or divorce.
She knew the life of an outcast to the point where she had to go to a well far distant from the city on at noon day. No woman would come to the well to wash their clothes or draw water at noon day: it would be too hot. They would come in the early morning or evening when it would be cooler, and that was when they would fellowship and chat with one another. This Samaritan woman could not join the other women because they would have nothing to do with her – to them she was an outcast, an immoral person and object of gossips.
Imagine her loneliness and the inner pain – the men looked down on her and the women rejected her friendship. She knew their gossips. She heard their conversations. She was familiar with her reputation, the stares and the snide remarks. They wounded her spirit and hardened her heart. She would rather face the fierce heat of the midday sun than risk meeting one of the townspeople at the well. Imagine yourself to be in that position: it is a dreadful place to be and an awful situation to find yourself in. Hiding away from people for fear of what they might say and what they are thinking.
How did Jesus end up meeting this woman? We are told that the encounter took place while Jesus was on the way from Judea to Galilee. In order to reach Galilee travellers from Judea must travel through Samaria. This was not something the Jews would do unless they had to because the Samaritans were considered by the Jews as enemies. Some strict Jews would even travel hundreds of miles through other regions outside Samaria in order to stay ritually clean. This hatred of the Jews towards the Samaritans and vice versa stretched back over 700 years to the time immediately after the death of Solomon and the conquering of the land by the Assyrians. When the northern region was conquered the Jews of that land started to marry people of other races, and hence lost their racial purity and their religious purity, and came to be known as the Samaritans. Around 400 B.C. the Samaritans built their own temple at Mt. Gerizim because they could no longer worship in Jerusalem. This is the background to this story.
John tells us that Christ Jesus was tired from the travelling and so he sat down at the side of Jacob’s well (v. 5-6), whilst the disciples headed off to the nearest town to purchase some food (v8). Whilst they were away a woman came to the well and Jesus asked her for a drink of water (v.7).
To us this seems like a simple request but considering the hatred between Jews and Samaritans, it means crossing over social barriers. And for Jesus, a Jewish man, to speak to a woman, in public was forbidden – and worse still a Samaritan woman. Some Jews would even speak to their own wives in public. That was why the woman was so shocked when Jesus spoke to her (v9). She said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”
Even her own people in the village of Sychar despised and rejected her, and yet here was Jesus, a Jewish man speaking to her. She must be thinking, “If this man knows my reputation he will not speak to me. And he certainly will not ask me for anything”. Most of us will never tell anybody what we really go thorough in life because we fear what they will think of us. We keep our pains, hurts and longings to ourselves because we fear people may no longer want to be our friends, if they know who we are. When this woman answered Jesus, ‘How can you ask me for a drink?’ she was stating more than the social barriers between them – she was revealing something of her heart to Jesus. “If you know what sort of woman I am, you will not speak to me, let alone ask water from me?”
In reply to her question Jesus made an offer (v10). He said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” Water is a symbol of spiritual blessing, and Jesus spoke to her about ‘the gift of God…and living water.’ But she could not understand what Jesus was saying. Even when Jesus restated the offer in even more vivid terms, in verses 13 and 14, but once again she failed to understand. While Jesus was talking about the spiritual thirst of her soul, she was talking about her physical thirst. He talked of the eternal and she was focused on the things of this world. But then, why should we expect her to understand? Her life was all about fulfilling her physical hunger and thirst. Wasn’t her entire adult spent on seeking to quench her thirst for love, acceptance and security in one failed marriage after another? Hadn’t she been thinking, hoping, maybe even praying all these years that the next husband would be the one to fulfil her longings?
Now let us ask ourselves a question – Are we any different from this woman? Have we not been thinking and hoping and praying for the next thing that can bring us satisfaction in life, but only to be disappointed time and time again? It may not be relationship issues: it may be a job that we hope will satisfy our ambition; or that we are hoping for more money to come in that will fulfil our needs; or it may be some project that we hope to accomplish that will bring names for ourselves. Are there not times when you think there is ‘something is missing in your life’ and that you have not found it until now? In our story this morning, Jesus was trying to make the woman to take her eyes away from the things of this world and to look at the spiritual, and she couldn’t do it. Are you like that woman, stuck with your particular needs, and having no idea how to get out?
When the woman asked for a drink of this ‘living water’ which would quench her thirst, Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” Why did Jesus do that? That is how Jesus often deals with our thirsts. He went directly to the source of the problem. (I am not saying that the sixth husband is the problem). But look at her answer. Up to this point she had been quite talkative but now her answer is short and too the point, ‘I don’t have a husband’ (v17). Her answer is truthful but evasive. She still refused to talk about it because it was a painful subject to talk about.
Have we not been there? Have we not been evasive in some areas of our lives because they are too painful or hard to confront? Sometimes we blame other people or circumstances for our miseries and our failures. But look here: Jesus did not stop from confronting her with a personal issue. He said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
The question I want to ask you is: was Jesus being cruel by revealing something so personal and opening up the past wounds? You need to remember that in a few weeks time Jesus would die on the cross for this woman. Jesus wasn’t being cruel to her: he was doing this to save her from the consequences of her past and to save her from having to continue in such a spiral of broken relationships, unsatisfied thirst, and living in shame in the future.
But it was hard for her to accept. She tried to divert the conversation once more. “Sir,” she said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” She did not want to talk about her personal life, instead tried to change the subject to a religious question. It is easy to be critical about this woman. But don’t we often talk about religion when God wants to talk to us about relationship? This woman asks a question concerning the right place to worship God: was it Jerusalem or Mt. Gerizim? She talked about place of worship not because she was religious: she was simply uncomfortable with the topic that has to do with her moral life. Don’t we do the same?
I have attended several hundreds of committee meetings in Churches all over the Diocese and Province during the course of my ministry. Most of the things that were heavily discussed or debated upon have to do with material things – money, buildings, lands, vehicles, number of people and list of physical activities and programs. And when it comes to dealing with spiritual matters, things that concern our relationship with Jesus and things that matter the most – only few people dare to give their opinions.
It is significant that Jesus refused to be drawn into this argument as to what place was the acceptable for worship. And Jesus told her that a time is coming when neither the temple in Jerusalem nor the temple on Mount Gerizim will be needed or considered as acceptable place to worship God. After the Ascension of Jesus, God is worshipped all over the places, and all over the world. The important thing is not where, it is the attitude of the hearts which matter - that God must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. It is all about the Spirit of God and truth of God’s Word. It is not dependent on places or things.
Then she answered, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” And Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” It was at that point that the disciples returned. Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
Many of you have heard this story many times and you have heard many explanations from various preachers, so much so that our hearts can be hardened, and say that there is nothing more to learn. Let us ask ourselves: are we happy and contented with our lives, or are we always feeling something are missing deep within our hearts? Sometimes we connect this sense of emptiness with something we hope to find in this world. It may be human friendships; it may be material wealth; it may be change in our status; but if that emptiness has something to do with the living water Jesus was talking about, no amount of money, friendships and whatever things can fulfil the emptiness. But how often we are like this woman: seeking to fulfil her needs, and yet when she is confronted by Jesus on the very issue of her problem, she wants to change the subject? Every time Jesus wants to talk to us about renewing our relationship with him, we change the subject: we talk about church buildings, or money, or about maintaining traditions, rituals or rules. And when we are confronted with the issues of our own sins, we talk about what is wrong with other people.
If we come to church this morning, feeling almost exactly like this woman who stood before Jesus, please know that Jesus is also speaking to us, also wanting to offer us this living water. You know that he knows the sin in our lives, the mess of our past lives and he is not going to let us brush them aside. If my sharing this morning makes you feel somewhat uncomfortable or even angry, it may be because Jesus is speaking to your heart, telling you something is not right with your life. This Sunday is already the 3rd week of Lent and if you have really reflected upon your personal life, you may come to conclusion that there is something that is not right with your life.
This morning Jesus gives us an offer – the forgiveness of our sins, the cleansing of our souls and the quenching of our thirst. Our longing to be forgiven, to be loved, to be accepted, to be free from the past and to have another chance can be realized this morning. But there is a condition for it: Jesus will not, and he cannot, evade the issue of our sin. Jesus also comes to us with the living water that can satisfy the thirst that lies deep within us and cries out for quenching. He knows the poor decisions each of us have made in life, and yet he accepts us for who we are, and loves us still.
Earlier during the service we have heard the Ten Commandments and said our general confession. Now we take a more personal step to confessing a particular sin that that has become a barrier to our relationship with Jesus; and have that burden lifted, our sin forgiven and the thirst of our soul quenched. Let us pray this sinner’s prayer:

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

Sunday next Before Lent (6 March 2011)

Theme: The Significance of the Transfiguration of Jesus

Texts: 2 Peter 1: 16-end; Matthew 17: 1-9

Our lesson for today tells us about one of the greatest experiences ever recorded in the Bible - the transfiguration of Jesus Christ!   It came about when Jesus was preparing himself to face the cross.  Jesus knew that he would die.  Jesus also knew that it would not be just death, but a painful death on the cross.  He knew how the Roman soldiers treated their prisoners as they were condemned to die. Those thoughts must be really agonising.  We know that Jesus tried to share his predicament with the disciples. But when he mentioned it to them (e.g. Mark 8: 28-32), Peter rebuked him for saying such a thing. They could not understand.  So the only thing to do was to seek comfort from his Father.  Could that be the reason why Jesus decided to go up the mountain? Or is there other reason?

So on this particular day he took his three disciples with him up the mountain.  Matthew said it was a high mountain. Some people suggest that it could be Mount Hermon, but quite unlikely – because at more than 9000 feet high, it would be too cold at top.  Some say it was Mount Tabor, but there was a large Roman garrison at the top.  It would not be a good place to meet God. Another interesting suggestion was Mount Meron, which at 3,900 feet is the tallest mountain in Israel.

As I said earlier, Jesus could have decided to go up the high mountain with the 3 disciples in order to seek peace and comfort as he faced the cross.  But it could be more than that.  If you study Matthew 16, you read that people had been asking the question: Who is Jesus?   In Matthew 16: 13, Jesus asked his disciples: “13Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  The disciples replied, "Some say John the Baptist; some say Elijah; and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets."   But it wasn’t just the crowds who were talking about Jesus. His own disciples were asking the same question. So he asked them: "Who do you say I am?"  It was Simon Peter who answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God."  The question “Who is this Jesus” was on everyone’s lips. Matthew 16 tells us about the human responses. Now in Chapter 17 we see a divine response.  So Jesus took the 3 disciples so that God the Father can give them the answer to the question of Jesus’ identity.

There may be another reason – to fulfil his promise to the disciples in Matthew 16:28.  He said, “Some of you standing here now will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”  Jesus was, of course talking about his second coming in glory and might.  But as far as seeing the Son of man in glory, that verse was fulfilled when Jesus transfigured at the top of the high mountain.

The transformation was such a sight. One minute, Jesus looked like any other Jew. The next minute, His face was shining like the sun and His clothes were as white as the light! This is what Jesus is going to look like when he comes again and that is what he looks like when He is in heaven. In Revelation 1:16, when John sees the heavenly Christ walking among the seven golden lamp-stands, he says that Jesus’ face was “like the sun in all its brilliance.”

Then Moses and Elijah appeared before them and talked with Jesus. Matthew does not tell us what the two men said to Jesus, but Luke 9: 31 tells us that they were speaking to Jesus about his “departure, which He was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.”  I am sure that you have been told about the significance of the two men. Moses was the one who brought the Israelites out of Egypt and wrote down the Old Testament laws. Elijah is the first and greatest of all the Old Testament prophets.

Peter, confronted with the extraordinary sight, did not quite know what to say and do. In the process he made two subtle mistakes.  First, he did not want the experience to end.  Peter wanted to prolong the mountaintop experience and enjoy that glorious fellowship as long as possible.  We do not want to criticize Peter too much because I think he was overexcited more than anything else. But think about the implications of what he was saying! There was an element of selfishness in it. He was saying “Forget about the nine other apostles down for a while.  Let them have their hands full trying to drive out demons and healing the sick. Forget about our mission for a while. Let us just stay up here and just keep Jesus to ourselves for a while!”

Could we be feeling the same way when we are in Church?  Are we content with our worship and fellowship, that we need not care what is happening to the world outside?  Are we content to have our little mountaintop experience with Jesus right here?

There is nothing wrong with having a mountain top experience with Jesus Christ. In fact we need it once in a while. But we cannot keep the mountain top experience to ourselves! We have a responsibility to share our mountain high Jesus experience with the people down below and the people outside.

Personally-speaking my three-year stay at St. Margaret’s Church has been a mountaintop experience in my ministry.  It is a blessing to be given this break to look after a small congregation.  But I am not supposed to enjoy this for long…time may come when I have to go down to the valley, where tough works are waiting to get done.

Peter also made another mistake. He calls Jesus “Lord,” but then he ends up creating his own little trinity.  He said, “If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  You see: the whole point of the transfiguration is to shine the spotlight on Jesus Christ! It is to show that Christ alone is the central authority figure in our lives! Christ alone is the Lord. But Peter did not know what he was saying, and he ended up blurring the distinctiveness of Christ and putting him on an equal level with Moses and Elijah.

How many of us have ever put other things or people in our lives on an equal level as Jesus? We call Jesus “Lord”, but how many of us are more excited about other things than we are about our relationship with Jesus?

Peter’s comment about putting up tents makes it clear that he doesn’t understand the significance of Jesus’ transfiguration. So God has to act quickly. Verse 5 says that while Peter was still speaking, “a bright cloud enveloped them” and a voice from the cloud proclaimed “This is my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well-pleased.”  Then God added three very important words: “Listen to Him!”  The disciples were in fear. And when the bright cloud cleared Elijah and Moses were seen no more. Only Jesus was left standing with them.

There are three very important lessons that we can learn from the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. First, it teaches us that when we are in the midst of some personal crisis, it is wise to come away to be with the Lord. There are people who blame God for their problems and stay away from God’s Church.  There are people we don’t agree with in church and there may be things we don’t like happening in church.  But it is a mistake to stay away from Church.  What we should do instead, is to come closer to God and spend time more time with him – not less time. In time God will reveal to us greater things which our human eyes fail to see.  And God may even use us as agent of change in that imperfect church. 

Second, Jesus had spent numerous times up on the mountain or a lonely place alone; but not this time. When Jesus went up the high mountain he took Peter, James and John with him to experience something.  And that encounter would be something that they would never forget. Long after Jesus had risen from the dead, this scene was still burned in their minds. In 1 John 1: 5, John wrote, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” And Peter, in our Epistle reading this morning, declares, “…we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain” (2 Peter 1:16-18).

What does that tell us? It tells us that there are times when Jesus invites us into his presence so that he can share his glory with us.  I believe that Jesus wants us to talk with Him and worship Him and focus on Him! He wants us to see that he alone is the glorious Lord of heaven and earth! But why is that not happening or never happens to us?  Perhaps we never desire it.  Perhaps we don’t believe that we can ever see such things.  I think our problem is that we have been so complacent with what we have been doing over the years. We simply don’t expect good and wonderful things to happen…so they never happen!

Third, it teaches us about the importance of listening.  Peter had been focusing on “good” things. Moses and Elijah were important men who represented the greatest revelation that God had ever given to man up that point. Moses and Elijah were important men, but they paled in comparison to Christ.  Moses’ face didn’t shine like the sun.  Elijah’s garments did not turn as white as snow. It was Jesus that shone with light and glory… not them.  That was why the voice from the bright cloud and a voice from the cloud proclaimed, “This is my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to Him!” 

The point is this: It’s easy to get distracted by “good things” in this life and neglect the best that God wants for our lives. As a Church we can fall into the trap of paying too much attention to the less important things. We can have our “hobby horse doctrine” and conduct activities and programs that consume almost all of our teaching, energy and money, while leaving Jesus out.  We can spend a lot of time preaching important topics, but failed to show people Jesus.  It has happen to preachers and churches; you know fully well it can also happen to us here.

You need to be aware that it is possible to go to church all of your life… and still not listen to Jesus.  It is possible to have perfect attendance; to be involved in various committees and activities in the congregation; or even preaching or sharing the Word; but to have Jesus missing out of our lives.   We can go through the routine of going to church: say and do all the proper things, but never seem to be listening to Jesus.

4^th Sunday before Lent (13^th February 2011)

Theme: Being co-workers in God’s service (1 Cor. 3: 1-9)

The Corinthians thought of themselves as spiritually mature congregation, endowed with all the spiritual gifts they needed, well taught and self-sufficient.  But Paul saw them as people who were still worldly – mere infants in Christ.   They thought they were mature; and in some respects they were, but in other occasions they were still acting like children.

Look at verse 3: “You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?”  There were quarrelling and jealousy among them.  How could they claim to be spiritually mature if they showed that sort of worldly immaturity? Rather than being directed by love for one another they were driven by competitiveness. They were constantly comparing one with another to see who was the best, who was the smartest, or who has got the right answers.

And of course the major issue in this divisiveness is the issue of leadership. They each have their favourite teacher or leader.  And what is wrong with them having their favourite teacher? Why is this a sign of immaturity? 

It is their understanding of leadership in Church.  Their view of leadership comes from the world, not from God.   To them leadership is about the exercise of power.  That is how the world sees the leader: as one who gives directions, who sets the agenda, who determines what is important and what is not. A leader is considered to be the most important person in the organisation.  That is why CEOs in big companies receive big pay package.   Without them business will not succeed.

When it comes to the criteria of a Church leader, it is different because the Church is not all about big business or the exercise of power and control over others. Church leaders are to submit to the authority of Christ. They are to seek the will of God and work under guidance of the Holy Spirit.  But the Christians in Corinth seem to think of their leaders as having power of themselves – even above Jesus Christ.  So that is why Paul asked them, “What is Paul?  What is Apollos?”  Leadership is not about personalities: it’s about function, gifting. What are they there for? Well, they are there to serve. 

From a Christian perspective, leaders are servants.  Paul uses two metaphors from everyday life to illustrate what he is saying.  First, he says, one plants another waters. So which is the one that matters most?  Both are vital tasks but neither one is more important than the other. They are both fellow servants of the one God, who is the source of their wisdom and authority.

Let me stretch this further.  When we think about Church leadership, what usually come to mind?  We tend to picture a small group of people called by God to do his work in Church.  Leadership in Church involves a team of people, but it is not limited to those at the top.  You are a part of the team, no matter how small you think of yourself.   We need to see that we are all important members of God’s workforce.  Indeed, some of us may not take up prominent tasks or do the most obvious things.  But if you have ever shared the word of God with a non-believer, you are part of the God’s workforce.  If you have brought someone to Church, you are a part of the workforce.  Your work may not be seen by everybody, but you are one of those who plant the seed.  Some of you take up responsibility in nurturing or discipling small groups.  Some of you minister to children, some minister to the youths, while others spend their time helping the elderly.  My work seems to be more prominent because I am allowed to stand here and preach on Sundays. My point is that whatever it is that God calls us to do we must remember two things:        (i) that we are part of a team and (ii) we must stay humble. We must remember that we are just like a farmer who plants the seed and another farmer who waters the planted seed. The true authority and importance in the Kingdom of God lie in the one who serves.

As the church grows and as many things are done and achieved, it is easy to forget this.  Luke tells us that one time a dispute also “arose among the disciples as to which of them was considered to be greatest. ²⁵Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. ²⁶ But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. ²⁷ For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:24-27).

One of the problems that we have in church is that some leaders refuse to see themselves as servants, or as equal to other God’s servants.  And worse still, they see their co-workers as rivals to compete with, rather than to work with.  Team work is non-existent in their vocabulary.  This is what some churches are struggling with at this point of time.  We need to be always reminded that God does not intend his church to be run by one or two persons because no person has all the resources to do God’s work.   We need cooperative efforts to be exercised over a period of time – meaning that we need to work, and work patiently with one another.  In that manner we can get results that will be far greater than one done by one person.

There is another thing that I want you to understand here. Look at verse 8: The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour.  You will notice that the verse does not say “success”. Paul does not say that you are being rewarded because of your success.  I want you to know that when you do the work of God, you may not always see great success in your work.  You may have heard of some people bringing in hundreds or thousands of other people to the Lord, and when you start comparing what you have achieved with what other people have done, you can feel rather dismayed.  I want you to understand that when God calls you to serve him, he wants you to serve him faithfully and you will be rewarded accordingly.  Paul says that each of us will be rewarded according to his own labour, and not according to his success. 

I have been here more than 3 years now.  Do I see great success? No. In fact I am seeing the number of people in this church going down. And it is hard to find people who can take up certain responsibilities in the ministry of the Church.  Faced with this predicament, it is easy to become discouraged, but I am not because I keep my eyes on the overall plan of God - not the individual bits and pieces.  We are going through hard time right now, and I believe God intends it to be that way because it can be a test of our faithfulness - to see how many people will continue to stay with the church in hard time.   God wants you to see whether you can continue to do your work faithfully as a part of God’s team, even in difficult times or even when the future looks bleak. 

Do you know why we suggest “Growing up Together in the Body of Christ” as our theme for this year?  Do you know why the word “Christ” comes last instead of at the beginning?   Paul has emphasized cooperation toward mutual goals.  And this is what we are also pursuing. This Church has no doubt put emphasis on “personal relationship with Jesus Christ”, and that is our mutual goal.  The theme stresses on co-operation, togetherness, team work, mutual support and encouragement as we seek our goal.   When we go though the process of growing, we shall experience all sorts of things: there will be good and bad times; there will be gains and losses; there will be joy and sadness.  The theme suggests that we are to stay together in both good and bad times.

I see my ministry in Seria only as a period of transition between the past ministry and the future ministry.  Remember that a transition period is only meant to last for a certain length of time.  I don’t foresee myself staying here for long time because someone else has to take up the next phase of ministry in this church and bring it to a greater height.  Team work in God’s Church is not just working together now: it includes preparing ground for the next group of leaders, so that the church continues to be built up upon the same foundation. 

If you continue reading the same chapter you will find that in the next few verses how Paul refers to teamwork in building a structure. He says, “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” (1 Cor 3: 10-11).  Our foundation is Jesus Christ and upon that foundation our work of building continues.  Paul says that each one should build with care; and that was what I have been doing with you here during the last three years.  We have been building together with care: we didn’t try to rock the boat too much.  We encourage patience, understanding, and co-operation.  We acknowledge there are unhappiness and frustrations, but we encourage you to keep on repairing broken relationships and strengthen the shaky ones.  There are disagreements but we preach forgiveness and acceptance.  We keep on talking about unity and emphasize on the importance of working together.

Now, leadership comes and goes but our cooperative efforts must continue for years to come.  We have to continue to look for ways we can help one another to use their gifts.  We also need to make room to help newcomers gain experience and expertise as they join the team. The idea is that we stick together in building up one another, and try to minimize problems that can cause us to be torn apart.   So the issues that we are dealing with here is not about putting up grand programs or organizing new activities.  We are dealing with the issues of the hearts, and the attitudes.

I want you to understand that when we allow ourselves to be controlled by feelings and emotions, it is not going to be good for the church.  The tendency is that when people feel good, they are likely to act nicely.  But if they feel bad and allow that feeling to take the upper hand, they can be led to express emotions that they cannot control, and they end up making wrong choices.  That is how arguments and quarrels happen in church. 

How do we deal with the problem?  We encourage people to live a life that trusts in the Lord.  Living this committed life means committing everything to the Lord including our mistakes and problems, as well as the good things that come our way.  From the time we get up to the moment we fall asleep, be convinced that God is hearing our prayers, and that he is taking care of whatever is happening to us.  When we do that, we will also learn to deny self, deny wrong feelings, control our emotions and ignore all the lies of the devil.  We shall live life that expresses surrender to God’s will for us, as well as a life worthy of the gospel that we proclaim.

Finally, when God does his work, he will involve many different individuals with a variety of gifts and abilities.  You will find people with gifts that put them into position of prominence.  You will also find people who are more gifted than you.  You may find yourself having to encourage others exercise their gifts. Or you may find yourself entrusted with gift that others don’t have. Remember, there are no superstars in this task - only team members performing their own special roles – all for the glory of God.   That is why Paul reminds the people at Corinth not to seek the praise that comes from people.  Instead, they must seek the approval of God.  We can become useful members of God’s team by setting aside our desire to receive glory and praise for what we do.