Eugene Prewitt

Eugene Prewitt: 1 Corinthians 3

Neutered Sermons Do Not Produce New Births

Helping Others With The Word

I Plant and Water and Am Nothing

We Work Together With God

Ouachita Hills College

Our father in heaven. I asked this morning that you would come here this by the power of your Holy Spirit that you would teach us. We're dependent on you for that gift. And I ask for it in the name of Jesus. Amen. Turn me in your bibles to one Corinthians chapter three, one Corinthians chapter three. Yesterday I had you memorize the first sentence of verse six, but was corrected by several people afterwards that it was really only the first phrase. Nonetheless, it makes a perfectly good sentence, doesn't it in English. But we're gonna continue on with that sentence this morning. First Corinthians chapter three, and we're looking at verse six. We learned, I have planted review of yesterday, is that we want to always be able to say that what is it that we plant the word, we plant the word of God and the word of God when it grows up, it produces new, new births. That's it. The word of God converts people. There's power in the word of God. And so is it for preachers to plant the word of God. You know, it's for, for the priests and who are priests in the New Testament, it's the believers, all of us, we're all female priests. New Testament. That's it. We're all planting the word of God. One Corinthians chapter three verse six, it says, I have planted Apollos Waard. Now, I'll admit to you that the Apollos Waard is not as straightforward a metaphor in my head as I have planted. Because for example, I think of watering as being the work of the Holy Spirit and men do not distribute the Holy Spirit, not Apollos, not Paul, not me, and not Simon Magnus. Simon Magnus wanted that power and what was said to him, you're in money perish with you. It's not for men to distribute the Holy Spirit. But the answer to the enigma is not so complex. It's in one of the songs we sing. You remember what it says in Isaiah 55. Oh wait, did we sing that part of Isaiah 55? I think we do. Let's go to Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55. In looking at verse eight, Isaiah 55, verse eight says, for my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways. My ways say if the Lord, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down and snow from heaven and returns not there, but waters the earth and makes it bring forth in bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. That's very interesting. That phrase isn't. It may give what to the who? Seed to the sewer. And here's this rain coming down to water the ground and pray. Tell, what is it? Verse 11. So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth, it shall not return unto me void. So if we draw the water rain metaphor from Isaiah 55, it's very simply the the word of God. And does the word of God end up producing new births? Well, it looks like the same rain that makes the seed grow as the same raid that makes same rain that makes the seed germinate and it provides seed to the sewer soer. But a good question is, what was it exactly that Apollos did? One Corinthians says he watered, but ax tells us what he did. Wouldn't you like to see what he did? Turn your Bibles to Acts chapter 18. Acts chapter 18. We're going to begin reading in verse one. And I want to go through the entire chapter, so I'm gonna have to go zip de fast. 18 verse one says, and after these thingss, Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth, that's relevant because we're studying First Corinthians, right? And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Ponta lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, And explains why they left. I want you to notice that Aquila and Priscilla were found by Paul and they were tent makers. He lived with them and it looks like he converted them, though it's never quite said that way in the chapter. And were looking down at verse four. And he reasoned in the synagogues every Sabbath and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. So somehow they got the Greeks to attend synagogue. One thing I appreciate about Brother Martinez and our last caller program is he invited people to church. You know you can do that. It's legal. And it's apparent to me that Greeks were attending church sometimes is apparent to you because they're preaching the synagogues to Jews. And Yeah, Verse five, and when Silas and Timothys were coming from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit and he testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. And When they oppose themselves, and that is a nice way to think about it, what do people oppose when you preach the truth to them and they don't accept it? You know what? They give themselves a hard time. That's it. The truth sets people free. And if truth is preached and you don't accept it, you're opposing yourself. And they spoke evil. That's what blaspheme means. And they, so he shook his arraignment and he's sudden to them, your blood bipa in your heads. I am clean from henceforth. I will go to the Gentiles. Now, who remembers what city he's in? He's in court. You know he wrote two letters there. But you should know when things started out with him that he preached in the synagogue, he was impressed to say it plainly and they didn't accept it and he sh, he did what he just talked about. When they reject you, you remember what he said When they reject you shake your garment. Well he did. But instead of going to a different city, he just went to different folk in the same city. It looks like he would've been ready to go to different city, but he wasn't allowed to. Let's read on, We're gonna skip verse seven and eight. That explains that he went to a house right next to the synagogue and preached and converted a Jewish leader. Verse nine, then spanked the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision. Be not afraid, but speak and hold. Not your peace. For I am with you and no man shall set on the to hurt the for I have much people in this city. There's so much interesting in that particular verse. For one thing, God can have a lot of people in the city that don't know anything or much about his truth. Isn't that very apparent? Why was he to be not be afraid or not? Yeah, there were too many answers to the question I was asking. I was looking for this one. The last part, God had many people in the city of Corinth and didn't want Paul to skedaddle. There is people to speak to there. God calls people his, even if they don't know yet. So for example, there could be many people in our cadel that are his, but there's something else Jesus said when they persecute you in one city, flee to another. And what did Jesus say to Paul here? He said, they're not gonna persecute you. Why not? Because I have a lot of people here, nerds. God can measure how much time we need to spend in each place. And if he is ready for us to move somewhere else, we might get persecution right away. But if he wants us to stay for a while, we might have peace for quite a while. And here in Corinth, he had peace for a year and a half. And then Satan thought he had it going, he managed to raise up some persecution and they brought Paul to the judgment seat. And the judge, instead of persecuting Paul, he said, Jews get outta here. And they beat the head of the synagogue, the one that replaced Crispus. Did Paul suffer persecution there? And the next verse says, and and he continued there A great while. It's just nice for me to think, and maybe it would be nice for you to know that God can measure how long we should stay in places he knows where he has lots of people, he knows where he has few people and he'd like us to spend more time where he has lots of people and he can arrange for that kind of thing We haven't got to yet. Look down to verse 24. This is after Paul finally leaves Corinth and a certain Jew named Apollos Borna, Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty, what does it say in the scriptures? He came to Ephesus. Now I skipped enough verses that Paul left Corinth went to Ephesus and left Ephesus and almost immediately, but he left behind him, Priscilla and Aquila at Ephesus. In fact, it might be worth commenting, even if I go over time by three minutes, that when Paul went into the synagogue in Ephesus, he left Priscilla and Aquila outside. And then when he suffered persecution and left, you know who wasn't recognized, Priscilla and Aquila. And they stuck around. And in fact their attending, when this guy gets up to preach going on verse 25, this man was instructed in the way of the Lord. When I read that phrase, I would think that he's a thoroughgoing Christian. He's mighty. The scriptures, he's instructed in the way of the Lord. He was fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught diligently the ths of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue whom an quill and Priscilla had heard. They took unto, took them unto him, took him unto them and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. So here was this great, eloquent teacher of the Bible, and he's humble enough to be taught by a woman And a man together of course, but that's a good thing for men to learn. Verse 27. And when he was disposed to pass to a ke, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him. Who, when he was come, helped them much, which had believed through grace. I think I didn't, I must have skipped a word. Lemme try again. The last part, when he was come, he helped them much, which had believed through grace. What was it that Apollos did? I'm not looking for a complex answer. He helped. He helped a bunch. And who did he help? A bunch. It was those who were already born. You see? See, Paul planted. They sprung up by the power of the word of God, which causes things to sprung up and Apollos help to those which had believed. The people need help once they believe. That's my whole point this morning is that people need help once they believe. I suppose I should finish what I was getting to read the first verse, verse first verse of 19, and it came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth, you just need to know what part of ake he was at when he was helping those believed. What was Paul doing in Corinth? He was helping those that believe. So if you say, I have planted, you mean that you have been telling the word of God and it brings forth new conversion. But it'd be helpful if you also could say, I have watched it means about the same thing. You're helping those already believe by giving them the Word of God. Word of God in word of God out you plant you. Water God makes things grow. Let's kneel for prayer. Our Father in heaven, I wanna claim the promise we read in Isaiah 55 that you give the increase that you will cause your word to bring forth bud and seed and to grow. I asked that you would teach us how to use our moments that we could be a great help to those which believe that we could be spiritual fathers to those who do not yet believe we are dependent on you. And I ask for these gifts in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Eugene Prewitt: 1 Corinthians 3

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Neutered Sermons Do Not Produce New Births