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radical humility

1 Corinthians 3:6&7
"6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase."

We have been studying the verses following Pentecost in the second chapter of the book of Acts. The takeaway is that they followed God's plan and the Lord added to the church daily! If we follow the example of Acts 2:42-47, God will take care of growing the church Himself.

It's a beautiful plan. God wants us to share our lives with one another and to CHARITABLY help others. The Christian life is to be joyful and simple. The first followers of Jesus voluntarily shared all they had for God's glory. Many of these Christians gave up their lives for the Gospel. We need to overcome the distance we experience being two-thousand years from these events. We need to live like the founders of our FAITH.

Today we turn to Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. In chapter three he gives all the credit for the growth and success of the church to GOD. "...but God gave the increase." And he highlights this by saying that he is NOT "any thing." This radical humility looks so foreign to our eyes that we want to reject it. But, this is at the heart of a correctly held Christian faith. It's a complete focus on God. This mindset is where Christians give up their belongings and even their lives for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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