1 Chronicles Ch29/ 1 Corinthians Ch3
Blessed are those who prepare themselves, lead people to God and follow what is good
1 Chronicles 29/ 1 Corinthians 3
King David had prepared a lot of materials for building up God’s temple. Paul tried his best to nourish the church in Corinth. The main lesson we learn from these two chapters is: Blessed are those who prepare with every effort, lead people to God and follow what is good.
(1) Prepare with every effort, feed with spiritual milk, and lead people to God
King David told his people that he had prepared all kinds of materials for building up the temple. In addition to it, David also gave his personal treasures for the temple. This is because of his love to the temple of God.
David told the people that Solomon would be king after him, but Solomon was young and inexperienced. The temple of God was not for man but for the Lord God. It was David’s desire that all the nations and all the peoples and his own family members would keep God’s words and fear the only true God the Lord. Therefore, David had prepared the best gold, silver and all kinds of precious stones in large quantities.
We must follow the example of David to prepare ourselves to be the dwelling of God—a glorious church. What shall we prepare? Gold means men of God. But we are men of earth. Therefore, we must purify ourselves so as to be noble instruments for God to use. Bronze means refinement. Iron represents power from victor. The Bible said that God will give authority to those who overcome. They will rule the nations with the iron scepter. David also prepared wood. God cannot use rotten wood or wood eaten by worms for His temple. If we have other gods in our hearts, we are just like wood eaten by worms. Therefore, we must seek to love only one God in our heart. We will become like cedar or pine the best wood for God’s temple. The precious stones represent those who love the Lord wholeheartedly. Their lives have been disciplined deeply by the Lord. Today we prepare ourselves for the New Jerusalem according to God’s words. We prepare ourselves in faith, love and hope to lead all the peoples to believe in Jesus Christ.
David then asked the people that who was willing to offer himself to God. Then the leaders also gave willingly to build God’s temple.
The heart of Paul is the same as David’s. All his life, Paul had desired to preach gospel to the ends of the earth and to lead everyone to believe in Jesus.
Church in Corinth was of worldly, because there was jealousy and quarreling. Some said they followed Paul because Paul preached gospel to them. And another said they followed Apollo’s because he was good at speech. They were infants in Christ. Their spiritual level was like Solomon, young and inexperienced. Paul had to work harder to nourish them. He used milk to feed them. Here milk stands for pure spiritual teachings that fit their level so that they could accept and grow up. What God wants is gold, silver, bronze, iron, and precious stones for His temple. How can we be temple of God if we are worldly?
Both of Paul and King David were excellent builders. David had prepared with all his effort for the temple. Paul with all his effort nourished the church with spiritual milk. Both of them led God’s people to turn to the Lord and to offer themselves to God.
(2) It is God who makes people offer freely and wholeheartedly. It is God who makes things grow. Workers count for noting but are to lead people to unite with the Lord.
How did Paul bring church in Corinth to God? Paul pointed out that they were wrong in regarding workers higher than God. Workers count nothing. Only God makes things grow. Therefore, workers shall never lead people to themselves but to God. Nor should workers lead people to depend on certain spiritual leaders. Paul guided church not to follow man but to follow God.
David also led people to give willingly to the Lord, not to himself. Therefore, there was great joy. Church in Corinth was very worldly because of jealousy and quarrelling. Paul’s rebuke was like the best gold covering church in Corinth so that they would become a glorious temple.
(3) Give praise to the highest and almighty God. Be careful to do everything according to the pattern God has shown us
Here we see David gave thanks and honor to God in public when he and his people could give generously. David understood whatever they could give to God was from God, including their body, talent or wealth. Therefore, David praised the power of God. It was God who made the people wealthy and willing to offer for the temple of God.
When we see people want to love God, to offer money or to offer themselves to God as missionaries, we cannot help but praise our mighty God. We understand that only God can make people to love Him like that. This is the work of the Holy Spirit not of any worker. My co-workers and I have witnessed God’s great power since we came to America. We have met many sisters who love their husbands and children more than their lives. Though they were called by God to serve Him full time and to preach the gospel all over the world, they could not obey God because of their families. About 2 or 3 years ago, I prayed to God about it, “Lord，I have hoped to meet some older sisters or single people in America, so that I can guide them to love You and follow You. But You have led me to meet only young sisters with babies and demanding husbands. And Lord, You have called them to be missionaries. I will wait and see how You bring them out their families to serve You.” God shows me His great power. He can do things impossible for us to do. Pretty soon, I started to hear many sisters with family coming out to follow God as missionaries. Some are from Taiwan, Fuzhou, Kantong; and some from Boston. God has power to make them love God more than anything.
God has assigned different gifts to His workers for His churches. But it is only God makes things grow. But each worker will be rewarded according to his own labor. What God asks a worker is to be His co-worker. Where God wants us to go, we just go. What He wants us to preach, we just preach. But the church, God’s children, is the work of God. Church is the field of God, and God’s building. The only foundation of the Church is Jesus Christ. That means the Word of God is the foundation of the Church. Jesus said those who listened to His teachings and put them into practice built their houses on the foundation of rock. Paul was an expert builder and he led church to pay full attention to God’s words. Therefore, he had laid a good foundation for church.
If a worker does not lead church to pay full attention to God’s word, he has laid no foundation for the church. No matter it is a church or Home of Grace, we must lay our foundation on righteousness and justice. We must pay attention to God’s words everyday and do exactly as what God has commanded us. In this way, we truly have laid the foundation on the rock.
Then Paul warned that each worker must be careful about how he built the church on this foundation. Therefore, the first thing we must do if we want to serve the church is to seek close fellowship with God. Then we will understand what EXACTLY God wants us to do for Him. We cannot serve the church according to our own feelings or emotions. Nor should we serve the church according to our own ideas or other’s opinions. Neither should we use worldly methods or some worldly knowledge such as Psychology in serving the church. We shall neither consult other spirits nor accept a different gospel in church. God said, “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” Our Lord Jesus fully obeyed God’s guidance about everything. He asked Father when to go, where to go, what to do or say, and how to say it, in a soft voice, or loud voice. Jesus did everything EXACTLY as God had commanded him. Therefore, when we serve the church, we must be careful not to depend on our physical strength and our own wisdom. Nor should we follow the way of others. We must be careful about how we build on the foundation.
(4) Men are of nothing. But if we keep God’s words, what we do will last forever
David was humbled before the Lord. He knew that he and his people were nothing but like a shadow, without hope. Everything he and his people had offered was from the Lord. David knew that he was a lowly and poor man but God had honored him as a king and blessed him with wealth. Therefore, he gave everything to God with an honest and a grateful heart. David was joyful to see his people gave willingly to God. David prayed for God’s people that they would continue to love God wholeheartedly forever. He prayed that they would not change their mind to love the world or themselves. David also prayed for his son Solomon to keep God’s words and to build the temple wholeheartedly.
David understood that he and his people were of no value, but God had made them to do this meaningful thing together. Therefore, David led everyone to praise God.
Paul stated firmly to church again that there is no other foundation but Jesus Christ. God is the Word. The word of God is the foundation of His churches. It the foundation of a church is on this rock, it will not fall when the rain comes or the wind blows. If a church just talks about God’s words instead of putting them into practice, this church will crash in troubles.
Both Paul and David are expert builders. Both of them served God and His people with an honest heart. They had no intentions for their own benefit.
Paul told church that God will use fire to test the quality of each man’s work on that Day. Therefore, be careful not to be led astray to love the world. He, who loves the world, does not give willingly to God. And then he will use wood, hay or straw in building his house. When fire comes, trial or test comes, everything will be revealed. Those who continue to give willingly will survive and receive reward. But he who changes his mind to love the world will suffer loss and be ashamed. That is also why David had prayed to God to strengthen the determination of his people.
David also prayed for his son Solomon for an honest heart to keep God’s words completely. But King Solomon was led astray to love the world. Though Solomon repented later on and he would be saved, he suffered loss, as one escaping through the flames. Why did God not answer this prayer of David for Solomon? It was because Solomon took this prayer lightly. When he was blessed richly, Solomon ignored God’s words. He was not worthy to receive blessing from David’s prayer for him. Therefore, the work of King Solomon was burned up. King Solomon had wasted God’s blessings for his own pleasure. He himself was saved, but he lost his honor.
Therefore, we must always pay attention to keep God’s words by ourselves, and then we serve God. Otherwise, we will be like Solomon, who worked a lot for God but loved the world in his heart. We may end up miserably as Solomon.
(5) Joy to those who honor God and with every effort to lead people to God when they are blessed. He who deceives himself and uses God’s blessings for his own pleasure will fall from grace
David brought people to love God with all their heart and with everything they had. Therefore, they had great joy in the presence of the Lord.
Paul warned church in Corinth about holiness. Church is the temple of God. God is holy, so church must be holy. How could they behave like the Gentile, full of jealousy and quarreling? A church should be holy and bear fruit of righteousness.
Those who bear fruit of righteousness have great joy and will glorify God greatly. But if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. King Solomon was a man destroyed the temple of God. He had disobeyed God’s words and married many foreign wives. His heart became a house of prostitute. He had changed the holy temple of God to a den of every evil spirit. Therefore, God was angry at Solomon and turned against him. We must fear God when we are blessed greatly. We must give glory to God and be useful to edify people.
Solomon used the standard of this world so that he could not see how God was angry at him. Solomon was deceived by his wealth and honor before men. He should have examined himself by the word of God instead of telling wise saying to others. He should have prayed to God that he would rather be a fool to the world and to carry his cross to follow God. King David always examined himself by the word of God rather than by the worldly success. And he confessed his sins at once to God.
Paul would rather be a fool by the standards of this age. He followed the example of Jesus. He could have stayed at one church and had an easy life. But he chose to go far away and to preach gospel to those who had never heard of it. Though Paul was regarded as a fool, he had gained the TRUE WISDOM. The true wisdom before God is to sacrifice oneself completely and obey God’s words fully. King Solomon fell from grace because of his own craftiness. He was too wise to obey God’s words. Therefore, he fell from the highest honor.
(6) Boast about no man. Blessed are those who read the Bible carefully so as to follow the good and keep away from the evil
God has used David as a model for other workers and believers. The believers have been asked to follow Paul’s example, as he followed the example of Christ. When we look at the life of David, we will see many weaknesses in him as a human being. Therefore, we have nothing to boast about man. But David repented completely. He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life. He did not get close to a beautiful woman when he had the right. Therefore, he had wealth and honor when he was old. Everything about how David repented, obeyed and loved God had been written in those records. All these records are for us to read carefully so that we can receive blessings by following his good examples and avoiding his failures.
Paul told the church that the thoughts of the wise are futile. What does it mean by that? The thoughts of the wise lead them to love the world. Then they waste their lives in seeking vanity of the world.
Paul asked church to pay attention to God’s words instead of man. Paul and David led everyone to God, not to themselves or any other people. Paul told the church that they should not follow men, such as Paul or Apollos or Peter. Workers are only instruments used by God to lead God’s children to have direct fellowship with Him. The most important thing is to read the Bible carefully so that we will follow the good and keep away from the evil. And then we will be blessed.
In conclusion, Jesus Christ is coming back soon. We must make every effort to prepare ourselves for that according to the Bible. Be careful to work as God’s instructions. And follow the good and avoid the evil. Then we can bring many people to the Lord. This is true blessing and true wisdom.