[1]NASHVILLE (BP) – This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Bible Studies For Life curriculum.
Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 3:18-22, 4:1-7
Discussion Question:
- What’s a piece of art you’ve always enjoyed?
Food for Thought by Lynn Pryor*:
When you’re proud of your work, you want the whole world to know it. That’s how one employee felt at the Pinakothek der Moderne art museum in Munich, Germany.
This museum has 20,000 art pieces, but one employee thought something was missing. Despite being surrounded by works from Pablo Picasso, René Magritte and Salvador Dalí, he believed the museum needed something else – his own painting. Surely, as people stared with wonder at the priceless art in this museum, they would become equally enamored with this guy’s work.
He certainly got noticed and was promptly fired. It’s not clear if he was fired for bad art or the fact that he drilled holes in a wall to hang his picture. But one thing is clear: humility could’ve saved him from both embarrassment and termination.
His story is a funny reminder that pride usually doesn’t end well. But for those who follow Jesus, humility isn’t just helpful. It’s essential.
Our focus in this session is on humility, but I want us to see how Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 3 is directly connected to his teaching in chapter 1 on fellowship and leadership, and his teaching in chapter 2 on wisdom.
[2]In addressing the matters of leadership and fellowship (chapter.1), we need godly wisdom (chapter.2). Consequently, as we wisely see these things from God’s perspective, we respond with humble service. Unfortunately, we don’t always approach church life with the right wisdom. Churches often slip into business-like thinking, complete with corporate-sounding strategies, but God’s church doesn’t thrive on prestige or platforms. It thrives on prayer, sacrifice, humility, and love.
I’ve traveled with church leaders whose preferred reading on the trip was the latest business management book they found at the airport bookstore. There may be good principles in some of these books, but wherever we go for information and knowledge, we need to approach it with the discerning eyes of Spirit-filled, godly wisdom.
We gain that wisdom as we humble ourselves before God. “Let him become a fool so that he can become wise.” Paul built on his teaching in chapter 2 by telling us that we may be a fool in the world’s eyes, but true wisdom comes from God.
Paul brought this conclusion back to the issue of church leadership. “Everything is yours.” As we grow in spiritual wisdom, we see what a rich inheritance we have been given in Christ. All things belong to Christ, and He shares that with His children as an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11-14). We might think of that in terms of “every spiritual blessing in the heavens” (v.3) and the spiritual gifts by which He equips the church, but Paul also included the leadership of men like Peter, Apollos and himself. There was no cause for division within the church family.
The longer we’ve been Christians, the further we’re removed from the old life without Christ. We can forget how far Christ has brought us. We can become like the Pharisee who prayed, “God, I thank you that I’m not like other people – greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector” (Luke 18:11). Paul’s words call us to remember that all we have is because of Christ. We have no room to self-righteously boast of anything.
*Lynn Pryor retired after 30 years of producing Bible study curriculum for Lifeway Christian Resources. He serves in his local church in Shelbyville, Tenn.
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life connects the Bible to life for adults, students, and kids. Bible Studies for Life helps individuals and groups know God’s Word through trustworthy content, creates biblical community through engaging and conversational group studies, and helps people engage the culture missionally by unpacking what the Bible says about real-life issues. More information can be found at Lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife [3].
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by Lifeway can be found at Lifeway.com/SundaySchool [4].
[5]
