Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but dministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 eI planted, fApollos watered, gbut God gave the increase. 7 So then hneither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, iand each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9 For jwe are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are kGod’s building. 10 lAccording to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid mthe foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than nthat which is laid, owhich is Jesus Christ
I Corinthians 3:5-11 is a clear passage to prove that we might not always be the one that "catches the fish". Scripture is clear that to God the sowers and the waterers are the same. God, after all, is the one that truly does the final part of convicting and revealing sin.
Jeff's conversation today with S- was a great example of that. S- had come to the table several times last year; each time to let Jeff know which religion he was trying out at the time. He has gone the gamet, unfortunately, and he is a debater. He had a question and argument for everything Jeff tried to put out in front of him. Jeff poured himself into S- each chance he got, but never really got anywhere with him.
Admittedly, when Jeff saw him today, he straightened his back, dug his heels in, and asked God for wisdom. S- walked right over to the literature table where Jeff had been sitting and he said, "Hey, Jeff, I know you remember me. Well, you're looking at a guy who is going to hell! I'm just gonna bust it wide open! There's just no truth out there anywhere. I have tried it all!" Jeff proceeded to ask him some questions and try to find out what had been going on in his life.
Just a couple of minutes later, two guys from another religious organization that we know is solid and has great leadership came by to talk. Then it dawned on Jeff after watching the positive interaction among these two guys and S-.
Let these guys see what they can do with S- . Not to just get rid of him, no, but because we must be mature enough in this kind of ministry to understand that sometime there just might be someone else who can say it, live it, and preach it better than we can to that particular person!
Jeff said that within 5 minutes, S- seemed interested and bonded with these two guys. They had already made a meeting time for the next day with him.
Apollos? Paul? Cephas? Jeff? Joe Blow? That's not the point. After all, we are just the messengers. And it is certainly not about us -- should not be that we have too much pride to let another organization have a student -- or think that we will lose that soul in our crown in Heaven!
The thing that is most important is that the crown just BE IN HEAVEN with us -- no matter what it takes!
If Apollos is standing in the harvest field with you, let him have the watering can for a while!! And then just pray for results!
