1 Corinthians 3:10, A Wise Masterbuilder

1 Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

The Apostle Paul shares the secret of his success. He is doing the will of God and so God endows him with wisdom and favour to build-up spiritual lives compared here to a building project. The word “master-builder” literally means “architect”. He speaks of God helping him to preach the gospel and enabling those in Corinth to believe. He laid a good foundation for their faith to grow. But he was not the only one labouring. There is another servant of God Apollos who continued the work where he left off. His concern for the church in Corinth did not cease when he left Corinth to carry on God’s work in other places. He is keenly aware of the strife and division in the Corinthian church and he is writing to defuse that animosity amongst the brethren.

It is the will of God that souls be saved in Corinth. Although the Apostle Paul face much persecution, our Lord Jesus comforted him to persevere with the work –  Acts 18:9-11 “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: 10 For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. 11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” In the six months that he ministered to these believers, he gave them a good grounding of the faith. Subsequently, he left the city after staying for a prolonged period – Acts 18:18 “And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila…“

Thank God for missionaries, pastors and teachers who came to Singapore to strengthen the faith of His people here, helping to establish their faith. We look with grateful acknowledgement to these men and women who sacrifice life and time to build up our faith. May these be our examples for us to do likewise. Amen.