Where’s Your Focus?

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building             (1 Corinthians 3:1-9).

To say the least, the church at Corinth was a church with problems! This is clear as you read Paul’s entire letter, and strikingly clear in these few verses alone. Paul described their behavior as unspiritual, infant-like, fleshly and in a human way. Certainly not a compliment! Certainly not how a Christian should be described! If Paul were writing to you and your church, how would he describe you and the members of your congregation?

What was the issue that Paul was confronting in these verses? Some church members were following Paul, and others, Apollos. In other words, one group in the church was loyal to Paul, others to Apollos. I’ve seen this play out in the church time and time again. When church members develop loyalties around individuals in the church you’re going to have problems—serious problems! When church members take their eyes off God, and place them on man, that church is not headed for trouble, that church is in trouble!

Thankfully Paul redirected the Corinthian believers’ attention from Apollos and himself to the One who the focus should be on. In fact, Paul went as far as to say that he and Apollos were nothing. In other words, they didn’t count! The only One who counted, the only One who these believers should be focused on was God Himself. I have heard it said, and as a pastor I have stated it many times myself, “It’s all about Jesus.” If that statement is true in our lives then that means it’s not about us—or anyone else for that matter! When it’s about us, pride surfaces. When it’s about others, people take sides and division arises. Sadly, when this occurs, God is not honored as He should be.

As God’s children, we need to keep our eyes off ourselves and others, and keep our eyes focused on God, the One alone who is worthy of worship. Think about what will happen when we, the Church, keep our eyes focused on Him. We will not be focused on ourselves. We will walk in humility. We will not show favoritism toward others. There will be no division in the church. God alone will be exalted and glorified!

So, if your focus is on yourself or someone else other than God, then confess and experience God’s forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9). Focus on God, the One alone who is worthy of our worship. Don’t be sidetracked. Don’t be detoured. Follow the admonition of the writer of Hebrews who challenged us to keep looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Let’s keep our focus on HIM!