I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
Paul planted by first preaching the gospel at Corinth and organizing the church, while Apollos watered by coming afterward with further instruction to help the sown seed develop, but God alone gave the increase. Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything in himself or causes growth by human power, so success and honor belong to God and no worker is to be exalted above another. Eloquence, talent, learning, energy, and logic cannot convert even one soul or create spiritual life by themselves, for only God's power by the Holy Spirit impresses hearts with repentance and brings conviction. Preferring one minister against another and crying I am of Paul and I am of Apollos comes from the carnal nature of babes in Christ, for he who plants and he who waters are one in object as fellow workers with God and are no ground for rival parties. Workers are therefore to sow the seed widely beside all waters through preaching, personal labor, and prayer, cooperating in harmony with diverse gifts and leaving growth and results to God who waters what is sown in faith.
Paul and Apollos at Corinth
Paul first preached the gospel at Corinth, gathered and organized the church there, and thus planted the seed, while Apollos came afterward, won his way to the hearts of the people, gave further instruction and spiritual light and knowledge as they were able to receive it, and so watered what had been sown to help it develop. The two had different God-assigned parts in the same work and did not do the same work or possess the same gifts, yet they were one as fellow workers and instruments under God, cooperating with the unseen Master Worker under the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit. Neither caused spiritual growth or transformation of character by human power, but both depended on God for success, for God alone gave the increase and the power that made their labors succeed, so honor and glory belong to Him and not to the ministers. The Corinthians' preference of one minister over another arose from their carnal nature and not from God's order.
Planting was feeding carnal babes in Christ with milk and not with meat, instructing them in the first rudiments, the very alphabet, of Christian faith and doctrine, because though wise in worldly knowledge they had no experimental knowledge of the way of salvation and their carnal minds could not discern sacred revealings or bear deeper spiritual truth. Paul therefore could not address them as experienced in spiritual life and the mystery of godliness but had to present truth in its simplest form. Watering was carrying the work forward from the point where he left it, giving further spiritual light and knowledge in due season according to the church's ability to bear it, for true Christianity is a religion of progress ever giving light and blessing with still greater light and blessing in reserve. Only the illuminating influence of the gospel of Christ and the sanctifying grace of God can transform the carnal mind into harmony with spiritual things, so growth depended on God's power and not human wisdom.
Apollos watered by laboring afterward among the very Jews who had rejected Paul's preaching of Jesus as Christ, reasoning with them both publicly and privately and from house to house and showing them Christ in prophecy. He helped the hearers understand that Jesus whom Paul had preached was the Christ and that their expectation of another Messiah to come was vain. By thus supporting Paul's mission he gave character to Paul's past labors among them, confirmed the earlier message, and served the same mission in harmony with Paul for the advancement of the cause.
Paul had purposely preached in plain simplicity, dwelling on Christ and His mission without worldly wisdom, while Apollos preached with eloquence and manifest learning. Hearers contrasted the two styles and exalted Apollos above Paul, and many declared themselves under the leadership of Apollos and others under Paul, with some for Peter and some for Christ alone without human teachers and refusing submission to the voice of the church. Satan used these imaginary differences to tempt them to hold the ministers in contrast, creating a rival party spirit that brought conflict and trial upon Paul inside the church and threatened to greatly hinder the progress of truth.
Paul and Apollos worked in perfect harmony with no rivalry, neither exalting himself nor encouraging party preference for himself. Apollos was grieved by the division, took no advantage of the preference shown him, and encouraged no division. To keep from fueling strife he hastily left the field, and when Paul afterward urged him to visit Corinth he declined and did not labor there again until the church reached a better spiritual state, because party spirit endangered the ruin of the Christian church.
Paul names only the faithful watering work of Apollos building upon his work and says nothing of the false teachers sent to destroy the fruit of his labor. He forbore to irritate the church in its darkness and division for fear of turning some entirely from the truth. Ministers are thus laborers together with God and humble instruments in His hands, claiming no wisdom of their own and taking no glory to themselves, with divine power uniting with human effort to present truth and God alone giving success.
As a later parallel, Luther planted the seed of the Reformation by rough pioneer work of breaking the road and fighting rabble and devils with belligerent books, and after his removal the seed sprang up widely and took root while other workers pressed the work forward with renewed responsibility, faith, and earnestness so the movement grew beyond the presence of its first leader. Melancthon came after softly and gently to sow and water heartily, using the clear understanding, learning, logical mind, and polished pen richly given him, as in writing the Augsburg Confession, showing God divides reform work between different workers with different gifts.
In Russia the gospel message was planted in a new field like sowing seed, for papers and tracts reached there and the truth took root despite danger and opposition and bore fruit when some in the Crimea accepted the Sabbath. Its growth depends on God, and God will give the increase so that the work grows and prospers.
Meaning of Planting and Watering
Planting is sowing gospel seed by giving a doctrinal discourse that presents the evidences, by preaching, by personal visits, by Bible readings, by teaching people to search the Scriptures, by walking miles to instruct even children who come to meetings, and by prayer with families and interested persons, while watering is giving an exhortation that melts into the tenderest feeling of the congregation and continuing afterward to nurture and deepen the impression made on hearts and consciences, so that preaching sows and follow-up work waters. Both parts are equally important, and the minister's work is not measured by speaking ability alone, for planting and watering call for preaching the truth blended with personal teaching effort, with a variety of gifts brought into exercise according to God's plan, educating people to understand the Word, helping every soul build on a sure foundation with the Word as counsellor, shepherding the flock and faithfully teaching all things commanded. This seed-sowing must be done in faith even when heat keeps adults away, ministers oppose, and only a few embrace the truth, because conversion and a future harvest that time will reveal belong to God alone.
In themselves planting and watering are only the reading, studying, and preaching of the mere theory of truth, which by itself is powerless and produces little effect. The increase God gives is the heavenly endorsement and finish by His Spirit and power setting truth home to the hearts of hearers and reaching them and making teaching effective. That increase comes in answer to prayer and humbling of the soul before God, with every petition put up in faith lodged in heaven bringing precious returns, and with laying hold above and earnest importuning that He make truth cut like a sharp two-edged sword. There is more knowledge than living faith and godliness when trust is placed more in reading and studying than in God's power, so there must be earnest seeking for living faith and godliness as treasures, temperance in reading and studying, more prayer, and more dependence on the Spirit and His power than on knowledge obtained from much reading.
Teaching God's word is planting seed in minds and hearts, and the Holy Spirit waters what is sown. Even when the word appears to have little influence, work wrought in God is not lost, for lessons of divine truth linger in the memory even of the most careless students. Often after many days what was sown springs up and bears fruit to the glory of God, and teachers should ask God to water what they have sown so that it may ripen into a rich harvest through imputed righteousness. The seed sown may lie dormant for some time until the grace of God convicts the heart, then it is awakened to life and springs up and bears fruit to the glory of God. Sowing is to be done with care, anxiety, self-denial, and continued sacrifice for others' good, laboring unselfishly, earnestly, and perseveringly without becoming weary in well-doing, as co-workers with Christ and the heavenly angels in the salvation of fellow men while trusting God to quicken the seed to life.
Good seed needs watering and careful, continual care to grow and flourish, and its growth is not secured by planting alone, whereas evil seed takes root and spreads with little effort and therefore the good must be vigilantly tended. As in farming, rain, dew, and sunshine from heaven refresh vegetation and cause it to spring up and flourish, yet there is no harvest unless man prepares the soil and puts in the seed. To fold the arms, take ease, and let things take their course on the ground that God will give the harvest alone brings no harvest, for man must act his part faithfully by using the plow and other implements at the right time and sowing the seed in its season rather than being careless and negligent. In spiritual things God's word is the seed and Christ is the sower, and unless Christ works in the heart there is no harvest, so the harvest is proportionate to the energy expended and trust in human ability is forbidden, since spiritual growth and righteousness come from God's grace and His continual unseen working and not from human creation.
The work includes plowing, sowing, cultivating, and reaping in stages, with one planting, another watering or cultivating, and others reaping. God divides soul-saving work according to what each laborer is fitted for, giving every person a distinctive place from the lowliest worker to the most educated, so that workers who lay down part of their responsibility are not cut off but should keep an interest and be thankful that others can carry it forward successfully, all moving forward together harmoniously. God causes sower and reaper to rejoice together in the time of harvest, and those who receive the truth are to be taught and trained and prepared so they can help others.
God Alone Gives Increase
Paul planted by first preaching the gospel at Corinth and gathering the church as the work assigned him, while Apollos watered by following afterward to give further instruction and help the sown seed develop, but neither is the cause of growth and neither is anything in himself. Workers only plant and water as human instruments and ministers by whom people believe, each as given his own part, while God alone makes the work effective and gives the increase by the power that gives success to their efforts. Results, success, growth, and honor therefore belong to God and not to human workers, so no worker is to be exalted above another or made ground for rival factions, but each serves in united labor and each receives reward according to his own labor entrusted to him.
Eloquence, talent, persuasive arguments, learning, energy, skill, and logic cannot by themselves convert one soul, create spiritual life, or bring conviction and repentance. Even all human ability combined — Paul's apostolic authority, deep learning, zeal and earnest energy with Apollos's stirring eloquence, talent, and skillful logic — could not convert one soul without God's power and the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work. Conversion and success come because the grace and power of the Lord stand behind the instrument, cooperating with the human agent and giving divine efficiency, as man works out what the Spirit works in. Ministers must therefore submit plans and self to the Spirit, and their faithful godly daily lives must match their preaching, for careless conduct, imprudence, and lack of godliness undo good impressions, harm the work, and leave only superficial faith shaped by example.
The increase God gives is the Holy Spirit working with willing workers who will be influenced, impressing minds with need for repentance and conversion, touching and subduing hearts, and watering the seed sown with perseverance, energy, eloquence, and love, as seen in the wonderful work in New York City and its suburbs. Human agents owe all ability to the Lord and are frail instruments who can do nothing of themselves, for planting and watering produce no result unless Christ works with human effort. Workers must feel their weakness in order to feel need of Jesus abiding in the heart by faith, do what they can with fidelity toward the highest standard cultivating every faculty for God's glory, cooperate with divine and heavenly agencies, depend on God rather than abilities, and then trust Jesus to do the rest, for God works through prepared agents to communicate truth and make them polished instruments and vessels unto honor. Those bearing the message possess no grace, loveliness, power, or holiness of their own and are powerful and effective only as God the eternal Spirit works upon hearts to give growth, which is why the treasure in earthen vessels depends wholly on God and draws Satan's special efforts against the ministry.
No one can boast, for even the most intelligent and spiritually minded can give only what is received from Christ and cannot produce what the soul needs, and whatever a man has he received. As believers impart what they receive they continue to receive more, for believing, trusting, receiving, and sharing. Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, things present and things to come are all given to believers for good, believers are Christ's and Christ is God's, ministers are only stewards of the mysteries who must be found faithful, no brother is to be judged before the Lord comes to reveal hidden counsels of hearts, and every man's building on the one foundation which is Jesus Christ with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble shall be tried by fire with reward only if the work abides.
As a plant illustrates growth in grace, people may sow and tend seed but cannot make it grow; God's Spirit brings life and develops it until fruit. Joseph drew spiritual nourishment from God so the righteousness seen in him was Christ's righteousness communicated in an earthen vessel, and good seed in good soil sprang up and bore much fruit because the excellency of power was all of God whose presence and guardianship took charge of him after separation from his father. The increase includes the progress of the work in each individual soul, which determines the strength of the church, and also the gradual growth in numbers as seed watered by God springs up and new believers are added through united labor under one Head with different talents used unselfishly to uplift Christ. The church advances as God gives that increase, when believers are sanctified through truth, learn meekness and lowliness, overcome self-exaltation, envy, jealousy, and evil surmising, and unite forces to strengthen one another in complete unity.
When ministers teaching God's law allow sin to corrupt them they are separated from God and lack His power and Spirit, so the message they carry is not blessed, the seed is not watered, and there is no increase. Ministers must have pure and holy hearts and overcome lust before teaching truth, and need daily converting power of the Holy Spirit to bear much fruit. The efficiency making gospel effort successful in conviction and conversion is provided by the unseen God standing behind the minister, who alone gives the increase and does not give success to the preacher himself.
Ministers Are Humble Instruments
Paul, Apollos, and the ministers who followed them were only men commissioned by God to teach the truth, each doing the same work marked out by the Heavenly Father and dependent on Him for any success attending their labors. They are ministers by whom people believed even as the Lord gave to every man, only instruments of divine grace and power to whom God gives each his distinctive work to be blended harmoniously in carrying forward salvation. The ministry is only human instrumentality possessing no essential grace or holiness of its own, an agent ordained by God to be His helping hand and a powerful means for the salvation of souls, powerful and efficacious only as God the eternal Spirit makes it so and as workers cooperate with heavenly intelligences. The treasure of the gospel is in earthen vessels, and God's power alone can make them vessels of honor, so its success depends wholly on God. Satan directs his special efforts against the ministry because he knows this.
The consciousness of being God's servants gives energy and persevering diligence to discharge duty with an eye single to the Master's glory, staying near the cross to bring sinners to it, preaching Christ, and studiously refusing to call attention to self lest sacred truth be encumbered and its saving power hindered. Those who plant and water are one and are nothing in themselves, ordained as God's helping hand while God alone gives the increase, so they must not become exalted because of success or lift up souls unto vanity, lest the Lord remove their light from them. Workers should give God all the glory for any good accomplished and take no credit, claim no wisdom or power of their own, and not credit their own exertions, for claiming credit exalts people in God's place and quenches the Holy Spirit. Any success in faithfully sharing truth in word and deed comes from God, to whom thanks and glory belong, since human workers are only channels who may present truth and labor for souls but cannot do the work of the Holy Spirit or produce spiritual growth.
However great and good his work, no worker gains ownership over those converted through him or over a special territory or field to exclude others. Converts are Christ's property and must ever be answerable to Him alone, possessing an individuality that no other person can claim, so no convert is to place himself under the control of the minister instrumental in his conversion. Ministers only plant and water and must take the humble position belonging to every minister of the gospel, drawing people to Christ instead of binding them to themselves, laboring with fidelity and humility with self out of sight, sowing beside all waters, harmonizing and counseling and praying together with fellow workers of different minds, gifts, plans, and methods, since no one worker has all wisdom needed to manage an interest alone. To claim personal power for success and draw people to himself dishonors God and is contrary to the Word.
Eternal life does not depend on men, for Paul and Apollos are only ministers through whom belief came, each working as the Lord assigned, one planting and another watering while God alone gives the increase and backs all ministerial labor. Believers must therefore not show preference for one minister over another, lean upon men, tie to them, or depend on them, and ministers may be valued and respected for their labor yet must not receive the glory or the heart's deepest loyalty, which belong to God. People should look to Christ and honor God rather than fix attention on leaders He uses, for faith and practice depend on the Holy Spirit not on human wisdom, authority, or energy, which have no value in converting souls without Him. Reform must bear God's impress, not a human leader's, lest success breed pride in leaders and dependence in people and obscure the sight of God. To cast dishonor upon the messengers God selects and refuse God's words from the lips of any servant He sends dishonors God and grieves His Holy Spirit, robs souls of great blessings and Christ of the glory that should come to Him, and brings confusion, defection, and weakness, since planting and watering is the whole extent of human ability and growth comes only as the eternal Spirit works upon hearts.
Paul and Apollos were distinguished for spiritual excellencies by grace that came to them from Jesus Christ, and that same grace is available now to devoted Christian missionaries to enable faithful service rather than leaving the work to others. Workers for God should therefore cultivate their physical and mental powers to the utmost so they can serve where His providence calls them, because God desires His children to have intelligence and knowledge in order that His glory may be revealed in the world with unmistakable clearness and power.
Unity Not Party Spirit
Preferring one minister above another and crying I am of Paul and I am of Apollos comes from carnal nature and not from God's order, showing believers to be still babes in Christ walking as men and lacking the mind and Spirit of Christ. Such contending over human leaders reveals no growth in grace but narrow and limited comprehension and defective experience from not feeding on Christ. Envying, strife, divisions, prejudice, jealousy, withdrawing from some for imagined reasons while binding up with others, make members weak and separate them from brethren and thus from God. In that dwarfed spiritual state they cannot bear spiritual truth or meat, a plain Thus saith the Lord offends them, and the truth-teller is ranked as accuser and faultfinder.
He that plants and he that waters are one in object though the work differs, fellow workers with God who will each receive reward according to his own labor. They are not rivals or grounds for factions, and workers are not to compete, claim credit, or criticize one another's work, but faithfully do the work given to them. No man is to glory in men or be puffed up preferring one against another, for Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, things present and to come are all given to believers for good, and believers are Christ's and Christ is God's. Ministers are only to be accounted as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God who must be found faithful, no brother is to be judged before the Lord comes to bring hidden things to light and reveal the counsels of hearts, and every man's building on the one foundation which is Jesus Christ will be tried by fire with reward only if the work abides.
Those receiving present truth must not link exclusively to the one under whose labors they received light, standing as independent atoms in separate bundles refusing harmony with brethren. Such siding with a human bringer of light is carnal, babe-like, and unsanctified, a dangerous ground of envying, strife, and divisions needing reconversion as soon as possible lest claimed conversion stumble sinners. Those who receive truth in love make straight paths for their feet lest the lame be turned out of the way, with meekness, humility, wholehearted kindness, love and unity. One who partakes of the divine nature will not seek to stand at the head of a party, and true workers will not attract men to themselves but to Christ, preaching the truth which makes all one in Christ Jesus. A minister who does not dwell on the same things but emphasizes another phase of truth or presents the Word in a different way must not be condemned or made afraid that brethren do not value his exposition, for different ways can reach different people. God will not tolerate such differences and will not send His Spirit as Comforter and Strengthener until His people are all of one mind, loving as brethren, pitiful and courteous.
Erecting national barriers is a human plan God can never endorse, for men of every nationality are one in Christ Jesus and must remove every barrier and come into unity in the Master's service. Attachment to some favorite minister and unwillingness to accept the labors of another teacher and be profited by them is strong evidence that Bible truth has not sanctified the receivers. God sends help to the church as they need rather than as they choose, and because seldom does one minister possess all qualifications necessary to perfect a church, He sends other ministers one after another, each possessing some qualifications in which the others were deficient. The church should gratefully accept these servants as the Master, seeking all possible benefit from their instruction from the Word, yet ministers are not to be idolized and there are to be no religious pets and favorites. The chapter holds a lesson for every church plainly revealing the cause of difficulties, educating those possessed by a divisive spirit not as irreclaimable but to better understanding of the spirit that should control them. With the first two chapters it is essential instruction to ministers and all churches to be read carefully, studied, searched, and copied in every church, calling ministers and members to humble hearts, seek truth, and become spiritual, lest without such humility their names not be placed in the book of life.
Believers are laborers together with God under one great Head, given different talents and capabilities so they feel need of one another, to be used unselfishly and faithfully for the good of all to uplift Christ and not to glorify self or build self up to another's injury. The increase is the progress of the work in each individual soul, and that progress determines the strength of the church, so the church advances as God gives the increase. When believers are sanctified through the truth and learn meekness and lowliness, overcoming all self-exaltation, jealousy, envy, and evil surmising, and uniting to strengthen one another, there will be complete and perfect unity. Because God gives the increase, all ministry and medical missionary work must be united in one body under Christ as Leader, every part controlled and guided by wisdom God gives, with harmony in every action and no jealousy or party cries of Paul or Apollos or Cephas. Workers wearing Christ's yoke in humility of mind and using varied gifts to bless humanity become His helping hand, giving room to fellow laborers, not measuring brethren by personal ideas, not quarreling or following human devising, but drawing in even cords without friction under Christ's standard to strengthen His work in every line for God's glory in restoring the moral image of God in the fallen race.
Cooperation of Diverse Workers
Paul, Apollos, and the ministers who followed them were only men commissioned to teach the truth, all engaged in the same work marked out by the Heavenly Father and dependent on Him for success. God gives each messenger his distinctive work and place, from the lowliest worker to the most educated, and He employs diversity of gifts, dispositions, and capabilities for different minds and classes in winning souls from Satan's army. While gifts differ all are to blend harmoniously and shoulder the load together as mere instruments of divine grace and power in carrying forward salvation, under the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit. No one is authorized to order or control fellow workers or to place human yokes upon them, for God has left them free to learn from His Spirit and follow His direction, and each is to seek God in prayer and use the gift given to win souls, with human mistakes giving no right to put all workers under the judgment and control of fallible people. Knowing they are God's servants gives energy and persevering diligence with an eye single to the Master's glory, keeping near the cross to bring sinners to it, preaching Christ and refusing to call attention to self lest sacred truth be encumbered and its saving power hindered.
The Lord's vineyard has many kinds of essential workers, some gathering fruit while others prepare and tend the plants by digging, watering, pruning, supporting drooping vines, and guiding them to a firm support. The work depends on these different forms of service, so no faithful laborer should be treated as dispensable. God advances His work through different workmen where one may begin it and another carry it forward, but growth comes from God, and no workman's personal mold is to be treated as final because God brings further light and power through others so the work can continue to grow. Pioneer workers plant the field through self-sacrificing, united labor with one another and with God, and God blesses their faithful efforts with increase and precious experience, while those who come afterward water as companions in labor rather than superseders and judges, working without selfishness or self-exaltation and treating those who prepared the way with modesty, kindness, and courtesy.
Results do not come from supposing personal talents are sufficient for everything. Those fitted for humble pioneer breaking and sowing in new fields, going to other places to arouse an interest and begin a work and taking young helpers to cooperate with them, should do that breaking and sowing work and trust God alone for the growth rather than take on responsibilities they are not fitted to carry, such as educating youth in schools. Power and efficiency in preaching do not lie in the man but in God behind the man, who alone makes the Word effective and gives success and the increase while men cooperate with His power. Therefore one minister must not carry all the preaching himself while fellow appointed ministers sit idle for fear they will kill the interest, but all should unite and blend their talents, each taking his share and having room to preach, trusting God by His Spirit to work the human agent and make the impression. Camp meeting work requires abundant ministerial help with variety of gifts and fresh capabilities rather than leaving all the ministering to one man or putting constant strain on one or two men until they become physically and intellectually exhausted and incapable of doing their appointed work, with God vivifying human agents and the Holy Spirit working on the mind so the voice speaks with freshness and power and faith kept in constant exercise.
No worker owns a special territory or field to exclude others, for gospel workers only plant and water while God alone gives the increase. Labor must be done with fidelity and humility, with self kept out of sight, sowing beside all waters and making the most of every opportunity. It requires harmonizing with fellow workers, counseling together and praying together, because every place where truth is introduced needs different minds, different gifts, and different plans and methods united, and no one worker has all the wisdom needed to manage an interest alone. God divides soul-saving work according to what each laborer is fitted for, with one planting including plowing the field and sowing the seed while another waters and others reap, and He causes sower and reaper to rejoice together in the time of harvest. Workers who lay down part of their responsibility are not cut off from the work but should keep an interest in it and be thankful that others can carry it forward successfully, all moving forward together harmoniously.
God calls for the cooperation of a devoted church as proof they really believe what they teach, with every person pledged to dedicate soul, body, spirit, energies, and talents to saving souls. When believers unite their influence with heavenly agencies and devote their God-given energies and entrusted talents to saving souls, Paul plants and Apollos waters, talents increase by winning souls to Christ, but only God gives the increase. Workers with different gifts share in winning people to Christ as one sows the gospel seed and another serves alongside him while God gives the growth, and their work need not involve agreement on every point, for meekness, forbearance, charity, shared labor, and prayer can unite them in the same field.
Faithful Labor Trusting Results
Laborers are to sow gospel seed widely beside all waters, through every opening to every nation, beginning where truth has not been heard, not knowing whether this or that effort will prosper, while growth and results belong to God who waters seed sown in hope and faith and tends cultivation to life. Planting and watering mean hard, costly work to create interest by preaching, advertising, personal visits, Bible readings, teaching people to search Scripture, prayer with families, and doctrinal discourse presenting evidences, with preaching sowing and follow-up exhortation melting into tender feeling to deepen impression. Even where prejudice stands like a granite wall and ground has proved unfruitful, that labor is still sowing, and duty is to sow to the uttermost of ability and leave increase to God.
Workers must keep sowing with faith, patience, hope and courage through uncertainty, discouragement, disappointed hopes, opposition, hard hearts, customs, tradition, and teachers blocking the way, as Jesus met discouragement when He came to the world. They may not see every step or the souls reached, may reap what others planted for others later to reap, and may see only modest response or few embracing truth, yet such work can be a healthy influence whose unseen influence multiplies and whose full outworking is revealed in the hereafter. Thirty established after months of hard labor calls for thanksgiving, for converts carry truth to families, and earnest prayer seeks the Holy Spirit to work with human effort.
Because increase depends on God, prayer is necessary, with faith that will not be denied like a child to a parent, laying hold of infinite power and holding fast without letting go, wrestling with God to make truth cut like a sharp two-edged sword. Workers are to go forth like sharp sickles in the harvest field, awake and put on the whole armor of God, clinging to infinite power, working as Jesus worked with intercession rather than depending on argument, knowledge, reading or studying. Without living trust labor in large busy cities produces little and is put forth in sleepy indifferent unbelief to almost no account, while every petition lodged in heaven in faith and humbling of soul brings precious returns.
Growth is given when workers go forward clad with the Spirit with His righteousness before them and the glory of the Lord behind them in the meekness and lowliness of Christ, hiding self in Jesus. Then Jesus sets heavenly intelligences to work with human agents so the whole universe of heaven works upon hearts with astonishing results and power, even turning ridiculers to the Lord. Success does not come from education, flowery discourses, floods of words, self-display, ridicule, sarcasm, eloquence, force, or strength of argument. Workers must earnestly seek living faith and godliness, exercise temperance in reading and studying, pray more, depend on the Spirit more than much reading, fill words and spirit with the oil of God's love, speak calmly, distinctly, faithfully with faith, present big scriptural ideas of truth as it is in Jesus, and trust God rather than abilities.
Human preaching plants and can do no more while God waters and does what no speaker can, making impressions on hearts and giving increase. This holds whether speaking to respectful attentive crowds, a few gathered in a house with blessing and tears, through a translator, in heat with adults absent and ministers opposing, or in plain temperance addresses to the curious who would otherwise never hear. Some come only from curiosity and get no good, but many carry away ideas that may afterward grow, so seed is to be committed to God in prayer with gratitude and thanksgiving, trusting the heavenly Father to water it, with solemn impressions and future fruit proving labor not in vain in the Lord even when effect does not appear at once. Though the enemy bars the way and it is hard to get hold of people, the Lord of hosts is mightier than the strong man armed and will make place for truth in hearts not settled against it, for every person is precious in His sight.
The vineyard is to be worked in many places without concentrating resources where truth is known, with new centers and regions beyond established and pioneer soil prepared and sown, for once truth is planted increase and progress follow through God's work. God does not do the workers' assigned work but requires them to provide opportunity for seed to be sown. Workers should not be discouraged in slow fields, but be of good courage, do faithfully their appointed work, select personal laborers rather than expecting the preacher to do all, not wind up work hurriedly or move before it is bound off, and leave results and direction to the Lord who has precious souls with all heaven interested in every meeting.
In cities workers plant and water by dedicating heart, soul and mind to God, being intelligent in the Word to communicate it, entering cities, establishing meetings, speaking the message, and giving means to press truth into various places. Able God-fearing men with suitable helpers may take tents to different places in camp-meeting season, hold camp meetings, children's meetings and revival meetings with earnest effort, yet result does not come from labor. When all that can be done has been done God does the rest, working with the humble instrument with angels right about and around every consecrated worker, though even when power rests on preaching the speaker cannot convert souls and only gives the message.
Parents may patiently train children but God gives the increase, for human care and means alone do not produce growth, though God works through means and makes them effective. They must diligently sow seeds of good character and pray for God to water with grace and bring harvest, with Christ's grace making them wise to guide, and God deserves glory when characters flourish. Kindness, love and self-denying deeds make children and youth agents through whom Christ saves, and teaching children and singing hymns plants seeds in hope they will bear fruit.
Teachers sow truth in young hearts but growth and harvest depend on God through imputed righteousness, so they should ask God to water what they sow that it may ripen into rich harvest. Planting and watering mean laboring intelligently to save souls, giving right example, and careful culture of soil with a view to harvest, which practical lesson belongs in proper education. Christian motives lead to right actions and to moving forward with firm steady ever-increasing trust to the end.
In medical missionary and physician work, one plants and another waters but God gives increase, with success depending on God not human control or credit. Workers plant by speaking timely wisdom, carrying patients in prayer to the One on whom life depends, relieving suffering to open doors closed to mere preaching, and dropping truth into the mind that God waters. Christ waters to fruit unto holiness and eternal life, often only after much patience before seed shows life, so praise when life is spared belongs to invisible God not the physician, and truth spoken in season saves soul and body. Workers cannot determine which efforts will prosper and must leave growth to God.
Planting and watering include circulating notices, leaflets, tracts, papers and reading matter, canvassing, preaching discourses, holding meetings, and going house to house, as done in Newcastle. Papers and publications are silent messengers sowing truth in scattered hearts without a living preacher, and God waters to create interest, conviction, converts and churches, so hungry souls feasting at holy convocation are filled from heaven's banquet. Restaurant educational teaching is seed-sowing that awakens inquiry about belief, after which workers must be ready to give gospel light. Without the Lord watering, labor amounts to little.
The human part everywhere is presenting truth, reading and opening the Bible, shepherding, earnest personal labor and prayer, sowing in word and deed at home, in settlements and distant fields without knowing which prospers. Those in word and doctrine who received light must work without waiting for license, using talents, going into highways and hedges, watching, praying, searching Scripture and imparting what they received, holding forth Christ crucified and risen, accountable for light received. This calls for consecrated gifts and offerings to sustain harvest workers, increase in spirituality, self-denial and sacrifice, exemplifying saving truth daily, steady firm persevering effort without failing, discouragement or murmuring over humble position, and working, watching and waiting under God rather than idling.
Proclaiming testing messages plants and waters in clear distinct language with a certain sound, as in the third angel's message and Christ's invitation to come just as they are without inventing works for rest. The seed is the heaven-sent message of Christ's righteousness received with gladness, and the increase is God watering it so it grows, hearts are touched, hearers hear to purpose, idols of error are expelled, healing waters flow, and rest comes by faith. Because only God gives increase, workers must still watch, pray and set pure truth before the long deceived, presenting precious truth as it is in Jesus with Jesus speaking through servants, depending not merely on what the minister says but on what the Lord does.
All work in the vineyard belongs to God in every part while workers are finite distinct instruments cooperating with heaven, one planting and another watering. None can work independently or accomplish designs by human might, power, temperament or eloquence, nor hasten the work alone, but must receive orders, labor in His lines, do their best with divine agencies, and trust Jesus the Author and Finisher without fretting, hurrying or overtaxation. Even when the instrument is weak the work succeeds by God's power through familiarity with His Word and submission to His will, with ministers opening the Word and every disciple, home missionary and sentinel keeping his own soul in light and love, going forward in entire dependence, opening the heart for Jesus to possess and work through them, keeping souls in love and allowing the enemy no partnership.
Paul planted by first preaching the gospel at Corinth and organizing the church, while Apollos watered by coming afterward with further instruction to help the sown seed develop, but God alone gave the increase.
Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything in himself or causes growth by human power, so success and honor belong to God and no worker is to be exalted above another.
Eloquence, talent, learning, energy, and logic cannot convert even one soul or create spiritual life by themselves, for only God's power by the Holy Spirit impresses hearts with repentance and brings conviction.
Preferring one minister against another and crying I am of Paul and I am of Apollos comes from the carnal nature of babes in Christ, for he who plants and he who waters are one in object as fellow workers with God and are no ground for rival parties.
Workers are therefore to sow the seed widely beside all waters through preaching, personal labor, and prayer, cooperating in harmony with diverse gifts and leaving growth and results to God who waters what is sown in faith.
Paul and Apollos at Corinth
Paul first preached the gospel at Corinth, gathered and organized the church there, and thus planted the seed, while Apollos came afterward, won his way to the hearts of the people, gave further instruction and spiritual light and knowledge as they were able to receive it, and so watered what had been sown to help it develop. The two had different God-assigned parts in the same work and did not do the same work or possess the same gifts, yet they were one as fellow workers and instruments under God, cooperating with the unseen Master Worker under the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit. Neither caused spiritual growth or transformation of character by human power, but both depended on God for success, for God alone gave the increase and the power that made their labors succeed, so honor and glory belong to Him and not to the ministers. The Corinthians' preference of one minister over another arose from their carnal nature and not from God's order.
Planting was feeding carnal babes in Christ with milk and not with meat, instructing them in the first rudiments, the very alphabet, of Christian faith and doctrine, because though wise in worldly knowledge they had no experimental knowledge of the way of salvation and their carnal minds could not discern sacred revealings or bear deeper spiritual truth. Paul therefore could not address them as experienced in spiritual life and the mystery of godliness but had to present truth in its simplest form. Watering was carrying the work forward from the point where he left it, giving further spiritual light and knowledge in due season according to the church's ability to bear it, for true Christianity is a religion of progress ever giving light and blessing with still greater light and blessing in reserve. Only the illuminating influence of the gospel of Christ and the sanctifying grace of God can transform the carnal mind into harmony with spiritual things, so growth depended on God's power and not human wisdom.
Apollos watered by laboring afterward among the very Jews who had rejected Paul's preaching of Jesus as Christ, reasoning with them both publicly and privately and from house to house and showing them Christ in prophecy. He helped the hearers understand that Jesus whom Paul had preached was the Christ and that their expectation of another Messiah to come was vain. By thus supporting Paul's mission he gave character to Paul's past labors among them, confirmed the earlier message, and served the same mission in harmony with Paul for the advancement of the cause.
Paul had purposely preached in plain simplicity, dwelling on Christ and His mission without worldly wisdom, while Apollos preached with eloquence and manifest learning. Hearers contrasted the two styles and exalted Apollos above Paul, and many declared themselves under the leadership of Apollos and others under Paul, with some for Peter and some for Christ alone without human teachers and refusing submission to the voice of the church. Satan used these imaginary differences to tempt them to hold the ministers in contrast, creating a rival party spirit that brought conflict and trial upon Paul inside the church and threatened to greatly hinder the progress of truth.
Paul and Apollos worked in perfect harmony with no rivalry, neither exalting himself nor encouraging party preference for himself. Apollos was grieved by the division, took no advantage of the preference shown him, and encouraged no division. To keep from fueling strife he hastily left the field, and when Paul afterward urged him to visit Corinth he declined and did not labor there again until the church reached a better spiritual state, because party spirit endangered the ruin of the Christian church.
Paul names only the faithful watering work of Apollos building upon his work and says nothing of the false teachers sent to destroy the fruit of his labor. He forbore to irritate the church in its darkness and division for fear of turning some entirely from the truth. Ministers are thus laborers together with God and humble instruments in His hands, claiming no wisdom of their own and taking no glory to themselves, with divine power uniting with human effort to present truth and God alone giving success.
As a later parallel, Luther planted the seed of the Reformation by rough pioneer work of breaking the road and fighting rabble and devils with belligerent books, and after his removal the seed sprang up widely and took root while other workers pressed the work forward with renewed responsibility, faith, and earnestness so the movement grew beyond the presence of its first leader. Melancthon came after softly and gently to sow and water heartily, using the clear understanding, learning, logical mind, and polished pen richly given him, as in writing the Augsburg Confession, showing God divides reform work between different workers with different gifts.
In Russia the gospel message was planted in a new field like sowing seed, for papers and tracts reached there and the truth took root despite danger and opposition and bore fruit when some in the Crimea accepted the Sabbath. Its growth depends on God, and God will give the increase so that the work grows and prospers.
Meaning of Planting and Watering
Planting is sowing gospel seed by giving a doctrinal discourse that presents the evidences, by preaching, by personal visits, by Bible readings, by teaching people to search the Scriptures, by walking miles to instruct even children who come to meetings, and by prayer with families and interested persons, while watering is giving an exhortation that melts into the tenderest feeling of the congregation and continuing afterward to nurture and deepen the impression made on hearts and consciences, so that preaching sows and follow-up work waters. Both parts are equally important, and the minister's work is not measured by speaking ability alone, for planting and watering call for preaching the truth blended with personal teaching effort, with a variety of gifts brought into exercise according to God's plan, educating people to understand the Word, helping every soul build on a sure foundation with the Word as counsellor, shepherding the flock and faithfully teaching all things commanded. This seed-sowing must be done in faith even when heat keeps adults away, ministers oppose, and only a few embrace the truth, because conversion and a future harvest that time will reveal belong to God alone.
In themselves planting and watering are only the reading, studying, and preaching of the mere theory of truth, which by itself is powerless and produces little effect. The increase God gives is the heavenly endorsement and finish by His Spirit and power setting truth home to the hearts of hearers and reaching them and making teaching effective. That increase comes in answer to prayer and humbling of the soul before God, with every petition put up in faith lodged in heaven bringing precious returns, and with laying hold above and earnest importuning that He make truth cut like a sharp two-edged sword. There is more knowledge than living faith and godliness when trust is placed more in reading and studying than in God's power, so there must be earnest seeking for living faith and godliness as treasures, temperance in reading and studying, more prayer, and more dependence on the Spirit and His power than on knowledge obtained from much reading.
Teaching God's word is planting seed in minds and hearts, and the Holy Spirit waters what is sown. Even when the word appears to have little influence, work wrought in God is not lost, for lessons of divine truth linger in the memory even of the most careless students. Often after many days what was sown springs up and bears fruit to the glory of God, and teachers should ask God to water what they have sown so that it may ripen into a rich harvest through imputed righteousness. The seed sown may lie dormant for some time until the grace of God convicts the heart, then it is awakened to life and springs up and bears fruit to the glory of God. Sowing is to be done with care, anxiety, self-denial, and continued sacrifice for others' good, laboring unselfishly, earnestly, and perseveringly without becoming weary in well-doing, as co-workers with Christ and the heavenly angels in the salvation of fellow men while trusting God to quicken the seed to life.
Good seed needs watering and careful, continual care to grow and flourish, and its growth is not secured by planting alone, whereas evil seed takes root and spreads with little effort and therefore the good must be vigilantly tended. As in farming, rain, dew, and sunshine from heaven refresh vegetation and cause it to spring up and flourish, yet there is no harvest unless man prepares the soil and puts in the seed. To fold the arms, take ease, and let things take their course on the ground that God will give the harvest alone brings no harvest, for man must act his part faithfully by using the plow and other implements at the right time and sowing the seed in its season rather than being careless and negligent. In spiritual things God's word is the seed and Christ is the sower, and unless Christ works in the heart there is no harvest, so the harvest is proportionate to the energy expended and trust in human ability is forbidden, since spiritual growth and righteousness come from God's grace and His continual unseen working and not from human creation.
The work includes plowing, sowing, cultivating, and reaping in stages, with one planting, another watering or cultivating, and others reaping. God divides soul-saving work according to what each laborer is fitted for, giving every person a distinctive place from the lowliest worker to the most educated, so that workers who lay down part of their responsibility are not cut off but should keep an interest and be thankful that others can carry it forward successfully, all moving forward together harmoniously. God causes sower and reaper to rejoice together in the time of harvest, and those who receive the truth are to be taught and trained and prepared so they can help others.
God Alone Gives Increase
Paul planted by first preaching the gospel at Corinth and gathering the church as the work assigned him, while Apollos watered by following afterward to give further instruction and help the sown seed develop, but neither is the cause of growth and neither is anything in himself. Workers only plant and water as human instruments and ministers by whom people believe, each as given his own part, while God alone makes the work effective and gives the increase by the power that gives success to their efforts. Results, success, growth, and honor therefore belong to God and not to human workers, so no worker is to be exalted above another or made ground for rival factions, but each serves in united labor and each receives reward according to his own labor entrusted to him.
Eloquence, talent, persuasive arguments, learning, energy, skill, and logic cannot by themselves convert one soul, create spiritual life, or bring conviction and repentance. Even all human ability combined — Paul's apostolic authority, deep learning, zeal and earnest energy with Apollos's stirring eloquence, talent, and skillful logic — could not convert one soul without God's power and the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work. Conversion and success come because the grace and power of the Lord stand behind the instrument, cooperating with the human agent and giving divine efficiency, as man works out what the Spirit works in. Ministers must therefore submit plans and self to the Spirit, and their faithful godly daily lives must match their preaching, for careless conduct, imprudence, and lack of godliness undo good impressions, harm the work, and leave only superficial faith shaped by example.
The increase God gives is the Holy Spirit working with willing workers who will be influenced, impressing minds with need for repentance and conversion, touching and subduing hearts, and watering the seed sown with perseverance, energy, eloquence, and love, as seen in the wonderful work in New York City and its suburbs. Human agents owe all ability to the Lord and are frail instruments who can do nothing of themselves, for planting and watering produce no result unless Christ works with human effort. Workers must feel their weakness in order to feel need of Jesus abiding in the heart by faith, do what they can with fidelity toward the highest standard cultivating every faculty for God's glory, cooperate with divine and heavenly agencies, depend on God rather than abilities, and then trust Jesus to do the rest, for God works through prepared agents to communicate truth and make them polished instruments and vessels unto honor. Those bearing the message possess no grace, loveliness, power, or holiness of their own and are powerful and effective only as God the eternal Spirit works upon hearts to give growth, which is why the treasure in earthen vessels depends wholly on God and draws Satan's special efforts against the ministry.
No one can boast, for even the most intelligent and spiritually minded can give only what is received from Christ and cannot produce what the soul needs, and whatever a man has he received. As believers impart what they receive they continue to receive more, for believing, trusting, receiving, and sharing. Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, things present and things to come are all given to believers for good, believers are Christ's and Christ is God's, ministers are only stewards of the mysteries who must be found faithful, no brother is to be judged before the Lord comes to reveal hidden counsels of hearts, and every man's building on the one foundation which is Jesus Christ with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble shall be tried by fire with reward only if the work abides.
As a plant illustrates growth in grace, people may sow and tend seed but cannot make it grow; God's Spirit brings life and develops it until fruit. Joseph drew spiritual nourishment from God so the righteousness seen in him was Christ's righteousness communicated in an earthen vessel, and good seed in good soil sprang up and bore much fruit because the excellency of power was all of God whose presence and guardianship took charge of him after separation from his father. The increase includes the progress of the work in each individual soul, which determines the strength of the church, and also the gradual growth in numbers as seed watered by God springs up and new believers are added through united labor under one Head with different talents used unselfishly to uplift Christ. The church advances as God gives that increase, when believers are sanctified through truth, learn meekness and lowliness, overcome self-exaltation, envy, jealousy, and evil surmising, and unite forces to strengthen one another in complete unity.
When ministers teaching God's law allow sin to corrupt them they are separated from God and lack His power and Spirit, so the message they carry is not blessed, the seed is not watered, and there is no increase. Ministers must have pure and holy hearts and overcome lust before teaching truth, and need daily converting power of the Holy Spirit to bear much fruit. The efficiency making gospel effort successful in conviction and conversion is provided by the unseen God standing behind the minister, who alone gives the increase and does not give success to the preacher himself.
Ministers Are Humble Instruments
Paul, Apollos, and the ministers who followed them were only men commissioned by God to teach the truth, each doing the same work marked out by the Heavenly Father and dependent on Him for any success attending their labors. They are ministers by whom people believed even as the Lord gave to every man, only instruments of divine grace and power to whom God gives each his distinctive work to be blended harmoniously in carrying forward salvation. The ministry is only human instrumentality possessing no essential grace or holiness of its own, an agent ordained by God to be His helping hand and a powerful means for the salvation of souls, powerful and efficacious only as God the eternal Spirit makes it so and as workers cooperate with heavenly intelligences. The treasure of the gospel is in earthen vessels, and God's power alone can make them vessels of honor, so its success depends wholly on God. Satan directs his special efforts against the ministry because he knows this.
The consciousness of being God's servants gives energy and persevering diligence to discharge duty with an eye single to the Master's glory, staying near the cross to bring sinners to it, preaching Christ, and studiously refusing to call attention to self lest sacred truth be encumbered and its saving power hindered. Those who plant and water are one and are nothing in themselves, ordained as God's helping hand while God alone gives the increase, so they must not become exalted because of success or lift up souls unto vanity, lest the Lord remove their light from them. Workers should give God all the glory for any good accomplished and take no credit, claim no wisdom or power of their own, and not credit their own exertions, for claiming credit exalts people in God's place and quenches the Holy Spirit. Any success in faithfully sharing truth in word and deed comes from God, to whom thanks and glory belong, since human workers are only channels who may present truth and labor for souls but cannot do the work of the Holy Spirit or produce spiritual growth.
However great and good his work, no worker gains ownership over those converted through him or over a special territory or field to exclude others. Converts are Christ's property and must ever be answerable to Him alone, possessing an individuality that no other person can claim, so no convert is to place himself under the control of the minister instrumental in his conversion. Ministers only plant and water and must take the humble position belonging to every minister of the gospel, drawing people to Christ instead of binding them to themselves, laboring with fidelity and humility with self out of sight, sowing beside all waters, harmonizing and counseling and praying together with fellow workers of different minds, gifts, plans, and methods, since no one worker has all wisdom needed to manage an interest alone. To claim personal power for success and draw people to himself dishonors God and is contrary to the Word.
Eternal life does not depend on men, for Paul and Apollos are only ministers through whom belief came, each working as the Lord assigned, one planting and another watering while God alone gives the increase and backs all ministerial labor. Believers must therefore not show preference for one minister over another, lean upon men, tie to them, or depend on them, and ministers may be valued and respected for their labor yet must not receive the glory or the heart's deepest loyalty, which belong to God. People should look to Christ and honor God rather than fix attention on leaders He uses, for faith and practice depend on the Holy Spirit not on human wisdom, authority, or energy, which have no value in converting souls without Him. Reform must bear God's impress, not a human leader's, lest success breed pride in leaders and dependence in people and obscure the sight of God. To cast dishonor upon the messengers God selects and refuse God's words from the lips of any servant He sends dishonors God and grieves His Holy Spirit, robs souls of great blessings and Christ of the glory that should come to Him, and brings confusion, defection, and weakness, since planting and watering is the whole extent of human ability and growth comes only as the eternal Spirit works upon hearts.
Paul and Apollos were distinguished for spiritual excellencies by grace that came to them from Jesus Christ, and that same grace is available now to devoted Christian missionaries to enable faithful service rather than leaving the work to others. Workers for God should therefore cultivate their physical and mental powers to the utmost so they can serve where His providence calls them, because God desires His children to have intelligence and knowledge in order that His glory may be revealed in the world with unmistakable clearness and power.
Unity Not Party Spirit
Preferring one minister above another and crying I am of Paul and I am of Apollos comes from carnal nature and not from God's order, showing believers to be still babes in Christ walking as men and lacking the mind and Spirit of Christ. Such contending over human leaders reveals no growth in grace but narrow and limited comprehension and defective experience from not feeding on Christ. Envying, strife, divisions, prejudice, jealousy, withdrawing from some for imagined reasons while binding up with others, make members weak and separate them from brethren and thus from God. In that dwarfed spiritual state they cannot bear spiritual truth or meat, a plain Thus saith the Lord offends them, and the truth-teller is ranked as accuser and faultfinder.
He that plants and he that waters are one in object though the work differs, fellow workers with God who will each receive reward according to his own labor. They are not rivals or grounds for factions, and workers are not to compete, claim credit, or criticize one another's work, but faithfully do the work given to them. No man is to glory in men or be puffed up preferring one against another, for Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, things present and to come are all given to believers for good, and believers are Christ's and Christ is God's. Ministers are only to be accounted as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God who must be found faithful, no brother is to be judged before the Lord comes to bring hidden things to light and reveal the counsels of hearts, and every man's building on the one foundation which is Jesus Christ will be tried by fire with reward only if the work abides.
Those receiving present truth must not link exclusively to the one under whose labors they received light, standing as independent atoms in separate bundles refusing harmony with brethren. Such siding with a human bringer of light is carnal, babe-like, and unsanctified, a dangerous ground of envying, strife, and divisions needing reconversion as soon as possible lest claimed conversion stumble sinners. Those who receive truth in love make straight paths for their feet lest the lame be turned out of the way, with meekness, humility, wholehearted kindness, love and unity. One who partakes of the divine nature will not seek to stand at the head of a party, and true workers will not attract men to themselves but to Christ, preaching the truth which makes all one in Christ Jesus. A minister who does not dwell on the same things but emphasizes another phase of truth or presents the Word in a different way must not be condemned or made afraid that brethren do not value his exposition, for different ways can reach different people. God will not tolerate such differences and will not send His Spirit as Comforter and Strengthener until His people are all of one mind, loving as brethren, pitiful and courteous.
Erecting national barriers is a human plan God can never endorse, for men of every nationality are one in Christ Jesus and must remove every barrier and come into unity in the Master's service. Attachment to some favorite minister and unwillingness to accept the labors of another teacher and be profited by them is strong evidence that Bible truth has not sanctified the receivers. God sends help to the church as they need rather than as they choose, and because seldom does one minister possess all qualifications necessary to perfect a church, He sends other ministers one after another, each possessing some qualifications in which the others were deficient. The church should gratefully accept these servants as the Master, seeking all possible benefit from their instruction from the Word, yet ministers are not to be idolized and there are to be no religious pets and favorites. The chapter holds a lesson for every church plainly revealing the cause of difficulties, educating those possessed by a divisive spirit not as irreclaimable but to better understanding of the spirit that should control them. With the first two chapters it is essential instruction to ministers and all churches to be read carefully, studied, searched, and copied in every church, calling ministers and members to humble hearts, seek truth, and become spiritual, lest without such humility their names not be placed in the book of life.
Believers are laborers together with God under one great Head, given different talents and capabilities so they feel need of one another, to be used unselfishly and faithfully for the good of all to uplift Christ and not to glorify self or build self up to another's injury. The increase is the progress of the work in each individual soul, and that progress determines the strength of the church, so the church advances as God gives the increase. When believers are sanctified through the truth and learn meekness and lowliness, overcoming all self-exaltation, jealousy, envy, and evil surmising, and uniting to strengthen one another, there will be complete and perfect unity. Because God gives the increase, all ministry and medical missionary work must be united in one body under Christ as Leader, every part controlled and guided by wisdom God gives, with harmony in every action and no jealousy or party cries of Paul or Apollos or Cephas. Workers wearing Christ's yoke in humility of mind and using varied gifts to bless humanity become His helping hand, giving room to fellow laborers, not measuring brethren by personal ideas, not quarreling or following human devising, but drawing in even cords without friction under Christ's standard to strengthen His work in every line for God's glory in restoring the moral image of God in the fallen race.
Cooperation of Diverse Workers
Paul, Apollos, and the ministers who followed them were only men commissioned to teach the truth, all engaged in the same work marked out by the Heavenly Father and dependent on Him for success. God gives each messenger his distinctive work and place, from the lowliest worker to the most educated, and He employs diversity of gifts, dispositions, and capabilities for different minds and classes in winning souls from Satan's army. While gifts differ all are to blend harmoniously and shoulder the load together as mere instruments of divine grace and power in carrying forward salvation, under the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit. No one is authorized to order or control fellow workers or to place human yokes upon them, for God has left them free to learn from His Spirit and follow His direction, and each is to seek God in prayer and use the gift given to win souls, with human mistakes giving no right to put all workers under the judgment and control of fallible people. Knowing they are God's servants gives energy and persevering diligence with an eye single to the Master's glory, keeping near the cross to bring sinners to it, preaching Christ and refusing to call attention to self lest sacred truth be encumbered and its saving power hindered.
The Lord's vineyard has many kinds of essential workers, some gathering fruit while others prepare and tend the plants by digging, watering, pruning, supporting drooping vines, and guiding them to a firm support. The work depends on these different forms of service, so no faithful laborer should be treated as dispensable. God advances His work through different workmen where one may begin it and another carry it forward, but growth comes from God, and no workman's personal mold is to be treated as final because God brings further light and power through others so the work can continue to grow. Pioneer workers plant the field through self-sacrificing, united labor with one another and with God, and God blesses their faithful efforts with increase and precious experience, while those who come afterward water as companions in labor rather than superseders and judges, working without selfishness or self-exaltation and treating those who prepared the way with modesty, kindness, and courtesy.
Results do not come from supposing personal talents are sufficient for everything. Those fitted for humble pioneer breaking and sowing in new fields, going to other places to arouse an interest and begin a work and taking young helpers to cooperate with them, should do that breaking and sowing work and trust God alone for the growth rather than take on responsibilities they are not fitted to carry, such as educating youth in schools. Power and efficiency in preaching do not lie in the man but in God behind the man, who alone makes the Word effective and gives success and the increase while men cooperate with His power. Therefore one minister must not carry all the preaching himself while fellow appointed ministers sit idle for fear they will kill the interest, but all should unite and blend their talents, each taking his share and having room to preach, trusting God by His Spirit to work the human agent and make the impression. Camp meeting work requires abundant ministerial help with variety of gifts and fresh capabilities rather than leaving all the ministering to one man or putting constant strain on one or two men until they become physically and intellectually exhausted and incapable of doing their appointed work, with God vivifying human agents and the Holy Spirit working on the mind so the voice speaks with freshness and power and faith kept in constant exercise.
No worker owns a special territory or field to exclude others, for gospel workers only plant and water while God alone gives the increase. Labor must be done with fidelity and humility, with self kept out of sight, sowing beside all waters and making the most of every opportunity. It requires harmonizing with fellow workers, counseling together and praying together, because every place where truth is introduced needs different minds, different gifts, and different plans and methods united, and no one worker has all the wisdom needed to manage an interest alone. God divides soul-saving work according to what each laborer is fitted for, with one planting including plowing the field and sowing the seed while another waters and others reap, and He causes sower and reaper to rejoice together in the time of harvest. Workers who lay down part of their responsibility are not cut off from the work but should keep an interest in it and be thankful that others can carry it forward successfully, all moving forward together harmoniously.
God calls for the cooperation of a devoted church as proof they really believe what they teach, with every person pledged to dedicate soul, body, spirit, energies, and talents to saving souls. When believers unite their influence with heavenly agencies and devote their God-given energies and entrusted talents to saving souls, Paul plants and Apollos waters, talents increase by winning souls to Christ, but only God gives the increase. Workers with different gifts share in winning people to Christ as one sows the gospel seed and another serves alongside him while God gives the growth, and their work need not involve agreement on every point, for meekness, forbearance, charity, shared labor, and prayer can unite them in the same field.
Faithful Labor Trusting Results
Laborers are to sow gospel seed widely beside all waters, through every opening to every nation, beginning where truth has not been heard, not knowing whether this or that effort will prosper, while growth and results belong to God who waters seed sown in hope and faith and tends cultivation to life. Planting and watering mean hard, costly work to create interest by preaching, advertising, personal visits, Bible readings, teaching people to search Scripture, prayer with families, and doctrinal discourse presenting evidences, with preaching sowing and follow-up exhortation melting into tender feeling to deepen impression. Even where prejudice stands like a granite wall and ground has proved unfruitful, that labor is still sowing, and duty is to sow to the uttermost of ability and leave increase to God.
Workers must keep sowing with faith, patience, hope and courage through uncertainty, discouragement, disappointed hopes, opposition, hard hearts, customs, tradition, and teachers blocking the way, as Jesus met discouragement when He came to the world. They may not see every step or the souls reached, may reap what others planted for others later to reap, and may see only modest response or few embracing truth, yet such work can be a healthy influence whose unseen influence multiplies and whose full outworking is revealed in the hereafter. Thirty established after months of hard labor calls for thanksgiving, for converts carry truth to families, and earnest prayer seeks the Holy Spirit to work with human effort.
Because increase depends on God, prayer is necessary, with faith that will not be denied like a child to a parent, laying hold of infinite power and holding fast without letting go, wrestling with God to make truth cut like a sharp two-edged sword. Workers are to go forth like sharp sickles in the harvest field, awake and put on the whole armor of God, clinging to infinite power, working as Jesus worked with intercession rather than depending on argument, knowledge, reading or studying. Without living trust labor in large busy cities produces little and is put forth in sleepy indifferent unbelief to almost no account, while every petition lodged in heaven in faith and humbling of soul brings precious returns.
Growth is given when workers go forward clad with the Spirit with His righteousness before them and the glory of the Lord behind them in the meekness and lowliness of Christ, hiding self in Jesus. Then Jesus sets heavenly intelligences to work with human agents so the whole universe of heaven works upon hearts with astonishing results and power, even turning ridiculers to the Lord. Success does not come from education, flowery discourses, floods of words, self-display, ridicule, sarcasm, eloquence, force, or strength of argument. Workers must earnestly seek living faith and godliness, exercise temperance in reading and studying, pray more, depend on the Spirit more than much reading, fill words and spirit with the oil of God's love, speak calmly, distinctly, faithfully with faith, present big scriptural ideas of truth as it is in Jesus, and trust God rather than abilities.
Human preaching plants and can do no more while God waters and does what no speaker can, making impressions on hearts and giving increase. This holds whether speaking to respectful attentive crowds, a few gathered in a house with blessing and tears, through a translator, in heat with adults absent and ministers opposing, or in plain temperance addresses to the curious who would otherwise never hear. Some come only from curiosity and get no good, but many carry away ideas that may afterward grow, so seed is to be committed to God in prayer with gratitude and thanksgiving, trusting the heavenly Father to water it, with solemn impressions and future fruit proving labor not in vain in the Lord even when effect does not appear at once. Though the enemy bars the way and it is hard to get hold of people, the Lord of hosts is mightier than the strong man armed and will make place for truth in hearts not settled against it, for every person is precious in His sight.
The vineyard is to be worked in many places without concentrating resources where truth is known, with new centers and regions beyond established and pioneer soil prepared and sown, for once truth is planted increase and progress follow through God's work. God does not do the workers' assigned work but requires them to provide opportunity for seed to be sown. Workers should not be discouraged in slow fields, but be of good courage, do faithfully their appointed work, select personal laborers rather than expecting the preacher to do all, not wind up work hurriedly or move before it is bound off, and leave results and direction to the Lord who has precious souls with all heaven interested in every meeting.
In cities workers plant and water by dedicating heart, soul and mind to God, being intelligent in the Word to communicate it, entering cities, establishing meetings, speaking the message, and giving means to press truth into various places. Able God-fearing men with suitable helpers may take tents to different places in camp-meeting season, hold camp meetings, children's meetings and revival meetings with earnest effort, yet result does not come from labor. When all that can be done has been done God does the rest, working with the humble instrument with angels right about and around every consecrated worker, though even when power rests on preaching the speaker cannot convert souls and only gives the message.
Parents may patiently train children but God gives the increase, for human care and means alone do not produce growth, though God works through means and makes them effective. They must diligently sow seeds of good character and pray for God to water with grace and bring harvest, with Christ's grace making them wise to guide, and God deserves glory when characters flourish. Kindness, love and self-denying deeds make children and youth agents through whom Christ saves, and teaching children and singing hymns plants seeds in hope they will bear fruit.
Teachers sow truth in young hearts but growth and harvest depend on God through imputed righteousness, so they should ask God to water what they sow that it may ripen into rich harvest. Planting and watering mean laboring intelligently to save souls, giving right example, and careful culture of soil with a view to harvest, which practical lesson belongs in proper education. Christian motives lead to right actions and to moving forward with firm steady ever-increasing trust to the end.
In medical missionary and physician work, one plants and another waters but God gives increase, with success depending on God not human control or credit. Workers plant by speaking timely wisdom, carrying patients in prayer to the One on whom life depends, relieving suffering to open doors closed to mere preaching, and dropping truth into the mind that God waters. Christ waters to fruit unto holiness and eternal life, often only after much patience before seed shows life, so praise when life is spared belongs to invisible God not the physician, and truth spoken in season saves soul and body. Workers cannot determine which efforts will prosper and must leave growth to God.
Planting and watering include circulating notices, leaflets, tracts, papers and reading matter, canvassing, preaching discourses, holding meetings, and going house to house, as done in Newcastle. Papers and publications are silent messengers sowing truth in scattered hearts without a living preacher, and God waters to create interest, conviction, converts and churches, so hungry souls feasting at holy convocation are filled from heaven's banquet. Restaurant educational teaching is seed-sowing that awakens inquiry about belief, after which workers must be ready to give gospel light. Without the Lord watering, labor amounts to little.
The human part everywhere is presenting truth, reading and opening the Bible, shepherding, earnest personal labor and prayer, sowing in word and deed at home, in settlements and distant fields without knowing which prospers. Those in word and doctrine who received light must work without waiting for license, using talents, going into highways and hedges, watching, praying, searching Scripture and imparting what they received, holding forth Christ crucified and risen, accountable for light received. This calls for consecrated gifts and offerings to sustain harvest workers, increase in spirituality, self-denial and sacrifice, exemplifying saving truth daily, steady firm persevering effort without failing, discouragement or murmuring over humble position, and working, watching and waiting under God rather than idling.
Proclaiming testing messages plants and waters in clear distinct language with a certain sound, as in the third angel's message and Christ's invitation to come just as they are without inventing works for rest. The seed is the heaven-sent message of Christ's righteousness received with gladness, and the increase is God watering it so it grows, hearts are touched, hearers hear to purpose, idols of error are expelled, healing waters flow, and rest comes by faith. Because only God gives increase, workers must still watch, pray and set pure truth before the long deceived, presenting precious truth as it is in Jesus with Jesus speaking through servants, depending not merely on what the minister says but on what the Lord does.
All work in the vineyard belongs to God in every part while workers are finite distinct instruments cooperating with heaven, one planting and another watering. None can work independently or accomplish designs by human might, power, temperament or eloquence, nor hasten the work alone, but must receive orders, labor in His lines, do their best with divine agencies, and trust Jesus the Author and Finisher without fretting, hurrying or overtaxation. Even when the instrument is weak the work succeeds by God's power through familiarity with His Word and submission to His will, with ministers opening the Word and every disciple, home missionary and sentinel keeping his own soul in light and love, going forward in entire dependence, opening the heart for Jesus to possess and work through them, keeping souls in love and allowing the enemy no partnership.