Miles McKee Ministries
Box 353, Ponte Vedra Beach, Jacksonville, Florida 32004-0353
PO Box 8, New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland
The Gospel and the True Apostle
PART 3
Warnings to would be Apostles and Ministers
When it came to the Church, the apostle Paul was a wise masterbuilder. He knew both how the church should look and how it should be built. In 1 Corinthians chapter 3 he shares some of his great insights into apostolic church building. The first thing he admits is his own lack of sufficiency: this is a great lesson for all would be apostles! According to Paul, his ministry would be nothing unless the hand of God was upon it. He writes,
“Neither he that plants is any thing, nor he that waters, but God who gives the increase,” (1 Cor 3:7.)
What he is saying is, no apostle or New Testament minister is any thing in and of himself: He can accomplish no effective ministry unless God gives the increase. A true apostle knows this! He does not pride himself in his anointing or boast of his gifts. Matthew Henry says correctly,
“The best qualified and most faithful ministers have a just sense of their own insufficiency, and are very desirous that God should have all the glory of their success. Paul and Apollos are nothing at all in their own account, but God is all in all.”
(Matthew Henry Commentaries)
According to Paul, all the apostles were players on the same team for He says,
“He that plants and he that waters are one.” (1 Cor 3:8).
In other words, they had the same message, worked for the same cause and were employed by the same Master. They may have had differing gifts but whether planters or waterers they were all fellow-
Apostles, according to Paul, are laborers together with God. The Greek word used for laborers is “sunergos” which refers to a companion in work and labor, a co-
An apostle needs to be not only a master-
“Gold and dirt must not be mingled together. Ministers of Christ should take great care that they do not build their own fancies or false reasonings on the foundation of divine revelation. What they preach should be the plain doctrine of their Master, or what is perfectly agreeable with it.
Matthew Henry: Commentaries
A genuine apostle knows how to build the church. Today the idea is that building the Church and building numbers are one and the same. This is incorrect. As Spurgeon astutely observed,
“When I have heard of large congregations gathered together by the music of a fine choir I have remembered that the same thing is done at the Opera House and the Music Hall and I have felt no joy.”
(CHS: Sermon 1075, ‘A Root out of Dry Ground’)
How ministers choose to build God’s heritage in the Church is of vital importance. Paul warns others coming after him to take heed to how they build. He writes,
“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. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.”
(1 Cor 3:10-13).
As a wise master-builder, Paul informs us what foundation he had laid -- even Jesus Christ, the chief corner-stone. (Eph 2:20) Jesus is the cornerstone of Psalm 118 and the foundation stone of Isaiah 28. Everything, therefore in and of the church must be built upon Jesus Christ; if it is not, it has no stability and is a counterfit New Testament Church.
Every precious truth built on the foundation should be a Gospel Truth. Jesus Christ must not only be the foundation but the center of every truth. As Spurgeon reminds us,
Every precious truth built on the foundation should be a Gospel Truth. Jesus Christ must not only be the foundation but the center of every truth. As Spurgeon reminds us,
Election is a good thing; to be chosen of God, and precious; but we are elect in Christ Jesus. Adoption is a good thing; to be adopted into the family of God is a good thing—ah, but we are adopted in Christ Jesus and made joint-heirs with him. Pardon is a good thing—who will not say so?—ay, but we are pardoned through the precious blood of Jesus. Justification—is not that a noble thing, to be robed about with a perfect righteousness?—ay, but we are justified in Jesus. To be preserved—is not that a precious thing?—ay; but we are preserved in Christ Jesus, and kept by his power even to the end. Perfection—who shall say that this is not precious? Well, but we are perfect in Christ Jesus. Resurrection, is not that glorious? We are risen with him. To ascend up on high, is not that precious? But he hath raised us up and made us sit together with him in heavenly places in Jesus Christ.
(CHS: Christ Precious To Believers: Sermon 242)
Every minister of God ought to build upon this foundation of Christ with gold, silver, and precious stones (v. 12). And what are these but the doctrines and truths about Christ Jesus, His person, work and offices. They are Gospel truths which reveal the inheritance of the Gospel and cause believers to draw nearer to Christ Jesus so that they may behold his Glory! Years ago, few ministers had to be told these things; they were raised in the Gospel. If believers from the 1800’s could come back and listen to all the believer centered/ life coach preaching of today they would be certain that a great apostasy had fallen on the church. Spurgeon gives us insight into what believers were like in his day. He says,
“--------send one of Christ's people to hear the most noted preacher of the age, whoever that may be; he preaches a very learned sermon, very fine and magnificent, but there is not a word about Christ in that sermon. Suppose that to be the case, and the Christian man will go out and say, "I did not care a farthing for that man's discourse." Why? "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. I heard nothing about Christ." Send that man on the Sabbath morning to hear some hedge and ditch preacher, some one who cuts the king's English about so badly, but who preaches Jesus Christ—you will see the tears rolling down that man's face, and when he comes out he will say, "I do not like that man's bad grammar; I do not like the many mistakes he has made, but oh! it has done my heart good, for he spoke about Christ." That, after all, is the main thing for the Christian; he wants to hear about his Lord, and if he hears him magnified he will overlook a hundred faults. In fact, you will find that Christians are all agreed, that the best sermon is that which is fullest of Christ.
( CHS: Christ Precious To Believers: Sermon 242)