1 Corinthians 3:1-10 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.

I was a student pastor for 15 years and saw a multitude of students transformed by Christ. In addition to pouring God’s Word into their lives every week, I loved taking students to Camp or on a Retreat and seeing the light bulbs come on in them. An interesting phenomenon was to hear these students speak of the camp/retreat personalities with awe because of the things they shared. The camp/retreat leaders were gifted speakers & worship leaders, but many of the things they shared were things our Student Ministry had been sowing into these students for months or years. The joy for me and the Student Ministry Team was seeing these lives transformed and knowing we had a part in the process.

As a field doesn’t produce crops overnight, spiritual growth & life isn’t something that happens without a process. The Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit is constantly at work in our lives. In addition to this, God uses faithful servants to do their part as they sow the seed of God’s Word in people’s lives. There’s a process where seeds are planted, cultivated, watered, and eventually there is growth.

In light of this, here are a couple of things you might want to consider…..
1) be careful that you don’t get enamored with personalities
2) understand that your spiritual life is a journey & God produces growth
3) spiritual growth isn’t always glamorous – it’s hard work (2 Tim 2:6)
4) spiritual leaders are to be co-workers not competitors
5) be thankful for the various workers God has used to impact you
6) when the “light bulbs” come on – it’s probably because someone laid a foundation in you