"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name." (1 Corinthians 1:10-15 ESV) "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." (1 Corinthians 3:5-7 ESV)
Have you ever planted a tree or a bush in your yard? If so, you know they require a lot of care in the early years to become established and grow properly. I planted a magnolia tree in my front yard almost 30 years ago. It was about four feet tall at that time. I watered and fertilized it regularly, mulched around the root ball for the first few years to conserve moisture, and pruned it as it grew. Today it's a beautiful tree at least 30 feet tall. Now I knew when I planted it that if I watered it and fertilized it, barring disease it would grow into the beautiful tree that it is today. The end result was guaranteed if I did my part. So I planted this tree, I watered and fertilized it, but even though I did those things did I make it grow? No, only God made it grow. God created it; I just nurtured and cared for it. So if in earthly things God can guarantee a certain outcome provided we do our part, how much more can he guarantee in spiritual things if we're doing our part? Sometimes it seems like no one wants to listen, but if we plant and nurture God's word among our fellow men, is there any doubt that God can make it grow in their hearts?
