Spiritual Growth is Stunted | Ernie Bonnoitt | 9.20.26

Paul calls the Corinthians “brothers” before he calls out their immaturity. Division has not made them beyond grace, but it has made them act like “man babies,” people who have been given the mind of Christ yet do not live like it. Sin promises life, but it delivers brokenness and death, so the hard word is not meant to browbeat anybody. It is meant to expose the poison so that God can bring greater joy and real transformation.

Paul’s image of milk and solid food is not mainly about knowing complicated theological systems. Milk is the foundation of the gospel, and solid food is letting that same gospel invade every part of life. The Corinthians have the basics, but they are still confused in ways that produce wrong actions. Spiritual maturity means hearing the gospel and responding with life change, not simply collecting knowledge.

The four G’s put that maturity into plain view. Gathering regularly with God’s people matters because what the early Christians did regularly, many modern Christians do only sparingly. Growing requires more than consuming content about the Bible. God’s Word must become like bread and water, the steady place where God reshapes desires and gives discernment. Going means refusing to hide the light of Christ in the places where life actually happens. Giving means seeing time, talent, treasure, and property as things entrusted by God, not possessions to guard from Him.

Paul also says the Corinthians are fleshly because jealousy, strife, and party spirit make them indistinguishable from the world around them. Christians are not merely human anymore. The Holy Spirit has invaded their lives, and old patterns no longer fit their new identity. Confession and repentance mean agreeing with the Spirit that sin is not who they are anymore and getting ruthless with what Christ has already freed them from.

Paul then tears down celebrity culture in ministry. Paul plants, Apollos waters, but God gives the growth. Leaders are servants, not supreme figures to rally around, and kingdom growth does not come through polished promotions or personality. God rewards faithful obedience to the specific calling He gives, whether that work is visible or unseen. Paul and Apollos are fellow workers on the same team, and every gospel-believing church is an ally against the real enemy: the devil and the lostness of the city.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Division stunts spiritual growth. Division does not stay at the level of preferences or personalities. It trains believers to compare, compete, envy, and strive, all while missing the work God is doing right in front of them. Spiritual growth gets stunted when energy goes toward picking sides rather than becoming more like Christ. [04:51]
• 2. Maturity applies the gospel everywhere. Solid food is not merely advanced theology or winning debates about difficult doctrines. Maturity happens when the gospel reaches gathering, Bible reading, witness, service, money, relationships, and daily priorities. Christ’s death and resurrection claim the whole life, not just a religious corner of it. [26:49]
• 3. Christians are not merely human anymore. Jealousy and strife may be normal for people without the Spirit, but they do not match the identity of those made new in Christ. Repentance begins by refusing to conceal sin and agreeing that old fleshly patterns no longer belong. The Holy Spirit makes a believer fundamentally different, even when the battle against sin remains real. [30:05]
• 4. God gives growth, servants stay humble. Paul and Apollos refuse to receive credit that belongs to God alone. Faithful labor matters deeply, but ministry never runs on charisma, platforms, programs, or polished promotion. God sees unseen obedience and rewards faithfulness to the calling He has actually given. [33:45]
• 5. Gospel churches are allies, not competitors. Churches that proclaim Christ are not rivals fighting for the same territory. The real conflict is against the devil and the lostness that keeps people in death. Division wins nothing, but shared labor in God’s field points people toward life.
  
  ## [38:36]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:17] - Division in the Corinthian Church
• [02:16] - Brothers Called Up in Love
• [04:12] - Infants in Christ
• [04:51] - Division Stunts Growth
• [08:02] - Milk and Solid Food
• [11:47] - The Four G’s of Maturity
• [12:49] - Gather Regularly
• [17:42] - Grow in God’s Word
• [20:16] - Go With the Gospel
• [22:04] - Give Time, Talent, and Treasure
• [27:35] - No Longer Merely Human
• [32:02] - God Gives the Growth
• [37:36] - Fellow Workers, One Team
• [39:57] - Prayer Against Division

Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 3:1-4

Verse 1: “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.” [04:11]

Verse 2: “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,” [04:17]

Verse 3: “for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?” [04:24]

Verse 4: “For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not being merely human?” [04:37]

1 Corinthians 3:5-9

Verse 5: “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.” [31:31]

Verse 6: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” [31:31]

Verse 7: “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” [33:27]

Verse 8: “He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.” [34:17]

Verse 9: “For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.” [37:44]

Galatians 2:20

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” [26:31]

Observation questions

1. What words does Paul use to describe the Corinthians, and what specific behaviors does he point to as evidence that they are still acting “of the flesh”? [04:24]
2. According to 1 Corinthians 3:1-4, how are jealousy, strife, and choosing favorite leaders connected to spiritual immaturity?
3. What distinction is made between “milk” and “solid food,” and how does that distinction move beyond simply knowing more theological information? [10:04]
4. In 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, what roles do Paul, Apollos, and God each have in the growth of the church? [33:27]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul calls the Corinthians “brothers” while confronting serious immaturity. What does this show about the purpose of loving correction among Christians—especially when sin is causing brokenness rather than life? [02:35]
2. Paul says believers are “not merely human” because the Holy Spirit lives in them. How does this truth help explain why jealousy, rivalry, and strife no longer fit a Christian’s identity? [30:05]
3. If solid food means allowing the gospel to shape all of life, what would it look like for the gospel to affect a believer’s schedule, relationships, speech, work, and use of money? [26:16]
4. Paul says that the planter and waterer are one, while God gives the growth. How should this shape the way Christians view gifted leaders, unseen servants, and other gospel-believing churches? [37:50]

Application questions

1. Jealousy and strife can show up quietly through comparison, resentment, criticism, or a need to be noticed. Where are you most tempted to compare yourself with other Christians, and what might repentance look like in that area? [40:25]
2. Gathering with God’s people is not merely a religious task; it is one way God shapes and strengthens His people. What patterns currently help or hinder you from gathering consistently for worship, community, and encouragement? [17:35]
3. God’s Word is meant to be like bread and water, not merely content to hear secondhand. What is one realistic change you could make this week to spend more direct time reading, praying through, and obeying Scripture? [18:36]
4. Christ’s light is meant to be visible where believers live, work, study, and spend time. Is there a coworker, neighbor, classmate, or friend with whom you could take one intentional step toward a spiritual conversation? [20:30]
5. Galatians 2:20 says that believers now live by faith in the Son of God who loved them and gave Himself for them. What area of your time, talent, money, possessions, or plans is hardest to see as entrusted to you by God rather than belonging only to you? [26:49]
6. God gives growth, but He calls His people to faithful labor. Where might God be inviting you to serve faithfully—whether anyone notices it or not—and what would make it easier to take that next step? [34:38]
7. Gospel-believing churches are allies in reaching people who are far from God. How can you resist a competitive or critical attitude toward other churches and instead celebrate the ways God is working through them? [38:47]