Kingdom Influence Part 5
At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Influence,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.
Our series is called Kingdom Influence. This week we are going to talk about the importance of being shaped by love as we are built on Christ. That raises an important question for us: What is shaping the way we relate to one another? Because faith does not only shape what we believe. It reshapes how we live together. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul addresses a church that believes the right things but is living in fractured ways.
1 Corinthians 3:1–4 (NIV)
1 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. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
What is striking here is that Paul is not correcting their theology. He is confronting their relationships. The issue is not informational. It is relational. They know the gospel. They believe in Christ. But the gospel has not yet fully reshaped how they treat one another.
Jealousy and comparison are not intellectual problems. They are relational ones. They reveal what we believe about access, value, security, and belonging. When we compare ourselves to others, when we compete for influence, when we divide into camps, it shows that we are still operating out of fear rather than love. The gospel had saved them, but it had not yet fully formed their community.
That is why Paul shifts the metaphor. He reminds them that the foundation has already been laid.
1 Corinthians 3:10–11 (NIV)
10 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. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
The foundation is secure. Christ has already done the work of salvation. But what we build on that foundation matters deeply. God does not only want redeemed individuals. He wants a formed people. A community shaped by love. A church that reflects the character of Christ in how it listens, forgives, serves, and bears with one another.
Formation takes time. It takes intention. It takes trust. Love does not happen automatically just because we believe the right things. Love grows as we allow the Spirit to reshape our instincts, our reactions, and our relationships. Kingdom influence is not just about what we proclaim. It is about what we practice together. When Christ is our foundation and love is our shaping force, the church becomes a living witness to the Kingdom of God in the world.
This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.
Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.
