God's Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God.

You are the only one who knows what is in your own mind, and God's Spirit is the only one who knows what is in God's mind.

But God has given us his Spirit. This is why we don't think the same way that the people of this world think. This is also why we can recognize the blessings God has given us.

Every word we speak was taught to us by God's Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people.

This is why only someone who has God's Spirit can understand spiritual blessings. Anyone who doesn't have God's Spirit thinks these blessings are foolish.

People who are guided by the Spirit can make all kinds of judgments, but they cannot be judged by others.

The Scriptures ask, “Has anyone ever known the thoughts of the Lord or given him advice?” But we understand what Christ is thinking.

Working Together for God

My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. That's why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned.

So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. You could not take solid food, and you still cannot,

because you are not yet spiritual. You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves you are not spiritual and you are acting like the people of this world.

Some of you say you follow me, and others claim to follow Apollos. Isn't this how ordinary people behave?

Apollos and I are merely servants who helped you to have faith. It was the Lord who made it all happen.

I planted the seeds, Apollos watered them, but God made them sprout and grow.

Whatever we build on this foundation will be tested by fire on the day of judgment. Then everyone will find out if we have used gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and straw.

We will be rewarded if our building is left standing.

But if it is destroyed by the fire, we will lose everything. Yet we ourselves will be saved, like someone escaping from flames.

All of you surely know you are God's temple and his Spirit lives in you.

This is because God considers the wisdom of this world to be foolish. It is just as the Scriptures say, “God catches the wise when they try to outsmart him.”

The Scriptures also say, “The Lord knows that the plans made by wise people are useless.”

So stop bragging about what anyone has done. Paul and Apollos and Peter all belong to you. In fact, everything is yours, including the world, life, death, the present, and the future. Everything belongs to you,

The Work of the Apostles

Think of us as servants of Christ who have been given the work of explaining God's mysterious ways.

And since our first duty is to be faithful to the one we work for,

So don't judge anyone until the Lord returns. He will show what is hidden in the dark and what is in everyone's heart. Then God will be the one who praises each of us.

Friends, I have used Apollos and myself as examples to teach you the meaning of the saying, “Follow the rules.” I want you to stop saying one of us is better than the other.

What is so special about you? What do you have that you were not given? And if it was given to you, how can you brag?