The Church and Its Leaders
1Brothers 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. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
5What, 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. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10By 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. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
16Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
18Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”3:19 Job 5:13; 20and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”3:20 Psalm 94:11 21So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas3:22 That is, Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
Mpingo ndi Atsogoleri Ake
1Ndipo abale sindikanakuyankhulani ngati auzimu koma adziko lapansi, makanda chabe mwa Khristu. 2Ndinakupatsani mkaka osati chakudya cholimba pakuti munali musanakonzeke kuchilandira. Zoonadi, simunakonzekebe. 3Mukanali adziko lapansi. Pakuti pakati panu pali kaduka ndi kukangana, kodi si inu a dziko lapansi? Kodi simukuchita ngati anthu wamba? 4Pamene wina anena kuti, “Ine ndimatsatira Paulo,” ndipo wina akuti, “Ine ndimatsatira Apolo,” Kodi si inu akunja?
5Ndiponso kodi Apolo ndi ndani? Nanga Paulo ndi ndani? Otumikira chabe, omwe kudzera mwa iwo inu munakhulupirira monga Ambuye anawagawira aliyense ntchito yake. 6Ine ndinadzala mbewu, Apolo anayithirira, koma Mulungu ndiye anayikulitsa. 7Choncho kuphatikiza iye wodzala ndi iye wothirira, onse sali kanthu, koma Mulungu yekha amene amakulitsa zinthu. 8Munthu wodzala ndi munthu wothirira ali ndi cholinga chimodzi, ndipo aliyense adzapatsidwa mphotho molingana ndi ntchito yake. 9Pakuti ife ndife antchito anzake a Mulungu; inu ndinu munda wa Mulungu, Nyumba ya Mulungu.
10Mwachisomo chimene Mulungu wandipatsa, ine ndinayika maziko monga mmisiri waluntha, ndipo ena akumangapo. Koma aliyense ayenera kuchenjera mmene akumangira. 11Pakuti wina sangayikenso maziko ena oposera amene anakhazikitsidwa kale, amene ndi Yesu Khristu. 12Ngati munthu aliyense amanga pa maziko awa pogwiritsa ntchito golide, siliva, miyala yamtengowapatali, milimo yamitengo, tsekera kapena udzu, 13ntchito yake idzaonekera pamene Tsiku la chiweruzo lidzazionetsa poyera. Tsikulo lidzafika ndi moto, ndipo motowo ndi umene udzayesa ntchito ya munthu aliyense. 14Ngati zimene zamangidwazo sizidzagwa, adzalandira mphotho yake. 15Ndipo ngati zidzanyeke ndi moto, sadzalandira mphotho koma iye mwini adzapulumukabe, koma monga ngati munthu amene wapulumuka mʼmoto.
16Kodi inu simukudziwa kuti ndinu Nyumba ya Mulungu ndipo kuti Mzimu wa Mulungu amakhala mwa inu? 17Ngati wina aliyense awononga Nyumba ya Mulunguyo, Mulungu nayenso adzamuwononga ameneyo; popeza Nyumba ya Mulungu ndi yopatulika ndipo Nyumbayo ndi inu amene.
18Choncho musadzinyenge. Ngati wina wa inu akuganiza kuti ndi wanzeru pa mulingo wa mʼbado uno, ayenera kukhala “wopusa” kuti athe kukhala wanzeru. 19Pakuti nzeru ya dziko lapansi ndi yopusa pamaso pa Mulungu. Monga kwalembedwera kuti, “Iye amakola anthu ochenjera mu msampha wa kuchenjera kwawo,” 20ndiponso, “Ambuye amadziwa kuti maganizo a wanzeru ndi opandapake.” 21Choncho, wina asanyadire anthu chabe! Zonse ndi zanu, 22kaya Paulo kapena Apolo kapena Kefa kapena dziko lapansi, kapena moyo, kapena imfa, kapena tsopano, kapena mʼtsogolo, zonse ndi zanu, 23ndipo inu ndinu a Khristu, ndipo Khristu ndi wa Mulungu.
