1 Cor 3:8-9

The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labour of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Paul is building the case that mature followers of Jesus work co-operatively together. Each individual will find this rewarding, but more importantly as we share a common purpose we become God’s useful resources for the world. What is a field? It’s a place where crops grow. It’s more that just a patch of earth. It’s a place where cultivation happens and a rich harvest can take place. What is a building? It’s a place in which human’s find comfort and safety. It’s a place that nurtures community and in which we discover hospitality, healing and purpose. For Paul, these small churches in Corinth are where God is creating a new culture. Jesus talked of the kingdom of God or the kingdom of Heaven. This is it.