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I Corinthians 3:1-4, 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. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

Paul continues to have harsh words for the Christ-followers at Corinth.  They think they live by the Spirit, but Paul tells them they actually are still living by worldly standards. He had to teach them like babies in the faith; they lack maturity.  One example of this is their view of Christian leadership.  They see leadership as focusing on an individual, that person having a following, pitting one person again another.  In a sense, they view Christian leadership as a popularity contest.  Paul makes the case that there are no individual superstars in Christian leadership.  Different people have different tasks at different times.  Some people plant, some people water, and others harvest.  One task is not better or more important than another.  They are all necessary for expanding God's Kingdom. 

My own experience is that Christian leadership has to be rooted in humility.  Jesus is of course our ultimate example.  As a servant leader, he washed dirty feet, touched lepers, and ultimately gave up his life for those he led.  No superstardom there, just a lot of rolling up sleeves, getting dirty, and experiencing sacrifice.  We find a beautiful example of Christian leadership in Philippians 2:5-8:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.

 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

Let's pray...Holy God, how we get so distracted.  Even when we've walked with you for a long time, we still have a tendency to see things from an earthly perspective.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us grow to be servant leaders - humble, self-sacrificing, generous, and grace-filled. Help us be more like you.  In Your Name, Amen.