2026 Berean International Ministries – Aba Report

BUILDING IN THE CHURCH IN CORINTH

This year’s conference happened at the usual Africa Headquarters at Terminus Hotel, Dr. Sam Mbakwe Hall, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria. This time around only three days did our International President spend in Nigeria unlike other years when he had to tour different Chapters in other states of Nigeria. After he moved to Cameroon for the rest of the mission. 

He hammered us well from the passage of 1 Cor.3:10-15 as his basic text. The Pastor/Teacher Prof. Chinyere Onwubiko thundered through the entire three days of 2 hours teaching delivery with a ten minute interval of rest with the unequivocal voice as of an angel of light. It was a heavy-duty subject matter that not one single living Christian in the audience who heard it did not tremble and shudder. His message shows an unquestionable personality who is eternally consistent in his way with the Lord. The message reiterates his ever first message as he came saying we should dare to be different in our Christian walk.

  He delivered a clear message of BUILDING IN THE CHURCH IN CORINTH with the additional touch of BEING MINDFUL OF YOUR CHRISTIAN ACTIVITIES. Aimed at the recognition that WE WILL NOT BE EQUAL IN HEAVEN.

  He lamented that some Christians as aimless wanderers live in such a way that you can’t predict where they are going. Being unmindful that there would be an evaluation of all their activities in this body on earth one day to come  

  He refers to the Corinthian Church as God’s building. He uses the words “skillful building” to describe the Church in Corinth. He was concerned with the workers and the individual members in the Church in Corinth. He made four assertions: 1. God used him to establish the Church as a skillful builder. 2. Building activities in Corinth by others must be oriented with what the foundation for the structure of the building he used. 3. Building activities related to the church must proceed with caution. First caution: There is no other foundation except Jesus Christ. Second, that every foundation and work must be evaluated as stated in vv. 12-15.

  The singular message he conveyed to the Corinthians is to be cautious as to what material they build with because all will be evaluated as to loss of rewards but not loss of salvation. In order for your works to be rewarded as a Christian, it must be Christ oriented one, that is building on the word of God centering on Christ Jesus.

 Our derivation brings four main assertions. 1. You must be sure of your own salvation 1 Cor.3:10. One may be tempted to ask; how does this text answer to the claim? From the word,’ I laid the foundation ‘ from the Greek usage he meant to have founded the church through his preaching as in 1 Cor. 1:18. Those who responded to the gospel he preached became the members of the Church of Corinth. So, for your works to be accepted, it must be said that you are a member of the church of God in Christ otherwise it will not be Christ oriented.

  So, the question to answer for yourself is,’ Am I saved?’ Say to yourself, Does the Holy Spirit assure me that I will not go to hell at death? In Rom. 8:16, the word is not, ‘ the Spirit testifying with our spirit’. It’s a mistranslation. Rather the Holy Spirit testified to our spirit’. It answered the question of ‘am I saved?’

 Paul said if this building that it was, ‘ By the grace God has given me ‘. The establishment of the Corinthian Church was by the grace of God. Grace doesn’t always mean ‘unmerited favour’. The Greek word translated “grace” may mean enablement of God’s action on believers that makes them to be generous to others. It can be seen to mean the special privilege or enablement of God associated with gifts to perform things in 1Cor.3:10.

  From the Greek the apostle says ‘ given me ‘ in English means to say, Given up, dedicated oneself to a certain course involving sacrifice. Another confirmation that grace is not always unmerited favour is Paul’s usage of it ‘as an expert builder’ to reveal the manner of quality of execution. Other translators use ‘master builder’ for ‘ Expert Builder that is translated from a Greek word from which we derive our English word “architect.” Thus, Paul is qualified by God as an Architect of the message to the Corinthians. So other workers are not qualified to contradict his work. Note Eh.3:2-8,’ By the grace of God given me to preach the unsearchable riches of God in Christ…….’ In this Ephesian passage, he proves to be above other apostles in the Dispensational Message. In Corinth, he is the Founder.

Prof stated that the application of these assertions of Paul warrants that ministers of all categories should be skillful in the interpretation of the Word of God. Calling for the need for Bible College Training. Today the internet has made it possible to do so from home so no one can excuse himself. Some can do so by becoming an under student of a seasoned minister. So, to master the language of the Bible, know it’s meaning as to be fit a correct teacher or interpreter of the word of God. Note 2 Tim.2:15.

  Believers too should cleave to skillful ministers of the word of God. Not for personality at all. He indicated that activities involved in either spiritual or material growth of the church preaching are involved. Different types of activities are mentioned in this passage of Rom.12:7-8.

Paul advocated for caution in all we do like Christ told the apostles when he warned them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees as stated in Mk.8:15. Beware of abusing Christian Freedom to defraud other believers. God is avenger of such. Ministers should beware above all because the Lord will judge them more than those they teach. You the believer [must also be careful] because every believer has at least a gift from the Lord to account for.

  The major caution being that we exercise caution in all our activities that affect the church of Christ directly. By saying ‘ I laid the foundation but everyone should be careful how he builds’ Paul implies that someone can preach another message by using the name of Jesus Christ just as of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses today.

 We must be cautious with our activities in the advancement of the gospel. No one is allowed in this Christian Age to build another foundation other than that Paul laid in Corinth. All foundations and building materials will be evaluated by fire. The building materials used will determine whether it will survive the fire.

  He used a metaphor in v.12 with building materials to imply the spiritual likeness of what any man builds with in effect to advance the gospel kingdom. All these are classified according to their combustible natures. First those non-combustible to the combustible. Gold, silver and precious stones, whose values are in diverse ways. The security of gold and it’s permanence on one hand makes it to be used to describe heaven in ,Rev.21:18. Silver is only surpassed by gold and it is used to compare to the believers sanctification in Isa 48:10. Next, costly or precious stones are gems, for jewelry, for building, high value, great worth as in 1 Corinth.3:12.

 Next the combustibles, wood, hay or straw. Wood, tree, stock like those used to restrain prisoners. Here it is used as building material. Second, hay, grass used to feed cattle. Third straw, found only here in Greek NT. Used for making animal feeds. He seemed not to be concerned with how expensive the materials could be. Paul was concerned with durability and permanency of the building materials. Thus, they are classified with non- combustible and combustible. The quality of the word of God that they teach or preach. The word of God builds us and gives us an inheritance among the saints.

 The church in Corinth was based on Christ Jesus as the Saviour. Therefore, everyone must follow the same pattern. So the apostle in 1 Tim.4:6 encouraged Timothy to teach the same thing to the believers. False teaching us compared to straw in Jer.23:28. Gold is compared to the word of God in Rev.3:18 in Christ’s message to Laodiceans. Cf Psa.19:9-10.

Prosperity teaching today is a dangerous trend leading to combustible materials.

  Whatever activity of the believer in order to be rewarded must be done under the filling of the Spirit. ‘ The Day will bring it to light.’ Paul said. It represents the Day of God’s judgement in the believers work not for sin. Thus, he says ,’It will be revealed with fire.’ By means of or through fire as some translations put it. Scripture uses fire in different ways: for seeing, to refine materials, in religious sacrifices, used of God’s appearances to His people and destruction of His enemies. Here it is used for scrutiny by God to evaluate the believers works as in v.13. Whether it was done for show, the motive matters. Only what was done by infilling of the Holy Spirit will survive divine scrutiny for rewards. After death you can’t amend your works. It’s only possible while you are alive now. Eccl.9:9. Good works will be rewarded. So believers are instructed to do them . Gal.6:9-10.

    Any activity under human power will not survive divine scrutiny. John.6:63. Flesh here means human power. Cf Rom.8:8. Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not automatically guarantee we shall know the divine will. It takes having a correct knowledge of what God expects us to do that will have our works survive divine scrutiny. Col. 3:16 speaks thus. Your soul must be saturated with the word of God to have activities survive divine scrutiny. As he said ‘he shall receive his reward.’

  In our passage in v.14, it is used of the believer’s activities in the kingdom. Rewards or wages meaning a responsibility is expected of someone. It is Isa 40:10; in Dan 12:3, as will shine like the brightness of the heavens’ is certainly in reference to rewards.

  Receiving rewards in heaven reveals that it is because of God’s grace towards us. 1 Corinth.15:10. Even as Paul says of himself here, even so it is for all believers.

  Justice is at the back of it all (Psa.89:4; Proverbs 29:4). God divested his blessings based on obedience to him. Deut. 28:2; 28:15. Also in Jer.17:10. The apostle Paul states the same. 

 We are not truly equipped to know the nature of rewards God will give to those who are faithful to him. To understand this, we note three crowns mentioned in Scripture.

In the Scriptures, crowns symbolize honour, victory, badge of high office, given as a sign of high performance for public gaze. Like the apostle mentioned in:

1. Crown of righteousness 2Tim.4:8

2. Crown of life Jas 1:12; Rev.2:10

3. Crown of glory 1 Pet .5:4. The elders never sought honour from men but suffered shame of the world and are given the crown of glory by the Lord.

It goes with the understanding that God has already determined what type of honours for each one. Matt.20:23.

 Next is the statement,’ If it is burned up’ doesn’t reveal details of what measure if works destroyed by fire of scrutiny. But text is apparent the believer’s work is not taken one by one in evaluation. It’s about the totality of our works. If it were not so, the Spirit will not be speaking of total loss by the expressions ‘ burned up’ and, ‘suffer loss’ and again,’ he himself will be saved but only as one escaping through the flames’. A clear analogy of one whose house and properties were razed by fire but only escaped with his life.  Being in heaven without rewards very dangerous.  But someone may say since I will make heaven it doesn’t matter. How foolish.

  Wealth attracts friends. No one befriends a poor man, even his relatives away from him. These were written for our sake. Strive for rewards my brethren. That determines how you will be received in heaven.

  Or how would you want to be in heaven? 

   This year’s conference was unique for I observed that children were not found mixing it up anyhow but different pastors and gospel ministers quite new came from different parts of Aba metropolis to hear the Prof and went home smiling for the unique exposition that set them on fire not to run the race aimlessly anymore.

  We give thanks to the Almighty who put us in the hearts of Prof. Chinyere Onwubiko to care for us as apostle Paul did the churches of Christ. May God bless him and his family; and the entire Church at Berean Ministries in Bay Springs, Mississippi, who shouldered the cost of the entire program. May the Lord reward you all for the Bibles. Profs Books, Feeding, Accommodations, Transport Expenses and several monetary material gifts.

The Lord bless you all.

 Pastor Peter Chima reporting 

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