1 Corinthians 3.1-4 may seem like it is a harsh word. Paul says he can’t talk to them as people who live by the Spirit, but as people who are still worldly: “Mere infants in Christ.” By now they should be displaying fruits of maturity. They are not. Casual Christianity – then and today – is an insidious danger. On the surface it seems as though followers are growing in Christ. Yet they were not acting any different from the world around them. They were living according to the pattern in Corinth not Christ. These verses will help us identify what happens when disciples fail to thrive. Thankfully, neither Paul and more importantly the Lord has not given up on the Corinthians (or us for that matter!). These words are straightforward but loving words of a pastor, a teacher, a brother.