How To Regard God's Servants
1 Corinthians Chapter 4
I liked the statement in our lesson that said churches that go against the Word of God are trying to construct a shambles out of man's wisdom and the things of this world, rather than a mansion in Heaven.
Some mega churches are doing this today. In fact, there are many churches in many denominations doing this today.
The one thing we know about those who preached in the Church of Corinth were some of the best men of God at that time.
1) Apollos was a Jew who knew the Scriptures very well and was an eloquent speaker.
2) Cephas was the Apostle Peter, led to the truth by the Lord Jesus Christ.
2) Paul, the great Apostle to the Church called by the Lord Jesus himself, just as the other Apostles were called.
These were all ministers of Jesus Christ.
This word minister means "chief servant" of God, and each one must be called of God to be His ministers.
Exo 28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.
Exo 28:2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.
Exo 28:3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
Heb 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
Heb 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who gives each of them directions.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
The Lord Jesus gives us all these same directions.
I cannot understand any denomination that rejects any teaching of our Holy God.
Some people in this Church in Corinth had been blessed, probably led to the Lord by Apollos, so they spoke up for Apollos.
Some people in this church had been blessed by Cephas, and Cephas, the Apostle Peter, is the only one that the Bible says led over three thousand to the lord in one day.
Some people said they had been blessed by Paul, who can be said to be the greatest Christian of all time.
All these men had the same "Gospel Message" because there is only one Gospel!
*****1Co 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
1Co 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
Paul said none of us have any qualifications on our own, but our just servants of the Most High God.
This church should have had only one question, which is, were these men of God faithful to the Gospel, not whether they were eloquent or philosophical.
Sermons are to be much more than just material for discussion.
There is no discussion on the mandate of God.
There is no discussion on our means of salvation.
There is no discussion on the Lord Jesus Christ and the work that He did for our salvation!
There is no discussion on the truth of God, our Creator.
There is no discussion on the Virgin Mary and the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ.
A steward is a person who manages the property or affairs of another person. A good steward will deal with these things in a way that other person will benefit from it.
We are all to be stewards of the Word of God, so Heaven will benefit from it.
God has already warned us not to add to or take away from or twist His Word into some other meaning than what it says.
The Word of God is settled in Heaven and must remain as it is written!
No servant of God is to be elevated above another servant of God; we are all in this thing together, yet each servant is to be esteemed highly for the work's sake.
We are all to be faithful to God's calling.
Every minister of God's Word is to be faithful, and this is essential.
In reality, God's man has no other requirement.
1Ti 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
1Ti 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
What is our Pastor to our church?
1) He is a servant of God.
2) He is a steward of the mysteries of God.
3) He is a steward to be faithful to his Master and our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are not to judge our Pastor beyond these things.
*****1Co 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
1Co 4:4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
Every man of God who is truly called and speaks the message of God that comes from the true Word of God does not care what the world says about him. Their judgment is meaningless in the plan of God.
Every "Born Again" child of God has been judged by God and is then justified by God.
To be justified is to be forgiven of our sins and pardoned from guilt and punishment, and is an act of God's "grace," and this comes by the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
If we are in the will of God, answering God's calling, then we are free from the guilt of our past lives.
Justify means just as if we had never sinned to begin with. This is an action of God's "Grace".
How the world judges us becomes irrelevant.
No judgment of man can overrule the judgment of God!
Paul adds that he is not aware of any action he has taken that would seem to be a dereliction of his duty to serve the LORD.
Paul understood that he was still a sinner saved only by the "Grace of God".
No doubt there may be many sins which we commit without being aware of them, so God and God alone has the power to pronounce sentence upon our doings.
God did not call us to be "judges", God called us to be free servants!
*****1Co 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Just because we are God's children, this does not give us the right to judge anyone else, lost or saved.
This does not mean that we will not recognize the lost and the saved by their actions: Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
We must learn not to judge because only the Lord can know the heart of man.
No one but the Lord can know the real motives behind the way we live our lives.
Only the Lord can know the darkness that is in us!
Jer 16:17 For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.
It is only when the Lord Jesus returns that He will judge this world!
Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Because my name is written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, the Lord Jesus is my Master; only He has the right to judge me!
Worldly judges love to judge according to their own beliefs and not by the laws of the land as we are seeing today.
*****1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
Some of the members of the church in Corinth had begun to judge other members in the same way a court-appointed judge would judge.
They were judging according to the gifts they saw in each Preacher, when it is God alone who can judge those He has called to the ministry.
God says they were just a bunch of puffed-up airbags who were doing their best to divide the church.
The pure fact is that we are not ourselves living according to the Word of God, how can we be examples for other believers?
Paul said he and Apollos could be looked upon as examples of true stewards of the Word of God who also lived according to the Word of God.
The one standard for every Christian is the Word of God!
God did not give us His Word to think about and meditate upon; God gave us His Word for us to live by.
This should be the message behind every sermon from every God called preacher to teach us what God expects from our lives.
We are never to think above what God has written for us.
If we all live according to the written Word of God, we will all arrive at the same place.
The Apostle Peter said we have the most important words that have ever been written, and they are the truth.
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
It is the Word of God that lights up our path to live in this life: Psa 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Not one Christian is more important than another in the eyes of God!
*****1Co 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
I truly believe we have the best pastor in our area or any other area, but we must realize that when we begin comparing one pastor with another, we are bordering on sin.
Indeed, we can sometimes receive more from one preacher or teacher than from another. We must then apply this teaching to our lives, or that message was fruitless.
It is a sin when a believer begins to think that no other preacher can preach like our favorite preacher, because this is meaningless in the work God has asked us all to do, and leads to a divided church.
It is in God's design that makes each one of us different from another.
Who makes us different from others?
Why do I think I can judge one person over another?
Why do I think I have grown so much Spiritually that I can judge one preacher over another?
Who gives us the gifts we receive to serve in God's army?
Why do I feel that I can exalt myself and make myself superior?
How many of us would dare to answer these questions without taking a hard look at ourselves?
We should be able to see that God the Holy Spirit provides us with the gifts we have, and he chose those gifts for His reasons because only He knows how to make the House of God the strongest it can be
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
1Co 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
1Co 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
How could we ever believe that we could be lord over God's people?
How can we ever believe that God has appointed us to hand our approval or disapproval to any brother or sister in Christ, much less to God's preachers!
There is never an excuse for any church to become divided if it accepts the truth of the Word of God!
Why was Paul writing all these things to this church?
*****1Co 4:14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
These were strong words from the Apostle Paul, but keep in mind every letter written to the churches was then passed around to every church that was established, just as we are reading these words today.
It is never the job of our Pastor to shame us.
It is always the job of our Pastor to warn us of just what God says.
There would be no divisions in the Church if we paid attention to what God has said!
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and uses those words to sanctify us and to perfect us.
This why the Word of God is so important!
*****1Co 4:15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
1Co 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
We should be able to notice the love the Apostle Paul had for this church as he refers to them as his children.
We all know we got some harsh words from our parents as we grew up, but those words were words for us to learn from.
Paul had led many of these Corinthians to the Lord, so in this sense, he was like a father to them, and Paul was warning them rather than causing them shame.
No genuine preacher would ever fail to warn the flock that the Lord has given to them.
No wise congregation would ever reject or attempt to silence that warning of a caring and loving Pastor.
We can only know if our pastors preach the truth if we study our Bibles.
If our Pastor is true to the Word of God, it will show in his lifestyle, and he will be an example for us to follow.
As the men of the Church, we should all try to set the example as fathers to the children of the Church.
We should set a good example as husbands to our wives.
We should set the example as the heads of our family.
This is what our Lord Jesus did every day of His life in the flesh: He set the example and lived a perfect life without sin.
The Apostle Paul lived a life of commitment and self-denial for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul gave all he had in his service of the Cross of Jesus.
2Ti 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
2Ti 1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 1:14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
If we truly know our Savior, then we will certainly know the truth of those who preach to us!
*****1Co 4:17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
We must understand Church growth.
It is not the number of people in any church; it is the number of people in the church who are no longer babes in Christ and are committed to serving the Lord.
It is the Spirit of God that provides for the growth of His people, and He uses that man of God who is committed to the Word of God and the will of God.
Peter and Apollos were performing their duties, and they could not be held responsible for the events occurring at the church in Corinth.
Timothy was also led to the Lord by the Apostle Paul, and Timothy could show by example what he had been taught by the Apostle Paul.
There was a great contrast between the preachers and their so-called followers.
These Corinthians were judging the preachers who had given their time to this church, but not many of them bothered to follow the Word of God they were taught.
Many profess to be Christians, and the Bible says we can know them by their fruit.
The fruit would be the way they lived their lives.
Paul took responsibility for this church and its welfare.
Though he could not be there in person at this time, he sat down and wrote an epistle to them.
Paul sent this letter by Timothy, a young preacher who was solid in his faith.
Every preacher of the Gospel must be driven to provide whatever is needed for the growth of each Christian in his flock.
If there is anything in the life of the individual Christian that will hinder the growth of that individual, then it is serious to the Lord!
Timothy was a faithful servant called of God, trained by the Word of God and the Apostle Paul, and a great example of faith.
Remember, we all need discipleship to grow in the "Grace of God".
Amen
