In chapter 3, Paul addressed divisions within the church centered around famous apostles/evangelists. These divisions were signs of spiritual immaturity – the men themselves knew they were all on the same team as servants of Jesus Christ. Chapter 4 will flesh out this picture of church leaders who are servants with authority, examples to be imitated but not idolized, and sufferers for the faith.

Following Christ in 21st Century Corinth – Week 5

presented 3 October 2018

1 Corinthians 4: 1-21

AUDIO

Lecture Handout

Handout Week 5

Lesson Notes

Church Leaders Are Servants of Christ  (1 Corinthians 4: 1-7)

  • Verse 1 – The end of 3 is how people should think about Paul, Apollos, and Peter, as…
    • Servants of Christ
    • Stewards of the mysteries of God
      • A steward manages something on behalf of the owner/master
      • It’s a position of deep responsibility and trust, but it is a servant’s position
      • Stewards have authority over the entire estate in the owner’s absence
      • “Mysteries” – things that were hidden but are now revealed
        • The mystery is the gospel of Christ that saves both Jew and Gentile
        • Ephesians 3: 1-6
  • Verses 2-4 – Stewards must be found faithful -> by the master/owner
    • Only the owner’s opinion matters, nobody else’s does
    • Paul doesn’t care what the Corinthians think, what a court thinks, or even what he himself thinks!
    • God is who judges him
    • Verse 4 is a good warning to those claiming to let their conscience be their guide
  • Verse 5 – Don’t hurry to pronounce judgment before Christ returns
    • There are things we simply can’t know or judge right now – the workings of people’s hearts and minds, impacts across generations, etc.
    • What seems great now could wind up being irrelevant, and what seems pointless today could change the world in years to come
    • Christ will reveal secret sins and secret good deeds
    • He will reveal the motivations behind our actions – good deeds won’t be commended if done for the wrong reasons
    • Humble, unknown deeds done for godly reasons will presumably be appreciated
    • Why it isn’t appropriate to make a big deal out of human celebrity pastors, evangelists, etc.
      • Eventually the truth about them, good and bad, will be revealed
      • It might look very different then from our current perceptions
      • God will then commend us as appropriate
      • This should keep us humble and focused on having the right motives as we labor for God’s Kingdom
      • This should also keep us grounded in Christ, not famous speakers or preachers
  • Verse 6 – Why did Paul do all this related to those celebrity pastors?
    • To help the Corinthians out by putting all believers where we belong – on the same level as servants of God who will one day be judged by Him for our true actions and motivations
    • So that we’ll ultimately hear God’s commendation, “Well done, good and faithful servant”
    • “Don’t go beyond what is written” -> don’t exceed the teaching of Scripture regarding people and God’s judgment, i.e. get your stuff together and end your childish rivalries
    • So they won’t be prideful and divided based on personality/celebrity
  • Verse 7 – All their blessings, spiritual gifts, material goods, church accomplishments, and even evangelists and preachers were gifts from God
    • It would help us be humble and generous if we periodically asked, “What do you have that you did not receive?”
    • So be humble, no boasting!!!

Rebuke to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 4: 8-21)

  • Verse 8 – Paul starts being sarcastic
    • They are satisfied with what they have -which is minimal sanctification?
    • They thing they’re rich, that they rule, that they have it all together as a church
    • In chapter 5, he’ll work through several of their failings as a church
  • Verse 9 – He begins to contrast the Corinthian’s high view of themselves with an apostle’s humble view of himself
    • In Roman times, great imperial victory parades took place after winning a military campaign. Prisoners walked at the end to be mocked, ogled, and ultimately die
    • The apostles are like that – visible to the world, slaves of Christ, captured by His victory at the cross
  •  Verses 10-13 – Apostles are content to be fools for Christ, whereas Corinthians think themselves very wise
    • Weak vs. strong; humble vs. proud
    • The lot of an apostle -> and every true follower of Christ
    • Hunger and thirst – sacrificing for God
    • Poorly dressed, always on the move, working for a living to provide for themselves
    • Answering insult with blessing
    • Facing persecution with endurance
    • Answering lies about them with politeness
    • Becoming garbage, the scum of the earth
  • Verse 14 – Paul wasn’t writing to lay a guilt trip on them
    • He wrote to correct them -> if their “great leaders” are like this, they should be able to endure some humiliation and loss of status for the good of the church
    • He writes to admonish them – “as my beloved children”
      • He views them as his spiritual children, because he founded the church and brought many of them to the faith
      • As explained in verse 15, he had a unique role with them through the proclamation of the gospel
  • Verse 16 – commands them to imitate his behavior – a common command from Paul
    • Following his example is a great way to practically learn discipleship especially the way he handles verses 10-13, I’d say!
    • As we mature in Christ, we should be encouraging less mature believers to imitate us – not that we’re perfect, but as models of sanctification and even of how to repent when we mess up
  • Verse 17 – He sent Timothy to refresh them on his pattern of life
    • This is their fundamental problem – wrong attitudes and patterns of behavior inside the church
  • Verses 18-21
    • Some of the troublemakers are arrogant, thinking Paul won’t be back with his preaching and miracles
    • Verse 19 – but he’s coming, God permitting, and will have a contest of power
    • Verse 20 – Big talk doesn’t matter at all, only power
    • Verse 21 – Warning time! Paul asks if they want him to come to punish and clean house, or with love and gentleness
    • This is a call to reform!

Discussion Questions

  1. What are some of the temptations we face to prematurely judge people or projects in church life? How do we resist that temptation?
  2. How do we imitate mature Christians without inappropriately idolizing them? How should we think about celebrity pastors and teachers?

Next Week

1 Corinthians 5