1 Corinthians Chapter 4 Audio. Paul deals with those criticizing him. How do we recognize an apostolic ministry? First, see them as a servant to Christ. Four sections: v 1-2 How to see the ministry of an apostle; v 3-5 How to respond to judgment of others; verses 6-13 apostolic sarcasms; v 14-21 Father ministry
1 Corinthians Chapter 4
Audio
1 Corinthians 4:1 – 4:21
Scriptures used in this lesson:
This chapter will be divided into four sections for teaching. The first section covers verses 1 and 2. It explains how to view the ministry of an apostle.
The second section includes verses 3 through 5. It discusses how to respond to judgment or criticism from others. The focus is on how to react when you are criticized, not on attacking others.
The third section looks at verses 6 through 13. This part covers apostolic chiding or sarcasm. Paul addresses charismatic Christians who are interested in spiritual gifts. He uses sarcasm to correct their errors.
The fourth section discusses the father ministry. Although it could have been combined with the third section, it is kept separate to highlight a different idea.
In chapter four, Paul addresses people who are judging or criticizing him. These critics are followers of Apollos, Peter, or those who claim to be of Christ. They are the ones causing division by judging Paul. Paul has already discussed these issues in Chapters 1, 2, and 3. Now, in chapter four, he brings the discussion to a conclusion. He focuses on the problem of divisions and factions within the church.
1 Corinthians 4:1-5
1 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.
3 But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.
4 For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.
5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.
The first topic is the ministry of the apostle. It is essential to know how to recognize or understand if someone is truly an apostle. In verse one, Paul explains that apostles should be seen as ministers of Christ and as trustees of God’s secrets. The NASB translation says they are servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Paul highlights two main qualities of an apostle. First, an apostle must be a servant to Christ. Second, an apostle must be a steward of the mysteries of God. These are the key things to look for in apostolic ministry.
Not all apostles performed miracles or started churches. However, all apostles served God and were trusted with the mysteries of the kingdom. The Apostles reveal these mysteries to others, and sometimes this leads to the formation of new churches. When you see someone with these two qualities, Paul says you can recognize apostolic potential in that person.
An apostle is first a servant of Christ. He is devoted to serving Christ, not people. An apostle cannot be manipulated by others. He may try to please people, but he always returns to serving Christ alone.
Many people are unaware of the pressure leaders face. Some may threaten to leave the church or withhold support if the leader does not preach what they want to hear. Others may suggest changing beliefs to attract more people. These pressures are difficult to comprehend unless you have experienced them firsthand.
I have shared some of my personal experiences with these challenges. Attempts to please people by preaching what they wanted did not work. People still left, stopped supporting, and were not satisfied. Ultimately, an apostle must focus on serving Christ and following His guidance. This is the only way that truly works.
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The second thing that he says there about an apostolic ministry, about a real ministry, is they are stewards of the mysteries of God. Now Philip’s Bible there says trustees. Now we’ve talked about this word mystery. It’s the Greek word mysterion, and it’s simply defined as this, as it’s something undiscoverable by the activity of human intellect. You cannot figure it out by human thinking. What an apostle will do will open up the mysteries of the kingdom of God.
We’ve already read it in chapter two. Paul writes that, I has not seen and ear has not heard, and neither has entered into the hearts of men the things that God has prepared for them that love him. Is that what he says? But we stop right there at that verse. We need to read the next one. But God has revealed them to us, how? By his Spirit. And so what the apostle ministry will do is reveal by the Spirit of God the mysteries of God.
We’re not going to turn there, but if you’re taking notes, and I hope that you are, then in chapter 13, you’ll find out that Jesus there gives the mysteries of the kingdom parables. The disciples came to him and they said, why do you teach in parables? And Jesus said, it has been given unto you to understand the mysteries of the kingdom, but unto them it has not been given. And he goes down through there and he talks about blinded eyes and plugged up ears. He says, but you need to thank God that you’re able to see these things and hear these things, because many have asked before you and have not been able to hear them or not been able to see them.
So the kingdom revelation, an apostolic type of a ministry, is going to come and he’s going to serve Jesus. He won’t be manipulated by men. In fact, he makes people mad because he won’t bend, he won’t do what they want him to do. And then the second thing, the next thing you’ll see is that he’s a steward of the mysteries. And that word steward is an interesting word. Trustee is what Philip’s Bible says. It’s a guy who has a job running a household. He’s a steward. His job is to be under the master of the house. And he is the distributor. And this is what the Strong’s Record says, he’s the distributor, in effect the manager or overseer that is an employee in that capacity, a fiscal agent, a treasurer. What he did is everything that the house did, the steward was responsible for.
In a church, in a real church, the apostle is responsible for everything that goes on in the house. The steward was responsible for the food, the steward was responsible for the clothing, the steward was responsible for the money, the steward was responsible for anything that went on in that house. The ministry of an apostle of a work, his responsibility will be to distribute the mysteries of the food of God. The manna from heaven, the word of God, and to fix it so that we can eat it.
A steward, an apostolic type ministry, he will be the distributor of the mysteries of the clothing of God. You’ll understand about putting on the armor of God, putting on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. You’ll understand about taking off the old man and being renewed in the spirit of your mind. You’ll understand these things because this is what he does. He’s the distributor of the things of God, of the mysteries. He’s a distributor of the duties and services. Now, we’re not just talking about the ones that vacuum the floor or cut the grass. We’re talking about the ministries that are raised up. He’s responsible to raise up the ministries that will minister to the people of God. He’s responsible for anything that goes on in the house, and he takes his place and he does it.
He’s responsible for things about money, and I want to just say this. I stay away from the money pretty much here. You can get in a lot of trouble fooling with money. We saw that happen a couple of years ago, didn’t we? Pastor Thiebaud takes care of most of the money, and it’s not because, it’s not because he just does it, it’s because I really want him to do it, and that’s what he does. He’s always done it, and he does a great job, and so we let him do it. He takes care of most of those things here, and we all, there’s the elders here and we all see it, but he basically does it. I just kind of stay away, but I’ll teach you how to open the windows of heaven and get money. I’ll teach you the 8-1-1 principle, how to tithe a tithe to you, how to tithe a tithe to God, and how to pay 80% of your income to your bills and to adjust your life. I’ll try to help you in that way, but the thing that the trustee does or the apostle does is oversee the house.
Now I want to expand this to all of us. How do we see apostolic ministry? I believe that’s what this particular passage is basically talking about, but I want to bring it to where it ministers to all of us. Should we all be servants of Christ, or should we all be manipulated by people? What should we be? All of us should be servants of Christ, but do you know that people will come to you and try to manipulate you against me, or me against you, or try to get this faction going and manipulate these against these? And do you know that people will do that? And if you’ll bow to people, you’ll do that. You’ll find yourself caught up in one of those situations. But if you’re listening to Christ, if you’re a servant of him, you won’t have to worry about getting caught up in a thing like that.
Do you also believe that you should take what God gives you and be a good steward? The mysteries that God reveals to you, do you think that you should take these, like we were talking about this morning, sitting at your house, sitting there with people and uncovering and giving these mysteries to other people as well? Do you think you should be doing that? What did Jesus say about the guy that took his talent and he hid it in the ditch? And when Jesus came and he didn’t have anything to show of his talent, what did Jesus say to that individual? He was a wicked servant and he cast him into outer darkness. And I’m going to talk about that just a little bit more, but what I’m trying to emphasize to you is you take what God gives you and you make sure that it’s utilized.
So our ministry altogether is that way. We all preach. We’re all preachers. You preach something. If you never open your mouth, your life speaks a message. We all preach. You don’t have to have a pulpit and a suit. You preach. You can’t help it. We all are preachers wherever that we go, our life preaches a message. You’re going to preach something for the kingdom of darkness or you’re going to preach something for the kingdom of God. We’re all preachers and we’re all stewards of the mysteries of the kingdom.
He tells us there in verse two, the requirements of a steward. And this is interesting that the steward must be trustworthy. King James Bible says he must be faithful. It was interesting to me that the apostolic ministry, the ministry that you really want to look for doesn’t need to be charismatic. He doesn’t need to function in all the prophetic utterances. It’s nice if he does and it helps. He doesn’t have to be eloquent. What he’s got to be is trustworthy.
I want to just use a little example that I thought of. About six years ago, I came to this city and I tried out and they liked me. And so they came to me at the end of the evening time and asked me if I would be their pastor. And I said, well, you don’t know me and I don’t know you. I said, what we need to do is go for a little while and just see how we get along with each other. What I was really saying at that time, I didn’t know that’s what I was really saying, but what I was really saying is we’ve got to find out if we can trust each other. And so that’s what we did. I continued doing what I was doing and I’d come up on Wednesdays and I’d come up on the weekends and I said, you don’t pay me anything. You just don’t compensate me anything. Let’s get our building fixed up. Let’s put some carpet in here. Let’s fix our pews. Let’s make it attractive so that when people come in, they’ll like this and they’ll be proud of coming to church here. And so that’s what we did. And we went along like that.
But what I wanted to share with you is this. So I told them, I said, you don’t know me and I don’t know you. Let’s go for a little while and see how it works out. Well, Willis told Linda and probably some more people, he said, that won’t ever work. Is that what you said, Willis? He said, that won’t ever work. He said that because he couldn’t trust me yet. He had had some experiences with some other men of God and they didn’t do what they were supposed to do. And he says, that won’t ever work. But after six years of being together and knowing him and him knowing me, he found out that it did work. And now I can, a situation or a circumstance will come up and Willis can just about tell you how I’ll respond to any given circumstance or any given situation. Can you, Willis? You can just about tell. I can tell how he’s going to respond because I know him, because I trust him. And there’s a trust that’s developed.
And what I’m trying to say here is that trust doesn’t evolve overnight. Trust doesn’t just happen. You have got to have trust in somebody. There has to be some kind of a track record. There has to be some sort of relationship that is developed where trust can be formulated. When you get an apostolic ministry, you’re not going to hire him because the one that you’ve had has been a Southern guy that doesn’t speak real well. And you say, well, we want to get an eloquent one. So we hire somebody off the street who’s eloquent because he talks real well. Do you think you’re going to immediately trust this guy just because he’s eloquent? Or just because he can prophesy? What you’re going to have to learn to do is trust ministry. A steward, an apostolic ministry is trustworthy.
In our eldership, in our government, the way that we’re set up, I trust each one of these men. It’s because I’ve been with them. I can tell you nearly on every situation how each one of them is going to stand on this particular situation. Don, can you do that? Can you do it, Pastor Tebow? Can you do it, Doug? You can do it. You know them because you’ve been around them, and you know when a situation comes up how so-and-so will think, how so-and-so will think, how so-and-so will think. You develop that trust in that individual, and that comes from time.
And what I’m trying to relate to us here is that in the things that the devil has pulled over our eyes, particularly in the denominational systems, about the time a guy starts getting trust, they vote him out. Or about the time they start getting trust, he finds a bigger and a better church. So what we’re saying is that you’ve got to learn to have ministry and trust that ministry.
Now, our eldership, I really want to just comment on this, is trustworthy. The Bible says, and Mark talked about it last week, he says, know those, the book of 1 Thessalonians 5:12 says, know those that labor among you. The NASV says, appreciate those that labor among you. But that comes by being with them and learning to trust them, and you develop an understanding with them. I’m simply trying to say this, is that the eldership here, our church government, is very trustworthy. You can trust them, but the thing that you have got to do to ever release apostolic ministry in our place, is we’ve got to learn to trust them.
Every once in a while, it’s not very often, but every once in a while, some little something will buzz through here. Well, what are they doing with all that money anyway? Every once in a while, some little something will buzz through. Well, I don’t know if I like the way they handled that. Folks, let me tell you, you’ve got to learn to trust us, and if you can’t trust us, then find somebody that you can, so that that ministry can be released into your life. You need an apostolic ministry in your life. It’ll just reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of God to you.
So that’s what I wanted to say there from that section, from the first section, the second section, verses three through five, is how to respond to criticism or judgment of others. How do we respond when we are criticized or when we are judged? And the thing that I saw here is there are three courts of opinion. There are three courts. First of all, it’s the court of popular opinion. It’s what other people are saying about me or what other people are saying about you. And it’s very interesting. Paul says here in the Phillips translation, it matters very little what you say about me. The NASV says it’s a small thing what you say about me. King James Bible says it’s a small thing what you say about me. The first thing we’ve got to understand is that it really is a small thing what people say about us.
Now how many believe that this church has been criticized? Do you think that it has been? Now do you think that it’s a large thing or a small thing? It’s a small thing. Do you believe that the people that God really want to come here will come here? Will he send them if he really wants them here? Now that’s the way you’ve got to look at it. What we can’t be judged by, what we can’t receive is criticism from other people. You can’t receive criticism from people. It’s just a small thing.
Now to the world, it is the biggest thing. To the world, it is keeping up with the Joneses. It’s very important what this person thinks about me. It’s very important what that person thinks about me. And churches move into this. One preacher thinks it’s very important what another preacher thinks. He thinks it’s very important what people think. What Paul says, it’s a small thing. And another thing that I saw here, it may be a small thing, but it is a thing. And you think that maybe by Paul saying that, that he was very calloused, that he was not touched by criticism, that he was very hard and had become immune to it, but he never did. He was very hurt and wounded. Even in this book, you can read that. You can see that Paul is very wounded and hurt because these people were criticizing him. But yet he would not move his position. He would not change his guiding influence. He would not change his principle for life by what people said about him. And I want you to hear that. You stop worrying what people are saying about this church….
You stop worrying what people are saying about me. You stop worrying what people are saying about you, because it’s a small thing. The second type of judgment that comes, the second type of opinion that comes is self-opinion, self-judgment. Paul says here in the Phillips translation, my opinion of myself, I think he says in the ASV that he judges himself, he doesn’t even judge himself, but then it goes on to say that he did judge himself, that he really doesn’t find anything worthy in him of criticism. Now his guiding principle here was not what people said about him, neither was it what he thought about himself.
Now it’s very interesting here what Phillips translation says. It says, for I might be quite ignorant of any fault in myself. Do you remember what Jesus said in the seventh chapter of Matthew? He says, now before you go and try to get that speck out of your brother’s eye, what do you need to do? Get that log out of your eye. How many of us really believe that probably the worst thing you see in my life, you got something a lot bigger in yours? And that’s really what he’s saying there. You hear?
Now I’m going to give you an example, and I’ll just use King David, because he’s a very good one. David could see that that man that stole that little ewe lamb and killed it for that feast, that guy should die. David saw that, but David couldn’t see the guy that took Bathsheba and the guy that had Uriah the Hittite killed. And you and I are the same way. Now we can point it, David, but it’s a lot easier to see somebody else’s fault than it is to see mine. And it’s a lot easier for you to see somebody else’s fault than it is to see yours. Am I right? And Paul says there, and that’s so good what the Phillip says, for I might be quite ignorant of any fault in myself. So you can’t go by that. You can’t go by what other people say about you, and you can’t go by what you say about you.
So what do you do? There’s only one court of opinion that really matters, and it’s the court of opinion of the Lord. What does the Lord think about me? Paul says my only true judge is the Lord. I got into this thought just a little bit. I’m not going to turn there, but I hope you’ll write this down and look it up to see if I’m right. But in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, Paul is here dealing with the thought of death. Initially, he says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And then from that thought, he goes into the judgment seat of Christ. And we Christians panic when somebody talks about the judgment seat of Christ. Oh my goodness, my sin. The Lord is going to see all my sin. Are you going to wait till then for him to see them? But that’s so wrong, because what it says there in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 is that we will be judged for the deeds done in our body.
Everybody say that. I will be judged for the deeds done in my body. Not the sin. Say that. Because my sin is cast as far as the east is from the west. And cast into, say it, the depths of the sea. Never to be remembered again. Now he’s not going to violate, don’t say that, he’s not going to violate his word. When you get to the judgment seat, he’s not going fishing out there and bring up all your sin. If you think that you’re going to the judgment seat of Christ and he’s going to bring up all your sin, what you’re saying is, Jesus, your blood really isn’t good enough to really cleanse me of my sin and all my unrighteousness. What you’ll be judged for is the deeds of the work that you’ve done while you were in this body. What did you accomplish for the kingdom of God while you had a tent? What did you accomplish for the kingdom of God and for the expansion of the gospel of the kingdom while you were in this body?
It’s getting cold in here, right? See Susan over here cuddling up. That’s what he’s really talking about there. As he goes from that point, first of all, to be absent from the body, present with the Lord, he talks about the tent, then he goes to the judgment seat of Christ and you’ll be judged for the deeds or the works that you’ve done in this body. Then he goes from there and he says, I know no man any longer according to the flesh. Because we’ve been given the ministry of what? Reconciliation, reconciling man to God. And that’s what he’s talking about here. What did you do to reconcile man to God?
And what I’m wanting us to see here is that this court of the Lord is really dealing with what you’re doing. Is it gold? Is it silver? Is it precious stones? We just did that last week. Is it wood? Is it hay or is it stubble? That’s what we’re going to be judged for, the judgment seat of Christ, and that’s what the Lord is looking for in our lives. Again, Jesus told the parable. He gave a guy 10 talents. He sent the guy out and the guy came back with more talents. What did he say to this guy? Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord. The guy took his talent and hid it in the ground and the Lord came back. He didn’t do anything with his tent, didn’t do anything with his life. The guy came back. What did the Lord say? You miserable and wicked servant.
Folks, I’m wanting to tell you, hear me. Find something to do in the Kingdom. I don’t know if it’s, if what you’re supposed to do, you need to know what you’re supposed to do. What do you like to do? You like to fool kids? Then get in the nursery, just, just minister to somebody, pray for somebody, do something in the Kingdom. Don’t take the talents that God’s given you and hide them in a ditch. You’ll live a miserable life. You’ll never be happy. You’ll never enter into the joy of the Lord. What really matters, Paul says, is not what people say about me. What really matters is not even what I think about myself. What really matters is what am I doing in the Kingdom of God? Because for that, and that only will God judge me. Either that’s true or the blood is no good. The blood really doesn’t wash me from my sin, and I believe it does.
I’ll just tell you, I just don’t believe that sin is the initial thing right now. I believe what we want to do in the Kingdom of God is to mature and find somebody to minister to. Hmm. Third thing, how am I doing? I am doing great. Third thing, verses 6 through 13, apostolic chiding or sarcasm. NASV version says this, now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes. The Amplified Bible says I have used myself and Apollos as an illustration. As I’ve taught this book and even before, I always felt that there was a little stress, a little tension between Apollos and Paul. And so I set myself to sit down and look up every scripture that Paul ever wrote about Apollos. I wanted to see what Paul said about Apollos, because it is the example of them that gives me direction. He says I used them as an illustration, as an example for you.
In 1 Corinthians, I want to read them to you, in 1 Corinthians 1:12, Paul’s first mention of Apollos says, Each one of you is saying, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. As I go through these, I want to emphasize this. He says you, each one of you is saying, he didn’t say, I’ve got my group, Apollos has got his group, Peter’s got his group. He says each one of you is saying, 1 Corinthians 3:4 says, For when one says I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos, are you not mere men? Are you not mere men? King James Bible says, are you not carnal? 1 Corinthians 3:5 says, what then is Apollos and what is Paul? They’re servants through whom you believed even as the Lord gave opportunity to each. 1 Corinthians 3:6, I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth or the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:22, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all things belong to you. 1 Corinthians 4:6, now these things, brother, and I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, and please listen to this, that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written in order that no one of you might become arrogant in behalf of one against another. He didn’t say that Apollos was arrogant or that Peter was arrogant or that he was arrogant. He says what was happening is the people were getting arrogant, and I’m going to talk about this word arrogant in just a second. 1 Corinthians 16:12, but concerning Apollos, our brother, I encouraged him greatly to come to you with a brethren and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has opportunity. And there’s one more, in Titus 3:13, he says to Titus, an apostle and also a brother, to Paul, and actually a son of the Lord to Paul, he says, he’s writing to Titus, the pastor, and he says, diligently help Zenos, the lawyer, and the Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them.
Out of these several verses and all that Paul had to say about Apollos, I then went back and I looked at it and as I do when I’m studying, I’ll sit back there where Jeff’s at and I’ll write something and I’ll get up and I’ll walk and I’ll pray, and I’ll do that on Sunday mornings, I’ll come in here, I’ll put everything right here and I’ll read something and I’ll get out and I’ll walk and I’ll pray, and I’ll just allow the Spirit to kind of minister to me and I’ll begin to get four things, four things that came to me about Paul and Apollos’s relationship and the reason that this is important to me is because I have been in a situation in my time in my ministry thus far where there was tension between me and another minister in this church and I really did want to know what do you do when there’s tension? How do you handle it? What do you do? Where does it come from? How do you deal with it? And I saw four things that Paul did and it’s good to me.
Paul, first of all, identifies Apollos as ministry. He never did say he’s a false minister. He identified Apollos as ministry. That was quite evident because of the people that were drawn to Apollos, but beyond that he gave him the same level of ministry as even Peter. He says, he says, some of you are of Paul, some of you are of Peter, some of you are of Apollos. He gave them, he not only identified him as ministry, but he identified him as very high, very good ministry. He never rebuked, and that’s one of my points, but he never rebuked Apollos in front of the people.
Second thing is Paul, no place in the letter, rebuked the ministry for polarizing the people to himself. What he did rebuke was the people from polarizing the ministry. Now I want you to hear that. Paul did not rebuke the ministry for having the people come to him. All the ministry was doing was the gifts that he was called to do. What Paul does rebuke is the people from polarizing the ministry. He says, I write these things so that you won’t consider one ministry superior to another ministry. And don’t we all do that? Don’t we all have our favorites? We got a favorite pastor, we got a favorite preacher, we got a favorite song leader. Am I right? You know I’m right. And we polarize the ministry. Listen, don’t do it because you like him, do it because that’s where God said to go. Do it because that’s where you know you’re supposed to be planted, that the Holy Ghost puts you there. And that’s what Paul is here saying. He never rebuked Apollos, he rebuked the people.
The third thing, because of himself and Apollos, the people were becoming arrogant and siding one with another. Now this word arrogant is used three times in this chapter. I think that Philip says more important, and the King James Bible uses a beautiful, beautiful translation for that word. King James Bible says puffed up. You’re getting puffed up. This word, I’m going to try to enunciate it. It’s F-O-O-S-E-E-O, it’s focio. Now the reason I tried to enunciate it, normally I wouldn’t, but the reason I’m trying to enunciate it is because it sounds a lot like it means. It means to blow something up. It means to inflate, to make it proud or make it haughty. What’s he saying here? You’re getting arrogant, you’re getting puffed up. Well what they were doing is that they had their favorite and so they would go and they’d puff up a particular ministry. Boy that was a good message. I liked it a whole lot better than what old Apollos had to say. And they were puffing up this guy over this guy. And what the people were doing was getting arrogant. They were getting puffed up, they were getting haughty. And what this eventually did, and listen to me, what this eventually did was cause this group to go over here and this group to go over here. And it wasn’t because the ministries were wrong, the ministries were just doing what they had the anointing to do. What was happening is the people were polarizing themselves and puffing up the ministries. Can you hear?
Am I just clear? This happened here. I don’t ever want it to happen again. Man, functions in this calling and in this ministry. I’m functioning in my calling and in my ministry. Next thing you know is there’s tension. Next thing you know people’s leaving. That’s what’s happening right here. I told Lance, I told Lance this week, things have not changed. It is the same today. We got one, don’t we? Can you hear what I’m saying? Listen, listen, don’t, if anything ever likes to come up again, you better believe I’ll rebuke you in a second, because I really believe, and I think that’s my last point, Paul saw Apollos as his brother and even Titus, another apostle, pastor brother, and gave directions to make sure that Apollos needs were met so that he could minister. He always kept him ministering. So what tension there was, was caused by the people, not Paul or Apollos. Had it been allowed to continue, it probably would have brought great problems.
Folks, I went through two years of hell because of people polarizing to me and polarizing to another man and causing us to get separated. We couldn’t get together. How many is going to say that will never happen here again? Say it. That will never happen here again. You better believe it won’t. And there will be more ministry here. There will be people raised up in our very midst at his ministry. But if I catch you polarizing and puffing him up, or puffing me up over him, then I’ll rebuke you. Well, I will. I write this. There is often tension between ministries. But choosing sides and becoming arrogant and flating one over another is not the answer.
So how should it be handled? Let’s talk about how should it be handled. And the example that I want to give here is the example of a marriage. A marriage example, a father and a mother. When mom and dad have problems, should they get in front of the kids and battle this thing out and yell at each other and cuss at each other and fuss at each other? Should they do that? What should they do? What? Privately. Get behind closed doors and start talking this thing and airing it. Number one, go behind closed doors where there’s privacy and air the problem. If that doesn’t succeed, number two. If that has not settled it, you’ve got to bring in mediators. You’ve got to bring in mediators. In a marriage, it’ll be marriage counselors, it’ll be your pastor, it’ll be your friends, it’ll be people that you can trust in a church, it’ll be elders, it’ll be overseers, it’ll be somebody that will come in there, not sighted, but come in there and try to mediate the thing. Number three, if that doesn’t work, the Bible has got to be, well, if it does work, this one is still true, the Bible must be the final authority. And that’s whether it’s true in the home or the church.
But listen, what we have, what I have learned is that it’s not so much biblical doctrine. What I have mostly learned is that it’s character flaws, it’s, what I’ve mostly learned is it’s personality traits that causes the divisions, that we can’t get past somebody’s little personality trait or little character flaw. We want to fix it. We want him to be like us, because we’re perfect, and he’s got a flaw, right? And that’s not what the body is. This hand is not like this hand, and my hand surely is not like my foot, and my ear looks nothing like my eye, and we’ve got to understand, folks, that we are all different.
And the fourth thing, and hear me, whether the marriage or the church, divorce is not the answer. Divorce will bring relief. Divorce might be a remedy, but it can’t correct the problem. You see, the only thing that can really correct the problem is for these individuals to come to the conclusion that they’re going to make it through it. How many of you have ever had to decide that with your wife or with your husband? You could divorce. George, you and Agnes, how long have you been married? Forty-six years. Sometimes, I bet you, you might have said, you might have, and I’m not saying you did, but you might have said, you know, it’d be better if I never met this woman. Agnes, I bet you would probably say the same thing. But what I’m trying to say here, but what did you decide? Did you decide to split, or did you decide to just tough it through there and make it? Because you knew that if you stood there long enough, it’d make it. That’s the answer. That’s the answer, folks.
You’re not always going to like what I say. You’re not always going to like the way I dress. You’re not going to always like the way I jump around and dance. But bless God, if you’ll pray for me instead. You’ve been living like kings. Now, you got to remember what kind of a church we’re talking about here. We’re talking about a church of positive confessors. We’re talking about a bunch of folks that live in a world of privacy and really want you got to be spiritual all the time. Come on now. You got to be filled with the Holy Ghost all the time. You got to have money in your pockets all the time. You got to be prosperous or the Holy Ghost ain’t in you. You with me? Now, that’s what we’re talking about here. And so he says, he says, you’re living like kings without us, and we’re fools for Christ. You know, we don’t know anything. We’re dumb. We’re ignorant. He says, but you’re, oh boy, you’re really wise in Christ. We’re weak. We can’t get anything accomplished, but you’re strong. You know, you’re, you’re distinguished. We’re just without honor. We’re just little peons.
And this is what Paul, he starts chiding them. He starts sarcastically dealing with these charismatics. And I’m very, I’m not going to be sarcastic. I am not going to be critical. I’m just, I’m just showing you what’s happening. It’s the same today, folks. I’m just telling you that it’s the same today. And I want you to see what he does, how he addresses all this positive confession stuff that they’re going through. He says, he says, I am exhibit, I am on exhibit by God. I am last. Now you won’t, you won’t get a charismatic to say that. I am the head and not the tail. Come on now, am I right? He says, I’m last. I am condemned to death. I am a spectacle of men and angels. I go hungry and thirsty. I am poorly clothed. I am roughly treated. I am homeless. I toil. I work with my hands. I am reviled, but blessed in return. I am persecuted, but endure it. I am slandered, but I’m, I consolate. I am scum. I am the dredges of the world.
How would Paul be graded in, in his positive confession? Well, I want you to, now you know how I feel the power of the spoken word. You know what I believe about that. I believe you set the course and I believe that. But the way Paul deals with all of this superiority and this group of folks that have to be spiritually and filled and full and rich and all this stuff all the time, the way he deals with it is with sarcasm and with reality. I don’t think he would make it too good in our charismatic churches today with that kind of confession.
Paul says here, he says, what you’re seeing yourself is as hot. He says, you’re really hot stuff. And he deals with them. And what I want us to see here is that worldly success, and that’s what these charismatics, these, this Corinthian church, this, that’s what they were kind of coming across was with a worldly success. We’re the best, we’re puffed up, we’re, we’re, we’re superior. We’re always filled with the Holy Ghost, we’re, we’re rich. And that’s the way, that’s the way they come across. And Paul, Paul wants to deal with this and, and he, he, he, I want to deal with it too because there’s some things that I just want to say, I want to read what I wrote. A real ministry and a real church is not identified in how hot it sees itself, but rather in the personal sacrifices it is willing to do to acquire Christ, to really have the presence of the Spirit of God and to fulfill its purpose.
I’ll say that one more time. A real ministry and a real church will not be identified with how hot it is, how well it can prophesy, how well it can function in the gifts, how hot it is, how rich it is, how filled it is, how spiritual it is. It won’t be identified like that, but rather in the personal sacrifice, the personal laying down of its own life, not just the ministry, but the church, all of us, to fulfill its personal calling, to really have the presence of the Holy Spirit and to really acquire Jesus Christ.
Folks, let me tell you where I’m at right now. To me, there is nothing more precious than to have the ministry of the Holy Spirit here in our midst when we come together. I want that more than I want anything. I want the presence of the Holy Spirit here because if we don’t have him, we’re just wasting time. I want to see this place fulfill its purpose. I just don’t want this to end when I’m gone. Should I go before the Lord comes? I don’t want it to stop. I want to see the next generation come along and the next generation should the Lord tarry. I want to see it fulfill its purpose in bringing the kingdom of God to this area, to changing people’s lives and understanding what God’s really all about. Getting his face, really seeing what he looks like, what God really, what are you? Finally getting his eyes and his ears and finally getting his heart or his presence. That’s what it’s really about.
And I want to make it real personal and I want you to turn with me to the book of Philippians. I want you to understand something. I want to say something tonight here. Philippians and I want to, my main thought is going to be coming from Philippians 4 and just go to Philippians 4 and in Philippians chapter 3, Paul brings his relationship with the Lord to a very personal. I don’t know how many times he uses the word I, the personal pronoun I. I don’t know how many times he uses it, but it’s over and over and over and over and over in this chapter. And he says, man, if you’re thinking about hot, I’m hot. He said, I was hot. I was the hottest of the Pharisees. I was a Hebrew. I was circumcised. Man, I was in the tribe of Benjamin. I was in zeal, I persecuted the church. He said, I was the hottest of the hot. I was hot stuff. And he says, but learn this, I laid it all down and it all become nothing but rubbish and dung so that I could acquire Jesus Christ. And his whole purpose in life became not to ascertain hotness, but to fulfill his purpose in life.
In chapter 4, before I read it, let me just say this, again, worldly success is relative. And a church is usually graded by worldly success. An individual is usually looked at as by worldly success. And I got a couple of examples here that I was going to give you, but I’m not going to do it. But I will do it, too. Dr. Grimm has a fairly large chiropractic practice. But if he judged that and graded that by some of the other chiropractic practices, he wouldn’t be so large. There are others that are larger than him. Dr. Cash has a fairly large medical practice. But if he judges that according to other medical practices, it might not be so large. Turk has done really well in the forklift business or the truck business, whatever you call those things, the hyster business or whatever. And he’s done real well in that. But if he judged it according to some other businesses that do the same thing, he might.
And what I’m trying to say here is that success is relative if you’re comparing it to the world. And worldly standards, you’ll always find something bigger, something more productive than you are. Money. People want to acquire money. Well, I don’t care how much money you get, there’s always going to be somebody that’s got more money. And if you judge yourself and if you live your life that way, then what you always live in is a relative amount of depression and failure. Because you’ll always be seeing somebody else as bigger and better than you. Am I making this, is this communicating?
Paul said that’s not what it is. This Corinthian church was looking at themselves as real superior, as bigger and better than anything else. You’re superior, he says. You’re really hot stuff. And he deals with them. And what I want us to see here is that we can’t judge our church or we can’t judge one another by worldly standards. Look at Philippians chapter 4, I want to read verses 13, verses 11 through 13. Paul says here, not that I speak from want, for I have learned. Does your Bible say learned? Would you say that? I have learned. Okay. What he’s saying, what I want you to see is this is a learning process. What he’s about to explain to us is a learning process. You have to learn this. For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. King James Bible says in whatever state I am in.
Verse 12, I know how to get along with humble means. King James Bible says abase. And I also know how to live in prosperity. King James Bible says abounding. In any and every circumstance I have learned, say it again, I have learned, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. We quote that scripture so out of context. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The reason that he says it here in the context that it’s in is whether things are good or things aren’t so good, you can still serve God and do what you’re called to do.
Now I’ve seen it both extremes. I have seen people that as long as things are going real good and they’ve got some money and they’re doing real well, man, they’re here, they’re regular, they want to pray for people and minister, and they’re just hot. But you let things start going bad, you don’t see them much, they come in, their lips dragging, pouting. And I’ve seen the other extreme. I’ve seen people, man, as long as things are going bad, they’re in church. It just drives them here. They’ve got to come to church because, man, this is where I get loved and I get cared for and people will take care of me. But things start going good, you don’t see them.
Paul says that the way you’ve got to learn to do it, and you learn to do this, is that whether things are going good or whether things aren’t going good, you’ve got to keep your motives right and your principles right because you’ve got the strength to do it. You’ve got to keep on trucking and keep on serving him. It really can’t make a difference whether things are going well with you or whether things aren’t going well with you. You’ve got to learn to keep serving God. How many of those I’ve just told you the truth, man? And you and I may be in the same place. You may be one of those guys, boy, when things are going good, you’re here, and boy, things are great, you want to pray for people, just kidding, you’re hot. You may be one of those other people, though, that when things are going bad, you’re here. Well, why do you think sometimes everything’s going bad for you? So you’ll be here.
You’ve got to learn that whatever circumstance that you find yourself in, that your directive and your motivation in life cannot be whether you’re hot or whether you’re cold. Your directive in life must be that you want to acquire Christ, that you want to fulfill your purpose, and that you want to come and do what you’re supposed to do in the body. And that’s what Paul is telling these Corinthian Christians. He says, you’re really something, aren’t you? You’re really hot. Let me tell you how it really is. Whether I’m abased or whether I’m bound, you’ve got to learn to serve God.
Now, I want to, I want to quit in about five or ten minutes. Let’s just go to the fourth, the fourth point. The Father ministry. I want to talk about Father ministry these next ten minutes, verses 14 through 21. I want you to know when you leave here who your Father ministry is, who your Father and the Lord is. In verse 14, Paul writes here, I write these things, he says, not to make, not to, not to make you feel uncomfortable, but that you may realize facts as my dear children. The NASV version says, I admonish you, and the King James Bible says, I warn you. How many of you have ever been warned, remember how it was to be warned by your daddy? You remember how big daddy was when you was about six years old? Had those hairy arms, strong, mean. And that’s what Paul is saying here. I’m warning you, you’re my children, and I’ve got the right to warn you. And in verse 21, he goes on with this thought, this whole section is concerning this. I just want to, want you to see what verse 21 says. He says, it’s up to you, I could come to chastise you, or I can come in gentleness. King James Bible says, I can come with a rod, or I can come in meekness. It’s up to you.
A good daddy is going to have a rod, and he’s going to have meekness. I believe that’s the way Paul was as the father to this church, and I believe that’s the way Father God is. Whom he loves, he chastens. And he also gives us meekness, and he also gives us mercy. But we want to, we want to forget the rod, and think that it’s not that way. And I want us to see that Paul here is a father ministry, Father God is a father ministry, and we get to choose, it’s up to us, whether we get the rod, or whether we get meekness.
In verse 15, he says, you can have 10,000 teachers, but you cannot have many fathers. Paul says he became their father through the Gospel. So he’s their spiritual father. And what I want to talk about is how do you know who your father ministry is? Paul’s going to make it very simple, and you’ll understand when you leave here who it is, who your father ministry is. Paul breaks it down into two categories. He says there are ministries of teaching. You can have 10,000 of them, in other words, limitless teachers. All the teachers in the world are yours, but you can’t have many fathers. How many of you have got a bunch of fathers? In the natural, how many of you have got a bunch of, so you can’t have many of those? Two or three, maybe, that’s about all you’re going to get. You can’t have many fathers.
Now, Bonnie and I spent last evening together. Judy’s gone to Florida, by the way, she hasn’t left me. She’s gone with her sisters like she always does during this time of the year, and she’s gone to Florida. And so Bonnie and I had a date last night, and we went, and for those of you that don’t know, Bonnie is my daughter, and so she and I had a date last night, and we were riding up the road, we were going, where did we go, to the station, station house, okay, to choo-choo? And they sang to us, and we had a big time. And here we were at the station house, and I wasn’t talking at the station, but anyway, in our time together, I said, Bonnie, I was sharing with her a little bit of this, and I said, Bonnie, I says, you do what I say do, you receive correction from me, I said, but do you do it because you’re afraid of me, or because you want to please me? And I don’t think she’s ever thought about that, I don’t think that she had ever had that question given to her before, and she thought a second, and she says, it’s because I want to please you.
In each of our lives, I really believe that God puts a ministry, a father ministry, who we want to please, a person that we want to please, and from that person, then correction is not bitter, but correction is pleasurable because we can receive the correction from that individual because we want to please him, not because we’re afraid of him or her, but because we want to please that person. It’s not because they’re bigger and badder than us, and not because we’re afraid that God’s going to curse us if we don’t receive, but it’s because we want to please him.
To most of you, I’m a teacher, you can have 10,000 of those, and to most of you, that’s what I am in your life, I’m a teacher, and that’s okay, that’s not bad, that’s not bad, I’m a teacher to you. To a few of you, I’m a father because I’ve been so instrumental in your walk and so instrumental in your lives, it’s changed you, you’re seeing things differently than you’ve ever saw before, and I’ve become a father ministry to you. You can receive instruction from me, not because you’re afraid of me, but because you want to please me, and you want me to watch you grow and see you grow and see you mature in the things of God. It’s very wholesome, it’s very good.
To the others of you that see me as a teacher, and I’m definitely not being negative about that, I appreciate that you allow me to be your teacher, I appreciate the fact that you come here and let me teach you the things of God. I appreciate that, but what I do want to admonish you, and what I do want to make sure that say is please know who your father is. I found in the Christian world, not just in the Charismata world, but I found in the Christian world that there are a lot of illegitimates. They don’t know who their father is because they can’t receive instructions from anybody. They can’t receive, maybe instructions they can receive, but not correction. There’s a difference. Do you understand that? You can have 10,000 instructors, but you can’t have very many that will correct you. What Paul is saying here is that I’m your father and I can correct you.
Another aspect of the father ministry, first of all, I’m going to give you four of how you know father ministries. Number one, number one, I’ve already talked about it, is that it gives you, it makes you realize facts. It says, I want you to realize this fact. I can come to you with a rod or I can come to you with mercy. The second thing that I’m talking about here is that you can have 10,000 teachers, but you can’t have many fathers. And I want you to see that that’s the one that you receive the correction from. The third thing is that the father ministry always reproduces itself. He says, I’m going to send to you Timothy.
Father ministry always reproduces itself. If you see my son or my daughter, then you’re going to see part of me. A ministry always reproduces itself. When you see a ministry that is of mine, a ministry that I fathered, then you will see a part of me in that ministry. Lance, stand up. Do you see a little of him in me? Turn around and just, you see, he’s a good looking guy. Okay, what I’m trying to show you is that there is a resemblance and the resemblance is because I’m his father. And that’s going to be that way in the spiritual. Father ministry reproduces itself. He says, Timothy, my son and the Lord, I’m going to send to you. And this is what Timothy came to do. Timothy will remind you of those ways of living in Christ, which I teach in every church.
And the fourth thing that a father ministry does is he has power. Now close to this thought, a father ministry has dunamis power. Paul says that the kingdom of God is not in a lot of talk, but it’s in what? Power. The word there is power, not exusia. I would have thought he would have used exusia, authority. He didn’t. It’s dunamis. It’s the power that moves one thing from one place to another. A father ministry has an anointing, has an ability to change lives, to take them from the kingdom of darkness and bring them into the kingdom of God, which is simply walking in righteousness and peace and joy of the Holy Ghost.
When Paul says to these Corinthians, he says, I’m going to come and I’m going to see what you got. I want to come and see if you’re just a bunch of talk, or I’m going to come and see if you really got the power. I’m going to come and see where you’re really at. What I’ve mostly taught you tonight about, a lot about, is ministry, the way we hurt, the way you need to see us, how I can show you out of my, what I do, if I am or if I am not ministry, if I’m a teacher to you, or if I’m a father ministry to you. That’s what we’ve mostly talked about tonight. And Paul is talking to these Corinthians this way because he loves them. He wants to move their lives. He wants to dynamite their lives out of one place of darkness into a place of righteousness and peace and joy. He says, I want to do these things to teach you. I want to warn you about some things. Father ministry is more than words. It’s the ability or the anointing to move a life into the kingdom, which is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
The way that you’ll know your father in the Lord is who can impart correction to your life. That will be your father ministry. Not because he’s bigger than you or badder than you, but simply because you want to please him and you want to love him. I’m done. We’re just looking, listening now to see how maybe we should end this thing. The things that we’ve talked about is how to identify ministry. We’ve talked about, we’ve talked about the sarcastic apostle and how he deals with, with the Charismatics.
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.
7 For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
1 Corinthians Chapter 4 Audio
I wish you had become kings…
8 You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you.
9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.
10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.
11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless;
12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure;
13 when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
15 For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
I exhort you…
16 Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.
17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.
18 Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.
19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power.
20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.
21 What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?
1 Corinthians Chapter 4 Audio
1 Corinthians Chapter 4 Audio
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