1 Corinthians 4:1-21

A Genuine Servant Of Christ
1 Corinthians 4:1-21 Lesson 4
Key verse 4:15-16 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 10-4-09
"Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.”
In our society there are all kinds of servants of God. They come in all shapes and sizes. They come from all sorts of denominations. It seems that in the USA as long as a person has a theology degree and is hired as a church leader then that person is a servant of God. Actually I have heard that in this country, if ten people call you a pastor, then you are a pastor. But the question is, are all people who call themselves servants of Christ, actually genuine servants of Christ? What makes one a genuine servant of Christ? How can we be genuine servants of Christ? Today Paul reveals distinctive elements that mark genuine servants of Christ. Let’s consider three of them.
Part l: The Genuine Servant Of Christ Is A Faithful Bible Teacher (1-7).
A leader in the church is a servant of God. Let’s read verse 1. “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.” Why does Paul say this? As we have studied, the Corinthians had been disputing about which servant of Christ was the greatest. One took pride in following Apollos. Another took pride in following Cephas. And there were those who were devoted to Paul. They saw the servants of Christ as contestants in some popularity contest. Who you followed became a fad among certain circles. Some church members rejected fellow church members based on which pastor they were loyal to. Their attitude was not right. Pastors are servants of Christ, no matter the degree of their charisma. Christ is the one who chose, equipped and sent them. The Corinthians should receive them as Christ’s servants, respect them, and listen to them as ones who have been sent by God.
Christ entrusts his servants with the secret things of God. What are the secret things of God? We don’t think that they are a secret. Most of us have grown up studying the Bible and consider its teaching just plain obvious. But we need to know that that there are still many secrets that we do not know. Daniel J. Boorstin once said, “Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know.” One Phd told me that the more he learned the more he realized he didn’t know. Instead of thinking that we know all of the secrets of the gospel, we need to concede that a lot of secrets are still hidden from us and humbly seek them out. (Isa 8:16)
What are the secret things of God? One great secret is the message of the cross. To those who repent and believe, it is the power and wisdom of God for salvation. (Ro 1:16) But to the worldly, it seems like foolishness. They don’t know the secret. The kingdom of God is another secret (Mk 4:11). God’s world salvation plan is also a secret (Eph 3:6). These secrets must be revealed by God. God reveals them to those who study the Bible diligently, like those seeking hidden treasure (Mt 13:44). Therefore, servants of Christ study the word of God until they find the secrets of God. These servants know Christ intimately through his word and Spirit. They know the mind of Christ.
To a servant of Christ, faithfulness is the most important quality. Let’s read verse 2. “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” The quality God is looking for is not handsomeness, intelligence, wit, or eloquence, but faithfulness. Sometimes faithful people do not seem to be so smart, but they are faithful. (It is best to be both faithful and sharp.) Servants of Christ must be doggedly faithful in teaching the Bible. They must deliver the Lord’s message as of first importance. They must share the message as it is, without changing the contents to suit their own feelings or purpose. They must share the message when and where Christ wants them to. When the Lord says, “go,” they go. When the Lord says, “stay,” they stay. Paul proved himself faithful. He stayed in Corinth according to the Lord’s command even though he suffered so much (Ac 18:9-11). Then there was a great harvest of souls and the Corinthian church was born. If Paul had not stayed, what would have happened? In two weeks there will be a USA staff conference in Columbus Ohio. There will be over 200 attendants. Most are heads of small house churches. They answered God’s call to live as a house church ministry. They give their hearts, week after week, to prepare the message and teach the Bible, but most times students don’t want to join them on their mission. So often it is just them and their kids and one or two students. It seems that their lives are endless sacrifices. Why do they do it for so few people? It is because they are revealing God’s faithfulness and God is working through servants of God such as these to pioneer campus’ across the USA. God values faithfulness the most.
We must value faithfulness the most. We must thank God for faithful Bible teachers for where there are faithful Bible teachers there is hope for a church to grow. I thank God for Julie’s faithful Bible studies. She is an inspiration to all of our coworkers. We are thankful for the music ministry. Through the faithfulness of the music servants a joyful atmosphere can be created in our worship service. We have something to offer when we visit other chapters. We must pray to be faithful to Christ. Christ said, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev 2:10b).
However, we have all discovered that when one faithfully preaches the gospel, the response is not usually widespread acceptance, but rather sometimes criticism, judgment and condemnation. How should a servant of Christ respond? Look at verses 3-4, “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” Paul tells us to care “very little” about the judgments of others. True, there may be a grain of truth in their criticism that will help us improve our character or way of ministry. However, servants of Christ must not care much about human judgments. Paul also tells us that he did not judge himself. That does not mean that he did not evaluate himself, for he surely did that. Paul did his best in serving Christ and allowed his conscience to guide him in observing an exemplary work ethic, striving for excellence. But he knew that human excellence was not good enough. What mattered was whether Christ was pleased or not. Like Abel in Genesis, Paul offered his best to God as one who needed mercy, trusting God’s grace to accept and bless his offering. If God was pleased, Paul was happy, no matter what men might say (5). If God was not pleased, Paul was very sorry about it, no matter how much praise he might receive from men. Only God’s judgment really matters. And you can tell if God is pleased or not.
Servants of Christ faithfully proclaim the message of Christ based on the Bible—nothing more, nothing less (6). In this verse he says, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Members of the body should accept it humbly and come to Christ. Christ is the center. His word is in the forefront of all we do. We must all grow in Christ. Christ changes us through his word. This is solely by Christ’s grace (7). We must always stick to the message of Christ from the Bible and not go beyond the Bible to realm of our own ideas.
As Christians, we have received the secret of the gospel of Christ. So now what? Let’s read verse 2 again. “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” To receive this trust is nothing but the grace of Christ and it is a sacred trust. We must prove faithful to Christ. We can do that by obeying Jesus in all of life’s situations. It also means sharing his purpose by sharing the gospel with others as God gives us opportunity. In this ministry we have especially been called to share it through one-to-one Bible study. May God help each of us reveal a Christ like character and to be faithful Bible teachers, for our generation, for the glory of Christ.
Part ll: The Genuine Servant Of Christ Participates In Christ’s Suffering (8-13).
In verse 8a, Paul rebukes the Corinthians for thinking that they were above carrying their cross. He says, “Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you!” The Corinthian Christians thought that they were already glorified, sitting on thrones like kings, sharing the power and reign of Christ. They looked down on others and judged others, even the servants of God who weren’t so charismatic and who seemed to be suffering endlessly in this world. Their concept of serving Christ was worldly. They thought it meant having power and glory in this world. To correct them, Paul explained the reality to them. The reality is that servants of Christ suffer a lot for God’s glory while living in this world.
Let’s see how these exemplary servants of God lived. Look at verse 9. “For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.” Paul had in mind the victory processions of Roman conquerors, as we can see in the classic movies like “Ben-Hur,” and “Quo Vadis.” Leading the procession was the conquering general in a white and golden chariot with attendants and entourage. He was followed by soldiers in shining armor, marching sharply. At the very end of the procession were prisoners of war, who were jeered and spit upon and beaten, as they headed to the arena to be fed to the lions. In terms of this procession, the Corinthians thought they were in the place of the conquering general. But Paul said that apostles are like the men at the end of the procession. They suffer much and died in the most humiliating circumstances. Paul said in verses 12-13, “We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.” We see some of this suffering happening today in China and North Korea and the Middle East. We have our own unique Christian sufferings here in America. I don’t wish such sufferings on anyone, but we must know that God puts his servants in such circumstances to reveal the character of Christ and the glory of God through their sufferings. That is why genuine servants of Christ are willing to participate in the suffering of Christ.
Horace G. Underwood, of the famous Underwood typewriter family, went to Seoul, Korea as a missionary in 1885. He was a very able man—a Princeton graduate who could speak eight languages. However, when he decided to go to Korea as a missionary, his fiancé broke their engagement. At age 26, with a broken heart, Underwood went to Korea. After four years on the mission field, he married Miss Horton, who was eight years older than him. He married by faith, for the mission. They traveled to northern Korea to preach the gospel and minister to suffering people. There were many dangers and hardships. What is more, in northern Korea, they became spectacles to the native people. Wherever they went, people gathered to observe them, saying, “They look so strange! Are they human beings? Their eyes are blue! Can they see with blue eyes?” The Underwoods became like monkeys in the zoo for Christ. However, in this way the gospel spread throughout Korea. Theirs is not a story of riches, fame and success, but of hardship, misunderstanding and suffering. And God bore abundant fruit through their lives of faith. There are now three generations of Underwoods serving as missionaries. A true servant of Christ should have a resume of sufferings more than of worldly honors.
Part lll: The Genuine Servant Of Christ Is A Spiritual Father (14-21).
Though Paul’s words to the Corinthians were sharp, they were not intended to shame them, but to warn them as a father (14). Paul spoke to them as his own dear children whom he wanted to correct for their good. Let’s read verse 15 together. “Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” In what respect was Paul their spiritual father?
In the first place, Paul participated in their birth through the gospel. Just as physical children do not choose their birth parents, spiritual children do not choose their birth parents. God chooses them. God gives them life according to his own sovereign will. It was through Paul’s prayer and Bible teaching that the word of God came into their hearts and gave them new life. God chose to work through Paul by his sovereign will and one-sided grace. Christians should respect their spiritual parents out of reverence for God. I will always respect my spirit parent, Msn Ruth Hwang, who led me to Jesus and began to raise me as a disciple.
Missionary Ruth Hwang who lives in Montreal Quebec. She taught me the Bible, prayed for me and served me delicious food in her home. She even took me to the ballet. When I was getting insincere in my spiritual struggle, revealed through my superficial testimony writing and Bible study, she cried in front of me, urging me to repent and renew my sincere struggle to grow in Jesus. At that point I wrote an open and honest testimony confessing my deep sin to God. It was that testimony that released me from the chains that bound my heart for I received God’s forgiveness. I felt release. I was free to be honest and I could begin to grow as a servant of Jesus. I will always honor and respect her for being a conduit of God’s grace to me.
In the second place, Paul’s relationship with them was like that of a father and his children. For eighteen months Paul endured many hardships to work with his own hands to support himself and also provide spiritual food for the Corinthians. He had gone through birth pains, shepherded them as they grew and protected them, until the tender roots of the gospel could grow strong and healthy in them.
Paul had been greatly changed in Christ. At one time, Paul was not like a father. He was a strict and legalistic Pharisee who would not tolerate others’ shortcomings. But now he was a loving father-like shepherd who embraces and patiently endures immature children. How could he be so changed? It was because he knew the heart of God. God is a Father to weak and vulnerable human beings. Jesus taught us to call God “Father” in the Lord’s Prayer. God loves us like a father. God’s love for us is unconditional, sacrificial, everlasting and longsuffering. God loves us so much that he gave his one and only Son Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement to save us from our sins. God is patient with sinners in the hope that we may repent and grow and have a healthy love relationship with him. God pours out his grace upon us day after day, though we don’t understand it or deserve it. In this way, God wants to raise us as holy children. When Paul knew God’s heart, he could be a spiritual father to the Corinthians.
Julie has been a like a spiritual parent to several young female students. She taught the Bible and talked with Carrie for many hours every week. This went on for years. Eventually Carrie gave her heart and life to Jesus. She married Jay and established a house church (family) with Jay. They have served as missionaries to Ecuador and are now faithful members of a community church near Elgin. Julie was like a spiritual parent to Trish. She also studied with Trish very week and talked for hours even sacrificing time with her family. This went on for years. Now Trish has taken spiritual responsibility to be a “mother like” mentor to Janice and one of her other friends. She has strength to help her husband to come to Jesus. God worked through Julie. Indeed God works through those with the heart of a spiritual parent.
There is a contrast in verse 15 between spiritual fathers and guardians. Fathers care for their children out of love. Guardians serve them to make money. It is similar to the contrast Jesus makes between the good shepherd and the hired hand (Jn 10:12-13). Do you know why the hired hand takes care of the sheep very well, even professionally? It is to get their wool! We need to ask ourselves, “Am I a parent or a guardian?” What is our motive in serving God’s sheep? Is it to gain wealth or honor for ourselves? We must love God’s children with pure hearts as spiritual parents, and give all the glory to God.
Paul was a spiritual father worth imitating. He said in verse 16, “Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” Not all fathers can say this. If Paul was a chronic gambler or an alcoholic, it would be better not to say, “imitate me.” Yet Paul could say, “imitate me.” very boldly and with confidence. To all those who reject Pauline theology and think that they can ignore Apostle Paul, he says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” Especially, Paul wanted them to learn Jesus’ humbleness and shepherd heart. This would solve their problem of arrogance and enable them to love one another from the heart.
To help them remember his example, Paul sent Timothy to them. Timothy had learned Christ’s humility and faithfulness from Paul. Timothy loved God’s children purely (Php 2:20). Timothy’s real and living example would help them glimpse the universal love of Christ, as it was practiced throughout the world. Paul also wanted to come to them to help them solve certain issues that were hurting the church. Of course he would try to solve the matters rationally and prayerfully, but if necessary, he would bring his “whip” (21). Yes, like any good father, Paul’s fatherly love included training in the truth. (Heb 12:10-11) He would not avoid painful encounters if it helped his children spiritually.
Today we learned how to recognize and how to be genuine servants of Christ. Christ entrusts his servants with the secret things of God. Servants of God seek these secrets out and help others to discover these secrets. Servants of Christ are faithful people. Servants of Christ proclaim the message of Christ based on the Bible. Servants of Christ are willing to participate in the suffering of Christ. They are spiritual parents. It is not easy to be genuine servants of God. But when we pray, God will help us. Especially, let’s pray to have a spiritual parent’s heart like Apostle Paul, and especially like Jesus himself.
Part l: The Genuine Servant Of Christ Is A Faithful Bible Teacher (1-7).
1. How should believers regard Christian workers? (1) What great privilege does Paul mention? (1b; Ro3:2) What is the most fundamental quality of a servant of God? (2; 2Ti2:2; Heb3:1,2) Why?

2. What three judgments does Paul mention and which one was he most concerned about? (3,4) Why should we not judge but wait until the Lord comes? (5) How did Paul apply this principle to himself and Apollos? Why? (6a) Why shouldn’t we take pride in one man over against another? (6b,7)
Part ll: The Genuine Servant Of Christ Participates In Christ’s Suffering (8-13).
3. How did Paul rebuke their sin of pride in verse 8? What good examples did he show through his own life? (9–14) Note especially his humility and shepherd’s heart.
Part lll: The Genuine Servant Of Christ Is A Spiritual Father (15-21).
4. Read verse 15. What confidence did Paul have in relation to them? How could he have such confidence? What does it mean to be a spiritual father? Why is this an important attribute of a servant of God?
5. Read verse 16. What did Paul urge them to do? What especially did he want them to imitate? Why is it important to imitate such a servant of God? Why did he send Timothy to them? (17)

6. What problem did Paul point out? (18) How did he say he would deal with it? (19,21) How does this reveal his father’s heart for them?

7. Summarize what you learn in this study about how to be a servant of God.