1 Corinthians 4 - Managers Must be Faithful

I don’t say this lightly.  But here it is.  The message of First Corinthians four and five is precisely what the Church needs to hear today.  It’s the same message of leadership responsibility and a warning of the dangers of the love of money we see in Deuteronomy 17, and Proverbs 25, and consistent throughout Scripture.  In chapter four Paul sets the tone.  That is, he explains that you have to have a really sober assessment of yourself grounded in Christ and then we have to do the hard work of removing the wicked from the church.  I’ll start with the punch line and then we can back up a bit.  Here it is: “it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning” (1 Cor. 5:12).

        Ok, now let’s think about Paul’s dialogue before that critical conclusion.  We are all servants of Christ.  He gives us our roles and responsibilities, not to lord power over others and not to make wealthy an elite group, but rather so that we may all serve each other.  To be healthy the church (God’s people) must serve each other well.  Those in charge (leaders) must be faithful (v. 2).  We easily deceive ourselves by false metrics like the number of baptisms or the amount of revenue our organizations generate.  But Christians are supposed to be different, and counter-cultural (Romans 12:2).  Paul warns us here again to use different metrics than the world.  The Christian standard is an investment into eternal things and holiness.

        Staying grounded is hard.  We see that in Deuteronomy 17 - God sets forth his principle of the God-reliant leader.  This is done by ensuring that the leader does not accumulate worldly wealth and admonishing the leader not to focus on reigning here rather than serving here (4:8).

        Lord Jesus, please help us today.  Show us clearly our roles and responsibilities and may we fear self-deceit and failing to be faithful to You.

        On Judgment Day Christ Jesus will return.  If the work we do here in these brief lives survives we will be rewarded by God.  God alone will give to each person whatever reward is due.  Jesus Christ is the One who examines each man and each woman and He alone will decide if we have been faithful in managing what He put us in charge of.  This is not optional.  Each servant of Christ must be faithful in managing their God-given responsibilities.  For some that means teaching with deep preparation and sincerity.  For others, it means diligence in serving those around you in your unique gifting.  Serve well!  

        Believers in Christ will indeed reign with Christ one day.  That day has yet to arrive.  Today we must be prepared to serve and work hard.  Are you living a life of luxury and reigning now?  Or are you patiently, humbly, and confidently serving God today to bless those who curse you and be patient with those who abuse us (4:12).

        The world will treat Jesus’s followers as garbage, but be warned: on Judgment Day Jesus will reveal the worth of our dedication to Him and the motives of every man and woman.

        Do not be arrogant.  Let us imitate Jesus and his holy apostles in what we say and do.  Today is a day to lift others up.  Let them know their great value to God, every person is loved by God, our Creator.

        Let us not be pretentious and prideful.  Let’s live by the power of God today - being extremely careful to set up guardrails (Deut. 17:17) to ensure we are God-reliant, not self-reliant.  Which do you choose today (4:21)?  Will you follow earthly flesh or God’s Spirit?  Tomorrow we can discuss further Paul’s Proverbs 25:5 and 25:26 charge to the church to remove the wicked and never give in to them.

        Lord Jesus, thank you for your gentle patience with us.  Thank you for your kindness and for your power.  Help us to choose wisely today.  Amen.