Faithfulness is
Required
1 Corinthians 4:1-2
ESV
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”
Are all of us, who believe in Jesus Christ, servants of the
Lord? And, are we all stewards of the mysteries of God? And, what are the
mysteries of God?
We, who believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, are indeed
the Lord’s servants. And, this word “servant” is literally “slave” (doulos). We
are bond-slaves of our Lord, with no ownership rights of our own, by our choice
to trust in Jesus Christ to now have ownership and rule over our lives (1 Co.
6:19-20; 1 Pet. 2:16; Rom. 6:15-23; Rev. 1:1; Rev. 11:18; Rev. 19:5).
And, the mysteries of God are the gospel of our salvation
and the divine truths of Scripture, as applied to our lives. And, they are the
excellencies of God which we are to proclaim. For, he called us out of darkness
into his wonderful light (1 Pet. 2:9; Rom. 16:25; Eph. 1:9; Eph. 3:1-10).
So, yes, we are all stewards of God’s grace, of the
salvation he has given to us, of his gospel, of his giftedness to us, and of
his assignments he has given to us. (1 Pet. 4:7-11; Rom. 12:1-21; 1 Co.
12:1-31; Eph. 4:1-16).
And, yes, we must be faithful to that trust (stewardship)
the Lord Jesus has given to us, both in living according to His Word, and in
sharing His Word with others so that they can be saved and have eternal life
with God. We must be faithful, too, in using the gifts he has given to us, and
in obeying his call on each one of our lives (Acts 11:22-24; Gal. 5:22; Eph.
1:1; Col. 1:2).
Judging by Human
Standards
1 Corinthians 4:3-4
ESV
“But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.”
Paul, in his ministry, seemed to continually come under some
type of condemnation from those who disapproved of him or who judged him by
their own standards of how they thought he ought to be. So, there were times
when it was necessary for him to give a defense of his ministry, because in
condemning him, they were also bringing the gospel he was preaching under
disrepute, and he could not have that happen.
So, he seemed to spend much time correcting error,
dispelling lies and rumors, and clarifying the truth, so that he had a clear
path for teaching the people what they needed to learn about Jesus Christ and
the Christian life.
And, so it is today. For, when we are teaching the true
gospel of our salvation, and we are exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness,
and we are calling people to repentance and to obedience to Christ, we are
going to have opposition, even from those who call themselves our sisters and
brothers in the Lord.
And, not all the opposition is out in the open, either. Some
of it is in the form of rumors, gossip and slander, as people will talk among
themselves about what they disagree with rather than confront those they
disagree with to give them the opportunity to defend themselves, not that that
is always possible. So, sometimes the opposition won’t come in outward forms of
hostility, but rather in somewhat silent dissent and withdrawal and rejection.
But, this is not saying that everyone has to agree with us.
But, if what we are teaching is clearly the truth, as supported well by
Scripture (taken in context), then they should agree with God.
But, a lot of opposition we will face will not have to do
with differences in interpretation of Scripture but with man’s (people’s)
opinions of us or with their culture or traditions or their own personal
prejudices. People will judge us by their own standards or their own traditions
rather than by the Word of God. And, that was what Paul often faced, too. And,
I have, as well.
The Scum of the World
1 Corinthians 4:9-13
ESV
“For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.”
It isn’t just the apostles who faced this, either. If we are
truly the Lord’s servants (his bond-slaves), and if we truly are being faithful
to the trust we have been given by God, we are going to experience this, as
well. We aren’t going to have a lot of friends, for people will find us weird,
peculiar, and not normal. Even those who call themselves our brothers and
sisters in the Lord will find us odd, as well, and they won’t want to hang out
with us.
Or, they may be ok being with us as long as we don’t talk
about the Lord, or as long as we don’t share with them what he is teaching us,
or as long as we don’t share the gifts he has given us with them for their
encouragement. For, so many people who call themselves Christians are just not
comfortable talking about Jesus unless it is in a formal church setting where
that is what they are supposed to be doing there.
It just isn’t normal for a lot of people who profess to be
followers of Jesus, at least here in America, to speak the truth in love to one
another, or to speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, or to
encourage (inspire, urge, admonish, or motivate) one another in their walks of
faith, as taught in Scripture, and according to the word of God.
But, depending upon where we live in the world, the level or
the severity of the opposition and persecution and rejection will be varied.
For, in America, up to this point, not many Christians have been put to death
for their faith in Jesus Christ, but in other nations they have been, and they
have been severely beaten and imprisoned and tortured for their belief in
Jesus.
Yet, the nominal Christian (in name only, and not in
practice) is most likely, in America, not to face much persecution at all. The worldly
Christians who blend in with the world won’t face much at all, either, if any.
But, if you stand out for Christ, and you teach his word in its fullness, and
you don’t blend in with the world, you may experience what Paul described here
where he felt that they were considered to be the scum of the world.
And, I know what that feels like, for I have faced much in
the way of that type of rejection over my lifetime, too, but especially since
God has called me to this ministry.
But, our attitude and our actions must reflect Christ, even
when we are mistreated for righteousness’ sake. Thus, we must forgive our
persecutors, and we must love our enemies. We must do good to them, pray for
them, and say and do what is for their spiritual wellbeing, even if they revile
us in return. So…
When reviled, we
bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat.
Hide Me, Rock of Ages
Brantley C. George,
1946
…Keep me when the storm clouds gather;
(storm clouds gather, keep me)
‘Til the sun comes shining through;
(comes shining through, oh Savior)
Keep me ‘til my work is over;
(work is over, Jesus)
‘Til I bid this world adieu.
Hide me oh blessed rock of ages
(blessed rock of ages hide me)
'Til Thy blessed face I see
(Thy face I see in glory)
When the storm around me rages
(round me rages, blessed)
Rock of ages hide Thou me…
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