The Task of Ministry. 1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Introduction

When I first started coming to church I was vastly unaware of how church worked, what it was, or how people were apart of one. I showed up and recognized that there were leaders. My first youth worker was a man named Tim Herrera. He and his wife Judy led the group and we met in an old house next the church roughly the size of half of the chapel. It was crammed with upwards of 50-70 teens each week and Tim would open the Bible and teach us. The church was led by Brother Dean Cattlet. It was what everyone called him and I thought, often, what makes him a brother? Whose brother is he? Did he pick that title or did they give it too him. Either way it put him immediately into another category for me as a special guy. Tim was there one day and was going to come on as a full staff member and then we were told he wouldn’t and would be leaving. I had no idea why. He sang good. He was the best teacher I’d ever saw with the Bible, or at least I thought so. Then a couple months later, the church let a guy named Tom, who had been helping us out for a while, take over.

Tim was a good teacher but Tom seemed like he had just picked up the Bible a couple days ago in comparison. I mean who was I to say anything, I had picked up the Bible just a couple days ago too. Little did I know, Tom had literally picked up the Bible a little bit before I had. God had transformed his life and been tap-dancing on his heart about some drastic changes that he was going to cause to happen in his life. In the next months God called Tom into serving him full time as a pastor. As he explained this to the group, I had no idea really what they was or how he knew that this was what he was supposed to do. Later, as God developed a relationship between us, I realized he left an almost 6 figure management job to come and make peanuts leading us.

He did this because he felt that God was telling him too. He had no education in it and no expertise, just a calling from God that, as I’ve learned in subsequent years, is really hard to explain to people in a way that makes sense if you’ve never felt the tug.

Years later, in Seminary I came across Martyn Lloyd Jones comments on the call.

It was Mr. Spurgeon, I believe, who used to say to young men – “If you can do anything else do it.  If you can stay out of the ministry, stay out of the ministry.”  I would certainly say that without any hesitation whatsoever.  I would say that the only man who is called to preach is the man who cannot do anything else, in the sense that he is not satisfied with anything else.  This call to preach is so put upon him, and such pressure comes to bear upon him that he says, “I can do nothing else, I must preach.”

Tension

The call to serve, teach, and preach is one that calls men to drop their nets and follow him. As Spurgeon alludes too, its not an easy path and one that will no doubt cause you a great deal of heartache, anxiety, and struggle in your life. On top of that, ministers invite their families to come alongside of them in this calling to live for the Lord and build up his church. It’s Romantic, sure, but it’s not enough to just be romantic. You must be called because some days, that calling from God to you is all you’ve got to fall back on.

One of the essential women in my life who loved me all the way to Jesus Mrs. Terry Kline is here this morning. This poor lady had me in 6th grade and saw past a class clown to see a kid who was really just lost and struggling. She prayed me all the way to Jesus and I’ll never be able to fully say thank you for all the investment and hard conversations she gave me for my own good. Irony abounding, the kid who they must have all wagered would have been in prison, became a pastor. Still further, Terry’s son Jacob, too is serving the Lord in ministry, and I have had the pleasure of getting to meet him and see how the Lord has shaped and molded him over the years. Last year we talked a great length about ministry and the struggle that it can be some days. It is true. These tasks, these roles, this jobs are not easy. They weigh on you in ways that you can’t describe to people. “What’s the big deal, you only work one day a week right? Yeah, but you don’t have like a real job though. So what’s so heard.” Today we walk into Paul’s response to what the task of ministry is in 1 Corinthians 4:1-21. We will start this morning by reading together verses 15 and 16.

Truth

15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.

Prayer

Exposition

Before we get started, I want to address from the git-go that I can see how some of the things I will be saying today might look or feel self-serving. I’m preaching about how we should see and understand preachers. When I come to passages like this, I find it more helpful for me personally to write myself out of it completely. I think back on the ministers I served under in support staff roles and in lay leadership and let the word say what it says about those things. I’m not saying, “Church, do these things and think these things about Juston or Adam.” I am saying, “Juston, think these things, do these things for Tom, Mark, Dan, Jeff, Aaron, Todd, Wade, Wally, Brian, Max, and Gary.” These words are timeless and good for us to understand and own, myself included, no matter what job title I currently hold. Amen.

1 Corinthians 4:1–21 (ESV)

1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

Ministers of Christ act as stewards of Truth. vs 1-2. Belief/Attitude

As a pastor your roles do seem to end up feeling like a catch-all. My dad told me when I told him I felt called to be a pastor that he didn’t envy me at all. “I can just focus on being the best butcher, or concrete man I can be. You end up having to be a coach, a counselor, a public speaker, a ceo, a financial guy, a debater, a scholar, a politician, and all at the same time.” Despite the way that it can feel at times, or how true my dad’s words might be, the primary role of those in ministry is to be a guardian of the truth. We must be faithful to that calling and uphold it with the fiercest duty. Why? Because, as Peter stated in our sermon just a couple of weeks back, only Jesus holds the words of life. If only he does then it is on us to do our due diligence to make sure we share and explain those words accurately and sufficiently.

Paul explains this sentiment with the full weight of its implications to his protege Timothy in 1 Timothy 4.

1 Timothy 4:1–16 (ESV)

1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.

7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;

8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.

10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

11 Command and teach these things.

12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.

16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Do you see and feel the weight of this calling. We are to be, as ministers of the gospel, those that immerse ourselves in the word. We study it and restudy it. We explain it and reexplain it. We become champions of the truth. Why? Because truth matters so much, especially in a day and time when the world is changing the definitions so they can change what truth is. I put this down, not only as a shift in what we believe about pastors, but also as a shift in attitude. We as followers of Christ and as members of His church must realize that while ministers do wear many hats, they must always pay utmost attentions and credence to their first calling. The big one. Yes they under shepherd the flock. Yes they marry and bury. Yes they organize teams and attend meetings. But, the word comes first. The truth is paramount. Because the debt that they owe to Christ as one who cares for his bride.

3 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.

4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.

5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.

They stand accountable to God for how they lead and serve. vs 3-6. Belief/Attitude

First off, Paul says that no man, including himself has the right to render judgment over him for his faithfulness. That station and right belong to God alone. He is the one who called them out for service and only He gets be the one to determine to what degree they fulfilled their mandate. We must also remember James sobering words.

James 3:1 (ESV)

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Teachers of God’s word will stand in judgement for what they taught and how they led. Did they lead in a way that honored Christ and shared the real and accurate Gospel? Did they make disciples who champion and teach those things to others? Did they do something less or something of their own design? These words are the high bar that pastors must not shrink back from. Too much is at stake to fall asleep at the wheel. People’s eternality is more than just attendance numbers and popular sermon series with cool gimmicks and social engagement numbers. We must paint an accurate picture of God’s word to his people and demand that of ourselves. Because God demands it of us. We will stand before him one day in regards to our work. Were we faithful or were we the blind leading the blind.

I also want to admit a little here that Paul hints at something many of you will have no idea about. That he doesn’t even have the right to judge himself. Can I for a minute be open with you. There is no greater critic in this church of my ministry, my preaching, my teaching, my leadership lackings, than me. Self-doubt, struggles, constant comparisons and feeling that you are unworthy of your calling creep around the doorway every week and the feelings are there for all ministers.

In 2019 Jarrid Wilson of the Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside California, made national news when his depression ended in him ending his own life. Jarrid was a champion of helping people deal with mental health struggles all the while, people not fully seeing that he was dealing with his own. Yet, from the outside, his life looked fine to everyone around him.

Pastor Greg Laurie responded to the story, “We are the ones who are supposed to have all the answers. But we do not.” Pastors are just as prone to feelings of depression and anxiety. We feel the weight and preasure of expections all around us like eveyone else does. But we also have expectations and struggles that we heap upon ourselves. We judge ourselves constantly by those feelings and Paul here would echo to us, You don’t get to do that. You are loved, you are called, you are set apart, you are chosen, not because you are good enough nor do you have to be. You aren’t chosen because I want your church to grow 32% this year and if you don’t get there you must have misheard your call. No, you are loved, called, and set apart for Christ. You are not loved because of what you produce. Christ called you and you only have to impress him by your faithfulness and your devotion to him. Not your apparent success.

Paul finishes this response by telling them that he and Apollos both hold themselves to these teachings and expect the people to do the same. Both men will be held to God’s standard over them. Not their own standards or expectations. And not in comparison to one another.

7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!

9 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.

10 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.

11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless,

12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;

13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.

14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

To follow Christ in ministry is to often court a life of humility. vs 7-14. Attitude/Behavior

Paul juxtaposes here the posture of Christian humility, in light of a God who gives out varieties of gifts with only His grace as the determining factor, with the posture of those in the church who want their exaltation now. They don’t want to have to wait and go through all the suffering that Paul said is part-in-parcel with the glorification found in Christ. They wanted to forgo the suffering and move right on into the riches. Ironically, they had all they wanted but they were still just as hungry for righteousness as they were before. They were now creating ways to fill their desperate bellies by creating false righteousness.

Paul speaks in vs 9-13 of the reality that he is not a fan of this suffering for the sake of suffering. Instead, he is following the path of Christ that looks like sharing in his pain: deprivation, defamation, and ultimately death.

A note on this.

Paul is not saying here that you are evil or incapable of salvation if you have wealth. He is saying that you must make sure that you are following and listening to Christ as the central authority in your life rather than the callings and trappings of a guided lifestyle. The sold out follower hops on a plane, sells their possessions, learns a new language and pursues a visa because the Lord commanded where as these guys are still home counting the costs to see if they could be away for a week. The hard truth is they would be the same way if Jesus himself were to drop off the memo. They were sold out for the blessing Christ offered them but not the life he called them too. Many in our world fall to the same temptation but will not receive either, eventually standing before Christ, declaring all the things they did for him only to find that they never really knew him and because of that, he never knew them. Depart. Do not let that be your story friend. Gold fades, moths eat, rust corrodes, but Christ’s kingdom is eternal. Stick your investments in the eternal and let God figure the rest.

15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.

17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.

19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.

20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

Its more than a job or even a calling, it becomes personal relationship in which you feel family responsibility for your church. vs 15-21. Attitude/Behavior

For most of us, this is not a job. Its not a thing we do to collect pay (after all many men in this ministry could take their same skills into the private sector and immediately make 4x what they make serving the church).

Paul says this impact fully. You’ve had many guides, many teachers, many preachers, and lecturers, but I have loved you as a father.

Paul isn’t a salty teacher upset because the pupil didn’t get the grade on the paper, He’s a heartbroken daddy who wishes, pleads, hopes against all hope, that his son would stop running the town searching for substances and statuses to fill up the void in his life. He’s begging, “Son, please watch me. Learn from me. Follow my teachings and I’ll show you where real peace is found. Where real truth is located. Where your striving can cease. Where real riches are held. Please listen and know that I do this because I love you!”

I can tell you that I have really started to grasp this in these past 2 years more so than any other time in my ministry. I have had 14 years in student ministry and they’ve all been great experiences but I get what Paul means when he says he feels like their father. I’m 37 and have alot of growing still to do, but I can tell you that when my church is hurting, I’m not able to turn it off. When you’re in the hospital I’m thinking about you, feeling guilty that I’m not there with you. When you run away or make a mistake or blow up a relationship it often can affect my whole day. The only person who can carry that load of personal responsibility I feel is Jesus. And, if I’m honest, I’m not as keen as I know I should be to hand the burdens over to him. In the same way I hold my breath every time Grace stays at a friends house or Ava turns the key to the ignition, and they will be out of my sight and I can’t control what happens to them, pastors feel a responsibility that borders on a father’s love. Even though we are just stewards of God’s church. Even though his is the shepherd and we are only under-shepherds. Its personal because we love you.

Application

A couple of points of personal application before we wrap up. Again, looking at our goal this year of applying these teachings practically to our lives.

Our attitudes must change regarding how we see, think, and respond to our pastors and their families.

Again, before you decry me in self-service, I want to put myself in this category with you. Pastor’s aren’t hired holy men or skilled labor. They aren’t whipping boys for angry and childish parishioners to bully into depression. They aren’t required to swear oaths of poverty in order to be more Holy than the people they serve. Their families don’t deserve our ire or quips because we didn’t like the song choice, the Bible study topic, or the color of the carpet. They are called by God. They’ve been set apart for it. Most days they don’t feel worthy of it or even like they make a difference. Many have been bullied right out of the pulpit, the church, and some right out of marriages and the faith entire. We must treat them with the love and honor that God calls us too.

That is not to say anything about the way I am treated here. I love this place and most days, it loves me too! The text says this and we must weigh it on our hearts.

Pastor’s have a responsibility to their calling, the truth of the word of God, and to lead well the church.

we must be anchored to the truth. If we are not, we preach a hope that is not there. For those called to the word, is the authority by which we go, the truth in which we teach and preach, and the only way we can lead with any faithfulness. Its the measure of any success a minister has in their life.

Landing