The Motive Of Your Ministry
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Turn to 1 Corinthians 4:1-5.
It’s a good feeling when you receive some well-earned praise, isn’t it? It’s a good feeling when you do your very best in a matter and someone else notices and offers some well-earned praise.
Maybe you’ve experienced it at your place of employment when you and your team met some milestones and set new records for productivity.
Maybe you’ve experienced it at your business you went above and beyond to help a customer and they walked away, pleased that they did business with you and determined to come back the next time they need something in that area.
Maybe you’ve seen this exhibited by your children or grandchildren, where after a school performance or after winning a sports competition you congratulate them for a job well done. Eventually, they might walk off with their friends, but they almost look like they’re floating over the ground because they’re on cloud nine.
Whether you’ve experienced it at work or seen it in the lives of your children, it’s a good feeling when you receive some well-earned praise, isn’t it?
Now I want you to consider this: how much better would it be if that praise was from God?
In today’s message, we’ll see that one day God will praise His servants, but it will largely depend on The Motive Of Your Ministry.
Read 1 Corinthians 4:1-5.
If you’ve ever been part of a local church that you thought was in bad shape because of all the problems in it, be encouraged, because it probably wasn’t as bad as the church at Corinth. This church was struggling with just about every sin imaginable.
Strife and internal division? Check. Paul begins to address that in chapter one.
Sexual sins? Check. Paul address that right after this in chapter five.
Lawsuits and litigation? Check. See chapter six.
Lingering paganism and their old way of unsaved life and conduct? Check. See chapter eight for starters.
Unholy conduct and carnal attitudes that were unfit for followers of Christ? Yes. Paul addresses that all throughout the letter.
That’s just a sampling of the problems this church had. As Paul rebuked them for their division, he demands that they stop following men, such as himself or Apollos, but rather, follow Christ. Paul, Apollos, and Peter were three different men, three different ministers, each with different roles. Paul said he planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. They were just subordinates who were serving under the flag of King Jesus. Ultimately, they would not answer to each other, but to to their king for how they served. So they each needed to be good stewards and faithfully proclaim the message of the Gospel.
No doubt, the church at Corinth had some problems with comparison. Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians 1:12-15 and then he touches on it again here in 4:3.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:12-15 and then 1 Corinthians 4:3-4.
As the Corinthians compared Paul vs Apollos vs Peter, Paul cautioned them against issuing such judgments at all because man’s discernment is often very flawed. We can only see and judge a person’s works, but God can see the heart. God sees the motive behind a person’s ministry.
When believers stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, I suspect that it will be both a time of rejoicing and weeping. I say there will be weeping because 1 Corinthians chapter three tells us that our works will be tested by fire and anything that was not done for Christ will suffer loss. It will be burnt up. But I also say there will be rejoicing because of the last phrase of 1 Corinthians 4:5.
Read 1 Corinthians 4:5.
This verse, along with a few others in the New Testament, mentions that the faithful will enjoy the praise or commendation of God.
When the Lord comes for His bride and then we stand at His judgment seat, God Himself will commend those that have faithfully served Him the right way and with the right heart.
Let that sink in.
Your motive matters.
Your ministry matters.
It matters to God.
Some things that I want you to remember as we serve together in 2025:
Beware of your motive when you’re serving alongside others.
All kinds of little things can go wrong when you start serving alongside other people.
Sometimes we’re hard to get along with. Sometimes we have our own ideas of how things ought to be done. But the reality is that we’re not in competition - we’re on the same team.
For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
Application: sometime this year you might be working alongside someone here at church and the two of you will have different ideas about how something should be done. That’s okay. Have the mind of Christ and talk it through without walking away with a chip on your shoulder.
Listen: too many Christians in America have allowed that to happen and consequently they have stepped away from serving in their local church and have stopped laying up treasures in heaven.
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
It’s not about who is right; it’s about what is right. What is the right thing for you to do in that moment? What will please the Lord? That’s all that matters.
We’re not superstars - we’re servants. We serve together.
Not a single one of us can run this church singlehandedly. Not a single one of us are superstars that have it all together or have it all figured out when it comes to local church ministry. So there’s no room for a “my way or the highway” kind of an attitude. Working alongside someone with that kind of an attitude will quickly squelch any desire to serve others.
Beware of your motive when you are tired - being physically drained or emotionally fatigued makes having the right motive more difficult.
Beware of your motive when things don’t go as planned.
Illustration: David Hildebrand and I holding down the BBQ Fest tents when the thunderstorm hit Kinston.
Even the best planned activities or services will sometimes go awry due to unavoidable circumstances. Often our motives - our spiritual attitudes - go awry also. Pray and trust the Holy Spirit for guidance when things don’t go as planned.
If we serve the right way according to the Scriptures and with a pure motive, then Paul says, “every man (or woman) will have praise of God.”
I don’t know about you, but I want to pass the test and hear the Lord say “well done” when I stand before the Judgment Seat. It’s a pretty good feeling when you receive some well-deserved praise here on earth. I can’t imagine what it will be like to receive God’s praise in Heaven. So this morning, consider The Motive Of Your Ministry.
