A Leader is Devoted to His People
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Introduction: Review previous lessons
Earning trust
Taking initiative
Using good judgment
Being courageous
Taking Charge
We are now going to shift away from Luke’s narrative about Paul to the writings of Paul himself. We will consider some passages in Corinthians is Paul’s most personal and passionate letter. His relationship with the Corinthians began about ten years before his shipwreck on Malta. Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians specifically to defend his apostleship and to answer some major allegations that had been made against him and his leadership in the Corinthian church. It is in this context that Paul opens up very personally concerning the matter of leadership.
Show map of Corinth’s location
The city of Corinth was a busy trading center boasting the best harbor in the Corinthian Gulf. In Paul’s day, Corinth was completely Roman in culture. Due to it’s wealth as one of the major trading centers it also became a resort town. Corinth was always crowded, busy, and full of travelers. It had also developed a reputation for debauchery. It was kind of like the Las Vegas of Paul’s day.
The chief attractions in Corinth were the pagan temples. In the pagan religions of the Greek and Roman world immoral relationships had become a sort of religious sacrament offered to the false gods. So, in Corinth, these illicit relationships were carried out by temple prostitutes and Corinth had become the central location for this kind of worship. The entire city was permeated with perversions. Immorality was so much a part of Corinthian life that “to Corinthianize” became a synonym for immorality and a woman with loose morals would be referred to as a “Corinthian girl.” If Corinth were an American city we might say things like, “What happens in Corinth stays in Corinth.”
tell us the story of the founding of the church in Corinth. It was at Corinth that Paul met Priscilla and Aquila. Being skilled in the same craft as Paul, Priscilla and Aquila invited Paul to stay in their home and he would go with them to the synagogue every Sabbath and preach the gospel.
As usually happened the Jews rejected the gospel message. Paul then moved in with a Gentile named Justus who lived next to the temple. At this point Paul’s focus shifted from preaching the gospel to the Jews in the synagogue to preaching the gospel to the Gentiles in the marketplace. Some Jews did receive the message of the gospel, however, the Corinthian church ended up being mostly made up of Gentiles from the pagan background of Corinth.
Luke says in Acts that Paul remained in Corinth “a good while.” Paul spent more time in Corinth serving as the pastor of the Corinthian church than he did in any other city with the exception of Ephesus. The Corinthian church then was personally indebted to Paul for his leadership and sacrifice. The Corinthians knew him very well and had every reason to trust him and be loyal to him.
However, when Paul left the church of Corinth some serious problems began to arise. Paul then wrote to the church in Corinth in order to provide leadership in his absence.
The first letter makes it clear that in Paul’s absence the church had begun to split into factions where some claimed to be followers of Paul and some of Apollos and some of Cephas (Peter) and some of Christ Himself ().
This splitting of the church was not because any of these men had failed to provide leadership. Though they had different leadership styles Paul makes clear that they all shared the same opinion.
which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
The problem was the carnality of the church
For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
The problems that then arose in the church were due to the fact that the church in Corinth lacked capable leadership. Some issue that had arisen in the church were that they were tolerating immorality, they were suing each other in the courts of law, some were flirting with going back to the old temples, some were mistreating the Lord’s table, and some were abusing their spiritual gifts to gain power and influence. To top it all off there was someone who was beginning to raise questions about whether or not Paul actually was an apostle and whether he had the right to lead them in the first place. 1 Corinthians addressed and took care of most of these issues.
Here’s where things get interesting. According to the context of 2 Corinthians, this is what apparently happened in the time between the writing of 1 and 2 Corinthians. In the time between the writing of 1 and 2 Corinthians Paul heard about the threat of false teachers in Corinth. As a result, Paul leaves Ephesus (where he was ministering at the time) and travels to Corinth in an attempt to resolve the issues there. He had promised them in 1 Corinthians that he would visit, and so he decides that now is the time to make good on his promise.
The visit did not go well. While Paul was there someone in the church, under the influence of false teachers, sinned against Paul in some public and humiliating way. After that visit to Corinth Paul had originally planned to visit Corinth two more times. However, something happened that made the first visit impossible. Paul admits in that this did bring him some relief since it was easier to write a strongly worded letter than to risk another disastrous and humiliating trip to Corinth.
Here then was another problem. The church in Corinth had been made aware of Paul’s intention to make two visits and when he was unable to make the first one his critics took advantage of the opportunity as another reason to accuse Paul. They said that Paul was indecisive and untrustworthy.
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.
However, there was good news in all of this. After some time had passed since Titus had delivered Paul’s strongly worded letter, Paul, being anxious to hear from the Corinthians, began his third journey to them. Paul eventually met up with Titus on his way to the Corinthians and Titus delivered the good news that the Corinthians had responded positively to his letter.
Paul makes mention of this
and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.
It was immediately after Paul heard of this good news that he began to write to the Corinthian church. Paul knew that there was still a lot of work to be done in order to solve the issues in Corinth, but he was relieved that the church in Corinth remained loyal to him.
Leaders Cultivate Loyalty
Leaders Cultivate Loyalty
Paul’s desire for the church in Corinth to remain loyal was not a desire for selfish exaltation
I have become a fool in boasting; you have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you; for in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing.
Instead he simply desired that they be loyal to him in regards to what he had taught them.
Example: I would also be greatly disturbed if I found out one of you had completely abandoned the gospel.
Loyalty then emerges as one of the themes of 2 Corinthians. Paul modeled his loyalty in faithfully loving the Corinthians in spite of their issues, and Paul expected loyalty from the Corinthians since he had taught them in truth according to the Word of God that was given to him as part of his being an apostle.
The Bible exalts loyalty as a virtue.
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”
Yet loyalty is fragile. David prayed for the heart of Solomon to remain loyal.
And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes, to do all these things, and to build the temple for which I have made provision.”
Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly.
And in spite of his great opportunity in life Solomon was not loyal like David was.
For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.
We also know that disloyalty is one of the most hated evils. We despise Judas because he was a traitor and had no loyalty to Christ and instead had given his heart over to money.
What is loyalty?
Loyalty is not blind devotion to a person or cause. Loyalty has its first allegiance to truth. Loyalty is a godly virtue.
If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.
But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
And loyalty is essential to leadership.
How de we cultivate loyalty?
Loyalty is cultivated when a leader is first loyal to the Lord and His truth and then when he is loyal to the people he leads.
Example: You can make fun of your younger brother but no one else can.
The instinct of a leader is to defend the ones he leads. This was the loyalty of Paul.
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
2 Corinthians
Like we have mentioned before a leader’s effectiveness hinges on his ability to influence people and influence is given when a leader is loyal to those he leads.
Conclusion: Paul was loyal to the Corinthians even in spite of their troublesome behavior. Those that hope to be leaders must also be loyal to those they lead in order to earn a position of influence.