Paul's Fatherly Ministry
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I invite you to turn with me to . We are picking up in verse 14, and we plan to conclude the 4th chapter today, which also concludes this section which is primarily focused upon division within the church, that is based upon ministry personalities.
Paul will emphasize the theme of unity throughout the letter, and therefore by implication the theme of division as well. But in these first 4 chapters, he has emphasized to a great degree, this idea of polarizing personalities.
The section reached its climactic point in last week’s passage, as we looked at Paul’s contrast between the Corinthian view of themselves, with Paul’s view of himself and the other apostles.
In today’s passage, Paul emphasizes his pastoral and even fatherly role among the Corinthian believers, as he tells them of his plans to visit. During which time he can come either as a disciplinarian or an encourager.
14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
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?
In Christianity, our errors tend to revolve around taking extreme positions on certain aspects of the faith.
For example, (and for the men able to join us for Sunday night book study, this will all sound familiar) Scripture clearly teaches us that our works contribute nothing to our salvation. That we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And there are many today, as there were in Paul’s day, who take that belief and then say, “well then, obedience doesn’t matter, do what you want.”
But Scripture clearly teaches us to obey.
But then you get another group who says, since obedience does indeed matter, then whether or not we get into heaven is contingent upon how well we obey. They would deny works based salvation in name, but embrace it in their other doctrines and in their practice.
So then someone comes in and says, “I’ve got the answer, we need a perfect balance between the two. If you are anti-law, then you need some legalism. If you are legalistic, you need some anti-law.
If you are legalistic, meaning you embrace at least a version of works based salvation, then you need to hear a little more no law message.
The problem with this approach of course, balancing two errors doesn’t mean we’re carrying truth.
The answer for the no-law person (antinomianism believer), is the gospel.
The answer for the legalist, is the gospel.
That’s similar to the problem we are considering here in Corinth. They are proud and puffed up, believing themselves to be far better off than they were. In their pride they were clinging to their favorite ministry personality, at the expense of the unity of the church. Obviously, this ultimate loyalty they were showing to God’s servants wasn’t right.
However, to say they simply need a little of the other extreme, the other error, that of complete independence and isolation, disconnected from historical teachings and teachers themselves, as is the case for many in the church of our day…would be equally sinful.
The answer is never to balance two wrongs....the answer is always to point to what’s right. The Corinthians needed to be reminded of the truth.
Repeatedly Paul has made clear, the Corinthians needed to be reminded of not only the central truths of the gospel, but its implications for their lives. They needed to be reminded what it looked like for a person to embrace the message of the cross. To be considered fools, to be persecuted, to be immediately looked down upon and despised.
Paul has described with some detail what a person in Christ believes, and how a person in Christ lives . And in our passage today, he gives the Corinthians a real, living example of what this looks like, and calls upon them to model their lives after that example.
Who better to serve as an example for this, than the one calling himself their spiritual father…Paul himself.
Paul writes with the tender heart of a shepherd pastor, and that of a loving father to his immature children. He reminds them he has their best interest at heart in the things he has written, and he warns them that when he comes, as he plans to do, it can be with gentleness or with strong discipline.
So, they are to imitate Paul…to the level to which he has embraced the message of the cross and its implications for his life.
That’s what I hope you and I see as well. By the power of the Spirit, we should imitate those who imitate Christ.
To help us get there, let’s divide this text up into 3 main points.
1. Paul’s Fatherly Example
1. Paul’s Fatherly Example
In verse 16, Paul urges the Corinthians to imitate him
16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
This isn’t the only time he has done this…not even the only time in this letter that he will do this.
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
This call for imitation isn’t egotistical....remember what he’s calling them to imitate:
Paul has described himself as: a fool, scum of the world, refuse of all things, dishonored, beaten, and persecuted.
Paul is calling for them to imitate his embrace of the message of the cross that has caused him to become maligned by the world...
Now, notice why he calls for this imitation in our text. (Notice the “then” in the verse). He is obviously giving the call to imitate, based upon the truth already presented.
In verse 14, he presents himself not as a person seeking to shame the Corinthians…but as a father seeking to admonish them
14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
There are moments in this letter, chapter 6 for example, where Paul will point out his attempt to bring shame upon his readers for a godly reason. Here, his point is to show his fatherly love.
He isn’t writing in order to belittle them…he isn’t seeking to induce psychological pressure.....he isn’t writing in order to beat them down. He writes as a father seeking to “admonish them” (instruct, warn or counsel them).
What he needs to warn them in has become clear up to this point
They aren’t living in line with the implications of the message of the cross
Their lives aren’t marked by conformity to Christ’s message above the world’s standards.
So Paul warns them. And he’s able to warn them as a father, because in one sense....he is their father
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.
Countless (or ten thousand) guides (tutors, guardians, instructors)
Paul became their faith father, their spiritual father from the human perspective…because he was the one who first preached the gospel to them when they were converted
Paul uses this terminology elsewhere as well
Onesimus is his spiritual son in the faith in
The Galatian Christians are referred to as his little children in
This is a common way of speaking during this time about the person who won you over to a particular religion. Both the Jews and Greeks would have been familiar with this phraseology.
But of course for Christians, this idea of being born through the gospel, carries an even deeper meaning. As Jesus told Nicodemus, when he came to Jesus with his questions, Jesus replied, “Except ye be born again, ye cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Let me pause for a moment and stress to one who may be listening to me that desperately needs to hear this truth…one that knows they are unsaved, or one that believes themselves to be saved, without any evidence to show it.
There must be this spiritual work within your heart, causing you to come alive to the things of God, before you are able to make heaven your home
And it may be that work has begun even now....you cannot fully explain it, you just know that suddenly you’re more aware of your sinfulness, more aware of God’s judgement, and you’re beginning to see the need you have to call out to the Savior
With all my heart, let me urge you to do so today. Trust in Jesus’ death on your behalf, and His resurrection in your place....God will save all those who call upon the Lord to save them.
That’s what the Corinthians did, and God saved them. And Paul was the preacher, and therefore became in some way, the human means God used to cause them to be born again. He became from an earthly perspective, their spiritual father.
Timothy was also like that...
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.
16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
- Paul has sent Timothy to them…he hasn’t yet arrived…but notice how Paul describes him
- My beloved and faithful child in the Lord
And apparently, Timothy had heeded the counsel of Paul, and had become an imitator of the Apostle, so when Timothy arrived, he would remind the Corinthians of Paul’s ways....in Christ. The same ways and practices, the same gospel implications, Paul teaches in every congregation everywhere.
- Reminding us that we don’t have the right to be completely independent…but always interdependent.
Apply
Our over-individualized culture has caused the church to drift off the road into a few different ditches. One side of, they’ve become stuck in the rut that says, “There’s no objective standard for lifestyle change necessary. You just do you.” Another creates more rules than anyone can follow and says, “imitate me in these rules,” but they neglect a large portion of Scripture in doing so.
And still another group seems to assume new converts will know the implications of embracing the message of the cross, and they never disciple.
Our generation of Christians have dropped the ball when it comes to fulfilling a crucial part of the Great Commission, “teaching them to obey the commands of Christ.” We must be intentional about picking that ball back up and carrying onward. We must intentionally preach the gospel to our friends, co-workers, or those on social media…we must bring them or direct them to a church family…we must encourage them to obey the Lord by joining up in covenant membership with that church family…and we must encourage them to grow in grace.
Paul serves as an example for the Corinthians…as well as for you and I. We must then model our lives after his example, as he modeled his after Christ…but we must also teach others to do the same.
We see Paul’s fatherly example....secondly...
2. Paul’s Stubborn Children
2. Paul’s Stubborn Children
18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.
Some of them, are arrogant (puffed up; proud; inflated)
Paul has already mentioned that he used himself and Apollos to teach the Corinthians not to go beyond Scripture…because going beyond Scripture creates pride, and causes one to be “puffed up”
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 were like rebellious children ready to act up while dad’s gone, needing dad to return home to bring him/her down a few notches.
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.
Notice, Paul’s plans are contingent upon the Lord’s purposes. “I will come to you, if the Lord wills it.”
That reminds us of , where we are told to not say, “This is what I’m going to do,” but, “if the Lord will, this is what I plan to do.”
Even if the word isn’t used..this must be our mindset
Paul said he plans to come, and when he does, he’s going to “find out,” (he will learn by experience) what these arrogant people possess. Not their message…not the words they speak, but their power.
The implication being of course, all of their words are empty words. They carry the weight of worldly wisdom, which is weightless, futile, pointless.
These are the individuals seeking the fame, notoriety, accolades and power of the world
Those who are professing to “reign like kings”
But Paul is saying, “I’ll find out what sort of power they actually possess.”
Illustrate
It brings to mind the OT story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.... “let the God who answers by fire be God.” The prayer, shouting, jumping, cutting, etc of the prophets of Baal proved to be empty words…Elijah’s God created the universe by His words....He is certainly capable of delivering fire according to His will.
He then says...
20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
The Kingdom of God is a major theme throughout Scripture. From the earliest chapters you see God as king, commissioning His image bearers (us) to spread His rule over the earth. We failed to do so. Yet page after page, and more importantly covenant after covenant, God shows that He is reestablishing His rule and reign.
His Kingdom is not of this world (as Jesus told Pilate), yet repeatedly God has shown His power over the kingdoms of this world.
Jesus is the crowned King of God’s kingdom....according to Daniel’s prophecy as well as the book of Hebrews. And although His kingdom is not of this world, His reign is witnessed in this world even now within the church, on the basis of Christ’s death and resurrection, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This same Holy Spirit, who empowered particular individuals throughout Old Testament times, to show God’s kingdom power and accomplish His will. This same Holy Spirit, who now indwells every believer, and fills them with power to show God’s kingdom and accomplish His will.
The Kingdom of God is not witnessed in the empty talk of worldly wisdom…but in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We must here be careful, especially in our time in church history, during which the Person of the Holy Spirit has been credited with all sorts of craziness claiming it’s the power of God
Don’t get from this verse, that Paul is contrasting, “sound, theological, doctrinal preaching”....with “a powerful display of the Spirit” as if those are two separate things
Some even say in our day, “We need the Bible, but we also need the Spirit.” That’s a false dichotomy…a false understanding of God’s Word.
We must realize also that Paul says, “not in talk...” but he doesn’t mean by that there’s no power in speech
He’s already reminded the Corinthians that he came and delivered a message about a Jewish Carpenter’s son being killed on a cross, and by it God demonstrated His power and transformed their lives
And I think that’s Paul’s main point.
That whatever else this verse may be saying, from the context of this letter, which has time and again emphasized the simple message of the cross as the power of God to save sinners, it seems Paul is once again on that line of thought. “These arrogant ones, who don’t want to heed my warning, and are still clinging to their words of man’s wisdom....tell them I’m coming, and I’ll find out what they’re all about, and I’m not talking about their empty speech…I’m talking about their actual power.”
“Because God’s Kingdom isn’t seen in the empty speech of man’s wisdom. God’s kingdom is witnessed in the power of the Holy Spirit, when He raises dead sinners to spiritual life, and transforms their lives, causing them to embrace the shame of the cross and reject the fame of the world.”
“Human pride leads persons to crow like bantam roosters, which are devoid of any power. To use a Texas idiom, Paul implies that these arrogant persons are “all hat and no cattle.”” ~David Garland
But the gospel on the other hand....the message the King gives to His ambassadors to spread far and wide......that message, is no empty talk
Illustrate
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Here we see God’s kingdom in its power. We see the church being built, and the gates of hell not able to prevail against it. We see the King as He plants down a conquering stake within another heart.
We see the Warrior leader as He empowers His soldiers supernaturally to deliver the message that raises the dead to life. We see the King undefeated in battle, greater than Joshua vs Canaan and David vs the Philistines. This is Jesus!
We need not be stubborn and hold to worldly wisdom…let it go, and embrace the message of the cross.
Apply
We are far too much like Corinth than we’d like to admit.
Oh how we in the church have failed to silence the empty talk of proud speakers. How we’ve allowed their words to sway our confidence in the gospel.
They’ve convinced us that this simple message needs something more to be effective.
Satan is so cunning and wise, that he’s actually convinced us we’re the powerless ones if we stick to the simple practice of preaching.
Be reminded child of God…that the God’s kingdom power is not exhibited through the empty talk of man’s wisdom. It is exhibited through the power of the Holy Spirit as He enables us to embrace and proclaim, the message of the cross.
May God send a fresh work of the Holy Spirit into our hearts this day, to cause us to practice healthy church membership, church discipline. That we might train pastors in the gospel well. That we might lead our homes in the deep truths of God. That we would disciple new converts. That we would evangelize by going to lost souls and telling them the good news of the Kingdom.
Brothers and sisters, may we imitate Paul...
We have seen Paul’s fatherly example…we have seen Paul’s stubborn children…thirdly...
3. Paul’s Choice Provided
3. Paul’s Choice Provided
He speaks as a father who loves his children when he says....
21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?
The rod here, would seem to be a harsh form of church discipline.
Here it is church at Corinth…what is it that you wish? Would you rather have me come with gentleness, or as a harsh disciplinarian?
He doesn’t seem to be saying, “I can either come to correct you, or not.” He seems to be saying, “I can come to correct you gently, or harshly.”
Paul’s preferred course of action is clearly spelled out in other portions of Scripture…and it is witnessed here throughout this letter. Even in this passage, he “admonishes (v.14), he exhorts (v.16), and he reminds (v.17).” A more harsh tone would obviously be warranted with the issues taking place in Corinth. Yet he speaks softly with gentleness and love.
He even instructs other Christians to correct erring Christians with gentleness
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
Paul desired the gentle route....yet, he is not afraid to be consumed with the same zeal of Christ which flipped tables over within the Temple and ran out false teachers with a whip.
He is a loving father and therefore will not allow his children to continue down a path of sin and destruction without proper discipline.
Along with that he is God’s servant, zealous for God’s glory, and eager to be a faithful steward over God’s house
As their spiritual father in a sense, he is willing to issue fatherly discipline
15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
So the Corinthian believers, on reception of this letter, ought to begin to get the Lord’s house in order. Or else, God’s steward will come to manage the affairs of God’s house with a heavy handedness.
Apply
Sad reality is in our day, far too often church discipline is unheard of. In fact, the very idea of someone holding you accountable to live the Christian life…and bringing discipline upon you if not…is almost unthinkable in our culture.
But the church doesn’t embrace the standards of the culture…the church is in more than one way, anti-culture.
This passage then, should remind us as church members to carefully watch out for our souls and for the souls of those with whom we’ve covenanted in membership. So that our heavenly Father will correct us gently, and not with harsh discipline.
It reminds us as church members to carefully watch out for our souls and for the souls of those with whom we’ve covenanted in membership. So that our heavenly Father will correct us gently, and not with harsh discipline.
It should teach us to watch out for ourselves and others closely, because even the seemingly subtle variations of the gospel, can lead to factionalism or some other form of living contrary to our identity in Christ.
We so often fail to contemplate deeply what our actions will cost…cost ourselves, the church, our family, the Lord’s reputation in our area, etc.
May we not be puffed up like the Corinthians, thinking we don’t need examination, confession, and repentance. May God grant all of those things…including a loving chastening hand from the Father if necessary.
We are puffed up like these Corinthians....may God grant us repentance. And may He, out of His great love, send the chastening we need.
In fact, if you’re in a season in your Christian walk which your poor handling of the gospel has led to you receiving chastening from the hand of the Lord…understand that even His harsh discipline is from love to correct you.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
Whether gentle or harsh, may God send us the correction we need…and may He grant us hearts to receive it positively.
Conclusion
Let me work towards a close this way.
By the power of the Spirit, we should be imitating those who are imitating Christ. And by that same power, we should be becoming more and more those who others can imitate as well.
And at the end, is not conformity to Paul’s image. We imitate him as he imitated Christ....but ultimately God is determined to conform us into the image of another.
But God is determined, from eternity past, to conform a particular group of people into the image of Jesus Christ.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Jesus feared God more than man. Jesus valued God’s glory more than man’s praise. Jesus prized God’s kingdom above the kingdoms of this world. Jesus was enticed by Satan himself to sin, yet He never wavered from the path of obedience.
He is both the One to whom we look and trust, since we have done none of those things perfectly and therefore stand in need of a Savior. And He is also our example…the One after whom we model our lives.
The Christian life is certainly marked by learning to obey the commands of God, motivated by love for God, in response to His salvation by grace alone.
As the hymn writer wrote....may God grant us grace, to “take our life and let it be, consecrated Lord to Thee. Take my moments, and my days, let them flow with ceaseless praise.”
Today, we not only have the privilege of hearing the Word preached…we also have the privilege of seeing the Word through Sacrament. The Lord’s Supper is the meal and sign that is given to God’s people FROM God. Reminding us of the work He has accomplished in making us His own.
The bread and cup remind us of the broken body and shed blood of Christ…and that we belong now to the body of Christ. It reminds us that our salvation is complete; that our Lord is soon returning…and we will be with Him when He does.
This meal is only for baptized members of the covenant people of God. So if you are unsaved, we encourage you not to participate in the meal. You don’t have to leave..but just don’t participate in the meal. The Lord gives strong warnings to those who take unworthily.
As we think on the passage we’ve just heard, and this ordinance and sign here before us…let us pray in preparation.
Father, search our hearts. Allow us to approach your table with holy reverence, as well as sure confidence. Remind us of the words of our Savior, ‘it is finished.’ By your grace, may we examine our lives. Grant forgiveness for our sins through Christ’s work…and grant repentance, to cause us to imitate our Savior Christ by the power of the Spirit.
We thank you for your broken body and shed blood. We thank you for making us one body in Christ by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.
We ask that as we receive these elements trusting anew in the gospel, that the Holy Spirit would strengthen and nourish the people of God…filling us with zeal for your glory…and with love for you and for one another.
In the name of our great Savior we pray....Amen.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”