The Measure of a Minister

1 Corinthians 4:1–5 AV

1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.”

Introduction

I want us to speak today on “The Measure of a Minister.” How do you measure the man of God? What are the standards for the man of God? Would you turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 4? And, Paul talks about his life as a minister of the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

You know, there are a lot of folks who love to critique, criticize, evaluate, and measure ministers. I’m well aware that many of you have roast preacher every Sunday for dinner. And, you know, we sometimes want to rank ministers—ministers of the Word of God. And, sometimes we categorize a pastor as a success or a failure by the size of the church, or by the kind of staff that he might have, or by his preaching or rhetorical ability, or by the degrees that he holds, maybe by the books that he’s written, or maybe his way with the people, his popularity, or whatever. We tend to kind of categorize, and rank, and measure preachers this way. And, I believe that all of this is an offense unto God. That’s not the way that we are to take measure of the man of God.

As a mater of fact, one of the problems in the church at Corinth, that Paul wrote this letter to, was that they were comparing ministers—they were comparing ministers of the Word of God—and it brought division in the church. And now, you’re in chapter 4; well, now, let’s just read here—verses 1 through 5: “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ”—now, that’s what we’re talking about; that’s the subject matter now, taking account of the ministers of Christ—“and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God” 1 Corinthians 4:1–5.

Now, what had happened in the Corinthian church was that they had preachers on parade; they were comparing one with another. Go back to chapter 1 and look, if you will, in verse 12, and you’ll get that idea: Paul is talking to this carnal church, full of spiritual babies, and he said, “Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas”—and then, there some real sanctimonious ones who said—“and I of Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:12). Now, here was a church full of preacher followers, comparing one with another.

And then, Paul goes on to say—look in chapter 3, if you will, verse 1 through 5: “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able”—Paul wanted to give them a steak from the Word of God, but he couldn’t feed them with meat; he had to give them a bottle and then stand at the door and burp them on the way out—“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”—that is, “other men who had never met the Lord.” Oh, God deliver us from a church where there is envying, and strife, and divisions! Now, what was the envy, and the strife, and the division about? Well, look in verse 4—“For while one saith, I am of Paul”—“Boy, I like Paul. He is my preacher.” Now, Paul was a great theologian. Just think of a man like Paul who could write the Book of Romans. But—“another [says], I am of Apollos”—“Apollos just holds me spellbound. What an orator! What a communicator!” And, Paul goes on to say, if you say that—“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?” 1 Corinthians 3:1–5.

Now, what was happening here was there was division in the church, because they were trying to critique, criticize, categorize, follow, laud various ministers. Paul said, “Hey, you’re like a lot of little babies. You’re acting carnally.” Now, certainly, the congregation has the right to evaluate and to judge false doctrine, if a man of God is preaching false doctrine. Certainly, they have a right if a man of God fall into moral sin. As a matter of fact, the Bible says clearly that such a one is to be called on the carpet; he is to be rebuked before everybody, that others may see and fear. But, we are not to get into this thing that so many people do about ministers.

So now, go back again, if you will, to chapter 4, verse … Now, you got the setting. Now, back here in chapter 4 Paul, now, is describing the minister. And, what are the marks of the minister? How do you measure the minister? What is God’s standard for the man of God, like the man of God we are ordaining and setting aside tonight?

I. The Calling of the Man of God

Well, there are four things that I want to put in your heart and mind as we look at this passage of scripture—the very first of which is the calling of the man of God—the calling of the man of God. Look in verse 1: “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1).

Now, what has Greg Addison been called to? He’s educated as a lawyer; and by the way, he is a crackerjack lawyer. As a matter of fact, he is, in my estimation, one of the finest legal minds in this city and would have, in the eyes of the world, a great, great future. But, God said to this young man, “I want you in the ministry. And, here are two things I want you to be: I want you to be a minister, and I want you to be a steward.”

A. Minister

Now, look at the word minister, if you will here. The word minister—do you know what it means? Greg, do you know what it means? It means, “slave.” What Paul is saying is, “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:1). That word—it’s a Greek word hyperetes, and it means, “slave.” But, it’s a special word. There were different words for slaves. There were domestic slaves. There were physician slaves. There were accountant slaves. But, Paul takes a special word here for slave, and the word that he’s chosen that is translated in my King James Version of the Scripture, minister, is a word that literally means, “lower rower.”

You say, “What is a lower rower?” Well, that’s what the word means—“a lower rower.” Back in these days they had slave ships. And, they didn’t have diesel engines or gasoline engines; and so, the way that they would make their ships move when there was no wind in the sails—they would have slaves beneath the deck. And, these slaves would be shackled to the oars. And, sometimes they would have one, two, and sometimes even three ranks of oarsmen. And, you would be there, shackled to the oar. You would be, perhaps, some sort of a prisoner of war—some kind of a slave. And, there would be there a drummer to beat cadence, so these men would pull the oars and there would be some brawny taskmaster there with a long whip, walking up and down and whipping these men to make them pull in cadence and to make that ship move.

Now folks, you did not want to be beneath the decks—there being the engine of that ship. But, if you were beneath the decks, there’s one place you did not want to be, and that was on the bottom—on the bottom. If you were a rower, you didn’t want to be a lower rower, because when you’re at the bottom, you’re down there in the billage water. You’re down there where the rats and the vermin are. And, besides that, all of the excreta from these other men’s bodies and so forth is falling on you—not a happy picture. And, there’s that man with that lash, and there’s that drummer beating that drum, and there is this man in the worst place on earth, I believe—a lower rower. Now, that’s the etymology of the word that Paul used here. So, that’s what you’re getting into, young man. You are called to be a slave.

Now, who are you a slave of? Look at it: “Let a man so account of us, as of the [slaves] of Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:1). Folks, look up here; let me tell you something: Greg Addison is not your slave; he’s Jesus’s slave. All right, remember that. So, “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers”—the slaves—“of Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:1). He is the bond slave of the Lord Jesus Christ, as is every true God-called minister.

Now, the best way that he can serve us is not by serving us but by serving the Lord Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, the reason that so many preachers get into difficulty today is that they’re serving people rather than serving Jesus. Now, you can serve Jesus by serving people; but if you serve people rather than Christ, you’re going to get into a lot of trouble. I’ve learned that early on in my ministry.

I read about a young preacher, one time, who came to church that had 700 members. And, this church had been known for being like the Corinthian church. They were full of strife, and envy, and debate. And, the former minister had been trying to please them all, and get them together, and all of this. And, one of the ladies in the church, who, by the way, had been one of the chief progenitors of all of that trouble, came to him, and she said, “Young man, we’re glad to have you as our minister, but you’re going to have a difficult time trying to please us all.” And, he looked at her, humbly but sincerely, and said, “My dear friend, it will not be my purpose to try to please you all. It will be my purpose to try to please Jesus Christ. And, if I please Him, that ought to be good enough for the rest of us.”

Now, our responsibility—my responsibility—is not to please people. The Bible says if I please people, I would not be the servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10). And, sometimes, as a man of God, you have to take stands that are unpopular. I know, sometimes I’ve gotten into trouble. I’ve said things and done things that maybe I ought not to do and should be called into accountability for. But, I have taken stands that are right and true and that Jesus has laid on my heart, but folks have not always liked it. As a matter of fact, sometimes I get home and the dog won’t even wag his tail at me, when we used to have a dog. Now, the Bible teaches that this man and every minister is to be a servant of Christ.

Now, to be a servant of Christ doesn’t mean that we get bragged on for that. Fast-forward over to chapter 9 and look at it. Paul says here in verse 16: “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Now, Paul said, “God called me to preach the gospel. But,” he said, “I can’t take any real praise for that.” He said, “God is the One who put me in the ministry, so I don’t have anything to glory of. It’s His work. What do I have that I have not received? I am being an obedient slave. But,” he says, “woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel [of Christ]” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Now, here’s the first thing this young man is; therefore, he is a minister—that is, he is a slave.

B. Steward

Go back to our text—chapter 4. Not only is he a slave—he’s also a steward. Look at it: “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1). He’s a slave of Jesus, and he’s a steward of the mysteries of God. Do you know what the mysteries of God are? That’s the New Testament; that’s the Word of God. He has been called to be a steward.

Now, do you know what a steward does? A steward manages the affairs of somebody else. If you go on an airplane and fly on an airplane, there is a steward or a stewardess. And, when time comes to get the Coca-Colas and the peanuts, they pass them out. Now, they’re not giving away their own things; they are distributing that which belongs to somebody else. It’s not their things that they are distributing. They are stewards. This man has been called and set aside, as every God-called minister, to be a steward. That’s the reason the Apostle Paul told Timothy—excuse me, Titus—in Titus chapter 1 and verse 7: “For a bishop”—and that’s what he will be also—a bishop. The word bishop means, “overseer”—“For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God” (Titus 1:7). We are stewards of God—stewards of the mysteries of God, of the Word of God. So, we are to be serving that which belongs to God.

Do you know what a household steward was, if he served food? He was the cook, and he was the waiter. He would go into the kitchen and prepare the food. And then, he would serve it. Did you know that’s primarily what my responsibility is? I go into God’s kitchen, prepare food for you, and then I come and I serve it to you. I am a steward of the mysteries of God. I’m not trying to give to you my things. But, I just simply take the Word of God, analyze it, organize it, illustrate it, and apply it, because God has called me to be a slave of Jesus and a steward of the Word of God. That’s what He calls every God-called man to be. And, therefore, as a steward, I must be faithful—I must be faithful to give a balanced diet.

One of the things I endeavor to do in my preaching is to preach the whole counsel of God. The Apostle Paul said in Acts chapter 20 and verse 20: “I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you” (Acts 20:20). And, every man of God is to be faithful to the One who called him and to be a steward of the mysteries of the Word of God. Again, the Bible says he is to rightly divide the Word of God. (2 Timothy 2:15) That means to cut it straight. So, that’s the call of the man of God; that’s what this man has been called to be—a slave of Christ and a steward of the Word. That’s what he is. That’s what every God-called man is called to be. That’s the call of the man of God.

II. The Character of the Man of God

Now, here’s the second thing: I want you to see something of the character of the man of God. Look, if you will, in verse 2. What’s his character to be? “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found”—what’s the next word?—“faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). That’s his character—that’s his character. We are looking around here for faithful men. Every man desires that his steward who has control over his affairs be faithful. Our main responsibility for a man of God is not to be clever, not to be intelligent, not to be brilliant, but to be faithful.

You’re in chapter 4. Go over to verse 17 and look at it. Paul talks about his young protégé whose name was Timothy: “For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son”—now, he’s talking here metaphorically. He was his son in the ministry—“and faithful in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 4:17). Paul said, “Hey, I’m going to send you a young minister, a young Greg Addison, and his character is this: that he is faithful.”

Just go on to chapter 7 and look, if you will, in verse 25. I was looking at some of these scriptures this afternoon. Paul is giving advice concerning marriage, and he says, “Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful” (1 Corinthians 7:25). Paul, when he talked about himself, he said, “God forgave me. He gave me mercy and then He gave me wisdom. And now, I want to be faithful.” And so, I want to say to our young man, tonight, his call is to be a slave of Jesus. His call is to be a steward of the mysteries of God. His character—he is to be faithful.

III. The Criticism of the Man of God

Now, here’s the third thing I want you to notice—and I hate to say this, but I got to say it: Paul also speaks of the criticism of the man of God. You know, there are people who love to criticize the man of God. And, did you know that they would criticize any, any man? I mean, a church … Folks, churches are not perfect.

As a matter of fact, there was a church—a friend of mine told me about this; he was an older preacher—and they needed a pastor. And so, they came to this older preacher, and they said, “Can you recommend to us a pastor?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “I have a man for you.” He said, “He is a brilliant theologian.” Well, they liked that. And, he said, “Also, he’s a missionary-minded man. He’s a great soul-winner.” Well, they liked that. And, he said, “Also, he’s a hard worker. He works prodigiously.” Well, they like that. And, they said, “Also, he lives such a clean and a holy life.” Well, boy, they were getting out their pens, ready to go after this man to be the pastor. But, he said, “Now, let me tell you something: he’s getting up in years.” “Well, maybe we could, we could … You know, that would be all right.” He said, “He’s in bad health.” “Oh,” they thought, “hmm …” And, he said, “He’s not really good looking, and he’s really not much of a public speaker.” You could see them putting their pens down. Then, he said, “And besides this, he gets into trouble everywhere he goes. He just kind of stirs up fusses—sometimes riots. As a matter of fact, he’s been put in prison several times, and he’s sometimes been beat up.” And, they said, “Well, he just really doesn’t sound like the kind of man we want.” He said, “Well, that’s all right. You couldn’t get him anyway. He’s already in Heaven. His name is Paul—the Apostle Paul.”

Hey, Brother Jim, there are a lot of churches today who would not call the Apostle Paul. I mean, they would look him over, and they’d say, “Well, you know, I don’t believe he’s the kind of a man that would dignify the pulpit that we want.” And, they were criticizing Paul as far back as this time. Look at it in verses 3 and 4: “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you”—that is, measured by you—“or of man’s judgment”—now, the word judgehere means, “evaluation.” They were evaluating him. And, Paul said, “That’s a small thing with me that you critique me, that you evaluate me, because what you’re doing—you’re just brining man’s wisdom, man’s judgment, here, and you’re judging me as men would judge another man.” There were some who said, “Well, Paul—he’s not fit to be an apostle. He’s not fit to be a pastor. He’s not fit to be a leader.” And, there was a “Stop Paul” and anti-Paul movement in this church. And, Paul said, “Hey, I’m not losing any sleep over that”—“with me it is a … small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment”—and then, he says this—“yea, I judge not mine own self” (1 Corinthians 4:3).

Now, I want you to follow his logic. Paul is saying, “Hey, I am not going to stay awake all night wondering what you think about me, and what you think about my motives, and what you think about what I’m doing.” There are some who were saying, “Oh, Paul—he’s just … he’s a showboat. He’s just … he’s a megalomaniac. He’s this or that.” They were judging Paul’s motives. And, Paul said, “How can you judge me when I cant even judge me?” Now listen—see what he says: “It’s a small thing with me that you judge me with man’s judgment. I don’t even judge my own self” (1 Corinthians 4:3). That’s interesting.

You know, the human heart is kind of deceitful. You know, it’s hard for us to do introspection and look in. All right, I preached this morning. I studied the message. I prayed over it. I preached as best I knew how. “Now Adrian, why did you do that?” Well, I think I did it for Jesus. I think I was sincere. I believe I was as sincere as I can be, preaching with all of my heart—not for pay, not for praise, but for the Lord. I believe that—sincerely believe that.

But, what if I’m wrong? What if I’m wrong? What … Do you think my old deceitful heart’s going to betray my old deceitful heart? Folks, I can’t even judge me. How are you going to do it? That’s what Paul is saying. Paul is saying, “Hey, as far as I know, there’s nothing in my heart that’s wrong.” That’s what he’s saying. He says, “I know nothing by myself”—he says, “I don’t know a thing in the world in my heart un-confessed, un-repented of.” But, he said—“yet am I not hereby justified” (1 Corinthians 4:4). “Just because I can’t know it, just because I don’t know the little peccadilloes in my own heart,” he said, “that still doesn’t justify me.” What he’s saying is, “How on earth are you going to criticize me, when I cannot criticize myself?” Folks, it’s very hard for a man or a woman to evaluate themselves; and so, we better stop trying to evaluate one another. That’s what he’s saying. Isn’t that right? I mean, folks, listen—just be honest.

Greg, it’s strange to be a minister of the Word of God—it really is. Folks, you’d have to know what it’s like to be a preacher, especially from the pulpit.

I remember downtown, when we were having three services, downtown, back-to-back, I would study for a message, prepare a message, and step out on that platform to preach that message, and sometimes I would preach at eight o’clock and all Heaven would come down—preach the same message at 9:30 and nothing would happen, preach again at 11 and all Heaven. Sometimes I’d preach at eight o’clock—it would be dead as four o’clock in the afternoon—I mean, nothing. I’d think, “O God, You’ve forsaken me. God, I’m backslidden. What has happened to me, Lord? I’ve got to run this sermon in the shop and re-do it, or throw it in the fire—do something.” Come out at 9:30—Heaven come down. How do you explain that? I’ve gotten old enough now just to simply say, “The wind blows where it will.” And, when God blesses, you can’t take a lot of praise for it; and when God doesn’t bless, you can’t get condemned about it. Just be faithful—just be faithful. Just preach the Word of God. It’s a strange thing.

How are you going to evaluate yourself? A man of God has to spend his ministry not looking to others, not listening to others, but being faithful to Jesus, as he knows Jesus, and preach the Word of God and leave the results with God. So, my dear brother, I want to give you some bad news and some good news. The bad news is this that you will have some folks who will criticize you. The good news is they don’t know what they’re talking about—they don’t know what they’re talking about. How are they going to judge you, when you can’t even judge you? Just be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ.