Admin OptionsFeature Edit Discussion Close Discussion Add Tags
Cancel
Delete Discussion Intro:
1. John Piper, “Pastors have the job of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. But the work of the ministry. But ordinary Christian does the ministry. What ministry looks like is as varied as Christians are varied. It’s not an office; it’s a lifestyle devoted to advancing other people’s faith and holiness. In this sense the only life that counts for anything is a life of ministry – whether you’re a banker or a bricklayer. Fulfilling your ministry is more important than staying alive…
You may think you need to save your life in order to do your ministry. On the contrary, how you lose your life may be the capstone of your ministry. It certainly was for Jesus, at age 33. We need not fret about keeping ourselves alive in order to finish our ministry. God alone knows the appointed time of our service.”
2. Everyone has a God-given ministry because every believer has a spiritual gift. Many Christians today are joyless and full of complaint because they are more concerning about being ministered unto than ministering to others.
3. Living Life with Purpose – fulfilling your God appointed ministry.
1 Corinthians 1:1 (NKJV)
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
I. First, Paul’s Identity.
A. Method – today when we write a letter we write our name at the end of the letter, but in that day people always began a letter by identifying themselves.
B. Meaning – Paul meaning “little” no doubt he was born somewhat puny and apparently remained so all of his life (I Cor. 2:1-5/ 2 Cor. 10:10; 11:6).
The impression you get is that Paul was not very impressive to see or hear, and yet, God called him to a ministry which involved public speaking. How? 2 Cor. 12:9-10/2 Cor. 4:7
It is God not the vessel He uses that is important.
I’m told in some places in Arkansas it’s very dry, and they have issued a fire band. Imagine someone watering his dry lawn in hopes of preserving it. The ground gladly takes in the water.
Now that man’s little 5 year old daughter sees daddy watering the lawn so she gets her little toy sprinkling can and goes outside and begins to water the grass. Now it doesn’t matter to that grass whether the water is coming from Dads hose or his daughters toy can! The ministry is in the water.
God does not care whether the vessel is handsome or ugly or whatever, the ministry is related to God…
II. Next, we have Paul’s Legitimacy.
called an apostle…
A. Determined by God.
1. The Source – called is a verbal adjective in the passive voice. Lit. a called apostle, not so-called, but one whose apostleship is due not to himself or to men. The intermediate agent between Paul’s not being Christ’s apostle and becoming one, was God’s will. It’s God’s command (I Tim. 1:1).
a. A call to Salvation. Rom. 8:30
b. Also a call to Service. I Cor. 12:4-7,11
2. The Service.
an apostle – from apo meaning “from or away from” and stello meaning “to send forth. Paul, like the Twelve were sent forth from by Jesus Christ to establish churches with great authority and power [sign gifts].
Today there are no more apostles in this sense (Eph. 2:20), and no qualifications for apostles given in the scriptures, that can be met today (Ac. 1:21-25). It is odd that requirement is laid down for Pastors and deacons, but none given in the epistles for apostles.
Swindoll, “The skeletal system provides the body’s basic support, making mobility and activity possible. The work of the apostles corresponds closely to the Skelton’s function of providing a sturdy framework for the body. The apostles ministry was foundational to the establishment of the Church and appears to have been given only during those early groundbreaking days.”
Trans: The point is this, Paul had a ministry, something that God wanted him to do, so do we! We need to be able to say, Fred called to teach the Word of God by Jesus Christ; Joe called to be a financial planner by Jesus Christ; Mary a homemaker by Jesus Christ; Ruth a nurse by Jesus Christ; etc.
B. Doubted by man.
As we shall later discover many people doubted Paul’s apostleship because he was not one of the Twelve (I Cor. 9:1-2/2 Cor. 10-13).
“Paul was not a part of the Twelve. He had not been called by Jesus during His earthly ministry…Beginning at Pentecost the apostles were clearly the authorative voice of the gospel. When Peter gave his message at that time, he did so “taking his stand with the eleven (Ac. 2:14, 37). The infant church in Jerusalem devoted itself to the “apostles teaching (Ac. 2:24). The apostles were the Lord’s supreme earthly representatives, and they preached and taught with authority…
It was during that time that Paul was emerging as a bitter enemy and persecutor of the church (Ac. 9:1)…No way could he retroactively become on of the Twelve. Yet he declared himself to be an apostle. He too, had seen the resurrected Christ (Ac. 9:3-6, 17;
22:11-15/ I Cor. 9:1; 15:8) and had been specifically chosen by the Lord to be an apostle (I Cor. 1:1). He was equal to the Twelve as a foundational teacher of revealed truth.”
[MacArthur]
But that was doubted by many of those at Corinth.
C. It was also Defended by Paul.
by the will of God – Gal. 1:1, 10-11
The truth is there is only one defense for anyone’s ministry. It’s not that its popular, not that man approves, it’s simple that it is God’s will. Acts 5:35-39
Frederick Douglass was a great slave orator, once when opposition was fierce he said, “The white man is against us, the governments are against us, the spirit of the times is against us. I see no hope for the colored race. I am full of sadness.”
Just then a woman rose up in the audience and said, “Frederick is God dead!”
Everything looks different when we take God into consideration.
III. Finally, Paul’s Family.
Sosthenes our brother – who is this?
A. The History. Ac. 18:1,4,8,12-17
Paul went to Corinth and people were responding so well that the Jews complained to the Roman officials who refused to listen, in anger they beat Sosthenes up who was at the time an unbelieving Jew who ruled the synagogue.
B. The Testimony.
Our brother – apparently what had happened was that Sosthenes later became a Christian. Paul who is writing this letter from Ephesus mentions this man to encourage the believers who would have known him at Corinth.
Harry Ironside, “Those receiving the letter would at once recognize his name, and a thrill would go through their hearts as they exclaimed, “Yes, Sosthenes, once the persecutor, converted here in our own city is still with the apostle Paul and is sending his greeting to us.”
One of the great thrills of ministry is seeing people saved!
David Brainerd wrote, “I care not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through, so that I could but gain souls for Christ. While I was asleep, I dreamed of these things, and when I awoke, the first thing I thought of was this great work. All my desire was for the conversion of the heathen, and all my hope was in God.”
While we do not all have the gift of evangelism, we all have a desire to see the lost saved.
Con:
1. Living life with Purpose – fulfilling whatever ministry God has given us.
2. David Roper, “So you’re not a major player. So you have no political clout or power base. So your not a Christian quarterback, a converted rock star, a multi-media personality, or a multi-millionaire. You can still be a catalyst for change.
We are all designed to be of use to God. He planned our usefulness before time began. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advanced that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:10).
Perhaps it will be a visible role, most likely it’s concealed and hidden. It could be that your entire life will find its meaning in one person whom God wants you to touch in some significant way. No one is without a divinely appointed task and the divine means for getting it done.”
Johnny Palmer Jr.
www.strugglingthruscriptues.ning.com
www.blogtalkradio.com/strugglingthruscriptures
