The Message And The Messenger

The Divided Corinthian Church

Before we dive into Scripture, I'd first like to provide some context to where we find ourselves as we begin 1 Corinthians 4. My primary goal for anyone reading this is for you to learn God’s Word. So we start with the context of where we’re about to study, chapter 4. We see that the church in Corinth is divided. Paul is still dealing with this issue of division. And that they’re divided over ministers, for a couple of reasons: 1) they didn’t understand what a minister was, and 2) they didn’t understand what a minister was supposed to do.

In other words, they didn’t understand the message or the messenger, but they were puffed up with pride and their evaluations based on this pride led to this division – so Paul deals with this in this chapter.

And throughout this chapter here’s what he does, he gives us a couple of characteristics that are found in every true minister.

An Internship in Las Vegas

In the summer of 2013, I had an internship at a church in Las Vegas. I had originally gone there to be a graphic design intern – but the most impactful moment of that entire summer was going to a camp [that I really didn’t want to go to] was where three of the students who were atheists ended up accepting Christ by the end of the week.

Today, I’d like to share a little more about that story that occurred a few years later.

Before coming to New Hope, I worked at a couple of different places – 1) an ad agency as a graphic designer and web developer, and 2) a software and web development company as a project manager.

It was shortly before leaving the software development company that I truly started to embrace where I thought I was being called in life. I knew I was supposed to be in the church, as it was the only place that I wanted to spend my life serving. But I didn’t know exactly what that looked like. In fact, I thought, in my naivety, that it looked like me going to seminary and then getting handed a job as the pastor of a church somewhere. Just like that. That easy.

So what I had done was find a few seminaries that I was interested in, and then started the application process. I talked to my parents about it, and I’m sure that they were thrilled that their son who had gone to Texas Tech for a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, and then the Art Institute of Dallas for a Master’s Degree, and then Villanova for a Master’s Certification, was now calling them on the phone with the amazing news that he wanted to get another degree.

I’m joking, mostly, they were incredibly supportive and so I then started reaching out to pastors that knew me and that I thought would be willing to write a couple of letters of recommendation that I could send out with my applications.

I’ll never forget the phone call that I had with Jud Wilhite, the Senior Pastor of Central Christian Church out in Vegas. I was telling him all about how I felt that I was supposed to be in the church, and that I was supposed to be teaching people about God, and that I wanted to go to seminary. Basically, I said that I needed to minister to people and that I needed to go to seminary so I could work in the church and do that.

He listened as I told him all of this, and said that it was awesome that I was feeling like that’s where I needed to be, but it was his question back to me that hit harder than anything I was expecting.

He asked, and I’m paraphrasing, “If you want to be in ministry, let me ask you this: what are you doing to further your own personal ministry right now?”

I didn’t really have an answer.

But as I was preparing for this morning, this memory kept coming back into my head as I realized that these few characteristics that Paul will show us in this chapter are to be found not only in just every true minister but in every Christian. And that’s because every Christian is to be a minister.

Characteristics of a True Minister

1. Faithfulness

So as we now dive into the Bible, let’s begin with the first characteristic of a true minister, and that is faithfulness (vv. 1-6).

"This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. 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." - 1 Corinthians 4:1-6 (ESV)