Who would you rather work for and alongside? People who care enough about you to confront you when you do things that will cause you to crash or those who never tell you when you get it right and say you’re fine.  Would you listen to caring people who want God’s best for you and speak truth to you because of their passionate love for you?  What traits are found to be helpful in nurturing others to be all God created them to be? 

In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul walks through the accountability of church leadership, the mark of suffering in the lives of followers of Jesus, and his desire for the Corinthians to imitate his faith. We learn through this passage that God’s call for his servants is not success, honor, or status, but faithfulness alone.  Imitate Christ, Paul preaches.  His letter to the Philippians bears his motivation for all to know and believe Jesus, but to also do what Jesus did when he walked the earth to love and serve for no other reason but to save the world of their sins and reconcile them to God, the Father. (See Philippians 2)

We learn that the empowered life we seek comes from a relentless faith in God that never quits.  “God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life.”  It is God who gives us the power to live life to the full.

1 Corinthians 4, The Message

^1-4 Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s divine secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge. It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much. The Master makes that judgment.

⁵ So don’t get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in. When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. Only then will any one of us get to hear the “Well done!” of God.

⁶ All I’m doing right now, friends, is showing how these things pertain to Apollos and me so that you will learn restraint and not rush into making judgments without knowing all the facts. It’s important to look at things from God’s point of view. I would rather not see you inflating or deflating reputations based on mere hearsay.

^7-8 For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle. Without bringing either Apollos or me into it, you’re sitting on top of the world—at least God’s world—and we’re right there, sitting alongside you!

^9-13 It seems to me that God has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one wants to buy a ticket. We’re something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We’re the Messiah’s misfits. You might be sure of yourselves, but we live in the midst of frailties and uncertainties. You might be well-thought-of by others, but we’re mostly kicked around. Much of the time we don’t have enough to eat, we wear patched and threadbare clothes, we get doors slammed in our faces, and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can to eke out a living. When they call us names, we say, “God bless you.” When they spread rumors about us, we put in a good word for them. We’re treated like garbage, the leftovers that nobody wants. And it’s not getting any better.

^14-16 I’m not writing all this as a neighborhood scold to shame you. I’m writing as a father to you, my children. I love you and want you to grow up well, not spoiled. There are a lot of people around who can’t wait to tell you what you’ve done wrong, but there aren’t many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God’s Message to you that I became your father. I’m not, you know, asking you to do anything I’m not already doing myself.

¹⁷ This is why I sent Timothy to you earlier. He is also my dear son, and true to the Master. He will refresh your memory on the instructions I regularly give all the churches on the way of Christ.

^18-20 I know there are some among you who are so full of themselves they never listen to anyone, let alone me. They don’t think I’ll ever show up in person. But I’ll be there sooner than you think, God willing, and then we’ll see if they’re full of anything but hot air. God’s Way is not a matter of mere talk; it’s an empowered life.

²¹ So how should I prepare to come to you? As a severe disciplinarian who makes you walk the line? Or as a good friend and counselor who wants to share heart-to-heart with you? You decide.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Messiah’s misfits.  We no longer conform to the ways of the world but to the ways of Christ who came to earth NOT to be served but to serve with the love of God leading Him.  If we find ourselves “fitting in” then we need to evaluate our motivations!  What Master are we giving ourselves to and serving alongside?  Is our goal to give God glory in all things?  Do we seek God first each morning knowing that being with Him seeking His direction is more important than our doing? 

Being guides our doing!  We should guide others to be the same.  Jesus “got away to a secluded, quiet place” often to be with the Father to get his direction and guidance before doing anything of significance for the Father.  Who are we to think we do not need to do what Jesus, Son of God, King of kings, and Lord of lords, did?

The last thing you should worry about is being a nuisance to God. All you need to concentrate on is doing what he tells you to do—just like Jesus!

Do all for the glory of God!  Paul hoped church leaders in Corinth would regard him and other apostles as fellow servants of God. Paul sought to correct the church, not abandon or demean it. Paul said that ministers were servants accountable to God. Their faithful service would bring praise from God.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.” 1 Corinthians 10:31-33

“Do what He says.”  Consider the miracle Jesus provided at the wedding feast of turning water into wine.  (John 2)  Imagine you are one of the servants at the wedding.  You know what is missing—the good wine.  You watch as Jesus prays over jugs of water you helped to fill at His direction.  You wonder what will happen next.  Then Jesus turns to you and tells you to take some of the “water” to the guests for wine tasting.  What do you do?

Max Lucado helps us understand this scenario of trust and obey:

“What if the servants had refused? What if they had said, “No way”? Or, to bring the point closer to home, what if you refuse? What if you identify the problem, take it to Jesus, and then refuse to do what he says?  That’s possible. After all, God is asking you to take some pretty gutsy steps. Money is tight, but he still asks you to give. You’ve been offended, but he asks you to forgive your offender. Someone else blew the assignment, but he still asks you to be patient. You can’t see God’s face, but he still asks you to pray.

Not commands for the faint of faith. But then again, he wouldn’t ask you to do it if he thought you couldn’t. So go ahead.

Evaluate your service for God. Are you a faithful steward? Are you using your spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ? God’s first call to you, no matter what you do, is to display faithfulness and obedience to him.” –Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible

You decide, carefully and prayerfully…

Lord,

I give you back me—all of me, complete with my imperfections.  Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul, and restore the joy and peace of you in me and me in you. Speak to my heart for I’m listening.  I am your servant.  May your desires be my desires, your leading be my way to trust and obey what you say.

In Jesus Name, Amen