LESSON
4 "PAUL, CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE"
(1 Corinthians 4 & 9)
Copr. 1998, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. All Scripture references are
to
the New International Version (NIV), copr. 1973, 1978, 1984
International Bible Society, unless otherwise noted. Quotations
from the NIV are used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
Suggested answers are found within parentheses. The lesson assumes
the teacher uses a blackboard.
INTRODUCTION: Chapters 4 and 9 of 1 Corinthians cover a great deal
of material. Instead of trying to cover all of the text (as we
usually do), I am going to dig into a few areas that I hope you
will find to be a blessing.
I. JUDGING THE LEADER/TEACHER
A. Read 1 Corinthians 4:1-5. Read "between
the lines" in
verse 3 and tell me how some of the Corinthians
were treating
Paul? (They were judging him. This statement
no doubt comes
from hearing negative reviews about him.)
B. Glance a minute at 1 Corinthians 3:21-22.
What do those
verses say about reviewing the leader/teacher?
(They are on
the flip side of this same topic: the Corinthians
were
boasting about certain spiritual leaders.
Boasting about one
encourages negative comparisons with others.)
C. There is all sorts of public debate on the
issue of
"accountability" for public school teachers.
In past years we
have pressed forward (on the church conference
level) on the
issue of accountability of pastors.
Is Paul saying (1
Corinthians 4:5) that he is not accountable?
(No.)
1. To whom does he have to account? (v.4 God)
2. Under what circumstances? (v.5 Second Coming)
3. On what basis
is he held accountable? That is, what
is the standard
by which he is judged? What is required
of him by God?
(Paul uses a logical syllogism here: 1.
Those given
a trust (a trustee) must remain faithful. 2.
As an employee
of God, I have been entrusted with the
secrets of God.
3. Therefore, I must remain faithful with
God's secrets.
It seems that he is judged on the basis of
his faithfulness
(or lack of it) with God's secrets.)
D. Paul says he is entrusted with God's secrets.
What are
they? (I know, if I told you, I would have
to shoot you.
Seriously, this goes back to last week's lesson.
In 1
Corinthians 2:7-10 Paul says that God's followers
understand
His secret wisdom by the Holy Spirit. Consider
the serious
aspect to my joke. Paul seems to say that
if we are trusted
with God's secrets (if we are told), that
we are accountable.
Therefore, we may be in for being "shot" if
we are told and
are not trustworthy!)
E. With all this talk about accountability,
Paul suggests
(v.5) that we cannot judge. Why not? (We cannot
know the
motives of the person.)
1. Does this
mean no more church discipline? (In next
week's lesson
we study 1 Corinthians 5 which says (v.2)
put the sexually
immoral man out of fellowship.)
2. As you study
next week's lesson, think about how you
can reconcile
these two instructions from Paul.
F. Remember our little logical syllogism which
concluded with
"Therefore, I must remain faithful with God's
secrets?" What
role does "motive" (going back to 1 Corinthians
4:5) play in
that? What role does motive play in your salvation?
1. Does this
mean that even if I am faithful (ie, I teach
others the secret
wisdom of God's kingdom), I have failed
if I have the
wrong motives? (Yes! And I fear and dislike
this message.
Make things "black and white" for me. Make
the standard
clear. Tell me that if I spend hours each
week in preparation
to teach this class (write this
lesson outline)
in an attempt to encourage an
understanding
of God's will, that I have been faithful.
Don't tell me
that if I am motivated by vanity ("Isn't he
a great teacher?")
I have been unfaithful. I know that
vanity is part
of my motivation for teaching and
preaching. Thank
God for righteousness by faith and the
power to change
hearts!)
G. Read v.6. Paul says "Do not go beyond what
is written,"
so that you will not value one leader over
another. What
"writing" is he talking about? (The Bible.)
1. How will sticking
to what is written help us to
keep from comparing
leaders? (He has been hammering home
the admonition
that leaders are simply servants of God
doing a task.
We should be looking to God as our leader.
(1 Corinthians
1:31) If God says it, fine. If a leader
goes beyond
God's leadership, then we have a problem.)
2. Is this a
good general rule: not to go beyond what is
written in the
Bible?
a. Remember our discussion last week about "man's
wisdom" versus "God's wisdom?"
b. Is going beyond what is written in the Bible an
example of "man's wisdom?"
3. Since Paul
is taking a whack at divisions, judging
leaders, and
"man's wisdom," let's make our lesson real
practical for
our church. The greatest controversy, the
most "division"
and judging of pastors that I can think
of which arose
recently, is the controversy over the
"celebration"
versus "non-celebration" style of worship.
a. Is there are clear "thus saith the Lord" on this
issue of worship style?
b. If there is not, are we getting embroiled in
debates and controversies on matters beyond "what
is written?"
c. If Paul told the Corinthians to "cut it out" when
they were fighting over matters of "man's wisdom"
and not God's written directions, does that same
advice apply to us today? (Teacher, if you still
have a class, it is time to move on.)
II. POWERED LEADERS
A. Paul continues in the next seven verses
to discuss the
issue of judging leaders. Move with me down
to 1 Corinthians
4:18-21. Read.
1. Paul says
he is coming to town and that he will put
to the test
those who are promoting factions. What kind
of test does
he say he is going to apply? (He is going to
see "what power
they have." (v.19))
2. What kind
of "power" is he talking about? (God's
power. I did
a quick search in some of Paul's other
writings of
the Greek word ("dunamis") which is here
translated "power."
Paul uses this word in various ways,
but his use
of the word carries the common concept that
God's supernatural
power is at work.)
3. Do you have God's "power" at work in your church?
a. If not, are you all talk (v.20) and no power?
b. If so, what are you going to do about it?
III. PAUL'S EXAMPLE OF LEADERSHIP
A. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 9. Paul gives
the Corinthians
advice on supporting their leaders and makes
a point of the
fact that he has not asked them for any support.
Let's start
reading with 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Ever hear
the statement,
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do?"
Did that originate with
Paul? (Sounds like vv. 20-21!)
B. What does Paul mean when he says he made
himself a "slave"
to everyone? (v.19) Doesn't it sound like
freedom instead of
slavery when he says he does whatever his
current comrades are
doing? (We need to look at this in more detail.)
1. What are the
four groups of "comrades" that Paul
mentions in
these verses? ("Jews" (v.20), "those under
the law" (v.20),
"those not under the law" (v.21), "the
weak" (v.22).
2. Let's start
out with "the weak." How do you think Paul
becomes like
"the weak?" How is he a "slave" to them?
(Read Romans
14:2-3, 14-15 and 20-23. He says that he
conforms his
behavior to their weakness -- even though he
knows the Lord
does not require this behavior.)
a. Does that seem like "slavery" to you? (Yes. He
gives himself up to them.)
3. Is this same
concept applicable to the "Jews" and
"under the law"
groups? (I think it is the same thing.
The Jews had
many rules as do those "under the law."
Paul is saying
give up your "rights" when around them,
conform to their
wrong ideas.)
a. Why not stand up to them? Teach them what is
right? Help them get over their weakness? (It is
not wrong to limit your freedom when the goal is to
save them. It appears that Paul says the best way
to win them is not to frontally attack their
ideas.)
4. How does this
work with those "not having the law?"
(v.21).
The other seems to be doing things (or not doing
things) that
do not cross the line into sin, but simply
limit your freedom.
For example, you think wearing
jewelry is wrong
and I do not. If I refrain from wearing
jewelry to church
(in front of you), I certainly have not
sinned.
How about the reverse? I think wearing jewelry
is wrong and
you do not. If I wear jewelry to church (in
front of you)
am I sinning? Do you see how this seems to
imply that Paul
is doing things that he thinks is wrong?
In v. 21 he
says he is under the law, but these people
are not restrained
by the law. How does this work?
a. Is it "OK" to sin to win others? (Paul would have
to be a lot more specific for me to believe that he
is counselling us to sin to win others. (Romans
14:23 says he who has doubts about doing something,
and who then does it, is "condemned!") Instead, I
think he is telling us to relate to, "get next to"
those that have different beliefs so that we can
win them to Christ.)
C. Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. What does Paul's
talk about
racing and physical training have to do with
"relating" to the
group you are trying to win? (The key is vv.
25-26. Paul says
that those who want to win a race devise a
strategy for
winning, and then follow-through. (They do
not run
"aimlessly.") So it should be with our missionary/leadership
efforts. We need to work diligently to devise
the best way to
win those who are our target audience. (In
your idle time, try
to reconcile this with Paul's statements in
1 Corinthians 2:1-
2. In those verses in chapter 2 (and those
that follow) Paul
seems to eschew theory and technique. Paul
is drawing very
fine lines that it would be well for us to
understand!)
IV. NEXT WEEK: REVIVING CHRISTIAN IDENTITY. Study 1 Corinthians
chapters 5 and 6!