READING 1 CORINTHIANS, CHAPTER 4

 

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

 INTRODUCING 1 CORINTHIANS, CHAPTER 4

First Corinthians 4 continues Paul's insistence to the Corinthian Christians to stop making themselves judges of each other. Only the Lord's judgment matters. They are living as if their wealth and status are all they need, while the apostles serve Christ in poverty and under persecution, imitating Christ. Paul urges them to change course and imitate his life.

 (https://www.bibleref.com/1-Corinthians/4/1-Corinthians-chapter-4.html

The Nature of True Apostleship, Part 1, Verses 1-7, TBA

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. ² Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. ³ I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God. ⁶ Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. ⁷ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

SECTION QUESTIONS:

1. How should we regard Apostleship? (V.1)

2. What will the Lord reveal? (V.5)

3. Verse 5 indicates the attitude we should have toward others. What is it? 

4. What is the "these things" in verse 6 that Paul references? 

5. What does the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written" mean? (V.6)

6. What reason does Paul give for them to be humble? (V.7) 

Thought Questions:

1. Paul mentioned in verse 3 that he doesn't care about what other people think of him. He said he doesn't even judge himself. What do you think about this statement? Shouldn't we examine ourselves? 

2. What's the key message in verse 6? Paul keeps talking about it for the rest of the chapter. 

The Church & Its Leaders, Part 2, Verses 8-13, Part 2, MAMA

⁸ Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! ⁹ For it seems to me that God has put us, apostles, on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! ¹¹ To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. ¹² We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; ¹³ when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

SECTION QUESTIONS:

1. What was Paul's overall purpose communicated in verses 8 - 13?

3) Paul's Appeal and Warning, Verses 14-21, Part 3, DESTINY

¹⁴ I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. ¹⁵ Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you to imitate me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. ¹⁸ Some of you have become arrogant as if I were not coming to you. ¹⁹ But I will come to you very soon if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. ²¹ What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

SECTION QUESTIONS:

1. Why did Paul rebuke them so sternly? (V.14-21)

2. Why did Paul tell the Corinthians to imitate him? (V.15)

3. Why did Paul send Timothy to Corinth? (V.17)

4. What did Paul say the Kingdom of God is? (V.20)

1.     

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com

This has several implications for us.

1.   We shouldn’t give in to peer pressure. This is pressure trying to conform us to what they think we should be doing, normally based on cultural norms. Since in the end, we are answerable only to God for our actions we don’t need to try to impress people or fit in.

2.   We shouldn’t bow to our unbelieving parents’/teachers' pressures to follow money instead of God. We are answerable to God for our actions. He will be the judge. He will be sitting in the chair looking over our lives, not our parents or teachers.

3.   We should follow God’s will even if we know it is unpopular. In many cases Paul did the unpopular thing to serve God. Sometimes even other believers thought he was nuts (going back to Jerusalem). While we shouldn’t discount the counsel of other believers, we must be willing to do God’s will no matter what the cost.

(https://studyandobey.com/inductive-bible-study/1-corinthians/1-corinthians-4/)

Prayer Confession for 1Corinthians, Chapter 4:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the faithful ministry of Paul, the servant of Christ and consistent steward of the mysteries of God. Paul’s teachings contain so much important information on how-to walk-in spirit and truth, and to live a life that honors Your name. Thank You that Paul was not only faithful in teaching the gospel of grace but also was ready and willing to challenge and correct ungodly issues in the congregation, at the risk of ending some relationships he had with others. Equip pastors and elders today to take their responsibilities toward their congregations seriously and biblically. Give us discernment, we pray and keep us from being sucked into wrong thinking or carnal ways. We pray that like Paul, we too may be faithful in the work You have called us to do. We want to bring honor to Your holy name by the words we say and the lives we live. This we ask in Jesus’ precious name, AMEN.Source: (https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/1-Corinthians/4)