Seed Thoughts on 1 CORINTHIANS 4 Judgement of ministers not given to men. V 1.

APPRECIATION ; Let a man so account of us as ministers of Christ, God calls the pastors, prepares them , anoints them and sets them in the church to teach and shepherd the flock. To murmur against the pastor is to murmur against God. EXODUS 16 v 2 ; And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. Numbers 14 v 36-37 ; And the men which Moses sent to search the land who returned and made all the congregation to murmur against him by bringing up a slander upon the land. Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land died by the plague before the Lord. V 2 . DEMONSTRATION ; It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. Pastors, elders and deacons hold a place of responsibility in the church and are accountable to God for their actions. To some degree they are also accountable to the congregation for decisions made on their behalf. We are all servants of God and serving one another in the church. The gift of the agape love has been offered all Christians and if we do not use it God will certainly let us know about it. COLOSSIANS 3 v 12-13 ; Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering. Forbearing one another, if any man has a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. And above all these things, put on charity which is the bond of perfectness. V 3. MOTIVATION. I Judge not my own self. Called of God and anointed for his ministry, Paul knew that he was being cared for by the Godhead. He left judgement up to the triune God and was fully consecrated to God. Judgement by man was a very small thing for Paul who was prepared to die for Jesus. I CORINTHIANS 10 v 31 ; Whether therefore you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. The more we meditate upon the word of God the more we should be dedicated to living up the standards required that no man will by offended by us. V 4. JUSTIFICATION. MATTHEW 7 v 1-2 ; Judge not that you be not judged, for with what judgement you judge you shall be judged and with what measure you mete it shall be measured to you again. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Justification, Just as if I'd never sinned. V 5. REVELATION. Therefore judge nothing before the time , until the Lord come. Then man's sins will be revealed. They will be brought to light from the darkness and reveal the true state of man's sins. As the Christians, with sins forgiven, are taken up to heaven in the rapture of Christ's church they will sing songs of praises and worship God. At the second , resurrection the unsaved will be judged for their sins and cast in to the lake of fire and brimstone. God requires us to be merciful. V 6. ADMONITION. That not one of you be puffed up for one against another. While some people are better than other at preaching the gospel, God has given each one of us the gift of witnessing to others of His love and mercy and forgiveness and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each person can play a part in bringing a lost soul to Jesus, There is a great variety of gifts in the church but these are seldom used with advantage. We are to use these gifts with humbleness of heart and not in Judgement of each other. 1 CHRONICLES 16 v 8 ; Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. V 10 ; Glory you in His holy name . let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

V 7-8. CONDEMNATION. Who makes you to differ from another ? God has given us all kinds of gifts which we could not have obtained with our own meagre resources. We are all one in Christ. Why should we boast of what we have if God gave these gifts to all Christians 7 PROVERBS 13 v 10. Only by pride comes contention, but with the well advised comes wisdom. Pride and boasting of one's works leads to strife and sorrow. Receive thankfully the inheritance promised to all Christians through Jesus Christ and not look at each other with envy and malice. V 9. PRESENTATION. For we are made a spectacle unto the world and to angels and men. Like the gladiators in the Roman arena the apostles were appointed to die for their faith. Are we willing to present Jesus to the people whatever the consequences ? The presentation of the gospel is the most important thing that we can do while we have the opportunity ROMANS 12 v 1 ; I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which Is your reasonable service. So we present ourselves to God for a cleansing and an anointing in preparation to serve Him. ROMANS 1 v 8 ; But you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the world. V 10. RESOLUTION. But you are strong but you are honourable, but are despised. The early Christians were determined to preach and teach Jesus despite their persecutions. The Christian today also needs to be strong in and faithful as he or she represents Christ on earth. EPHESIANS 6 v 1112 ; Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Let us resolve to go on witnessing for Jesus as He has commanded us. V 11. FRUSTRATION. Hungry, thirsty, naked, buffeted, no certain dwelling place. Presenting to the world the Saviour it was seeking and at the same time rejecting Jesus Christ as their Redeemer and Lord. TITUS 2 v 11-13 ; For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly righteously and Godly in this present world. May we show great patience with those who would ignore God's gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. V 12. PARTICIPATION. And labour with our own hands. Despite all their persecutions the disciple were determined to carry on preaching Christ crucified and raised from the dead. MATTHEW 9 v 36-38 ; But when He saw the multitudes He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. Then said He to His disciples, The harvest is truly plenteous but the labourers are few. Pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth labourers Into His harvest. MATTHEW 10 v 1 ; And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. The more disciples the Lord has now, the greater will be the harvest. V 13. DEFAMATION. Being defamed we entreat. They were recognised as men of God, but the unsaved did not want to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah, and they persecuted the followers of Jesus. Yet despite such poor treatment from their persecutors, many of them repented and became Christians. Would a little persecution cause us to hide in our homes ? ROMANS 8 v 35 ; Who shall separate us from the love of Christ, shall tribulation or distress, or

persecution, or famine or nakedness or peril or sword ? V 37 ; No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. V 14/15. EXHORTATION. I do not write these things to shame you, but because I regard you as a family. You have many teachers but I am your spiritual father, for in Jesus Christ I have begotten you through the gospel. But God Himself claims you as His sons and daughters. 1 CORINTHIANS 1 v 21-22 ; Now He which establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God. Who has also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2 CORINTHIANS 6 v 17 18 ; Wherefore come out from among them and be separate , says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you. And will be a father unto you and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord almighty. V 16 ; IMITATION. Wherefore I beseech you, be followers of me. Paul was dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ and worshipped God in sincerity and truth. His followers were well advised to follow his way of life and dedicate their live to Jesus. Could we suggest to any new convert that he or she should shape his life on our lines ? People can so easily sum up our way of life. MATTHEW 16 24-25 ; Then said Jesus to His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow Me. There is no better style of living that the example Jesus gave us. The rewards are beyond our comprehension. V 17. RESTORATION. Who shall bring you unto remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. What a glorious verse this is. Paul, faithful In his serving his Lord and in the privilege he had of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. He noticed a slipping away in the Corinthians and was quick to tell them that he was their spiritual father and they should follow him. 1 CORINTHIANS 3, v 1-2 ; And I brethren could not speak to you as spiritual, but as to carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat for hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither yet now are you able. How important is the work of following up on new Christians to get them established in the Scriptures and discipleship. V 18. EXAMINATION. Now some are puffed up as though I would not come to you. Just what kind of Christians are we ? Puffed up, cynical, critical ? dare we ask someone to describe our lifestyle ? Our lifestyle is being recorded in the Lamb's book of life and we will have to stand before God and give an explanation of the things done on earth. 2 CORINTHIANS 13 v 5 ; Examine yourselves whether you are In the faith, prove your own selves, Know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates ? PSALM a6 v 1-2 ; Judge me 0 Lord, for I have walked In mine integrity, I have trusted also in the Lord therefore I shall not slide.-Examine me 0 Lord and prove me, try my reigns and my heart Unfortunately we cannot see ourselves as others see us, but the Holy Spirit stirs our conscience and we need to obey His guidance. V 19. SANCTIFICATION. And will know not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. Power to get results is the genuine proof of a true minister's call or work. Strength is not in the body but in the soul. At conversion we are set apart from the world to follow Jesus. The puffed up and the arrogant have more likely slipped away from their sanctification in Christ. JOHN 17 v 15-17 ; I pray not that you should take them out of the world but that You should keep them from the evil. They are not of the world even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Your truth, Your word is truth.

V 20. MANIFESTATION. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. A man's actions will show the kind of man he is. Preaching the word of God may have little effect on the congregation if the preacher is known to have a bad temper, or brings violence into his home. Let a person live with and preach the word of God and he will show the power within him. JOHN 14 v 19-21 ; Yet a little while and the world sees Me no more, but you see Me . Because I live you shall live also . At that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me and I in you. He that has My commandments and keeps, he It is that loves Me. And he that loves Me shall be loved of My Father and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. V 21. RECONCILIATION. Shall I come to you with a rod or In love 7 We probably all need a stir up at times and hopefully it will be done in love and from a humble heart. How good it is to be reconciled to God or old friends. 2 CORINTHIANS 5 v 17-18 ; Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new, and all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. How good it is when we are restored to the joy of His salvation. Jesus keep me near the Cross, there a precious fountain Free to all a healing stream flows from Calvary's mountain Near the Cross 0 Lamb of God bring its scenes before me Help me walk from day to day with its shadow o'er me. In the Cross, in the Cross be my glory ever Till my rapture soul shall find rest beyond the river