1 Corinthians 4:1-13 - True apostleship

Paul now describes what true apostleship is. Bearing in mind what I said earlier about there being no apostles in the sense that Paul and Peter were apostles. No one alive today has been a direct witness of the resurrection, and the teaching of anyone today must be judged by the extent to which it reflects the Bible, ie no one has the same level of authority. Even so, the term apostle is still used today, so we have a lot to learn from Paul's teaching on the matter, both here and elsewhere. Moreover, much of it can be applied to Christian leadership in general.

Apostles were servants of Christ, and entrusted with the message of Christ. Paul was not seeking the approval of men, only of Christ. We need to be very careful here, it is very easy to do things for the approval of men, for their praise can be very seductive. Furthermore, the true value of anyone's ministry cannot be known until the end of time. Fleeting popularity will count for nothing.

Paul says he is applying these things to himself and Apollos. The mention of Apollos perhaps indicates that he is using the term apostle in a wider sense than the strict definition found in Acts 1.

He then warns against getting puffed up by claiming to be a follower of so and so. How does this work? When we say we are a follower of so and so, then we are putting ourselves in the position of judge, deciding who is the best and who is not. We need to be very careful about putting ourselves in a position of judge.

In fact the Corinthians had a very high opinion of themselves. This warning is something that those of us in Charismatic churches need to pay particular attention to. There is a good emphasis on victory, blessing, gifts etc, but this can lead to pride and to fantasy. Many things are promised, we receive some things now, we will receive somethings tomorrow, but it is only when Christ returns that we will receive the fullness of the kingdom.

Paul then highlights the true nature of his ministry. In short it involved a lot of suffering and persecution. Being an apostle is not a glorious occupation in the world's terms.

We can worry about the term apostle. Some use it far too readily, and as a kind of shorthand for Christian superstar. Others object to any use of the term at all. What is really important is the character of a person and what they do.