4:1
In the previous chapter Paul has rebuked them for their wrong attitudes towards leaders. Now he tells them how they ought to regard them, himself and Apollos in particular. So they should regard them “as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed”. There are two aspects here, the first is regarding them as servants. Anyone who has any ministry at all in the church is a servant of Christ. If you or I have a ministry of some sort, this is how we should regard ourselves, not as some elevated person. However, the second aspect is also crucial. Being a servant does not mean we have some menial task, the task of Paul and Apollos and anyone else who teaches or preaches is to proclaim the “mysteries” that God has revealed, to proclaim the truth of the gospel. So we are also to respect the leaders and preachers. There is a lot of talk these days about “my truth”, well we are here to proclaim God’s truth!
4:2
All of us have to some extent been entrusted with God’s truth. It is a trust that God has given us. In fact, this is quite amazing if we think about it, that God should entrust something so precious to us, mere men and women. So given this great trust, we must prove ourselves faithful. We are to be faithful ministers of the word of God. Conversely, it is a truly terrible thing when someone entrusted with the gospel abuses that trust, or distorts, even abandons, the truth.
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