Monday and Tuesday of this week I was in Rossville, GA. with around 150 preachers. It was the annual Statewide Preacher’s Fellowship for independent preachers throughout the state of Georgia. Several times during those days and in the days that have followed, a passage from I Corinthians 4 has popped into my mind. “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” (vv. 1-2).
The context of the passage concerns Paul, his team, and the judgements along with personal attacks levied against them. I certainly know that ministers have a unique calling, but so too does the average everyday Christian. Once we learn truth we are to share it with others. As ministers, we are to reveal the “mysteries of God” to the people to whom we preach and teach, seeking for them to learn and grow. But once the lay Christian learns these mysteries for himself or herself, they too are to share with others. There are several mysteries we find in the New Testament. Let me give you a definition of “mystery.” It is a truth that was hidden in the past, but now has been revealed by the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit, those with the gift of prophecy or his apostles. Ephesians 3:5 says, “which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” The offices of an apostle and prophet have ceased. Those callings were operational during the early church years, but once the Word of God was completed, they ceased, and the mysteries are now learned from its pages as we are led by the Spirit.
What are some samplings? The gospel of Mark in 4:11 tells us about the mystery of the kingdom of God. The mystery of iniquity is mentioned in II Thessalonians 2:7. There is the mystery of the church found in Ephesians 3:1-6 and the mystery of godliness found in I Timothy 3:16. Twenty-one times in the letters of Paul we find the word “mystery.” These four mysteries, along with others, were not understood during the time of the Old Testament.
Back to our text. We are called ministers and stewards. For this blog I want to focus on being a steward. Another definition. A steward is someone that has been given responsibility to manage his master’s affairs. A steward only has one person to please and that is his master. Others may be pleased by his decisions, but they aren’t the primary concern. That primary concern is what does the master want and is this best for him. I won’t venture a guess as to how many times I have said this. “We have one job to do, make Jesus look good.” If we do that, we are good stewards. As a steward, you will get criticism just like Paul and his staff. We don’t let that stop us. Reading our text and a few verses beyond, you will find Paul was more concerned with God’s judgment than the people of Corinth (4:4). He told them not to get hung up on their favorite preachers such as Peter, Apollos or himself. They were all on the same team. That theme was hammered by me and the other moderator to those 150 preachers. Paul also warned about something else. I’ll close with this. Don’t judge too early. “Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then every man will have praise of God” (4:5). All will ultimately be revealed at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Until then the books are still being tallied. I’ll share a story with you that happened Tuesday night. As I was heading out the door, an elderly preacher stopped me. “Can I tell you something?” “Sure” I responded. “A long time ago a fellow in your church taught me something that has blessed me for well over thirty years. His name was Don Keenum. He taught me how to enjoy my salvation. He taught me how to praise the Lord and offer halleluiah’s when I was in a service worshipping the Lord.” After hearing that story, I began having flashbacks about Don as I drove back to the hotel. He was faithful to serve the Lord. He shared his faith with the men he worked with. He helped teach Sunday school and was the Awana commander for years with his wife Karen. She continues to be one of our great shadow servants to this day. But then Don got sick. His Sunday school class would, on occasion, go to his home and take Sunday school to him. He always had a smile on his face even though he was in terrible pain. Then one day he was gone. He went to be with the Lord from North Carolina, but his work continues in the life of that north Georgia preacher and countless others he touched. How long ago did he step into glory? Almost 10 years ago. Don’t judge things too early.
What kind of steward are you? There are mysteries that abound in the minds of people. You could take the Bible and enlighten them just as Paul was revealing the mysteries of God to a people that had never understood before. My prayer today is that we all are stewards that are faithful.