TEXT:
1 COR.4:9-13
TOPIC:
Ministers of God: like Prisoner of war/Christ
This will be done with the following sub-headings:
Introduction
Meanings:
minister, prisoners of war
Lessons
from the pretext
Prisoners
of war/Christ?
Conclusion
Introduction
The writer of the book (1 Corinthians) is Apostle Paul,
written between AD 53 and 55 in Ephesus, during Apostle Paul’s third missionary
journey. The main thrusts of the book among others are presenting biblical
solutions to: idolatry, struggles to stand pure, insensitivity to another’s
plight, some questions that had been sent to him earlier.
Meanings
Minister of God: They
are God’s servant Rom 13:4, vessels of God, and ambassadors of Christ 2
Cor.5:20, 1 pt.2:9.
The
Ministry of the cross to which we have been signed on is all about souls, it is
not ministry of finance, fame or earthly pursuit or ephemerals as some have
redirected it to be. (I have not said minister who are permitted by God or have
a leading and the capacity to lawfully and rightly try to have some tent making
are wrong the issue is 1.COMMERCIALISING/USURPING/DRAINING/MISMANAGING GODS
PEOPLE 2.IN GODS NAME)
If Jesus is our
anchor/leader as minsters our pursuit of souls and impacting people positively
will show it.
Prisoners of war: this
word exactly is taken out of the new living translations of verse nine of our
text which reads instead I sometimes think God has put us Apostles on display
like prisoners of war at the end of a victors parade, condemned to die, we have
become a spectacle to the entire world to people and angels alike. However
prisoner of war is a person captured, relocated and probably confined after a
war, unlike regular prisoners who are legally put behind bars.
Lessons
from the pretext
1. Paul and Apollo’s
were models in servant hood vs. 1 what are we modelling to people today.
2. Faithfulness is a
requirement of spiritual assignments vs.2
3. Imminent judgement
and reward vs.5
4. Receivers not
achievers vs.7
Prisoners
of war/Christ indeed
The most important
feature of any prison is confinement and the most important prayer of any
prisoner is freedom so aligning in that regards minister are like prisoners of
war/Christ as what we say, do, wear, people we can associate with, gatherings
we can attend, (except for evangelism sake), how we can conduct our lives
generally are to be censored, seasoned and in tandem with Gods will. Even when
we are suffering or in problem our duties/calls overrides our feelings/emotions.Rom.8:36,
Heb. 10:33.
Ministers are forever and unconditionally
attached to Christ, His will and ways 1 Cor.7:22 although at time our will may
want to rear its ugly head (a case of Jesus Christ in the garden of Gethsemane Matt
26:39) but we are to continually surrender it at the cross like our master
eventually did.
Conclusion
We (Ministers)
are free in Christ but not free from him, 1 Corinthians 7:22
King James Version22 For he that is
called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he
that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
Shalom.
