1 Corinthians 4:11-13
Ps Paul Cheng
Dear Bethelites,
The Corinthians were debating amongst themselves about whose group was greater; e.g. those belonging to Paul, Apollos or Peter. Thus, the Apostle Paul exhorted them of their misconceptions of what it meant to be an apostle (1 Corinthians 4:9-10). In our last pastoral chat, we learnt that to be an apostle, one must be willing (1) to be a spectacle, and (2) to be a fool. Today, we will continue with the other points.
III. The willingness to suffer
1 Corinthians 4:11, Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place;
The apostles not only were spectacles and fools, they were also willing to suffer for Christ’s sake. They were willing to be subjected to hunger, thirst and nakedness (meaning to be poorly clothed or lack of clothing). The apostles understood the true meaning of Jesus’ words, The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). The apostles lived in the lowest levels of society. In other words, the Corinthians were living like kings (1 Corinthians 4:8), while the apostles were living like slaves.
Consider the life of Paul as an apostle of Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Some people are willing to follow Jesus when the situation and condition are good, and at the first sign of trouble, they are nowhere to be seen. Do you think that is true saving faith? Remember, Jesus said, And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple? Luke ( 14:27) The cross is a reference to the cross of suffering and it means to be willing to suffer for Christ, even to the point of death because that was where the cross would lead to.
It does not mean that everyone will go through the same kind of suffering as the apostles, but if that is the price to pay to follow Christ, one must be willing to follow Him. God knows everything about us, and what we can and cannot endure. He will not let us go through those tests that we are not able to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).
As believers, we live by faith, and God takes our heart of faith and our willingness to follow Him, and He guides us through all the trials and tribulations of life. When we reflect upon our lives, we see the hills and valleys that we have crossed, and through them all, the Lord is with us. At every step of the way, He strengthens us by His Spirit.
Our response to life should be, “Lord, I do not know what is ahead of me. There may be suffering and difficult times, but thou hast promised to be with me, and that is all I care about. I am willing to carry the cross, for thou art with me.”
IV. The willingness to work hard
1 Corinthians 4:12-13a, And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat:
To labour means to work to the point of exhaustion. There was a time when the church could not afford to support Paul’s ministry, and he had to work as a tentmaker. That was what it meant to labour and working with our own hands. The apostles were willing to work hard for the sake of the gospel.
V. The willingness to forgive
1 Corinthians 4:13b, …we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
But the Greeks considered such people as beneath dignity because only slaves or servants would do those kinds of jobs. That was why Paul and the apostles were being reviled (abused with words), persecuted and defamed (blasphemed). But instead of being vengeful and bitter, they suffered it (endured it) and when they were being blasphemed, they intreat (pray).
They truly remembered and followed the teachings of Christ who taught them to Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:44).
VI. The willingness to be considered as scums
1 Corinthians 4:13b, …we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.
The Corinthians proudly saw themselves as being on the top, but the apostles humbly saw themselves as in the bottom. The word filth is a reference to the dirt stuck at the bottom of a dirty pot, and the word offscouring means to scrub the dirt off, or brush the dirt off. In other words, the apostles were considered scums to be done away with. The words filth and offscouring were often used for the lowest and most degraded criminals, and that was how the world viewed the apostles, ministers and believers.
Dear friends, it is not hard for the world to accept us, as long as we keep the gospel to ourselves. But the moment we preach and teach the gospel, and live out God’s truth in our lives, the world takes great offence. This sinful world hates the light of God’s truth.
The Corinthians had been keeping the gospel to themselves, and they had not lived out God’s truth in their lives, that was why the world was able to accept them. Here, Paul was not using this passage to shame the Corinthians, but rather to teach them.
Are you willing to follow Jesus regardless of any circumstances? Are you willing to be willing to be made a spectacle for Christ, to be fools for Christ’s sake, to suffer for Christ, to work hard for His glory, to forgive when being persecuted, and to be blasphemed for His name’s sake?
In Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng