- He went hungry, thirsty and without warm clothes often and treated homeless: (4:11): Many times Paul went hungry, thirsty, walked miles to reach some places. He endured cold without warm clothes. He has gone through rough patches in his life just for the sake of preaching the Gospel. That’s why Paul says: “woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” further he says: “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (1 cor.9:16a, 19). The Corinthian Christians did not want such rough patches in their lives, but they want fame, honour and live a comfortable life. This is very much true with the present church. No one wants to make their life tough by involving in the preaching of the gospel. Proclaiming the gospel has become an indoor entity. We must see that our churches do not become like the Corinthian church.
- He did backbreaking labour: (4:12a): Paul suffered as he did great labour with his own hands. He worked as a tentmaker that must lowered him in the eyes of many because Greeks despise manual labour and especially the tent making associated with tannery.
- He blessed even his enemies: (4:12b, 13a): When Paul was reviled, he blessed the people just as Jesus commanded (matt. 5:44). When he was persecuted, he endured it by the grace of God. He was slandered but he responded them with love. Yes what life does to us depends on what life finds in us. Paul and other apostles were treated just as Jews treated the Lord Jesus Christ.
- He was looked as the world’s garbage: (4:13b): Men treated Paul as scum of this world. People shouted at him “Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live” (Acts 22:22). He was slandered. He was willing to work and suffer. Yet he was faithful to God in all matters.
The important matter was the Corinthian Christians wanted honour and associate themselves with great men. Paul very emphatically says, those who want to associate in the spreading of the gospel must be ready for suffering and persecution.
The faithless steward: (4:6-8, 10b, 10d, 10e):
Paul says “these things” gas been applied to Paul and Apollos for the benefit of the Corinthians. But do not go beyond which makes the leader unproductive and lose his call. Some of the vices tempt many leaders in the process of their ministry and they become great burden and stumbling block for the ministry. Some of the vices are given below:
- He is filled with pride: (4:6-7): They take pride in one man over against another. It is easy to get attached to someone who has helped us. Paul warns against taking pride in such favourite leader. Many leaders take excessive pride in themselves, often give their own examples as models in their preaching. This way we are not glorifying God but ourselves. We must have the attitude like the John the Baptist who said: “He must increase and I must decrease” (Jn. 3:27-30).
- He is excessively forward: (4:8): Some preachers when they received gifts from God they become too much extrovert and excessively forward in their dealings. They forget that what they have received are the “gifts of the Holy Spirit” who freely gives to anyone He wishes. Instead of being grateful to God they behave as if they are lords. But the apostles who have received spiritual gifts were poor and persecuted and humble in their dealings. This was the attitude of many believers in the Corinthian church.
- He is wise in his own eyes, physically strong and honoured in the society: (4:10b, 10d, 10e):Paul was rebuking the Corinthians that they were wise in their own eyes but actually they are fools in the sight of God because they are depending upon the wisdom and standards of the world. If anyone wants to be spiritually strong, he must become a fool because the world considers us fools. “The message of the cross is a foolishness to those who are perishing (the worldly people), but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God”(1:18). If Paul remained a Jewish rabbi, he could have attained great heights in the worldly point of view and he would not have faced all the persecution. Corinthians must be careful not to be carried away by the worldly standards as wise to the world, physically and socially strong or honoured by the society. All these count nothing when compared with the wondrous glory of God for which we are all called. The words of Jim Elliot the martyred missionary to Acua tribe in South America writes like this. “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
There was a time when Paul gloried in his strengths; but then he met Jesus Christ and discovered that what he thought were assets were really liabilities (Phil 3). Paul discovered that his spiritual strength was the result of personal weakness (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Strength that knows itself to be strength is weakness, but weakness that knows itself to be weakness becomes strength.The Corinthians were proud of their spiritual achievements. Further the Corinthians were craving for honour. The worldly honour only lower our spiritual standards, because all the glory coming to us instead of glorifying God. So believes must be careful not to fall into such temptations. The praises and appreciations of this world puts us farther and farther from the Lord Jesus Christ.