The mynisteries of God are the qualifications of ministers

[瑤翰 김요한]

 In 1 Corinthians 4, Paul declares that he has the qualifications to write a letter to the Corinthian church.

The point is that if you are ministeries of Christ, you must have the mysteries of God (v. 1).

The mystery of God is Christ in you. (Colossians 1:27)

Surprisingly, many of the Lord's ministeries do not know Christ.

Saying only Jesus means that I am a beginner who does not know Christ.

In fact, a secret is nothing to those in the know. It's just everyday.

Christ is hidden from some and close as a friend to others.

To some, Christ is a treasure; to others, it is worth nothing.

That is why the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Unless you were crucified with Christ, died, and live again, you do not know Christ.

If you explain the riches of salvation through Christ while studying the Bible, many people accept it literally without being moved by the Holy Spirit.

They are people of the flesh.

Because Paul possesses the mystery of God, he can write a letter of self-commitment boasting in his Lord.

He is writing a letter of self-commitment under the premise that "by the grace of God I am what I am.”

For Paul, the pride of being a servant of Christ was enough to cover the whole world.

So, isn't it said that the ship carrying the prisoner Paul was the ship carrying the world?

The problem of the Corinthian church in the contents up to 1 Corinthians 3 is that the church members compare the likes and dislikes of the ministers' humanity and follow them.

The eval‎uation of that humanity has affected the church, and envy and disputes have arisen.

As a result, people try to climb up to the position of the ministers, and there is an absurdity that exceeds authority.

So politics intervenes in the church.

To put it simply, 'Anyone can give a sermon like that, is it all if you are a pastor?' It's like this.

The answer to this question will be dealt with in 1 Corinthians 4.

God's servants are so authoritative that people try to bring them down to their level, then and now, in the church.

However, a group of ordinary believers should not challenge an authority group as God's ministers.

That is, just as there are kings, teachers, and parents ( king, teacher and parents are all in one) in the world, there is a lineage of God that delivers the blessings of Christ to you in the spiritual world.

This is what the Bible means when it says to obey the superior authorities (Romans 13:1).

It's not just a word about the world's authorities . It is a word about spiritual lineage and order.

However, people who do not have the mystery of God in the church of today have completed the theological courses and been appointed to work as ministers.

Church ministers must be Christ's servants who are entrusted with the mysteries of God.

"You should regard us as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1).

There is no reason for ministers of the Church of God to be outstanding in appearance or academic background.

It is important that the ordered goods are delivered properly, but the courier's appearance is of no use.

Paul boldly speaks of us as servants of Christ.

In other words, he wants to be known as one who serves Christ as Lord under Christ.

And he means to know as a steward entrusted with the mysteries of God.

Awaken spiritual order to the Corinthian church.

“And of those entrusted with it, it is required that they be faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

Ministers are to be workers as those who serve in and under Christ, while the church is to seek out stewards of the mystery of Christ.

In other words, we must find ministers who have been found faithful in Christ.

Not just the performance of their duties.

It refers to a minister who applies the mystery of Christ as his own.

This is what the heavenly scribes do and teach (Matthew 5:19).

Angels sit on either side of the empty tomb where Jesus Christ rose again (John 20:12).

Equal to what? 

This is the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, the atonement cover , the mercy seat, and the throne of grace.

The temple of the Old Testament is a shadow of the good things to come, and Jesus Christ is the reality of that temple.

The fact that two angels are on both sides means that Jesus Christ is the substance of the ark.

In it, there is resurrection (Aaron's budded rod), bread for eternal life (manna), and  love of God and love of neighbor (the Ten Commandments).

Jesus Christ is the Word (John 1:1), full of the image and glory of God and filling all things.

As promised, our Lord Jesus Christ sends the Spirit of truth to us and dwells within us.

If we have this secret, think that we live with the power of the ark.

Great, really great. So, it is not me who has become me but Christ.

Because Christ, the treasure, is in our bodies, which are like earthen vessels, we love the message of the cross, which always bears the death of Jesus.

So, as God said, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10),  to always willingly give oneself to the death of Jesus and longing for the life of Jesus to appear in one’s own body and flesh, that is, faithfulness, living martyrdom.

We practice faithfulness, a life of living martyrdom, over and over again.

Because such a person is given the crown of life, it tastes like salt, shines as light, and becomes perceived and read as the fragrance of Christ or as a letter.

On the other hand, only Jesus or dare to say to me as a pastor... or to call a building a temple, this kind of person can be seen as a beginner Jesus teacher.

Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.

Translated by  Nancy Chung

COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION