This short passage, concerning the servants of Christ and their work, falls within the opening section of Paul's letter, a section which addresses the divisions in the church and also serves as a defence of Paul's standing as an apostle.

v1. Paul makes an opening statement in the form of a rhetorical question. "How should the church regard its ministers?" The answer is, "as servants of Christ" - those who minister to the church on Christ's behalf. These ministers are "entrusted" (literally "stewards", in the sense of serving under the master's authority, serving Christ's household, the church). They are stewards of "the secret things" (literally, "the mysteries"). Paul has used the term "mystery" before to describe something hidden, now revealed. The "mystery" is the secret of God's intentions revealed in the gospel. His intention is to unite all things to himself in the kingdom of heaven.

v2. What then is required of the steward? Rather than running their own agenda, a steward is to do the master's bidding. That is, the are to "prove faithful" - be trustworthy. The Corinthians, following secular practice, are probably looking for personal authority in their leaders.

v3. As for the business of assessing the worth of a stewards ministry, no human has the capacity to determine the faithfulness, or otherwise, of one of Christ's servants. Paul is not even willing to judge the worth of his own ministry. He will leave that to the Lord.

v4. Not that he feels he has failed in his ministry, but then, his own assessment is not necessarily worth much since "a good conscience is an invention of the devil." Plato would say, "to him who has no sin on his conscience, sweet hope is present." Paul recognizes that the "sweet hope" of standing right before God, is something only God, in his grace, can do. Our God justifies (declares/makes right) the ungodly, Rom.4:5. So, Paul knows it doesn't matter much how highly he may assess his ministry. In the end, security in the day of judgement, in the day when "the Lord" (Jesus) examines him, security in that day rests on the mercy of God.

v5. For the present, believers should be careful how they assess the worth, or otherwise, of someone's ministry. The day will come when we will all stand before the Lord Jesus (the day when the Lord comes). In that day our secret acts and even thoughts, will be revealed. So, when it comes to the praise, or otherwise, of a steward's ministry, let it be done in that day, and let it be done by the Lord. It is not wise to praise either Paul or Apollos. Best to leave it to the Lord to give praise where praise is due.

In a local Parish recently, a newly appointed clergyman found himself in trouble with a majority of the congregation. Every time there is a change in ministry, relationship problems do develop. There are many factors which can work against a new ministry and sometimes these factors compound to produce a major problem. Some of the factors are the minister's doing, others relate to the congregation, personalities, the former minister, etc.

In this particular case, there was a reaction over style of leadership. The minister was very hands-on directive and this agitated many of the lay leaders who were themselves powerful people. So, it was a simple problem of "fit". A style that could work well elsewhere, didn't work in that particular instance. Inevitably the Archbishop was brought into the fight and it ended up in a church tribunal.

In the ensuing debate, questions were raised concerning the rights and responsibilities of a minister and how they relate to the congregation and Bishop. Each denomination handles this question differently. For Anglicans the answer to this question lies in the Ordinal. An Anglican minister is to study and teach the Bible, minister according to the Prayer Book, care for the congregation, study the Bible, strive to live according to its truths, promote love within the church and obey his Bishop in all "godly counsel". This an Anglican minister promises to do, and as long as a minister keeps their promise, then there can be no ground for complaint.

What we see in our passage for study is Paul again facing criticism over his ministry. The Corinthians are judging the worth of his ministry. So what Paul sets out to do is explain the function of a Christian minister, and asks them to think again before they get into judging him or any minister.

i] Servants of Christ. Often ministers are seen as servants of the congregation, or the denomination, but they are primarily servants of Christ to the congregation. Paul actually uses another word with servants, namely "stewards" (NIV "those entrusted"). The steward serves the master by caring for his household.
      ii] Ministering the secret things. The "mystery" is the gospel of the kingdom of God. Its fact we proclaim to the world, and its truths we teach to God's people.
      iii] Faithfulness. The minister must be faithful to Christ in serving him rather than self, the congregation, or the denomination.

There is much that can be said on the role of the congregation, but Paul stresses what not to do - critical destructive judgement. Paul's advice is, let Christ handle the business of judging.

1. List the perceived functions of a Christian minister and compare these with Paul's understanding of ministry function.

2. Obviously, a thoughtful critique of a person's ministry can be helpful, but at what point does it become unhelpful criticism?