Nothing Before the Appointed Time

Nothing Before the Appointed Time
Words of Faith 5-9-25
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2025
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

1 Corinthians 4
     [1] So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. [2] Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. [3] I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. [4] My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. [5] Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

     Paul has been absolutely clear that it is wrong for a believer to have a worldly mindset that boasts about men. We are not to worship "Christian personalities" or argue allegiance to this leader or that. None of this is the Mind of Christ at all. But the question remains-- How, then, are we to regard ministers, leaders, and workers in the church? Are we to give them no regard whatsoever? Are we to ignore them? Are we to esteem them?
     Paul instructs us to regard church leaders and ministers as servants of Christ entrusted with the secret things of God. The word "regard" means to value, reckon, weigh, esteem, or conclude.
     Paul says we should value or esteem them as servants "belonging to Christ." Though ministers and leaders may serve the people of the church, they are not servants "owned by" or "belonging to" the church, like slaves.
     Yes, "All things are yours... and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God" (3:21), but this does not mean that we command those servants who are accountable to God. Ministers are not our slaves. In fact, the word Paul used actually indicates a freeman (huperetes) and not a slave (doulos)-- someone set free but living in a trusted position of accountable authority.
     They are "entrusted." Those who minister, teach, and lead in the church are "house stewards," much like Joseph in the house of Potiphar (Genesis 39). A house steward manages the affairs of the household entrusted to him, but always with the understanding that these things are owned by the Master.
     The ministers at Corinth were responsible to Christ, the Master, and not the Corinthians. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas were all servants of Christ. They are also to be considered stewards of God, those to whom a trust has been committed, a trust they are to prove faithful to.
     "The secret things of God" did not refer to the secrets and mysteries that cults often use to control people. The secret things of God were the mysteries of salvation that God has revealed in his Word, the things man cannot discover by his human wisdom. The secret things of God are the message of the Cross, known only by the Spirit's revelation.
     These truths of the Cross have been entrusted to Christian workers to be carefully used and guarded. As subordinate servants of Christ, a minister or leader has no right of authority over those truths except to minister them in Christ's name to God's people.
     There could be no higher trust than the one described here! The ministers of God's church are entrusted with the message of the Cross for God's people. It is required that they prove faithful. Leaders are to do their best to present themselves to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). The Lord judges those who are his entrusted "house stewards." It was not for the Corinthians to judge the leaders' ministries there.
     Paul even saw the danger in judging himself! Even with a clear conscience, Paul knew that the Lord's opinion was the only opinion that would matter on the Day of His coming. We are to judge nothing before the appointed time.
     There may be church leaders that we have deemed failures that will shine brightest in the final verdict, while others who have been lauded and honored by men may very well be judged with disgrace. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time, each will receive his praise from God.
     Paul knew just how empty and deceptive the accolades of men can be and that nothing, absolutely nothing, matters except for the opinion and regard of God our Savior. He had learned the futility of measuring "success" outside of anything besides faithfulness to God.
     There were times when Paul's efforts looked like absolute failure in the eyes of the world. He was beaten, jailed, run out of town, or left for dead in many towns. In Athens, Paul jousted with the philosophers but was rejected with only "a few men" becoming followers and believers (Acts 17). There were many times that Paul could have "beat himself up" as a failure, but he learned not even to judge himself.
     The reality is that we are all stewards of the Gospel of Christ. We have all been entrusted with the message of God's grace. Ultimately, we will not be judged by how many promotions we get or the vastness of our riches. We will stand accountable before the Lord for how we managed all that was entrusted to us for the sake of the Gospel.
     For those in the church? How should we treat our ministers and leaders? We should regard them as servants of Christ. We should "reckon, value or weigh" them as servants that belong to Christ, not as people who "work for us". We should value them as those entrusted with the secret things of God. We should esteem them because of Christ and His message, not because of their personality or any other human quality.
     The Lord instructs in the book of Hebrews: "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you" (13:17). We should honor leaders in ways that will lift their burden and make their work for the Gospel a joy.

     Father God, help me to esteem my church leaders rightly. Help me to refrain from judgment and comparison over those who lead and even over myself. Help me to be faithful in all that You have entrusted to me. Help me lift my church leaders' burdens so that their service to You may be a joy. In Jesus' name, Amen.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to church.office@faithfellowshipweb.com. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message to the same address. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy.