When there are problems in a local church, you hear all kinds of often contradictory 'stories'. Often it is chaos about what is going on or what 'people' disagree about. What should you do as an 'ordinary' believer? Simple but follow what the majority thinks and does? Or consult the Bible and ask the Lord to guide you? Indeed, we should always do the latter.
However, you can still ask a question and that is: who should you listen to? Are there not 'leaders' (or 'elders') in the chaos who show the church the right way? Let's see how things were going in the church in Corinth.
Corinth – a letter to everyone
In a church like Corinth with so many problems, wrong doctrine and practices you would speak to the people, send a letter to the responsible elders about the problems and their solution. After all, we expect them to lead the congregation as shepherds in unity and to show the way.
But none of that; Paul addresses his letter to “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints . . .” (1 Corinthians 1:2). This addresses everyone in the municipality; everyone should take Paul's words to heart and consider the consequences. Personal spiritual training is needed, and for that Paul simply presents God's truth to each individual conscience. Everyone must act according to his own conscience before God (2 Corinthians 4:2b).
We have already argued that there is no formal authority in the church of God (see here). So also not in Corinth and no doubt that was the reason that Paul does not give them specific assignments.
But suppose that elders were appointed as people who have formal authority in the church, brothers who have 'decision-making power'. Would that have made a difference? Most probably not, because the differences of opinion are so great that they could not be bridged. The second letter to Corinth shows that there were people in Corinth who believed that they had as much authority as the apostle. Paul calls them "false apostles, deceitful workers' (2 Corinthians 11:12-15). People like this don't accept what Paul said and wrote. They reject the Word of God and 'fake it' (2 Corinthians 4:2).
Look who your elders are
It is interesting that at the end of the 1 . Paulth letter to Corinth still gives directions to every believer who will hear.
“And I exhort you, brethren—you know that the house of Stephanas is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have made themselves available for the service of the saints—that you submit yourselves also to such people, and to everyone who cooperates and makes an effort. And I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, for they have replenished what I lacked on your part, for they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Then recognize such people.” (1 Corinthians 16:15-18)
He does not mention the word 'elders', but he puts the true workers of the Lord (as opposed to the deceitful workers from the 2th letter to Corinth) to the believers and calls some of them by name. The faithful are called to worship them subjects and them acknowledge. That is the task for every believer who wants to act on God's Word: to see those who have received moral authority from God, to recognize them and to submit to them. When it comes to the way you have to go as a believer in and together with the church, then you have to be with these men[1]. You should take their views to heart and listen to them.
Characteristics
Paul describes some important characteristics of Stephanas and the others.
- In the first place, it is men who with their families ('house of Stefanas') faithfully serve the Lord by serving the believers.
- Secondly, they are men through whom Paul' "spirit was refreshed' (1 Corinthians 16:17,18). That can mean nothing more than that they talked to Paul about the Lord Jesus and the things of God. They are men who love the Lord Jesus and the Word of God.
- Implicitly there seems to be a third characteristic and that is that these men do not impose themselves on the brothers and sisters to 'solve' mutual problems. In fact, it's the other way around,submit and acknowledge' should be a characteristic disposition of every believer who seeks after the will of God. Watchman Nee once wrote that when you come to another church as a believer (for example, when you move house), you look for those who have received (moral) authority from God. So you know who to listen to and to whom to submit.
These are also important questions for our time:
- Does anyone serve the Lord by serving the believers and
- Do you notice that such a person is full of (the things of) the Lord. Can you talk to him about the Lord Jesus and does he present Christ the Crucified to you? Does he only use the Word of God?
The choice of two types of leaders
I find it remarkable that the 1th letter in this way ends with the marks of true servants of the Lord in the church. I find even more remarkable that the 2th letter gives a characteristic of the 'deceitful workers' (2 Corinthians 11:13) thus indicating the contrast.
In the 2th In the letter to the Corinthians, Paul sets his own service against those in Corinth who use their wrong influence to draw the believers away from Christ. He writes of them
- That they trade with the Word of God (2:17; as opposed to 11:7 – 'free of charge').
- That they have shameful practices, walk in deceit, and falsify the Word of God (4:2)
- That the god of this age has blinded their minds (4:4)
- That they preach themselves (4:5)
- That they boast in the outward appearance and not in what is in the heart (5:12)
- Unbelievers, lawless, darkness (6:14,15)
- That they put Paul in a bad light (10:1,2,10,11)
- That they commend themselves, are themselves a standard and unwise (10:12,18)
- That they boast in themselves 'without limits' (10:13-15)
- That they preach a different Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel (11:4)
- That they felt they were no less than Paul (11:12);
- They are false apostles, deceitful workers, posing as apostles of Christ (11:13) and Paul calls them fools (11:19)
For us believers in our time, too, the question is who to listen to. To those who simply serve the believers - and thus the Lord - and perhaps do their ministry unobtrusively and in humility. Or those who oppose Paul, twist the Word of God and consider themselves very important. Men who pretend to be the Lord's laborers, but in reality are not.
It is very important that we can distinguish who really
are servants of the Lord and who are not,
to know who to listen to.
[1] Paul describes it in such a way that you can deduce 'multiple leadership' from this, which is in line with what is written elsewhere about elders and overseers.
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