Title: The Evangelist's Office
Contents
(1 Corinthians 4: 1-21)
First, an apostle is a servant of Christ and a steward of the mystery of God (v. 1). Apostles and evangelists are neither masters nor masters of the church, but only administrators and workers. Whose worker you are is a worker of Christ, and what you manage is a manager of the soul who is entrusted with the mystery of God's salvation. The wrong apostle sometimes eats the soul instead of pretending to be the master and managing the soul. Also, the wrong church members try to make apostles and evangelists work as their workers, and they try to think of them as managers of the business, not the soul. A true apostle must be faithful as a servant of Christ and faithful as a steward of the soul.
Fourth, even the office of an apostle has a measure. I cannot do it all by myself, nor do I have the ability to do so (verse 6). God uses people's natural talents and talents evenly. Therefore, when an apostle intends to carry out his office, he must work alongside other co-workers, and he must respect the co-workers who work with him. I am grateful for receiving the blessing of a co-worker who has worked with me in the ministry for the past 30 years. Thank you for allowing me to have a great co-worker who fills in the gaps I lack. The Apostle Paul praised Apollos for his greatness and ability, and thanked each of them for how they performed their duties and contributed to the building of one world. Therefore, the clergy should not be proud of their co-workers. The apostle must not have the stubbornness to do everything by himself. A clergyman should work with a co-worker while respecting each other's duties. Church members, too, should know that when dealing with clergy, how they treat Paul and how they treat Apollos differ depending on their office, and they should respect each other. Therefore, the apostle is admonishing us not to be proud or boastful about any one thing.
Last day I read the memos of a retired evangelist and wept. He said that he would cure a young member of the church. He fasted and prayed for one week, and it was not okay to pray for two or three weeks. Later, he cut off his finger with an axe and bled from the patient's bedside, and God healed the young man. I prayed that I would do one of the two things, either by taking my life or by dying. At that moment, this young man returned to his sanity and was healed, and even his family and relatives who came there decided to believe in Jesus and the church was established.
As a child, I saw my father fasting and praying for days for a member of the church. The method is different, but I bowed my head to the point that the evangelist and minister had the heart and determination to save a person's soul. A minister should be like a parent to the church member, not one of ten thousand or one thousand teachers, but only one.
Seventh, the apostle must express his power not with words, but with power (verse 20). The word power here refers to works and the whole of life. The power of a clergyman becomes a powerful religious man when his whole life becomes a sermon, a religion, and an education. Some have apostles who can only speak. The religion of such a person is a religion without power. A minister who strives to bring his words and thoughts into harmony with his faith and his life is a good minister. Even the members of the church do not receive much trust from members who serve with their mouths. Workers who do not really speak words, but act, become powerful officers.
With the above, we have introduced the seven major offices of the apostleship. Your apostles who are reflected before you will feel that they are lacking. However, I hope that you will respect, understand, and comfort me if there is one thing that I have shed tears in trying to fulfill my duties. I hope that you will comfort, encourage, and pray for your ministers who dedicate their lives, body, mind, and life to fulfilling their most difficult positions.