Paul continues on in his first epistle to the Corinthian believers in chapter 7 by answering some questions that apparently they had written asking about. In the next few chapters Paul addresses marriage, divorce, remarriage, slavery, eating meats and drinking drinks offered to idols, deference to the weaker brother, liberty in Christ, and other similar tangents that coincided.
The thing that stuck out to me as I was thinking back to our original spurring on in this topic was how Paul had a ready answer and a sure answer to give to these Christians. Paul did not shy away from the tough questions as we noted last time. He was willing to broach the tough topics and deal with them.
Paul did this thing called ministry to perform the equipping that he would later explain in Ephesians 4 "to the perfecting of the saints."
The words that Paul communicates are words of inspiration and quotation. He is lead by the Holy Spirit to write what is now to us Scripture. As we read in these chapters, Paul also quotes our Lord directly and uses the direct teachings of Christ to reinforce the instruction he is offering.
How then do I effectively minister? To be effective I have to give answers that are not of my own intuition, but are based upon the direct teachings of God's Word.
I was recently reading some other blogs and a particular topic was addressed that is one of the "unclear" teachings of Scripture. By "unclear" I mean that we do not find a direct prohibition in Scripture against it and so the arguments were ensuing for liberty or license. Thus if there is no formal description of sin as a result of participation, God then is granting complete license to perform.
The argument then was made that judgment and discernment must be needed. We find in God's Word many principles and examples of lives that help shape our standards and even our convictions. God's Word is to become the sure foundation and not our own desires for self-justification or the seeking to be exonerated from accountability due to my status of being Justified by God's grace.
We are not to approach Scripture to find excuses or grant ourselves permission. We are to seek to find in Scripture the wisdom to discern "best" from "allowed," or as Paul put it:
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.
(1 Corinthians 6:12-13)
Ministry is not me relegating standards or even personal convictions.
Ministry is me teaching people how to hold the Word of Truth themselves and make decisions based upon the clear teachings and principles found there, in God's Word. Ministry is me helping Christians to base their values and actions in life upon something that will outlast me or even themselves. From the heart the activity of life is directed. To get to the heart we need to plant seeds of truth that will bear fruits of righteousness. That only comes as we accurately and not unfairly or haphazardly approach God's Word. I think even we as pastors need to be careful that our standards and convictions do not become the "truth" that we wish to guide our flocks by.
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
(Philippians 1:9-11)
