Our being disciples
Even of Paul the Apostle

For three Chapters Paul is worked up over the Corinthians having divided themselves up as the disciples of different apostles and teachers. Paul flat tells us that only the carnal (self serving) and babes would ever think such a thing. At the end Paul concludes that we are not disciples of any teacher preacher apostle of prophet but we belong to Christ, He purchased us with his blood. And right in the beginning Paul asked was Paul crucified for you. This is critical that we understand that we can only be the disciples of one – that is Jesus Christ. And if we make ourselves the disciple of another as Eve did in the garden when she became a disciple of the serpent we are no longer Christ’s. Eve heard the voice of another, she believed the words of another, she was obedient to the words of another, she taught the words of another, and then she made disciples of her master.

Paul tells us here he laid a foundation – he then issues a clarification and a warning of men building foundations by saying Take heed for no other foundation can one lay but Jesus Christ. And then Paul issues an even sterner warning that God will destroy anyone that defiles the temple with a foundation other than Jesus Christ and Paul concludes this lesson on discipleship reminding us that the pastor teachers apostles and prophets like the world like life and death like the things present and like the things to come are all to be our servants and we are to serve none of them or become the disciples of none of them because we are Christ’s.

I Corinthians 1:11-14 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house(Hold) of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of ; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you . . . .

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

1 Corinthians 3:4-6 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

1Corinthians 3:10-11 For I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

1 Corinthians 3:22-23 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; -- ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

And in another place Paul the Apostle speaks once again to what not only the content of our preaching, but he once again reaffirms the position of the preacher of the true gospel.

2 Corinthians 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. Paul says here that we are not to preach ourselves – our names, our ministries, our traditions.
So many Evangelists and Preachers recount their personal experiences of the power of God coming down upon them making themselves the center of the event and receiving the praise and adoration of men. This in direct contradiction to what the Apostle John said: “That which our eyes have seen, which out hands have handled concerning the word of life, (That would be Christ) that speak we unto you. In so doing these are all antichrist because they put themselves and their ministries in the place of Christ and receive adoration and praise of men in his place. Note also Paul like Christ came not to be served or submitted to but to be a servant even as Christ had.

Consider now that before Christ began his ministry He forsook all. He left his father, mother, brothers, sisters, and brethren. But wasn’t Christ also the first born in his family – yes indeed and that had great significance to his standing in the house of Joseph of Nazareth.

Christ was entitled to not only the family name but the family inheritance as well. – And that would have consisted of 1) The family business, 2) The family home, 3) And whatever wealth and possessions Joseph had accumulated over those 30 years.

So Christ not only left His father, mother, brothers, sisters, and brethren to follow God but he left houses and lands and his entire family inheritance. In Christ’s actions we see the demonstration that Jesus was not at all like the Pharisees of whom He testified that they were those that “Taught commandments but did not themselves. Jesus walked long in his own commandments before he issued them to his disciples. We can say with some certainty here that He gave up everything He owned or had rights to in this world. So that in actuality Jesus during his entire ministry only possessed the sandals that He wore, the one garment that He wore, and a cloak. ( I include that because he let his disciples take a cloak)

Mark 6:3 Is not this (Jesus) the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. I have read in Justin Martyr’s writings in 160 AD that Jesus was a carpenter of farm implements – more particularly Justin Martyr tells us that Jesus had made ox yokes, and plows.

It is an indisputable fact that Christ made Himself of no reputation. And it is also an indisputable that before Christ began his ministry He forsook houses, lands, family, and His rightful inheritance as the firstborn of Joseph of Nazareth. I want you to see that like Abram, Jesus willing gave all that up to become a sojourner in Israel, seeking a kingdom that was not made with hands.

But we need to see something even more powerful than that transpired during His ministry. After Jesus gave up houses and lands and was baptized by John the Baptist, the bible says Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil. –The third temptation was when the devil showed Christ in a vision all the kingdoms of the earth and said: “It is mine to give to whom I will. If you will bow before me I will give you all these kingdoms. – To this Christ responded: Thou shalt only worship the Lord your God. And then the bible records that the Devil left him for a season.

John 10:23-25 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

We need to now see that during Christ’s ministry as the Messiah the anointed heir apparent to the throne of David that Jesus was continually offered the throne of David by all those around him. How so? It is in the word Messiah, it is in The Son of David, It was the question that Pontius Pilot asked, it was in the rage of the Pharisees, it was the words on the lips of all of all of Israel as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. It was the words continually on the lips of Christ’s blind and carnal disciples as they fought continually about their positions in Christ’s earthly kingdom, they even during the last supper over it, and even after the resurrection the question came up once again Wilt thou at this time take your kingdom?

For over three decades I have heard preachers time and time again proclaim that Christ at any time could have taken what was rightfully His. That Christ could have taken the throne of David. And all will say a hearty Amen to this. And with this same earthly sensual logic these same preachers tell us that it is not Christ’s will that any of us be poor. That it is not Christ’s will that any of us be sick, and that Christ has given the world into the hands of the Church that we can rule and reign with him. What I am going to say now has been a mystery and I cannot expect anyone to understand it except that the Father has given it to them.

It is utterly false that Christ could have taken the throne of David at anytime. As He had forsaken his natural father, mother, sisters, brothers, houses, and lands, and made Himself of no reputation, so too did Christ forsake his inheritance as the Messiah and Heir to David’s throne. Forsaking Jerusalem, the palace of Herod, the lands, and the brethren that would at his word have sworn instant allegiance to Him. And on this point the devil returned after a season and goaded and tempted Christ almost daily to seize upon it.

How could this have been sin how could this have been wrong if He was the Messiah – because it was not the will of the father. If there ever was a person that we could say every promise in the book was theirs it would have been Christ – and yet they were not all his for the claiming confessing and taking. Consider the words “Physician heal thyself.” Even after He rose from the dead the wounds remained. Moving on one day Simon Peter rebuked Christ that He should not die, and Christ turned around and rebuked Satan for speaking through Peter’s mouth. Peter was not the only one voicing the devil’s siren song for Christ to take matters into his own hands. His disciples were speaking the words of the wicked one regarding Christ being the king of an earthly kingdom, the people of Israel were continually speaking the enemy’s words, the Pharisees and Priests also goaded Christ, but Christ was not taken in by any of this talk. He refused to accept any of it, even when the rich young ruler came and Christ could have easily accepted his gifts and offerings He steadfastly refused. And instead of having received the gifts of men Jesus instead testified in the last few days before he was crucified: “Foxes have holes and birds have nests but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.

As the disciples were before they were converted, and even after Christ rose from the dead so are the carnal preachers and corrupt teachers of our day. Who themselves continually preach and teach the words of the wicked one. And what are those words?

They are that we can do what the Master did not and still be his servants.

They are that we need not give up houses or lands, brothers, sisters, and our earthly inheritances and still be a disciple of Christ.

They are that as a member of the Church that we can love mammon and the things of this world and still be a disciple of Christ.

They are that we can exalt ourselves, we can come in our own names, we can exalt our own ministries, we can receive the praise of men, we can exalt other people’s ministries, and still be a disciple of Christ.

And they are that we can learn the words of others and teach men to do so and still be the disciple of Christ. As the disciples were confused about Christ ruling an earthly kingdom before they were converted, and remained confused even after Christ rose from the dead so are the carnal preachers and corrupt teachers of this day. These men are confused about the Church being called to rule and reign as an earthly kingdom here and now. And this is of no small significance in a day when the church that is increasingly preaching greater and greater corruption in the area of financial wealth, and earthly prosperity, and their assumption of a physical earthly kingdom. Jesus said the servant is not above the master. If our Master forsook all his earthly rights, and goods to seek the excellency of God wandering the fields and villages with no certain home, and that He himself had to pray for His daily bread -- where does this put us?

Whose disciple are we if we possess what He Himself put off and counted all as loss? Jesus said” “No man can have two masters and yet we have more than one. Jesus said: “You cannot be my disciple and serve – another, money, or the things of this world and yet we do.

If we therefore are not Christ’s disciples, if we indeed have the grace to see that Jesus is not our master, then whose servant are we and to whom do we belong?