“We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servant for Jesus’ sake” -2 Cor. 4:5.
Apostle Paul is writing to the church of God in Corinth.
The structure of the verse is interesting. Here Paul states in the same verse what he and his ministry team did and did not do.
They did not preach themselves, but
[they did preach] Jesus Christ as Lord
and
[they did preach] themselves as church’s
servants for Jesus’ sake
This structure implies that, in Paul’s mind, preaching themselves as church’s (peoples, members) servants for Jesus’ sake is not the same as preaching themselves but rather preaching Jesus as Lord -not just preaching Jesus, but Jesus as Lord.
It means that there is a difference between “serving a church” and “serving a church for Jesus sake”. A man of God serves God’s people for the sake of Jesus as Lord.
It also means that serving a church for Jesus’ sake is done by exclusively preaching Jesus as Lord.
As a Man of God Paul served the church of God for the sake of Jesus as Lord, not his own sake. Here we have a case of theocracy (Jesus rules) as opposed to democracy (members rule) in the church.
This is significant because somewhere else apostle Paul writes: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ” -2Timothy 4:3
I wonder if such a time as not come already….
Paul’s use of the term “your servants” needs highlighting especially in the light of revelation 19:10 where the Angel forbade John to bow to him in the following terms: The Angel said, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
A servant serves with a sense of accountability to the one for whose sake he/she serves and to whom all honor and glory belong!
May the Lord help us!
