After reading Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we may look down at the church in Corinth because it was filled with so many problems. However, we should remember that this is the only book in the New Testament that specifically tells us it is written to all the believers in Christ (1:2). So Paul here is not just dealing with the problems in that local church, but with problems that have afflicted the church as a whole ever since.

And one of these problems is an improper relationship with the servants of the Lord. We need to be clear that the fellowship of God's Son (1 Cor. 1:9) is also the fellowship of the apostles (Acts 2:42 ), because it is the labor of the apostles and of the genuine servants of the Lord that brings us into the genuine New Testament fellowship. Thus, if we are not properly related to such ones, there is no way for us to be in the proper fellowship, and the result will disastrous both for our own spiritual life and for the church.

That is why Paul inserts chapter 4 in this epistle, after he has dealt with the problem of division in chapters 1 to 3, and before he goes on to deal with the problem of immorality in chapter 5. In brief, what we see in this chapter is what it means to have a proper relationship with those who serve us in the Lord.

To download the pamphlet we use as

the basis for this study, go to this page:

“What Is God’s Purpose for the Church?”

To view the pamphlet online,

go to the “Look Inside” page.

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Bible Verses for this Episode

See Episode #135: “What Is the Church? (7): The Fellowship of God’s Son & of the Apostles”

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RESOURCES

Previous Episodes in this Series:

Podcast Series: “What Is the Church?”

Note: “The Bible in One Verse”

Note: “A Shortage of Idiots”

Pamphlet: “What Is God’s Purpose for the Church?”

Look Inside: “What Is God’s Purpose for the Church?”

Video: “How I Found the New Testament Fellowship.”

Podcast Series: “The Letters to the Seven Churches”

Books

E.H. Broadbent, The Pilgrim Church

Witness Lee The New Testament: Recovery Version

J.N. Darby: “The Nature and Unity of the Church”

Witness Lee, The Life and Way for the Practice of the Church Life

Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Church Life

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Recorded…

in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, 7 May 2025