A Call To The Remnant

1Co 4:8  You are already full. Yow are already rich, you have reigned as kings without us:

You are rich, you have increased in goods and have need of nothing! Jesus says this to the church at Laodicea and yet as we find out from the Lord, they were actually , wretched, miserable and poor, blind and naked. This is the tragedy of what happens when pride rises in the hearts of men. They become disconnected to the one who truly sustains them. They begin to look to themselves and are proud at what they see. They look to numbers. How many people in your church? How many churches affiliated? How much money in the offering plate? How much money in the bank? How big is your church? How big is your house? Are you on the radio? Are you on TV? Are you rich in all of these things? You may not say it out loud that you have “need for nothing,” but of course the Lord knows the heart.

And in another application Paul is correct. Genuine saints are rich, they are full, they shall rule and reign with Christ if they indeed suffer with Him. We have an abundance of grace. We are overwhelmed with mercy. We are full of the favor of God, and the love of the Lord extends to us as far as the east is from the west. Who could be richer than that? Paul explains this to the Corinthians by telling them how he and the other Apostles live. They have hungered he says. They have been poorly clothed. They have often been beaten and are oftentimes homeless. They all labor with their own hands to put food on their own tables. They are hated not loved. They are reviled and persecuted yet…….. they are rich beyond measure! We see this richness displayed by Paul and Silas when they worshiped in the depths of a dungeon. We see this great faith displayed when Paul said that he counted all loss as “dung,” as long as he was “found in Him.

This is the great treasure saints. God says that He is our exceeding great reward! And it is in this reward that we see the genuine saints thrive. Some men fill themselves with grace and love and mercy and forgiveness, and with these treasures given, they freely give them to others. This is rich. Other men fill their bank accounts with money and gather properties and land. They seek power and influence and stature. The desire of a man’s heart is not hidden from God. He sees and He judges rightly. Paul describes how he and his fellows Apostles live, and then advises others to imitate them. (1 Cor 4:11-16) Is this how we see “leaders,” live today? Or do they rule as kings without God and His saints? There is enmity between the desires of this world and the desires of the saints. Today there are millions of “instructors in Christ,” but not many genuine leaders. Paul instructs would be leaders to follow His example. Look at a “leaders,” hands. Are there calluses there? Look at Paul’s back, his stripes testify to his leadership.