UNDER-ROWERS AND HOUSE-LAWYERS

     While Paul addresses his letters to definite localities,  these. specific localities are numerous house churches that he writes to.  This fact is demonstrated in the closing of his letters, in many cases. 

"In the face of the many difficulties, the first church was established in Jerusalem. Although all its members were Jewish they were not all the same type. Common folk were the "people of the land." They kept the practices down to the minimal loss standards. Peter was probably the typical of this type. There was also the more scrupulous kind, usually with pharisaic and Priestly backgrounds, represented by James. Finally, the Hellenistic Jews were represented in the Jerusalem church by Stephen and Philip.  One strong indication is their names,  A person's name indicaated a lot 

Since acts informs us that the church numbered several thousand at its rebirth, it could not meet as a whole in one place. In fact, the reference to small groupings is precisely what we would expect. They broke bread "in their homes" (acts 2:46) and did not stop teaching "at home" (5:42). Ask again mentions a prayer meeting in the house of Mary, Mark's mother (12:12), is further evidence that when they wanted to meet together, and the place was suitable except the homes of the members."

No record in Acts about rushing to build a church building and the Jerusalem Church continued growing. In fact nowhere in Acts does such a record exist.

  F. F. Bruce writes: "if Peter belong to the group which met in the home of Mary (Acts 12:12)... He knew that James and' the brother and close' met somewhere else (Acts 12:17)."When Paul sent greetings to the Roman believers from Corinth, he included Gaius, saying, " My host Gaius, in whose house the church meets, send you his greetings" (Roman 16:23).

Priscilla and Aquila meet Paul in Corinth. For whatever reasons, they and other Jews were expelled from Rome by the edict of Claudius (Acts 18:2). Priscilla and Aquila went to Corinth from their where they sold sailcloth for the tall ships in the port. They also sold skills and wears as merchants in the tent making industry. A little later, they moved again to Ephesus presumably to establish a business there also. But not long after arriving in this large city, this couple invited believers there into their house on the Lord's day. The church began using their living room for the meeting place on a regular basis. Not long afterward, Paul, who also left Corinth with them, wrote back to the Corinthian believers with these warm words: "Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets in their home." (1 Corinthians 16:19).

Ephesus was a very large city (some claim that Ephesus had 250,000 people). The apostle Paul spent three years working in Ephesus and with great success. Surely out of that number, Paul would've had hundreds of converts if not thousands.

"For three months, Paul preaches Christ with great power in the vision synagogue. The Jews reject and malign his message, so Paul moves his ministry center to the Hall of Tyrannus--a lecture hall that he rents. Every day from 11 AM to 4 PM Paul preaches Christ, trained the eight apprentices that are within, and lays the foundation for the Ephesian church....

The community of Christians in Ephesus is meeting from house to house while Paul conducts the work from the Hall of Tyrannus. One of the homes where the church gathers is the house of Priscilla and Aquila.... Paul will preach and teach in the Hall of Tyrannus for two years." Page 115, The Ephesian Chronicle, Frank Viola, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. 

(According to the Western Text, Paul had use of the building for these hours).

Among the other churches, a church began using Aquila and Priscilla's living room for the meeting place on a regular basis. 

During the writing of the Corinthian letters, Paul, who also left Corinth with them, wrote back to the Corinthian believers with these warm words: "Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets in their home." (1 Corinthians 16:19).

One major problem, had presented itself in the Corinthian letter, and that was the leadership problem. (1 Corinthians 3.:1-4:1)

The context of this particular portion of scripture is the division that was going on within the church body. One group is following Peter, another group is following Apollos, another group is following Paul, and because of this, Paul is calling them children or babes in Christ even infants.  They are not capable of understanding good teaching of Doctrine and deep things of God.

To answer this, the Apostle Paul straightens them out as to who he is and who Apollos is and who Peter is. They were only men, "born-again"men, called by God, gifted by God, and sent by God.  They, including Paul etc., were all sinners saved and gifted by the unmerited grace of God. It is God who is the master, that converts the sinner and causes spiritual growth--not the work of man.  It's amazing how all this is missed even today. 

The following passage starting in 1 Cor. 3:10-15, are directly related to this. I am going to skip over a passage here that is very important this is the 16th vers
e Thru the 23rd verse--this will be taken up in another post.

shows how much our positions were significantly different. When the Apostle Paul uses the phrase, "Servants of Christ",, he relates it to all believers in Christ, including himself, Paul.

The translators use of the word, "servants," is pretty tame. The Greek word for slave or servant here is different than what Paul normally uses ( like Rom. 1:1). This slave was a slave under-rower chained to an oar, who, laboring with other slaves, helped row with a large oar on a slave ship. Obviously everything, certainly the moving of the large oar, had to be done in unison. 

The separation between this slave and the master was unbridgeable.The master of the slaves walked the deck above all of them. 

A considerable degrees of separation separated the slave from the Master. The separation that exists between the believer and Jesus Christ, who is our master, is just as considerable, although our access and communication to our master, Jesus Christ, is both open and instant-- just a prayer away.

This analogy illustrates another church parallel. Obviously, this slave handling an oar had to work in unison with the other rowers, including not only on his bench, but the entire ship. ( Incidentally, I've read where these slave ships were easily identifiable by their smell. Obviously, these Under-rower slaves were not granted restroom breaks.

Paul changes his analogy with the next Greek word, which is translated, "stewards". 

When he refers to "us" in reference to "stewards", he wasn't thinking of any Tom, Dick, or Harry.  

Weymouth translates the passage:

As for us Apostles, let any one take this view of us--we are Christ's officers, and stewards of God's secret truths.
outwV hmaV logizesqw anqrwpoV wV uphretaV cristou kai oikonomouV musthriwn qeou This being so, it follows that fidelity is what is required in stewards.

wde loipon zhteitai en toiV oikonomoiV ina pistoV tiV eureqh

AT ROBERTSON COMMENTS:

(uphretaß Cristou). Paul and all ministers (diakonouß) of the New Covenant (1 Corinthians 3:5) are under-rowers, subordinate rowers of Christ, only here in Paul's Epistles, though in the Gospels (Luke 4:20 the attendant in the synagogue) and the Acts (Acts 13:5) of John Mark. The so (outwß) gathers up the preceding argument (1 Corinthians 3:5-23) and applies it directly by the as (wß) that follows. Stewards of the mysteries of God (oikonomouß musthriwn qeou).

The steward or house manager (oikoß, house, nemw, to manage, old word) was a slave (douloß) under his lord (kurioß, Luke 12:42), but a master (Luke 16:1) over the other slaves in the house (menservants paidaß, maidservants paidiskaß Luke 12:45), an overseer (epitropoß) over the rest (Matthew 20:8). Hence the under-rower (uphrethß) of Christ has a position of great dignity as steward (oikonomoß) of the mysteries of God. Jesus had expressly explained that the mysteries of the kingdom were open to the disciples (Matthew 13:11). They were entrusted with the knowledge of some of God's secrets though the disciples were not such apt pupils as they claimed to be (Matthew 13:51; Matthew 16:8-12). As stewards Paul and other ministers are entrusted with the mysteries (see on "1Co 2:7" for this word) of God and are expected to teach them. "The church is the oikoß (1 Timothy 3:15), God the oikodespothß (Matthew 13:52), the members the oikeioi (Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 2:19)" (Lightfoot). Paul had a vivid sense of the dignity of this stewardship (oikonomia) of God given to him (Colossians 1:25; Ephesians 1:10). The ministry is more than a mere profession or trade. It is a calling from God for stewardship.

This other Greek word, "stewards" would also be a slave, ( In the world at this time 50% of the population were slaves, becoming a slave at birth or as a result of War)