Under-rowers and house-lawyers

While Paul is addressing 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.
One major problem, over being numerous churches, presents itself in this,letter, and that was the leadership problem.

1 Corinthians 3.:1-4:1a

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 verse Thru the 23rd verse--this will be taken up in another post.

Therefore, having said this, having set the context, the Apostle Paul makes this statement: "Let a man regard Us in this manner, as Servants of Christ,  and stewards of the mysteries of God. ( 1Corinthians 4:1).  Paul deliberately uses certain  Greek words to prove his point. So the Greek words are important here, and their specific detailed meanings 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 a position, who, laboring with other slaves, helped row 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. ( In the world at this time 50% of the population were slaves, and had became a slave at birth or as a result of War. ) .  The separation that exists between the believer and Jesus Christ, who is our master, is just as considerable. Considerable degrees of separation separated the slave from the Master. Obviously, this slave handling an oar had to work in unison with the other rowers. ( 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".
This other Greek word, "stewards" would also be a Slave,  but a slave in charge of the Greek or Roman house. The Greek name opinions contains oikos meaning " "house" and nomos meaning "law". . House law.

The reader should  now be aware of the obvious distinction, that,  I believe, Paul was making.

He had to be, above everything, faithful to teaching the mysteries of God.