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 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)