1st Corinthians Chapter 16
Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 1. "Now concerning the collection
for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so
you must do also;"
There comes a time when we understand we MUST "tithe" back to the
Lord some of what He has given to us. Actually "MUST tithe" becomes
WANTS to do it; done in JOY. Then the questions: Who do I give
to? How much do I give? The answer is that the Lord not only places
it into our hearts to give, but He also directs the gift. It is not man
who tells us to give, it is God, and in giving as He directs, we find
the actual JOY of doing that which we "must" do.
Giving was not easy for me, as I had a family and lots of debts, at
the time the Lord began teaching me to give. These days I often know
exactly how much to give and who the gift goes to, for God is the best
teacher there is. Giving is a joyful CALL of God (2 Corinthians 9:7,
"God loves a CHEERFUL giver"- and He is the one who brings the cheer to
our hearts).
Note also that giving is not limited to money, and it might be giving
our TIME; it might be prayer, a timely pat on the shoulder, etc. Giving
is from the heart and not merely from the wallet, and all is as directed
by God.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was my grandmother’s uncle, and I have a
special interest in his writing. On this subject today, he said: "Give
what you have; to someone it may be better than you dare to think."
The first Quakers said: "I expect to pass through this world but
once. Any good work, therefore, any kindness, or any service I can
render to any soul of man or animal, let me do it now. Let me not
neglect or defer it, for I shall not pass this way again."
Verse 2. "On the first day of the week
let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper,
that there be no collections when I come."
There is a process (or concept) in Scripture that has been called
"first fruits" which is giving FIRST to God from our income, before
anything else; once again, as God directs you to give. This is not law;
this is God giving YOU the privilege of participating in His creative
processes. "First fruits" or "tithing" is described in Deuteronomy
14:22 to the end of that chapter, and can be the giving of our goods and
our time, as well as our money.
The purpose of just about all tithing is the benefit of "the stranger
in our midst" (as the homeless person in our midst), the fatherless, the
widow, and a pastor (described in Deuteronomy as a "Levite)." The
pastor is ideally to give up his own financial security for your benefit
and mine – it is on that ground we give to him. The helpless among us
are to be supported BY us. Note that Paul, though a pastor, refused
support for himself, and that was largely because he had a job and was
self-supporting. I like it that Paul was essentially a "lay" person –
called by God to preach but still a "self-supporting" person.
Paul’s principle ministry was evangelism – note that he wanted their
giving to be done BEFORE he got there – a spiritual leader should be
helping us SPIRITUALLY and not be always having to ask for money.
Verse 3. "And when I come, whomever you
approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem."
It is priceless to have a true reputation as an HONEST person; to be
APPROVED as honest. The goal of people these days does not seem to be
honesty at all, or to be JUST or anything like that. Today’s goal is
SUCCESS (maybe it always was) and another goal is (unfortunately):
"don’t get caught!" I want all of us to regard others so highly that we
can have someone else’s money in our pocket and it won’t be spent –
except for the someone else it belongs to, as directed by them, by their
needs, and by God.
I haven’t always valued honesty but I am coming to regard it as
having more value, by far, than success of any kind. It is good to be
approved by people – and it is even better to be approved by God. True
honesty, by the way (as opposed to someone who SEEMS honest but really
isn’t), ALWAYS comes from God.
Verse 4. "But if it is fitting that I
go also, they will go with me."
Now here’s what honesty can do for you (because God’s in the
picture). In verse 3, Paul indicated they should send an honest
person. Paul is now saying he would likely go WITH that person. Can
you imagine a trip to Jerusalem with the Apostle Paul? I’d settle for a
quick trip with him on El Al Airlines, but in those days, the trip would
take MONTHS! What would we ASK Paul during such a time? Our honesty
can lead us to wondrous results.
Verse 5. "Now I will come to you when I pass
through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia)."
I love the CONFIDENCE of Paul. "I will" do this or that. He was
willing to try and do ANYTHING that would produce faith in those around
him. Sometimes, though, the Holy Spirit blocked him from carrying out
his intentions, as in Acts 16:6, when he was "forbidden" by the Holy
Spirit to preach the word in Asia, and in Acts 16:8, where "they tried
to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not let them." This is a real
TEST of a person, when you want to do something for the Lord, some GOOD
thing, and the Lord Himself does not permit it. Remember, when YOU are
prevented in this manner, that 1) He has better ideas
than ours, and 2) He loves you, intentions and all.
Verse 6-7. "But it may be that I will
remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my
journey, wherever I go. For I do not wish to see you now on the way;
but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits."
Here’s Paul’s heart for the Lord revealed to us: "If the Lord
permits," he would stay with them. I have wondered why, if the Lord is
as apparent to us all (lost or saved), as is stated in Romans 1:18-19,
why they (we) continue to reject His leading. Even when we have
received Christ, we tend to continue to reject His Will in dozens of
significant ways. Why do we resist Him? Actually, at the bottom of it
is our resistance to doing things HIS way. We like doing things OUR
way. Now, the Lord IS sweet to the heart and His yoke IS easy to our
lives, but to the rebel, all of life is hard. Paul learned that and
many of us are beginning to learn. The soft yoke of the Lord is far
better than the "freedom" of the world. "If the Lord permits" should be
a watchword for us all.
Verse 8. "But I will tarry in Ephesus
until Pentecost."
If Paul here is speaking about the time in Acts 19, he was there for
two years of miracles and great blessings. People during that time were
grabbing the HANDKERCHIEFS of Paul, placing them on the sick and people
were HEALED!
"Pentecost" a Jewish feast, became the occasion the Holy Spirit chose
for the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" where ordinary people are given
extraordinary abilities to do good in this sinful world.
Question: Where are the miracles in this world? Answer: They are
all around us. The greatest miracle of all is to receive Christ and be
changed inside. If I lose my legs but then grow new ones because Billy
Graham’s handkerchief was laid on my stumps, that would be a miracle.
But what if I became proud about what had happened to me, scorned those
who were not healed, and what if I still was grumpy with my neighbor who
played music that I did not like, right next to my property line? Love
is better than legs. It is much better to be changed INSIDE than
outside.
A careful reading of Acts 19 reveals the greatest miracles: Verse
18, "many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds"; and
in verse 19, "many who had practiced magic brought their (magic) books
and burned them"; and verse 20, "so the Word of the Lord grew mightily
and prevailed." Being healed in body is good but to be healed in heart
is better.
Verse 9. "For a great and effective
door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries."
Paul was like a great general who fought spiritual battles in the
realm of the spirit, his tactics not unlike great generals of history.
Like Mac Arthur and Patton, he saw doors to victory that others simply
did not see. Douglas Mac Arthur was stopped in Korea and could not
advance, so he simply went around his adversaries, hit them in another
place and then advanced all he wanted. Robert E. Lee, Napoleon, Genghis
Kahn – history is full of such men. God opens doors in battle, as He
did for Paul, but there are still adversaries, even inside of our
apparently open doors. Paul knew that and went in anyway, weapons ready
– he was God’s man, a man of courage.
Verse 10. "Now if Timothy comes, see
that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord,
as I also do."
I want this reputation to be true for you and for me – that we do the
work of the Lord. We may be misunderstood and it is possible we will
have this good reputation only with God – Christ Himself became of "no
reputation" in "taking the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7), and we
are to be servants as well. Christ "rolled up His sleeves" as did Paul
and Timothy, who served you in the verses we study. Christ paid your
price by giving His life. Paul gave his life that you might know of the
Gift Christ gave. It is reasonable for you, me, for everyone to do the
same as Paul, the same as Timothy, one for another.
Verse 11. "Therefore let no one despise
him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for
I am waiting for him with the brethren."
We people have this annoying habit that we tend to form instant
judgments about people. Sometimes we are right about them but far more
often we are wrong. Timothy, as Paul has noted, tended to be despised
because he was so young – his God-given authority irked those who were
1) older than he was, and 2) older in
the Lord.
This is good to remember – let each of us set others on "their
journey" (in the Lord) in peace and not envy them, even if they seem to
have more than we did at their age. They may also have more PROBLEMS
than we did as well. Certainly we can all agree that it is better to
PRAY for someone, to HELP them, than it is to envy or despise them.
Verse 12. "Now concerning our brother
Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he
was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he
has a convenient time."
When you DO NOT WANT to do something, and another Christian says you
should do it, what should you do? Paul ran into this on the road to
Jerusalem. All along that road, Christians were telling him NOT to go.
You’ll be ARRESTED, Paul! And that was true. He would be and he was
arrested. What they saw was correct – but Paul was responding to
something higher than his personal comfort or reputation as did Apollos.
Notice that Paul correctly reported Apollos’ unwillingness but did
not criticize him for it. - Remember this when someone does not do what
we think might be best for them – they may be following the Lord. It is
obviously better for them to hear the Holy Spirit of God than it is to
hear you or me.
Verse 13. "Watch, stand fast in the
faith, be brave, be strong."
This is pretty wonderful advice, for all people, of all time.
"Watch" is to keep your eyes open. Have your ever noticed how
unobservant most children are in the presence of danger? They tend to
run INTO danger and therefore need kindly older people to watch out for
them, lest, in their excitement they run right INTO the street, into
traffic! Paul says "grow up and learn to be observant."
"Stand fast in the faith" is to TRUST in God. He’s the "Older" One
Who WILL get you through. Don’t be afraid - He CARES for you. Trust in
Him, as the most reasonable act of your entire life.
"Be brave." Those of us who are cowards will eventually be healed of
our cowardice. That’s good news, and God WILL bring it to pass. And
finally, we are urged to "be strong." How do us weak people become
STRONG? There’s a big clue in Nehemiah 8:10, "the joy of the Lord is
your strength." Simply abandon yourself to Him and rejoice in Him.
Underneath you know this is true – In your joy in Him, you will find the
all the strength you lack; all the strength you will ever need.
Verse 14. "Let all that you do be done
with love."
Blessedly, here’s 1st Corinthians 13, again. The old song goes "What
the world needs now, is love, sweet love…" It’s always been true, but
now more than ever. People have a way of choosing self-interest over
love. Paul’s kind of love (the Holy Spirit’s) is that the other person
is regarded more highly than we are. If I really love you, serving you
becomes more important than serving myself.
If you don’t believe that unselfish love is God’s best for you, take
another long look at 1st Corinthians 13, where you are to "suffer long
and be kind," to not envy; to not be "puffed-up" or "behave rudely."
Love ‘DOES NOT SEEK ITS OWN" and is NEVER provoked…bears everything,
believes, hopes, "endures all things."
And your reward when you abandon yourself to this kind of love, God’s
kind of love, is that love in YOUR life will "never fail." This is the
promise of the Lord.
Verse 15. "I urge you brethren – you
know the household of Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia,
and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints –"
Stephanas’ house was the first to turn to Christ in the Province of
Achaia, but much better than being the first, they were the BEST at
loving others. We all want to be the BEST at something-or-other and
often we miss the LOVE which has the potential for the happiness we
really wanted all this time.
If we are the best runner, someday we may just have a handful of
medals and nothing else. Love is permanent and fulfilling. Love means
abandoning ourselves for the benefit of another – again, we can NEVER BE
HAPPY ANY OTHER WAY.
Verse 16. "that you also submit to
such, and to everyone who works and labors with us."
When you see someone who gives themselves utterly to other people;
when you size them up and discover their love is genuine, you might
consider prayerfully giving up some of your life to support that other
person. I say PRAYERFULLY because there are a lot of phonies out there,
but when you meet a real live "Mother Theresa" kind of person and God
leads you to support them, do it with all your heart.
Again, yes, support means money but it is so much more than that.
People who give their lives for others, sometimes are criticized – don’t
pass that criticism on, and SUPPORT them in love.
Verse 17. "I am glad about the coming
of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your
part they supplied."
There are a lot of lacks for a lot of people in this world. Some
lack money; others need a friend – maybe somebody just like you. I like
these guys, Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus; they looked for the
need, prayerfully I’m sure, and when they saw it, they met it.
There are needs all around us – all we have to do is pray, look, and
then fill the need. It’s really not complicated at all. Help the one(s)
you encounter who is (are) in need.
Verse 18. "For they refreshed my spirit
and yours; therefore acknowledge such men."
I like to have my SPIRIT refreshed, don’t you? Of course you do,
just like everybody else. People are "hungry and thirsty" in spirit and
only a few honestly reach out to meet that need. When you find someone
like that, reach out to them. Reach out to EVERYBODY but don’t forget
those who "refresh (the) spirit." When someone cares for others, its’
only reasonable to care for them in return, as God leads. We forget
that care givers need care, just like the rest of us. Put a hand on
their shoulder, smile, and thank that person for something they have
done. It may be the first time they’ve been thanked in a long time.
Verse 19. "The churches of Asia greet
you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the
church that is in their house."
Aquila and Priscilla went that "extra mile." The Church had no place
to meet, apparently, so they brought it home and gave up part of their
"space" for others. If you’ve never done this, it can be a real
blessing. There are risks – If you let people into your home, they can
steal your stuff, and take your time. There are real risks and you
should PRAY before becoming vulnerable, and then if the Lord leads and
you are able to do this, let your home be open to the people of the
Lord.
And follow the example of these people who greeted people heartily
from the storehouse of love that God brings to us in Christ.
Verse 20. "All the brethren greet you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss."
The typical way people treat others is simply to ignore them. We
mostly don’t acknowledge them at all, and certainly, not with intimacies
like a kiss or a hug. Intimate behavior can be dangerous and it CAN
lead to sinful behavior. Note, however, the word "HOLY."
Note Romans 6:19, where the interesting implication is made that in
Christ, we give up one kind of "slavery" for another. Previously, we
were slaves to unclean behavior and thoughts, but in the same verse,
Paul reveals that part of what we are now to be are "slaves of
righteousness for holiness." Then he concludes that true holiness of
living leads to everlasting life.
Lots of times, down through the years, I have listened to people who
were touched deeply by a hug given by another person. I have met a
number of people who actually turned to Christ because of the love they
found in a Christian fellowship. Greet someone with a holy hug today –
it may change their lives – and yours!
Verse 21. "The salutation with my own
hand – Paul."
In the world of that time, a writer often used a person to write for
them. Sort of like the secretary but more – the technical word is
"amanuensis," a secretary that is allowed to take certain liberties with
the text. Paul used "Sosthenes" (1:1) for this letter. The letter is
unmistakably Paul, and within Paul, the Holy Spirit, but probably some
of this is Sosthenes as well. Paul validated this letter personally,
with his own distinct signature.
Note the curious blending of people and God Himself, that you will
find in the works and Word of God. The Lord used Paul but He also used
Sosthenes. The Lord uses Billy Graham, and He also uses – YOU.
Verse 22. "If anyone does not love the
Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!"
Now this is a fact – the one who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ,
is accursed. No matter how religious or moral we may be, it is God’s
GIFT we must receive. If you reject the Gift, you reject the Giver.
This world is in the terrible shape it is in because we have rejected
God and all the love He wants to bestow upon us. It’s time to LOVE the
Lord Jesus, who brings into your life all that you ever dreamed and much
more. Let Him utterly have your heart and life, as we all join together
and say, with Paul and Sosthenes, "O Lord COME!" And He will.
Verse 23. "The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you."
There is nothing better in the world than the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ. You would expect that a Holy God would want holy behavior from
us. And He does. The stern and uncompromising Jehovah (Yahweh) God of
the Old Testament is just as real to us as He was to Moses and the
people Israel, and those people of Israel died in the desert by the
thousands at His displeasure. (Christ in us is our grace, our hope of
glory).
The grace of God is found in our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this is no
"trick" or "sleight-of- hand" on the part of God, and it is in no way
inconsistent with Who He Is. As stated, Jehovah God is just as Holy,
just as Pure as the heart of a white-hot star. You could not exist in
the center of a star and you have no natural standing with God, either –
except in Christ Jesus. And if the Grace of the Lord Jesus is with you,
you have no other need, none at all.
Verse 24. "My love be with you all in
Christ Jesus. Amen."
Paul loved the Corinthians and it is appropriate that this letter,
which exposed so many of their faults (and ours, too), should end in
love. This is exactly the place of God in our lives. He has perceived
all of our sins. He is aware of more of your faults than your sibling,
your parent, your best friend, and your worst enemy. Even YOU do not
know your faults like God knows them. When it says in another place
that God "forgets" our sins, the perfect meaning is that He no longer
holds them against us, which is the meaning of grace, the expression of
love.
And that is the message (the "word") God sends us in Christ Jesus –
You are forgiven. You need never to be afraid or depressed again. If
you fall, WHEN you fall, just keep right on getting up, for He LOVES
you.
He concludes with "amen" or "it is so" and it certainly is.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
