Good weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends,
I wonder if you’ve ever come to the end of a phone call or letter or even a visit with someone and found you had some final ‘odds and ends’ to mention? Do they sometimes even seem unrelated to each other as you rattle these ‘closing comments’ off one after another? It seems to me that’s what happened to our friend the apostle Paul. His closing chapters, of his first letter to his friends in Corinth, have been so focused, so powerful. Do you remember?
* 1 Corinthians 12… all about Spiritual gifts and the diversity of the global church, the body of Christ.
* 1 Cor. 13… the great LOVE chapter!
* Chapter 14… clear instructions about orderly worship and the issue of tongues/languages and prophecies
* Chapter 15… a very powerful explanation of God’s perspective on death and God’s gracious provision of immortality to us, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
And then comes Paul’s ‘odds and ends’ chapter closing this powerful first letter.
First, Paul’s instructions for bringing a financial offering each time they gather for worship.
This is one of those specific instructions that calls us to consider how God would want us to apply it in our day. Evidently the persecution in Jerusalem was so severe many Christians couldn’t find work or markets for their goods. Also, a great number of widows in Jerusalem needed care as some had been abandoned by their families when they turned to Jesus. And if that wasn’t bad enough, a famine had struck much of the region. (Acts 11:27-29)
So do you notice Paul urges the Corinthian Christians to be generous: “On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income…” (1 Cor. 16:1-4) May I ask, are you able to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit in how God wants you to use, for His glory and the accomplishment of God’s purposes, the financial resources God is providing to you? If you’ve never noticed, Deuteronomy 8 is a very helpful God perspective on this.
Second, Paul was longing to visit these dear friends in Corinth, as I see in vs. 5-7, yet Paul also recognized a God given opportunity in the city from which he was writing this letter, Ephesus.
Listen to Paul as he dictates and Timothy scribes Paul’s words: “I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.“ (1 Cor. 16:5-9) Before long the holiday season will be upon us and all of us will have opportunities to be a blessing to many people. Will you open your home and invite friends or family for wonderful times of food, fun and friendship?
May I ask a more important question? As you look around your neighborhood, your social group, your church, are there some lonely people for whom the holidays may be particularly unwelcome because of their aloneness? Is your heart sensitive to the Holy Spirit and God’s love for those lonely people? How might the Spirit of God lead you to show them how much God loves them?
I’m fascinated by Paul’s statement that he plans to remain in Ephesus “because a great door for effective work has opened for me, and there are many who oppose me.” Can you discern when God opens a ‘door of opportunity’ before you for making a hopeful difference in our world?
Often that is in selfless service or some ‘effective work’ that is very helpful without expecting anything in return for your efforts. It’s one thing to recognize the opportunity, it’s another to sense God’s lead to step through the open door and engage the work in an effective way which provides the help which makes a difference.
Have you done that recently? Is God opening a ‘great door for effective work’ right now for you? Is it right where you live or will it require traveling? Is it convenient or will it require some effort to arrange your schedule to free the time needed? And like Paul, will you face some opposition as you try to respond obediently to God’s leading you? How do you respond to opposition, my friends, especially when you believe that you are doing a good thing, and you are being obedient to what God is leading you to do?
Third, I find Paul’s words in vs 10-12 very interesting! Why would Paul need to challenge the Corinthian Christians with this?
“When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord Jesus, just as I am. No one should treat him with contempt!” And if that wasn’t bad enough, consider Paul’s warning about Apollos and remember Apollos had already spent many months in Corinth preaching the Gospel to them. (Acts 18:23-19:1) Why would Apollos have anxiety about returning to Corinth?
Paul writes: “Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity…” (1 Cor. 16:10-12) I wonder what was going on among the Christians in Corinth that would cause both Timothy and Apollos to have great anxiety about going there? What motivated such strong words from Paul?
And what about your town and mine, your neighborhood and mine, your church and mine…are visitors welcome, especially visiting Christians? Is there some turmoil brewing there that is making your town, your neighborhood, your church, and mine, both an unfriendly and maybe even a dangerous place for visitors?
Fourth, I see Paul sending greetings to Corinth on behalf of Aquila and Priscilla in vs. 19. We remember them, don’t we?
Paul first met them in Acts 18. They lived in Corinth and Paul met them on his first visit to that great city. They were tent makers and Paul worked with them, shared the Gospel of Jesus with them and then taught them. They moved to Ephesus and here Paul tells us they were leading a house church.
Look at vs. 19: “The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets in their house!” I wonder my friend, is your home a friendly gathering place for God’s people? Do people feel loved in your home? Is Jesus honored in your home? When people are in your home, even for a social evening, do they sense the presence of Jesus?
Finally, I see two very interesting comments from Paul. In vs. 21 “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.”
This leads me to believe Paul was dictating this letter and likely Timothy was scribing the words Paul spoke, until Paul took the quill here, and wrote this phrase in his own hand. We know Paul had been a student and scholar all of his younger life and that required good eyesight. But now, perhaps Paul had a severe eyesight problem. Perhaps his beatings and the stoning he suffered in Lystra (Acts 14:19) had damaged his eyes so much that Paul needed a scribe to write and even read for him?
If you lost much of your sight because of people opposing you as Christian, what would be your attitude toward them? Paul’s attitude is reflected in these words: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus, Amen!”
Finally, friends, as we close this wonderful letter, I urge us to focus on vs. 13: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” Oh my, what a glorious closing challenge of encouragement to these Christians in Corinth who were living in great persecution, and to you and me 20 centuries later, no matter where you live in the world or how the world is treating you!
May I urge you to consider writing those words on a card and carrying it around for a few days, memorizing it and then post that card somewhere where it will encourage you to live this great challenge from Paul. That’s what I plan to do! And here’s a praise God song I’ve found that seems to fit so well with Paul’s words…
Today’s Scripture is 1 Corinthians 16.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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