1 Corinthians 16, Called to Continue

Theological Proposition/Focus: God calls on each of us to be more like Christ in all aspects of life.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: As a church we are called to many things but some things are vitally important: our call to give, disciple, serve, and love.

Body

Continue to give (1-4).

1 Corinthians 15 was all about the Gospel but concluded with a therefore in verse 58.

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. "

What does it look like to give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord? Well Paul is about to give one example. Continue to give. Look at 1 Corinthians 16:1-4,

Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

"Giving" should be a mark of the church.

This text is a command for a specific people at a specific time to give. However, the command to give is based on a principle that Paul, as indicated in verse 1, has been teaching other churches as well. Hence, we really should pay attention to what is said here. The principle that Paul quotes here is something that we can take and apply directly. So, what are those principles?

Giving should be regular, intentional, and proportional.

Paul begins verse 2 with the command that giving should occur on the first day of each week. The idea here is that giving is regular. This is not a fund drive that allows only the rich to participate. Paul intends for giving to be something that all can participate in and be part of. Moreover, in an economy in which people are paid on a daily basis Paul's decision to have offerings taken on the first day of the week allows for people to save-up each paycheck to be able to contribute at the beginning of the next week. Acts 20:7 suggests that early on in the history of the church Sunday became the day of corporate worship so everything here fits together with the idea of the church assembling on Sunday and taking an offering. The idea here is that regular giving provided and opportunity for everyone to participate.

Image: Giving each and every week a quarter

I want to take a second here and go even further. Parents, one of the most important lessons you can consistently teach your children is the importance of giving. I love our online giving but it has a huge disadvantage, your children do not see you give. Let me make a suggestion. Why don't you, once a week, or once a month make a point of giving each of your children a quarter or even a dollar to place in the offering when the bag passes? My dad did this for us all the way until I turned 18 and I can tell you, it instilled in my mind the importance of giving.

I want to just point out but not dwell on the statement that giving should be proportional. If god has blessed you then you should give abundantly!

Giving should be purposeful.

Notice in verses 3 and 4 that Paul is careful to state that the Corinthians should appoint some people to take their gift to Jerusalem. The idea here is that we don't just write a check and forget about it. We write a check with purpose. We intend for this to be used for such and such. What do I mean does this mean every dollar needs specific earmarking? No! It means that we should not give without considering what we are giving to. We should not be stingy but we also should ensure that we are giving toward God's work.

Continue to disciple (5-11).

Verses 5-11 provide a fascinating glimpse into how Paul made plans and through through ministry. So much of what we have on Paul is theological in nature or resolution of a dispute. However, here we have insight into how this significant leader thought through ministry. We are a church that is working to be a discipleship church. We want to come alongside people and watch them grow. What better way to look at discipleship than to look at how Paul saw discipleship?

First, notice that

Discipling takes time and flexibility.

In verses 5-6 Paul explains that he is hoping to make a visit to Corinth and would like to spend some significant time in that visit. In verse 8 we see that Paul wants more than just a passing visit. However, right now Paul needs to take some time to minister at Ephesus. Paul is also careful to explain that all of this is of course dependent on the will of God.

What I want you to notice most in this short description of ministry is that Paul recognizes discipleship takes time. Paul cannot just swoop in preach for a weekend and leave. No, Paul will take his time to do it right.

Discipling takes a team.

Notice in verses 10 and 11 that Paul is not alone in his desire and efforts to disciple the Corinthians. True discipleship takes a team of people working together and taking a personal interest in the people. Paul sent Timothy in his place and wanted to make sure that the Corinthians understood that Timothy was speaking with authority. One of the worst things I see happen in churches is that all too often everyone thinks that the pastor is the only person who can disciple them. Nothing could be further from the truth or more unhealthy for the church. Discipleship takes a team!

Image: Important tasks take time and teamwork - teaching someone to drive benefits from lots of time and multiple perspectives.

Since I was the oldest in both my family and Emily's family I had the fun of teaching a lot of people to drive. two things stand out. One, you cannot teach someone to drive in an hour. Two having multiple teachers is incredibly important. People notice different things and give different advice sometimes one piece of advice sticks from one person that didn't stick from another.

I remember teaching Emily's sister to drive. Emily's mom was always afraid of the interstate and so the first time I drove with Sam I think we probably merged at 15 mph, it didn't work. We had a conversation about why highway speeds matter and it made a huge difference.

Continue to serve (12-18).

Serving is done as God wills.

I cannot and should not force you to serve. It is something you must do as God convicts