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.

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.

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.

Continue to disciple (5-11).

Verses 5-11 provide a fascinating glimpse into how Paul made plans and thought 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).

A fundamental part of continuing the life of a Christ Follower is serving. Serving is fundamental to being a Christ Follower. In fact, Christ stated in Matthew 20:16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” At Southview we have made serving a priority and I am pleased to tell you that we have an incredibly high percentage of our church who are deeply involved in serving. But as we continue to serve we must remember that

Serving is done as God wills.

I cannot and should not force you to serve. It is something you must do as God convicts. In verse 12 Paul gives us some really meaningful insight into his relationship with Apollos.

Apollos, an eloquent and knowledgeable early Christian from Alexandria, is prominently mentioned in the New Testament. First introduced in the book of Acts (Acts 18:24), he is described as a man mighty in the Scriptures who spoke boldly in the synagogue at Ephesus, though his understanding was initially incomplete. Priscilla and Aquila, colleagues of Paul, provided him with further instruction (Acts 18:26), after which he went to Corinth and became a great asset to the believers there (Acts 18:27-28). Apollos is noted for his vigorous public debates, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah, and he garnered a significant following within the early Christian community (1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:4-6). Paul acknowledged Apollos as a fellow worker in the ministry, highlighting their shared role in fostering the faith of the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 3:5-9).

Paul urged Apollos to visit Corinth but for some unstated reason, Apollos declined at that time. Nothing in the text suggests that either Paul or Apollos was wrong. The time just wasn't right. We need to understand that we are called to serve. However, all of our service must be, as God wills! We don't serve because someone asked and we don't serve because we do or do not want to serve. We serve because God wills it.

Serving is worth your life.

We don't know much about the life of Stephanas but what we do know is that Stephanas, one of the first converts in Achaia. He is noted for his and his household's devotion to the service of the saints (1 Corinthians 1:16, 16:15). Paul commends their commitment and urges the Corinthians to respect their leadership (1 Corinthians 16:16). Along with Fortunatus and Achaicus, Stephanas brought joy and support to Paul, filling the gap left by the Corinthians' absence (1 Corinthians 16:17-18). Paul highlights Stephanas as an exemplary figure in Christian service and leadership within the early church. We get the idea that Stephanas devoted his life to service.

Serving is something to which you can devote yourself. It is worth your life.

Serving is built on humility.

In verse 16 Paul urged the Corinthians to submit.

To “subject yourselves to such people” (ὑποτάσσω) in all their hard work of service for the church of Christ is surely to follow their lead. This is the leadership of servants whose way of life reflects the attitude of heart and mind that Paul has advocated throughout the letter.29 Families like this see no room for pride or distinctions among people as they work together with other workers for the benefit of the saints and the Lord (cf. 2 Cor 8:23). There is an irony here that the Corinthians are called upon to submit themselves to people who already devoted themselves to serving the Corinthians! Such is the way of God’s people, for “love does not boast . . . [and] is not self-seeking” (13:4–5)!

How does one submit like this? Only with humility.

Image: The perfect example is Luke 14:7–11

In this passage, Jesus observes guests vying for places of honor at a banquet and shares a parable to teach humility. He advises taking the lowest place when invited to a wedding feast, so the host may honorably move you to a better position, rather than being humiliated by being asked to move down. Jesus emphasizes that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, while those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Continue to love (19-24).

Paul's letter to the Corinthians ends how we would expect a letter to end in the ancient world with a list of greetings but even embedded within these greetings there is much we can uncover.

Love begins with God.

Finally, in verse 22 Paul reminds the Corinthians that love begins with loving Christ.