Devotional Sharing Submitted by Roy Lo, Gracepoint Berkeley
What are the factors that I consider most important in my decision-making process for my future plans? The factors that I consider the most important in making a decision are prudence (whether it is safe to do something without exposing myself to excessive risk), efficiency (whether I can maximize some return for a minimum amount of my time and effort), and feasibility (whether some work is within what I perceive to be my reach and abilities). These concerns often temper my obedience to God and service to others. Apostle Paul would find these concerns utterly irrelevant to his singular focus on doing God’s work.
What did Apostle Paul consider in making his future plans? What are some experiences of God at work in my life that I need to consider in making my plans? Through these few verses I see a glimpse into how Apostle Paul planned out his life and travels. His paramount concern was to do the work of the Lord, whether that takes him to Macedonia or Corinth or Ephesus. Even his desire to spend some time with the Corinthians—who are giving him so much heartache and grief—is conditioned upon what the Lord permits him to do. He moves towards opportunities for effective kingdom work, even in spite of known opposition against him.
As I close out this year and look forward to the next, the predominant experience of God at work in my life is what God is doing through our church, and the vision He has given us to plant three new churches in 2010. Those who went on exploratory trips brought back reports that there are many doors for effective work on numerous college campuses. Whether I stay in Berkeley or get the call to go serve God elsewhere, I need to consider God’s zeal for the lost and vision for my life, and throw off my concerns for prudence, efficiency, and other such self-preserving attitudes. There are still very large areas to be won for Christ, especially as post-Christian America continues its downward spiral into the darkness and brokenness of life apart from God. As I have just begun my professional career and look forward to starting a family, now is not the time to plan for settling down and fading away into a comfortably irrelevant life. Now is the time to plan for greater sacrifices and self-denial so I can be more available to carry out the good work God has prepared for me and for our whole church to do.
Even though Apostle Paul says many are opposed to him, he states that “a great door for effective work has opened” to him as well. What is the relationship between opposition and effectively carrying on the work of the Gospel? Apostle Paul did not regard personal opposition as a sign that he should not go to Ephesus; in fact, it seems he considered it a confirmation that he must go and forcefully enter the great door for effective work there. Jesus warned us that if people of the world persecuted him, they will persecute his followers as well. John 15:18-20. “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted . . . .” 2 Timothy 3:12. Thus, being persecuted is a sign that one is living the life of a disciple, and there will always be opposition to God’s work, if not from men, then from the devil. This understanding of Christian life conflicts with my intuitive, but false, notion that when I am doing God’s work, I should experience unbroken and unparalleled success. When I meet with disappointments in ministry, I should not react as if that is a surprising and unexpected result. Indeed, Apostle Peter says that even in times of “painful trial,” I should not be surprised, “as if something strange were happening,” because that is just part of what it means to deny myself, take up my cross daily, and follow Jesus. I should not hesitate to give any less in my labor for the Lord; it should compel me to give more, because that is one way I know I am in the center of God’s will and that my labor will not be in vain.
Devotional Questions:
1 Corinthians 16:1-4
“From the information in Paul’s other letters, we know that the collection was for ‘the poor among the saints in Jerusalem’ (Romans 15:26) […] He interpreted this financial offering as a way for the Gentile churches to be of service for the spiritual blessings that had come to them through the witness of the Jerusalem community (Romans 15:27)…”[1]
- What kind of relational responsibility is Apostle Paul trying to teach the Corinthians through this collection for the Jerusalem church?
- Why did Apostle Paul instruct them to set aside money each week and save it up in advance for this gift to the Jerusalem church? What is the spiritual benefit of building this practice into their lives?
- To whom am I indebted for the spiritual blessings that I have received? What habits of love can I build into my life to express my gratitude in concrete ways?
1 Corinthians 16:5-9
- What are the factors that I consider most important in my decision-making process for my future plans?
- What did Apostle Paul consider in making his future plans? What are some experiences of God at work in my life that I need to consider in making my plans?
- Even though Apostle Paul says many are opposed to him, he states that “a great door for effective work has opened” to him as well. What is the relationship between opposition and effectively carrying on the work of the Gospel?
1 Corinthians 16:13
- What does this brief but pact exhortation by Apostle Paul say regarding the nature of Christian life?
Additional Questions:
1 Corinthians 16:10-18
- Why might Timothy, who is carrying on the work of the Lord, have anything to fear from the Corinthians?
- Who are the people that are “[devoting] themselves to the service of the saints” and “everyone who joins in the work” that I need to submit to? What does this say regarding what should characterize relationships in the church?
[1] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 284.
Commentary:
Introduction:
“With the grand conclusion of chapter 15, Paul has finished responding to the various contested issues at Corinth. The final chapter deals with some practical loose ends, gives the Corinthians information about Paul’s travel plans, and closes, like all Paul’s letters, with a few admonitions and greetings. […] At the same time, chapter 16 gives us a glimpse of Paul’s larger missionary work. One of the most important functions of this closing chapter is to remind the Corinthians that their church belongs to a wider network of communities (note the references to Galatia, Jerusalem, Macedonia, Ephesus, and the ‘the churches of Asia’) and that their life in Christ necessarily involves them in a mission that links them with the wider world. The ‘work of the Lord’ (v.10) is an urgent matter, and the church at Corinth must learn to see themselves as participants in the larger missionary enterprise.”[1]
vv.5-7 “Paul’s desire in verses 5-7 reflect his concern to spend ‘quantity’ and not just ‘quality’ time with his spiritual children. As he consistently did in his ministry, he wants to revisit this church he has founded, so that he can minister by way of follow-up, training them in discipleship. Paul was never merely content to evangelize, make converts, and move on, even when it meant risking his life to return to the cities in which he previously ministered.”[2]
v.5 “[Paul’s] goal of coming to Corinth after revisiting Macedonia (v.5) did eventually materialize (Acts 20:1-6), but not as quickly as he had first hoped.”[3]
v.9 “Paul’s interpretation of opposition as a sign that he is on the right track may seem strange to the modern reader who is concerned with not causing any distress, with not making any waves. Jesus clearly warns that those who pursue righteousness for his sake will experience opposition and affliction, even though they are simultaneously promised blessedness and a share in God’s reign (Matthew 5:10).”[4]
v.10 “Paul is plainly worried about the reception that Timothy will find among the Corinthians, for he advises them to provide an atmosphere in which Timothy can work ‘without fear’ and pointedly warns them not to ‘despise’ him. […] Timothy has been sent as Paul’s surrogate into a situation where influential factions in the community have become disenchanted with Paul.”[5]
v.12 “The Corinthians may also be disappointed that it is Timothy rather than Apollos who is coming to visit them[…]. The political crosscurrents here are treacherous, for some members of the community seem to be acclaiming Apollos as a leader in opposition to Paul (1:12)[…] Paul ‘strongly urged’ Apollos to go to Corinth, since Apollos might be able to defuse some of the internal conflict in the church.”[6]
v.13 “As the letter concludes, we are reminded again that Paul’s gospel interprets the world comprehensively within an apocalyptic narrative that moves from the cross (1:18-2:16) to the coming of the Lord and the resurrection of the dead (15:1-58). We should ask ourselves first whether we too return again and again to this story to interpret our vocation; if not, why not? Second, we should ask how the particular forms of our obedience might be affected by living with the lively expectation of the coming of the Lord.”[7]
vv.19-20 “In verses 19-20, Paul continues ‘networking,’ passing along greetings from ‘the churches in Asia,’ and especially from his missionary associates Aquila and Prisca, who had formerly resided in Corinth at the time of Paul’s first arrival there (Acts 18:2-3). These words of greeting remind the Corinthians again that they are not an autonomous club for the promotion of knowledge and spirituality, but that they belong to a larger fellowship of communities under the authority of Jesus Christ. More precisely, they belong to a new family in Christ; by addressing them as ‘brothers and sisters’ throughout his letter, he seeks to reinforce this sense of familial intimacy, and he now urges them to symbolize this deep relatedness through the practice of the ‘holy kiss’ (v.20; cf. Rom 16:16; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14).”[8]
vv.22-24 “In the final three verses of the letter, Paul himself takes up the pen to sign his name and add a postscript. Paul characteristically dictated his letter to a scribe (see Rom. 16:22), but he sometimes authenticated and personalized the letter by adding a few words at the end in his own hand.”[9]
v.22 “[T]hese sentences will strike many present-day readers as needlessly abrasive. Why, at the conclusion of a letter appealing for love in the community, does Paul feel the need to pronounce a curse on those who do not share his passion for the Lord Jesus? The question is an important one, because it reminds us of the substantial attention that Paul gives in this letter to the call for community discipline. The Christian community as a community of love is not infinitely inclusive: those who reject Jesus are not and cannot be a part of it. […] Similarly, those who ‘do not love the Lord’ (16:22a) are those who willfully reject the proclamation of Christ’s lordship and place themselves outside the community of faith. It should also be noted, however, that in 1 Corinthians love for the Lord is closely tied to love for all the members of the body of Christ. Those who love the Lord will necessarily seek to build up the community. Those who destroy the community are, virtually be definition, not loving the Lord. Thus, the curse of 16:22 is a thinly veiled threat against those Corinthians who have turned spirituality into a competitive sport, a way of aggrandizing themselves rather than adoring their Lord and maker.”[10]
“The second sentence (‘Come, O Lord’) is actually a fervent prayer, written in Aramaic rather than Greek: Marana tha (‘Our Lord, come’). The prayer addresses the risen Lord and implores him to return—thus bringing about the consummation that Paul sketched in 15:20-28: the resurrection of the dead, the subjugation of all hostile powers, and the final triumph of God.”[11]
v.23 “[…]1 Corinthians opened with thanks for ‘the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus’ (1:4); here the letter seems to have come full circle to the end with a wish for that grace to be continually bestowed on the community. God’s grace seemingly has encompassed everything—a fitting conclusion for Paul’s message.”[12]
v.24 “Yet there is more[…] In the midst of a stormy and still unresolved relationship with the Corinthian community, in the midst of stern rebukes and incredulous protests against their behavior, Paul nonetheless reaches out to them with this final word. He affirms not only that God still loves them through the grace of the Lord Jesus (v.23), but that he, Paul, does too. The grace and love of God has created between Paul and these aggravating Gentiles an unlikely but unbreakable bond of love in Christ Jesus. In that love, which reaches out to overcome conflict, lies a sign of hope for the ultimate healing of their divisions.”[13]
[1] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 283.
[2] Craig L. Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, NIV Life Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995) 333.
[3] Craig L. Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, NIV Life Application Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1995) 331.
[4] Paul J. Sampley, “The First Letter to the Corinthians,” The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. X (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2002) 997.
[5] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 286-87.
[6] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 287.
[7] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 295.
[8] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 290-291.
[9] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 291.
[10] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 291-292.
[11] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 292.
[12] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 293.
[13] Richard B. Hays, “1 Corinthians,” Interpretation (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1997) 293.