Refreshing Stories from the Bible - Stephanas

1 Corinthians 16:15–18 KJV 1900

15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) 16 That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth. 17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. 18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such.

Introduction

Paul mentions in verse 15, the house of a man named Stephanas

Stephanas is actually the shorter version of the greek name Stephanophorus.

Stephanas and his family were members of the church at Corinth.

Anytime you’re reading the NT or any greek literature and the author wants to refer to the family of a person, they will always use the title “House.”

So, when Paul says, “ye know the house of Stephanas...”

He is not saying you know where his living room is.

You know where the kitchen is, and more importantly where he keeps the good snacks.

He is talking about Stephanas’ family.

The Corinthian church was well aware of this family in their midst.

They were a very special family.

We will see why in just a moment.

They were also very special to Paul.

Paul reveals that Stephanas’ family were the first believers in Achaia.

There are a lot of different opinions about what this refers to.

Did Stephanas’ family get saved in Corinth?

Did they get saved somewhere else and move to Corinth?

Paul says back 1 Corinthians 1:16 “16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.”

This leads some authors to propose that Stephanas’ family got saved and baptized at perhaps Athens and then they transplanted to Corinth.

The important part of this statement really lies in the fact that they were the “firstfruits.”

Anytime you see a mention of firstfruits in the Bible, it always carries with it thee idea that these are the first with more to follow.

Stephanas was a representation of what would come after him.

Talk about good news.

Stephanas and his family are a representation of the kind of church member that Corinth can expect more of?

The pastor of the church must be doing back-flips!

There are three names included in this brief portion of scripture, in addition to Stephanas.

We will mention them just briefly.

The other two are Stephanas’ fellow travelers, Fortunatus and Achaicus.

Both of these men carry latin names.

Fortunatus is a name which means lucky or blessed.

In Roman culture, this was not commonly a name you would give to a freeborn person.

Instead, it is commonly seen in their culture as the name of a slave.

Achaicus is also an interesting name.

It’s a name of western origin, hence the use of latin.

It means man from Achaia.

This is not a real name.

This is a nick-name like Tex or Okie.

Achaicus is probably a former slave who was freed and came back to the region of Achaia and was converted to Christianity.

Could these men be part of Stephanas’ house?

Possibly.

They could also, simply be friends of Stephans.

Maybe some of the second-fruits that followed in the example of the first, Stephanas.

What was the example set by Stephanas and his family?

Paul commends to the church the style of ministry that Stephanas and his family displayed.

This is so important.

I beg you to listen to this and let the Holy Spirit work in your heart.

If we as a church family could grasp this, it would change our church forever.

Paul commends this family because they had “addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.”

This phrase sounds weird to our ears.

Addiction???

The Bible is promoting addiction?

It’s not quite as weird as you think.

The greek word that is translated “addicted” in this verse is translated “ordained” in other verses.

Both of these words simply communicate the idea of being set apart.

Another way we could say this is that the Stephanas’ set up their lives for the purpose of ministering to others.

They placed themselves in the line or path of others so that they could minister to them.

When we think of that word ministry “the ministry of the saints” we discover that it uses the word diakonia.

It’s related to the word for deacon.

It means “service for service sake, service rendered of one’s own accord, service with an eye only to the benefit of others.

The Stephanas’ had ordained themselves to serve others.

Ordained themselves?

That’s right, no one told them to do this.

They were not assigned a position on any team or ministry.

The ministry of the Stephanas’ was a self-imposed duty.

What might this have looked like?

Maybe it meant financial help.

We don’t know whether or not the Stephanas’ were people of means.

Lot’s of commentators try to make it so.

The fact is, however, that families of slender means often distinguish themselves in this manner above many others who are financially more able.

Maybe it meant social help.

I can just picture Stephanas and his wife walking in to church on a Sunday evening.

Rather than marching straight to their normal spot, they start moving around the room.

You see, they didn’t come to church in order to be served; they came to church to serve others.

They are looking for that family that has never been to a service before.

Their kids are looking for that teenager that is sitting by themselves.

Hold on a second…don’t come complaining to me about the unity and the friendliness of our youth group if you march in and march out of this building without ever reaching out to a solitary visitor, guest, or long-time member whose you just don’t know yet.

Where are our kids supposed to learn to be friendly to each other if they don’t see it in us?

Where are they going to learn to be the selfless servants of the church tomorrow, when the only example they have is a bunch of self-absorbed adults today?

Well no body did that for me...

Get that garbage out of your mind.

Do you know what kind of person I would be if I only did for others what others first did for me???

Yeah well you’re the minister...

Oh yeah? and what are you?

Paul commends the family of Stephanas because, instead of constantly looking for other people to do things for them, they said, “we are going in to do for others; we will try to be a blessing to others, we will set ourselves apart to help God’s people.

Stephanas was also a help to Paul.

Paul says in verse 16 that Stephanas and his family had helped him.

That word for help is the same word as cooperate.

I understand the suspicion and distrust that most people feel towards pastors/preachers.

I’ve been hurt and betrayed by men in this office like many of you.

Because of this, some people choose to respond to the pastor as a threat.

Is it any surprise to us that Stephanas and his family chose cooperate with rather than resist the ministry efforts of Paul?

The other word is laboreth.

Not everyone views the pastor as a threat.

Some just view him as a performer.

We will show up and we will watch and we will applaud your efforts...

Just don’t ask us to get involved.

Stephanas’ family labored which means they toiled alongside Paul in ministry.

Every man of God desperately needs this.

I cannot talk to everyone that needs to be talked to.

I cannot visit everyone that needs to be visited.

I cannot be everything to everyone.

No man can.

Paul could not.

But, he had a Stephanas who led his family to serve others.

Make no mistake, ministry, service is hard.

It can get messy.

One other way that I see Stephanas’ ministry benefitting Paul is through the visit that he and the other men paid to Paul.

Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaiacus had come to see Paul.

Most likely, they had brought Paul the letter that had precipitated this letter in response.

But they had also done something else.

Paul loved the churches that he interacted with.

Even the ones that were flawed...

He hated being separated from them.

It left something empty inside of him.

Stephanas and these other men helped to restore that which was missing in Paul’s life.

He says to the church, “That which was lacking on your part, they have supplied.”

What was lacking?

What was making Paul feel like a vessel that was not full?

It was his absence from the church.

Stephanas and these other men took it upon themselves and brought a little bit of the church to Paul.

Can I say two things here?

Do you feel empty when you can’t be at church?

I can’t hardly miss a week without feeling severely disconnected from the church.

In the rare instance that I miss a service, there is something lacking in my life.

How anybody can miss service after service, week after week and be just totally okay with it, I can’t understand it.

What are you personally doing to bring a little bit of this church to the people who can’t be here though they want to?

One of our seniors asked me one time, why none of the members ever came to see them.

They said they appreciated the staff coming to see them, but what about the people who went to church with them for decades?

They said their was love, they called each others brother and sister.

Was it not real?

Was the family imaginary?

Why did no one come?

The Baptist Tabernacle needs some Stephanas’.

What does Paul say about Stephanas at the beginning of verse 18?

He says that Stephanas, and people like him are refreshing.

They are refreshing.

They bring rest, relief, and restoration to others.

They have reparative effect on the people they interact with.

Some people leave a path of chaos and destruction in their wake.

People like Stephanas leave a trail renewal.

Finally, Paul recommends a specific response to Stephanas by the Corinthian church.

If you remember our study of Corinthians, or if you’ve studied it before, you will remember that the whole city and even the church was consumed by a race to the top.

Everyone wanted to be the lead man.

Everyone wanted to be the one receiving influence and recognition.

Stephanas eschewed this cultural pressure.

Instead of a race to the top, you could say that Stephanas was in a race to the bottom.

He knew that in the economy of the gospel, the first shall be last and the last shall be first.

Paul also realizes that Stephanas is not alone in this example.

He tells the church to “submit yourselves unto such, and to every one...”

He says also, “acknowledge ye them that are such...”

This means that Stephanas really was the firstfruits of a group of believers that would put ministry and service above self and advancement.

How should the church respond to these types of members?

Paul says to submit to and acknowledge those that serve selflessly in the church.

Paul is not lobbying for them to receive formal places of leadership per se.

He is suggesting that the church should look up to people of this kind.

To respect them.

To heed their counsel.

In a society that was based on inherited status, Paul advocates for recognition based on function not status.

This family might not have represented the societal ideal of Corinth. at large.

They were a family that represented a class of church members that the Corinthian church should be proud of.

Through their selfless service, Stephanas and his family had refreshed their church and their friend Paul.

What are you doing to refresh your church today?