Sinners Made Saints: The Tie that Binds

Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth has come to an end except for some final directions, and greetings. Paul is oing to sum up his letter to the Corinthians with an exhortation on practical diligence. I always find it interesting that we learn wonderful tidbits of information at the end of the Apostle’s letters.

At the end of the letter to the Church at Rome the Apostle lists over two-dozen fellow believers who have been a part of his ministry as he has planted churches from Caesarea to Corinth. It reminds us of Paul’s deep love for his co-workers in Christ.

At the end of his letter to the Philippian Church he lays out a plethora of attributes that believers ought to strive to put into practice, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:4–8, ESV). Each of us could spend the rest of our lives (and probably should) just trying to live these things out in our Christian walk.

He closes out his letter to the Ephesian Christians with, “Ya all pray for me, that whenever I open my mouth the gospel comes out.”

Here, at the end of his first letter to the believers at Corinth, Paul is going to give some final instructions on a variety of issues that give us some guidance in some practical concerns of the Christian life.

I. PRACTICAL CONCERNS ABOUT STEWARDSHIP TO THE CHURCH

“Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.” (1 Corinthians 16:1–4, ESV)

1. several times in the Book of Acts, and several times in his own letters it is mentioned that the Apostle Paul is encouraging a collection for the believers in Judea due to a famine that has hit the region

a. it is referred to simply as the “Jerusalem Donation”

b. this famine had actually been prophesied by an early believer in the Book of Acts

“Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.” (Acts 11:27–30, ESV)

1) sure enough, the famine begins in AD 44 and the Christian community in Judea is especially hard hit

c. the believers in the Corinthian Church had evidently heard about this offering, not from the Apostle Paul, but from other believers from the churches in Galatia, and have asked Paul for the privilege of giving

1) it’s always encouraging when believers want to be generous with their money

2. so Paul is going to give some instructions that, still to this day, are good solid financial principles for congregations to follow

a. the local church should always take its financial instructions from the Word, and not from the world

1) it is always sad when churches reject biblical methods of financing their ministry, and adopt worldly methods

b. Paul’s advise is for all congregations

“Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.” (1 Corinthians 16:1, ESV)

A. PRINCIPLES OF GODLY GIVING

1. 1st, Giving Is to Be Church-centered

a. Paul writes, On the first day of every week

1) this is the customary Jewish way of referring to Sunday

b. this obviously coincides with the Christian day of worship

1) God’s people are to gather on the Lord’s Day, and one of the patterns of worship involves giving

c. financial sacrifice is taught throughout both Old and New Testaments

1) God is the One who blesses us, and in turn, God’s people are to bless others by helping supply their needs

“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” (Ephesians 4:28, ESV)

2) well isn’t that interesting? ... one of the reasons a Christian ought to be gainfully employed, and a hard worker is so that he may have something to share with anyone in need

3) Christians ought to be a generous people — no one ought to out give us!

ILLUS. The Protestant Reformer, Martin Luther, had much to say about Christian stewardship. Some of this teachings on money will make us all squirm. One of the things he wrote is just blunt: “If you are rich and see your neighbor is poor, serve him with your possessions,” wrote Luther; “if you do not do this you are not now a Christian.”

d. the depth of our stewardship is not the only indicator of the depth of our love for Christ and the things of God, but it certainly is an indicator

1) our giving is to be church-centered

2) it is certainly not wrong to give to other philanthropic causes, including Christian philanthropic causes, but Paul makes clear that a believer owes it to the Lord and to his church to bring his or her tithes and offerings to the church

3) our giving is as much a part of our worship as is our singing or praying

2. 2nd, Giving Should Be Regular

a. Paul writes, On the first day of every week

1) Paul encouraged them to bring their offerings weekly, if possible

2) the point is that our giving should be regular and not sporadic

3. 3rd, Giving is for Everyone

a. Paul tells them, On the first day of every week, each one of you

1) Christian stewardship is not just for the rich, but rich and poor and all inbetween

ILLUS. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-4 Paul tells us that the believers in the churches of Macedonia gave liberally to this offering even though Macedonia was the very poorest region in all of Greece.

2) Christian stewardship is not just for the adult, but for the young person

a) parents, are you teaching your children that they should tithe their allowance?

b) are you teaching your teenagers that they should tithe what they earn at McDonald’s, or at lawn mowing, or at Walmart’s?

ILLUS. The biggest stink I ever caused in a church was with my previous congregation in Adrian. I had been preaching a series of messages on biblical stewardship, and I had decided that during the coming Sunday’s children’s time, I was going to teach the kids about tithing. I normally had about fifteen children each morning so I went and got $15 in dimes. Come the next Lord’s Day I call all the children up, and asked “How many of you know what the world ‘tithe’ means?” One of the older kids raised a hand and said, “It means ‘one tenth’ of something.” I said, “Yes. That’s correct. Tithing is when a Christian gives 10% of their income to God, just because they love him.” I then pulled out the dimes, and give each one of them a dollars worth of shiny new 10¢ pieces. I asked, “You each have ten shiny new dimes. If you were to give a tithe of them to God, how many dimes would you put in the offering plate?” Well, they all responded, “One dime!” I then told them that the dimes were their’s to keep, and that come the offering time, only God would be watching if you put a dime in the offering plate. There were fifteen shiny new dimes in the offering plate that day.

c) the kids loved that morning’s children’s time with their pastor — not so much a fair number of the parents

b. the church member who is able to give, but who does not give faithfully is a thief — he or she is robbing God, and dishonoring fellow believers who pay the bills while the cheapskate-believer gets all the same blessings from their church, and they are robbing themselves of blessings

4. 4th, Giving Should be Proportionate

a. how much should the Corinthian believers give?

1) Paul does not use the word tithe, but he does tell them you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income

2) he implies proportional giving — that a believer should give in relation to the prosperity he or she receives from the Lord

b. the tithe was the minimum standard for giving in the Old Testament, and I see no reason why this standard should not apply also to the New Testament Church

c. some Christian will immediately respond, “But tithing is legalistic, and we’re under grace!” ... to which I would respond

1) tithing was practiced by God’s people long before God gave the Law to Moses (see Gen. 14:20; 28:22)

2) and yes, you’re correct, we are under grace and not the Law which means our stewardship ought to surpass what the Law requires!

ILLUS. When I became a Christian, I was fortunate to have the influence of many fine adult Christian examples around me — including Linda’s parents. I can remember going to Linda’s dad and asking, “How much should I be giving to the church?” Linda’s dad explained tithing to me, and since that day there has never been a time in my life, our in Linda and mine’s marriage when we did not tithe and give over and above a tithe. You need to know that, financially, I don’t ask you to do what I’m unwilling to do.

5. 5th, Giving Should be Carefully handled

“And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.” (1 Corinthians 16:3–4, ESV)

a. Paul was always careful in handling money from the churches

1) he wants church appointed believers to be in charge of collecting the offering, and getting it to the people it’s designated for

b. every church needs to have a system in place where financial giving is properly recorded, where transactions are open for all to see, and financial agendas are decided by the members, and not a few leaders

c. we do this because we owe transparency to those who give, and as a testimony to the lost

II. PRACTICAL CONCERNS ABOUT SERVANTS OF THE CHURCH

1. 1st, in vs. 5-9 Paul outlines his future plans, trusting that the church would want to support him in his ministry

a. the Apostle is writing this letter from the city of Ephesus

b. he longs to come and sped time with them — hopefully through the winter months

“I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.” (1 Corinthians 16:5–7, ESV)

c. his plan was to travel to Macedonia for a time of ministry, spend the winter at Corinth, and then go to Judea with the collection

1) he wants to come when he can have an extended stay with them

2. 2nd, in vs. 10-12 Paul gives some instructions about his protégée Timothy, and his friend Apollos

“When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.” (1 Corinthians 16:10–11, ESV)

a. Paul dearly loved Timothy, but knew his timidity and fears

1) Paul encouraged the saints at Corinth to receive and assist Timothy because, though he is young, he was doing God’s work

b. Timothy was Paul’s “fixer” — whenever there was a difficult church that needed special attention Timothy is the one whom Paul calls sends to them

1) Timothy had been brought up in a godly home (2 Tim. 1:5)

2) Paul, however, was the who led him to Christ

3) Paul usually referred to him as “my own son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2)

4) when John Mark abandoned Paul and returned to Jerusalem, it was Timothy who was called to work as Paul’s assistant (Acts 16:1–5)

3. 3rd, in vs. 12 Paul refers to Apollos

c. Apollos was an eloquent Jew who had ministered with great power at Corinth, and there was a segment of the church there that felt attached to him

1) he is one of Paul’s co-labor’s in Christ, who had significant impact on the church

“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:5–7, ESV)

2) Paul writes that he has strongly encouraged Apollos to visit the brothers at Corinth

3) though he can’t go now he plans to in the future

4. 4th, in vs. 15-18 Paul talks about Stephanas and his household

a. these were the first people to be won to Christ in that part of Greece, and Paul had baptized them himself

b. they became important leaders in the church, because they “devoted themselves to the service of the saints” in the name of Christ

c. whenever they saw a need, they went to work to meet it without waiting to be asked

1) they were Paul’s helpers, and they labored in the church for the sake of Christ to “the point of exhaustion”

2) what a wonderful thing it is when an entire family serves the Lord faithfully in the local church

d. when Stephanas arrives at Ephesus to visit Paul, he brings with him Fortunatus, and Achaicus who, by their presence, have refreshed Paul’s spirit, and by their visit to the Church at Corinth, have done the same for the Corinthian believers

1) Paul encouraged the church to honor this very special family and submit to their spiritual leadership

5. what’s the point of all this?

A. GOD’S SERVANTS NEED FELLOWSHIP, MINISTRY, AND SUPPORT

1. one of the things that stands out in the Apostle Paul’s ministry is his inter-connectedness with Christians and Churches all over the Mediterranean world

a. we often picture Paul as this lone missionary toddling the Roman highways of his day or sailing the azure-blue seas of the Mediterranean Sea from one ministry assignment to another

b. in reality there are almost always co-workers, companions, and fellow missionaries traveling with the Apostle on his journeys

2. in that effort they need help ... they need the love of our fellowship, our encouragement of their ministry, and our support for the work

III. PRACTICAL CONCERNS ABOUT STRENGTHENING THE CHURCH

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13–14, ESV)

“All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” (1 Corinthians 16:20–24, ESV)

1. do you see the jewels of practical truth for the Church in these closing words?

Spiritual Strength and Maturity Are Essential to the Church

Love for the Lord and Love for Each Other Is Foundational to the Church

A. SPIRITUAL STRENGTH AND MATURITY ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE CHURCH

1. though different versions may translate vs. 13 differently, here is what Paul is saying

a. 1st, Be on your guard

1) the Church must remain spiritually awake and mentally alert for a variety of issues

a) the church is almost always in danger of persecution — ranging from slander to slaughter — so be on your guard

b) the church is almost always susceptible to theological drift — which is almost always to the left — so be on your guard

c) the church is almost always at risk of quarrels and schisms within the congregation that breeds divisiveness — so be on your guard

d) the church is almost always in danger of false teachers who would corrupt the truth morals of God’s people — so be on your guard

e) the church is always in danger of the devil and his temptations

2) only an absolute loyalty to Christ and his Teachings can avert these dangers — so be on your guard

b. 2nd, Stand firm in the faith

1) do not let yourself become corrupted by the ways of the world

a) the faith of which Paul speaks here is not the faith of trusting in Christ, but the faith of trusting in his truth — the content of the gospel

ILLUS. We cannot allow ourselves to become the proverbial “frog in the kettle”.

2) if we are not firm in the faith, we will be fickle in the faith — “carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14)

ILLUS. Or, as is the case in our day, simply ignoring doctrine altogether, and being held captive by the vain philosophies of the world.

c. 3rd, Be courageous

1) some translations say, act like men or quit you like men

a) Paul is calling for spiritual maturity among the brethren

b) our faith must be childlike, but our behavior cannot be childish

2) we are to be courageous in our faith, and for the faith which means holding our ground when all the world tells you your wrong, and would you please sit down and shut up

d. 4th, Be strong

1) be strengthened is the better idea — meaning that our spiritual strength is not sourced in ourselves, but in the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us

2) our part is to submit ourselves to Him in order that He can strengthen us

a) we can only “be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might” (Eph. 6:10)

b) only the Spirit, who is in us, can successfully battle temptations, and overcome the flesh

3) we can no more be spiritually strong than we can be physically strong without self-discipline

“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 9:25, ESV)

a) spiritual strength comes from self-sacrifice, self-denial, and self-discipline

B. LOVE FOR THE LORD AND LOVE FOR EACH OTHER IS FOUNDATIONAL TO THE CHURCH

1. if the Church is not careful, it can be strong in the Lord; it can be courageous in the Lord; it can stand firm in the Lord; and it can be on guard against the world, and in doing those things it can lose it’s passion for the Lord

a. it happened, ironically, in the Church at Ephesus — the place from which Paul is writing this letter

““ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:2–4, ESV)

ILLUS. Think about this for a moment. The Church at Ephesus was one of the great churches in the Apostolic period. The church was founded by the Apostle Paul. Apollos, and Priscilla and Aquila helped to disciple the church. Timothy, and later the Apostle John both were pastors of this church. The spiritual pedigree of this congregation is impressive, to say the least. But by the end of the 1st century, they’ve lost their love for Jesus, and maybe even each other. Jesus, himself, calls them to repentance and remember their love for him.

2. Paul is blunt about a number of things ...

a. 1st, everything we do in church, every ministry of the church, every program of the church, every decision of the church must be undergirded and guided by our love for Jesus

ILLUS. When we make decisions as a congregation, the question we must never ask is, “Am I ‘for’ this thing?” Rather, we should ask, “Does this decision reveal our love for Jesus; our love for each other, or our love for the lost?”

b. 2nd, if you’re a part of the church and you don’t love Jesus ... a curse on you

1) by using the conditional word “if”, Paul notes that there are indeed people in the church who have no affection for Christ

2) Jesus, himself, in Matthew 12:30 says, that those who are not with him are against him

3) Paul calls out a curse on these folks because he knows that people who are members of a church who don’t love the Lord of the Church will forever be causing problems in the church

c. 3rd, Paul loves this church and its people

1) you should love your church and its people

ILLUS. In the early 1960s a chorus, written by then-Catholic priest, the late Fr. Peter Scholtes, took the Christian world by storm. It was particularly popular with young Christians and became known as the “anthem of the Jesus Movement.” The song’s title is “We Are One in the Spirit” and is based on John 13-:34-35. In that simple chorus Scholtes simply reiterates what Jesus told his disciple. The world will know we are Christians by our love for the brethren.

Con.

1st, Do you love the Lord, and do you love his people? Loving Jesus and loving each other is foundational to every church, and strengthens the Church.

2nd, are you thankful for those who serve in the church? When was the last time you expressed appreciation to your Sunday School teacher? These folks come Sunday-after-Sunday prepared to teach the Word. They are a vital part of any congregation’s ministry. How about saying “thanks” to the custodians who clean our facilities, or the tellers who faithfully count the offering, or the secretary who makes sure you have a bulletin each Sunday?

3rd, are you generous with your giving? Are you practicing biblical stewardship so that the work of the Lord may continue in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the rest of the world?

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