It is hard to believe that this is the last blog for the 1 Corinthians series. \u00a0Lord willing in two weeks from the time of this writing I will be preaching on 1 Corinthians 16:1-4. \u00a0However, there are a couple of important sections towards the end of this chapter.<\/p>\n
The first section is covered in verses 13 and 14, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity.” \u00a0Paul says “be watchful” in the opening of verse 13. \u00a0He was alerting the Corinthian believers to ever present dangers. Peter would say in 1 Peter. 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” \u00a0We as Christians should always be on alert because spiritual warfare is continuously occurring. \u00a0Paul then says “stand fast in the faith.” \u00a0This phrase seems to carry a meaning of a soldier standing guard. \u00a0We are to hold our positions at all costs. \u00a0That is something Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” \u00a0Paul talked about the armor of God in Ephesians 6. \u00a0It would have conjured up images for the Ephesian Christians of the Roman soldiers armor. \u00a0Their armor was designed to protect their front. \u00a0As long as they held their position or were advancing forward, they were protected. \u00a0However, if they turned and retreated they opened themselves up to deadly attacks. \u00a0The same is certainly true for Christians. \u00a0We are to hold our convictions to the Word and the mission and constantly be pressing forward. \u00a0When we take our eyes off of our calling and mission, in a sense we are retreating and opening ourselves up to attacks from satan. \u00a0The next phrase in verse 13 in the King James says “quit you like men.” \u00a0Literally translated the phrase means to act like men. \u00a0Literally Paul is telling the Corinthians to not be timid or fearful. \u00a0He is saying don’t be a coward. \u00a0He is not telling us to be mean or hateful, rather he is again just continuing to call the Corinthians and us to press forward with our message to fulfill the mission. \u00a0Paul knew that attacks were going to happen, and so he is trying to encourage them to keep moving in spite of them. \u00a0I heard a professor say one time, “Christianity is not for the faint of heart or the timid.” \u00a0He was right. \u00a0We must stand our ground because we are standing on the truth as long as we are standing on the Word of God. \u00a0The last phrase is “be strong.” \u00a0It is similar to what Paul said in Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” \u00a0In all things we must trust and depend on God knowing He will sustain us to the very end. \u00a0A great verse to remind us of this is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” \u00a0Paul then says in verse 14, “Let all your things be done with charity.” \u00a0Paul talked about love (charity) in chapter 13, and that without it everything we do is really useless. \u00a0Therefore, before we do something we really need to ask ourselves, how is this going to show God I love Him or show my love for others? \u00a01 Peter 4:8 tells us, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” \u00a0Many times people are willing to forgive you more easily if they know that you love them. \u00a0And so that is the charge for all Christians, to do everything based on love for God and love for others, which is what Jesus commanded us to do in Matthew 22:37-39.<\/p>\n
The second section is found in verses 19-22. \u00a0It is the names that Paul lists. \u00a0At the end of every book Paul wrote he rattled off some names. \u00a0It is a great reminder that we as Christians cannot do this alone. \u00a0We need each other. \u00a0Paul said in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” \u00a0Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” \u00a0We could list more and more verses on this subject, but we will stop here. God gave Christians the church not only for the work of ministry, but also to serve as an encouragement to each other. \u00a0Why do we need encouragement? \u00a0See the previous point of this post. \u00a0The Christian life is difficult. \u00a0Pastors need to be CEO’s of the church God has called them to. \u00a0In this case CEO stands for Chief Encouragement Officer. Yes pastors are to spend hours studying and praying. \u00a0We should spend time sharing the Gospel and inviting people to church. \u00a0But we should also spend time encouraging those who are already here. \u00a0So many times churches work so hard to get people into the church, but once they come in they become forgotten or a means to an end. \u00a0No one wants to feel like a project or a number. \u00a0Everyone needs to be encouraged, especially when they make a mistake. \u00a0The church should be a place for the walking wounded come in, hear about the God who loved them enough to die for them, offers them a gift of salvation, understands their pain, and is with them everywhere they go as a Christian. Churches need to preach the Word, exhort their members to live a life of holiness and obedience, and encourage one another. \u00a0Then we might be a people like the disciples in the book of Acts and have it be said about us, “these that have turned the world upside down.”<\/p>\n
By His grace and through His strength may we live for Him<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It is hard to believe that this is the last blog for the 1 Corinthians series. \u00a0Lord willing in two weeks from the time of this writing I will be preaching on 1 Corinthians 16:1-4. \u00a0However, there are a couple … Read More