Category: 1 Corinthians

When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers  (1 Corinthians 16:10-11).

Peter seems to have been kind of a forceful guy.

James and John…well they had the nickname Sons of Thunder, so there’s that.

Paul was certainly not afraid to bring the hammer.

Timothy…well it seems he was kind of timid. 

In Paul’s letters to Timothy we see that he was devout, but young and given to anxiety. I think that Timothy was perhaps the kind of man that many would ignore.

But Paul saw the Spirit of God at work in Timothy, and he wasn’t going to let anyone, not even Timothy himself, get in the way of the Lord’s ministry through him. Paul is protective, even fatherly, toward his young friend, and he makes it clear that he expects the Corinthians to look out for him.

Two things…no, three things: 

First, I want someone like that in my life. I want a mentor who will encourage me, strengthen me, and point me toward my destiny in Christ.

Second, I want to be someone like that in the life of another.

Third, I love that, through Timothy, God reminds us that he uses all sorts of people. You don’t need to be charismatic or dynamic or a social powerhouse. You can speak softly, so long as you speak for Him.

So you don’t have to be Paul, or Peter, or even Timothy.

You just have to be you, but be you for him.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door to effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me (1 Corinthians 16:8-9).

Wait a minute…

So, Paul is using the fact that many are opposing him as a reason to stay, not as a reason to leave.

Remember, Beloved, that by oppose Paul probably means imprison, beat, hit with rocks, and basically try to end.

And Paul looks at that as a good thing.

Is Paul, you know…all right?

Winston Churchill is credited with the quote, “If you have no enemies, you have never stood up for anything.”

Paul would have understood that.

I think Paul saw the opposition he faced as evidence that he was being effective in his ministry. After all, no one would try to stop him if he weren’t having an impact.

So, while I don’t think Paul was masochistic, I do think he welcomed the attacks. 

It meant he was doing the work.

It meant the Holy Spirit was changing lives.

Beloved, are you willing to ruffle feathers, even anger people, for the sake of the gospel? Are you willing to take the occasional rock that comes your way?

Remember, you are not called to be obnoxious. But, if you’re doing your job, you will make enemies.

And you will be excellent company.

Happy Monday, Beloved

After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you–for I will be going through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits (1 Corinthians 16:5-7).

The key to this passage?

Final phrase

If the Lord permits 

Paul had originally planned to leave Ephesus, where he was writing this letter, and go to Corinth on his way to Macedonia. But now Paul tells the Corinthians that he is going to wait and see them on the way back from Macedonia. 

This, as it happens, is going to seriously annoy the Corinthians, to the point where some will call Paul out for being unreliable and flakey. In his next letter (2 Corinthians) Paul will deal with that, pointing out that he wanted to give them some time to digest this letter–rebukes and all– and make some changes before he got there, so that his visit could be a pleasant one and not a smackdown.

But that conversation will happen in another letter. For now, we simply get the change of plans, Paul’s hope to spend more time with them as a result of the change, and the phrase if the Lord permits.

If the Lord permits

It’s a reminder that Paul is not conducting the orchestra. He’s just playing his fiddle. The Lord God Almighty is conductor, and composer, and creator of heaven and earth.  Paul, and the rest of us, are called to faithfully follow the music God has written, on the instrument he has given us, with the talent he has granted and the skill we have worked to attain. 

I play third kazoo, as it turns out. But I do what I can.

Happy Friday, Beloved

Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collection will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me  (1 Corinthians 16:1-4).

As Paul heads into the final portion of his letter, he starts wrapping up the miscellany. He’s going to talk logistics about his travel plans, make sure he gets his greetings in, and generally tie this massive epistle up with a bow. The first detail Paul covers is the collection for Jerusalem. The believers in Jerusalem were having it rough. Between a food shortage and a persecution surplus, they were in need, and their brothers and sisters in Corinth were going to help.

You know, Beloved, what I think I like best about this passage is that Paul has a plan. This isn’t a panicky, emotion-laden response to an emotional plea. It is a well considered strategy that checks some important boxes:

It is specific–the folks in Jerusalem needed food and basic supplies, and the Corinthians are going to help supply that need.

It is orderly–the Corinthians would give to the fund weekly, allowing them the time to pray and plan how much they would give.

It is above-board–there is accountability here. The Corinthians would send the money through people they trusted, who would be able to see that it was delivered to the right people in the right way.

Money doesn’t always solve problems, but in this case it could. The believers responded to the need and gave generously and wisely. It’s an example for us all to follow.

On a completely unrelated topic, I could really use a new car…

Happy Thursday, Beloved

Welcome back to 1 Corinthians! We’ve made it to the final chapter, and here we go!

Now about the collection for God’s people…(1 Corinthians 16:1).

Uh oh

Money

It tends to make people twitch.

When the subject of giving comes up in church, you just know some people are thinking

Awww, Man!

They’re talking about money again.

Why are church people always talking about money?

Maybe because “Church People” know, as Paul knew, as Jesus knew, that money can be a really sticky point for people. 

The image that comes to my mind this morning is the old Monkey Jar Trap. 

You don’t know about the old Monkey Jar Trap?

Well, you need to.

It goes something like this: if you want to catch a monkey unharmed–because why would you hurt a monkey–you get a jar with a wide bottom and a narrow top. You put something delightful, say a little rice or a marble, in the bottom of the jar. The monkey comes along, puts his hand in the jar, grabs the niftiness, and pulls his hand out of the jar.

Except he can’t

because his closed fist doesn’t fit through the narrow opening of the jar.

The only way for the monkey to free himself is to let go of his treasure, which he will not do, as he is a monkey. 

And so he is caught…by himself.

You, Beloved, are not a monkey, so I will leave you to connect the dots.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

Therefore, my dear brothers, 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  (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Sometimes it feels like my whole life is in vain.

I’m not trying to be Eeyore here, but it’s true. Whether I’m teaching my students, or trying to keep the bills paid, or writing this…whatever this is that I write–there are days when it feels like none of it matters.

On those days, I am wrong.

Because God is victorious over death and sin

Because God will clothe the perishable with the imperishable

Even my efforts–feeble as they are–matter, if my labor is for him and through him and in him.

Beloved, if our lives are lived for God, if our purpose is to give him glory, then God will clothe the insignificant with significance. 

So, then, how shall we go about our day?

Happy Friday, Beloved

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ  (1 Corinthians 15:56-57).

His love desired that I have a choice–and I chose  evil.

His justice required that I pay for my sin–and the penalty was death.

His mercy allowed for a substitute–and he sent his Son.

Thank God

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:55/ Hosea 13:14).

The Emperor is naked.

The Great and Powerful Oz is a little man in a special effects booth.

The sixth-grade bully has a glass jaw.

Beloved, the terror of a thousand generations is powerless before Jesus. Death has been defeated by the Author of Life. Yes, people still pass away, and these bodies of flesh still fail and fall and crumble–and it hurts us and the people we love. That hurt can be unfathomable, crushing, unbearable in our own strength.

But 

We who are in Christ know that death cannot keep us, the grave cannot hold us, and when our Lord calls us, we will be “clothed with the imperishable.” 

We will rise, and there’s not a thing death can do about it.

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will be true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”  (1 Corinthians 15:46)

There is no “if” in this verse.

Did you notice that?

No “might”

No “perhaps”

No “Wow, I really hope so”

God gives us “when” and “then” and “will be.”

It’s a foregone conclusion.

Just a matter of time

So breathe deeply, Beloved. Today may look and feel and smell and taste like chaos, but His plan is in motion, and His victory is assured.

And His victory is your victory.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved

For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality  (1 Corinthians 15:53).

It simply won’t work.

If you try to go into orbit without a spacesuit, things will not go well for you. It doesn’t matter how hard you work at it, or how well-intentioned you are. The body you have simply won’t do the job.

Plug in the analogy of your choice: bottom of the sea, pit of a volcano…

Nope

This world, and things of this world, are out of phase with the things of heaven. If you want to get there from here, you’re going to need a new…

you.

I happen to know someone who can help with that.

Happy Monday, Beloved