Generosity and Hospitality Among the Saints

The Baptist missionary, who is considered the father of modern missions,

set sail for India as a Christian missionary.

But before he did, he was facing a band of brothers,

a group of men who were also serving like he was.

And he said this to them,

Well, I will go down if you will hold the rope.

He was comparing Christian missionary work to that of the rescue efforts

along treacherous mountain cliffs.

And there must be those who would bravely venture down the mountain,

but there must also be those who would tenaciously hold the rope

for them to be able to go down.

And so one of the people in that gathering was Andrew Fuller.

At his home, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed in 1792.

And for the next 21 years, he led this organization by recruiting missionaries,

raising funds, writing periodicals with updates,

and sending personal letters to missionaries in the front line.

During that period, his wife passed away as the aid of their 11 children.

But Fuller persevered through this severe affliction and continued to hold the rope

for the hope that the unleashed peoples in the world will come to know Jesus Christ.

And for his ministry, Andrew Fuller became this archetype among missionary circles of the rope holder.

In this closing section of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians,

we see the importance of this rope-holding ministry.

And because Paul understood that there was a divinely ordained interdependence within the local church,

but also there's a vital partnership that God ordained among churches,

he knew that the cooperation of the Corinthian church was vital,

that it was imperative that they cooperate with him for the advancement of the gospel.

So in this final section of his letter, he exhorts the Corinthian believers

that those who love the Lord should be generous and hospitable toward the saints.

That's the main point of this passage.

And I'll talk about that in three phases.

Generosity for churches, hospitality for laborers, love for Christ.

But before I do that, let me pray for us.

God, we need your help.

We ask that you speak to us.

We acknowledge that this is your word and we want to be addressed by you.

Lord, please speak to us and change us so we may be conformed to the image of your son.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

So at the end of last week's passage, Paul exhorted the Corinthian believers

to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,

knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Because death is not the final stop for the Christian,

but because it's the gateway that opens the way for our future resurrection life,

Paul believed that our labors were not in vain.

And now in this passage, he gives some specific directions

about how we can abound in the work of the Lord.

He begins in verse 1.

Now concerning the collection for the saints,

as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.

This is now the fifth time in the letter Paul is using the phrase,

now concerning.

Whenever he uses that, he is indicating that he is addressing a new topic

that the Corinthians themselves had brought up in their letter to Paul.

So they had brought this topic up.

Okay, so you mentioned this thing about the collection for the saints.

What are we supposed to do about it?

So now Paul is addressing that and turning to that matter.

And the fact that he hardly provides any detail about this collection

shows that he has already addressed it.

He assumes a lot of details that they already know it.

Only thing we see here is from verse 3 that the destination is in Jerusalem.

And in several of his other letters, Romans 15, for example, 2 Corinthians 8-9,

he mentions the same collection for the saints.

And it was for the Jewish believers, the Jewish converts in Jerusalem who were impoverished.

And he was taking up a collection for their sake.

And this was not some extraneous peripheral activity for Paul.

Actually, this was a major aspect of Paul's third missionary journey.

And this was important to him.

And he expended considerable time, energy, and relational capital toward making sure

that this collection for the saints in Jerusalem was successful.

And so even though here in 1 Corinthians, he's pretty matter-of-fact in the way he describes this,

he's really emphatic in other places when he mentions this collection.

For example, he calls it an act of grace in 2 Corinthians.

He calls it the proof of their love.

He calls it the ministry of the saints.

He calls it a service.

For Paul, this was much more than a fundraiser.

It was an act of worship.

It was a form of ministry.

It was the natural and expected overflow of the love and grace that we have received from God.

And James 2.15-17 says this,

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them,

Go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

If we don't seek to meet a tangible need that we see of a brother or sister in Christ,

how can we claim to care for their intangible needs that we don't see?

If we don't care to fill their empty stomach, how can we claim to care for the nourishment of their souls?

Paul was no advocate of faith, divorced from works,

and he expected and encouraged the better-off Christians to supply the needs of the worse-off Christians.

And of course, as Christians, we're not just called to take care of other Christians.

We're also called to love our neighbor as ourselves.

But there is a particular call to love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ

because they belong to the same Lord, and we're accountable to one another.

Then in verse 2, Paul tells the Corinthians what a specific instruction to the churches of Galatia was.

He says, follow with me in verse 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 there will be no collecting when I come.

The first day of the week refers to a Sunday.

The Jews historically worshipped on a Saturday, on a Sabbath,

but Christians, because Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week,

as we see in Acts 27, they started to worship on the first day of the week, which is Sunday.

And so Paul is referring to the gathering.

He may mean that when you gather, bring something to get set aside for the collection of the poor,

but it probably more likely means he wants them to use Sunday as a reference point,

to use that day, to set aside money privately,

so they can bring it to the collection for the poor.

Because if the sentence is translated even more literally,

he says, each of you by himself put something aside and store it up.

So Paul is emphasizing that this is supposed to be voluntary, not compulsory.

You should, of your own accord, bring something, set aside something to bring to this collection for the saints.

And each believer is to do this as he may prosper, it says.

There's no defined amount that every believer is supposed to give.

Rather, each believer is to give as he may prosper, in accordance with how they have prospered for that week.

Now, we could be tempted, some of us, to breathe a sigh of relief at this point quickly and say,

Well, if that's the case, I guess I'm off the hook because I'm definitely not prospering.

Other people should give, not me.

But Paul didn't say only those who prosper should give.

He said, each should give as he may prosper.

He expects everyone to give according to his or her means.

It often happens that when our earning power increases,

our standard of living increases proportionally,

while our standard of giving does not.

It should be the exact opposite.

Provided that we're maintaining a livable standard,

when our earnings increase,

we should prioritize increasing our standard of giving,

rather than our standard of living.

Why store up treasures on earth,

when you can be storing up treasures in heaven?

That's the reality that we must live with in mind.

Some people think that giving a flat percentage will solve this issue.

Since if we're giving a percentage,

then we'll be giving according to our respective means.

But note that Paul doesn't specify a percentage.

In the Old Testament, believers were required to tithe,

meaning to give a 10% of their income.

But after Christ's death and resurrection,

the New Testament never again mentions tithing.

And this is because Christ has fulfilled the law.

As it says in Romans 7, 6,

But now we are released from the law,

having died to that which held us captives,

so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit,

and not in the old way of the written code.

Now, does that mean that our standard for giving in the New Testament is lowered?

Not at all.

The standard for the Christian is incomparably higher in every way,

and that's why Jesus says in Matthew 5, 20,

Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees,

you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Think about what Jesus taught in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.

For example, Jews were commanded not to murder.

But he says to Christians,

Not only are you not to murder,

you're not even supposed to harbor anger against the brother.

because anger is the root of murder.

And what does Jesus say about adultery?

Jews were commanded not to commit adultery.

But Jesus commands Christians,

Not only are you supposed to commit physical adultery,

you should never lust in your heart,

because that is tantamount to adultery in your mind.

So a New Testament saint who has experienced the generosity and sacrifice of Christ

should not be outdone by Old Testament saint

who wasn't even filled with the Holy Spirit.

We often ask,

How much are we required to give?

Because we have a legalistic mentality sometimes,

and I must include myself in this,

we want to fulfill the so-called requirement.

Well, just tell me how much I need to give,

so I can give that and be done with it.

But that kind of attitude is incongruous.

It's not consistent with God's lavish grace and generosity toward us.

Instead of asking how much we have to give,

we should be asking how we can order the affairs of our lives

so that we get to give more.

Christians give freely, joyfully, faithfully, and generously,

not because we must, but because we love our Savior.

We give as God prospers us,

but our posture is to give generously,

sacrificially, not selfishly or stingily.

And that's why in 2 Corinthians 8, 1-5,

when Paul's again bringing this issue up

to further motivate the Corinthian believers to give,

he gives the example of the Macedonian believers.

We want you to know, brothers,

about the grace of God that has been given

among the churches of Macedonia.

For in a severe test of affliction,

their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty

have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

For they gave according to their means,

as I can testify,

and beyond their means of their own accord,

begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part

in the relief of the saints.

And this, not as we expected them,

but they gave themselves first to the Lord,

and then by the will of God to us.

Our attitude should be likewise to be able to give.

What can we, how can we give more?

What can we get, what do we get to give?

Not, let's, let me do everything that I need

and everything I want,

and here's some spare change for the offering box.

And I'm not saying this for, necessarily for our church.

Our church, you guys give,

our church members give very faithfully.

And the giving that Paul's talking about here

is actually giving to another local church

that's in need of other saints.

Verse 3 makes that explicitly.

It says that it's for the saints in Jerusalem.

So Paul's not speaking of the Corinthians' own church,

but he's speaking to, of another church,

another local expression of the universal church.

So there is a biblical precedent that's here

for strong partnership among churches across regions.

And this is vital and healthy for the ministry of the church.

And that's why my first point is called

generosity for the churches.

And Paul continues his instructions in verses 3 to 4.

And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter

to carry your gift to Jerusalem.

If it seems advisable that I should go also,

they will accompany me.

Paul wants the Corinthians themselves to choose a delegation

that they will accredit to go and deliver this.

Because obviously this is an important issue.

It will probably be a sizable sum.

There's no electronic transfers in this day and age.

So everything is carried in coins.

That's not exactly easy to hide as you're traveling, right?

So I mean, so there needs to be accountability.

There needs to be safety.

So there should be a delegation that is sent out.

And if they should consider it necessary,

maybe because the sum is too large,

Paul himself, as the one in charge of the project,

will also go with them.

So then having spoken of his arrival to Corinth,

Paul goes on to give them a preview of his itinerary

in verses 5 to 9.

First he says,

I will visit you after passing through Macedonia,

for I intend to pass through Macedonia,

and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter,

so that you may help me on my journey wherever I go.

For I do not want to see you now just in passing.

I hope to spend some time with you if the Lord permits.

So this is pretty straightforward.

Paul wants to visit the Corinthians.

He's expressing that desire,

but he wants to first pass through Macedonia,

which includes Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea.

And he wants to do this not so that he can tour the areas,

but because those are all places where he has planted churches.

And he wants to care for the churches that are there.

Only then he wants to come,

because if he visits them now,

it will have to be cut short for his later trip.

But he doesn't want to have a short visit with the Corinthians.

He wants to come and stay a while.

He'll even spend perhaps the winter there.

And as he does that,

his hope is that they may help him on his journey,

he says,

wherever he might go after visiting Corinth.

The phrase,

help me on my journey,

is the technical phrase

that refers to furnishing all the needs of a traveling missionary.

So it includes food, money, traveling companions as well.

So recall from 1 Corinthians 9,

which we covered earlier,

that Paul voluntarily gave up his rights

to be compensated by the Corinthians for his ministry.

He did that so that the gospel,

he might present the gospel free of charge.

And this was a point of contention

between Paul and the Corinthian believers,

because the Corinthian believers took offense to that.

They took that as a sign that

Paul didn't want them to partner with him

and to share in his ministry.

And some of them mocked Paul saying,

well, the reason why he doesn't accept our compensation

is because he's not a worthy apostle.

He doesn't deserve our compensation.

So that was a point of tension between the two.

And so this seems to be kind of a conciliatory gesture

on Paul's part.

Hey, I know I'm not taking any compensation from you

for my ministry among you,

but hey, if you really insist on this,

you can help me as I serve and minister to others.

You can furnish my missionary journey

as I go on from your place.

And so that brings me to the second point,

hospitality for laborers.

And Paul's closing comments in this letter

encouraged the church to be hospitable

toward those who labor among them,

including, that's why he says,

he hopes that they will furnish his missionary journey.

But for now, Paul says in verses eight to nine,

I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,

for a wide door for effective work has opened to me,

and there are many adversaries.

The reasons that Paul gives here are fascinating,

aren't they?

Look at, Paul gives,

the reason that Paul gives for staying in Ephesus to serve,

on the one hand is,

a wide door for effective work has opened to me.

Well, that sounds like a sensible reason

to stay in the same place and keep ministering, right?

And we see an example of that in Acts 19.

It says that God was doing extraordinary miracles

by the hands of Paul,

so much so that there were some Jewish exorcists,

these traveling exorcists, magicians,

who tried to appropriate the power that Paul had access to.

So they went to a demon-possessed man,

and they said,

by the name of Jesus,

whom Paul proclaims,

come out of this man.

And then the demon was like,

hey, I know Jesus,

and I know Paul,

but who are you?

And they attacked them, right?

So after that happened,

so there was this huge revival in Ephesus.

It put the fear of God in people,

and they brought out all their magical,

you know, paparazzi,

all their magical manuscripts that burned them,

and there was a revival among Christians,

and a lot of unbelievers came to know Christ.

That's a wide door for effective ministries.

The Spirit of God is moving.

So Paul said,

I need to stay here.

I need to keep working.

So that makes perfect sense.

But the next reason doesn't make any sense.

Right?

He says,

and there are many adversaries.

Right?

That would make you think,

well, that doesn't sound like an effective,

like wide open door for ministry.

I mean, there's a lot of adversaries, Paul.

What do you mean it's a wide open door for ministry?

But Paul says,

Paul doesn't seem to see those two things

as mutually exclusive.

Rather, he seems to assume

that those two things go hand in hand.

Yes, when there is a wide open,

effective door for ministry,

the enemy will be there to oppose you

because it's effective.

He expects that,

and he says,

because of this,

I must persevere.

I must continue the work.

So he does that,

and before he arrives in Corinth,

Paul knows that the Corinthians

still need attention,

and so he sends his apprentice,

Timothy, to them.

He mentioned that he would do this

earlier in chapter 4.

And you can see that,

this is why I sent you,

Timothy,

my beloved and faithful child in the Lord,

to remind thee of my ways in Christ

as I teach them everywhere

in every church.

The Corinthians were transgressing

the ways of Christ.

They were violating the things

that Paul taught them,

and so he was sending his apprentice,

Timothy, to them

to remind them of the ways of Christ.

But since there is obvious tension

between him and the Corinthian church,

Paul fears that they will receive

Timothy coldly

because he represents Paul.

And he's afraid

that he'll be disrespected

and disregarded,

so he adds this

in verses 10 to 11

out of his care for Timothy.

When Timothy comes,

see that you put him at ease among you,

for he is doing the work of the Lord

as I am.

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.

The phrase,

put him at ease,

is literally,

see to it that he has nothing to fear.

Don't make my son Timothy,

not his literal son,

his spiritual son,

don't make my son Timothy apprehensive.

Don't make him anxious

and nervous in your presence.

Put him at ease.

Furnish his needs.

Help him on his journey.

And these interactions show clearly

that Paul and Timothy

had fallen out of favor

with the prideful Corinthians

that Paul felt it was necessary

to do this.

But as we find out,

as we already know

from the earlier chapters,

there was one person

that the Corinthians

did like quite a bit

and they were eagerly

awaiting his return.

And that person was Apollos.

Apparently,

the Corinthians,

in their letter to Paul,

after challenging his apostleship,

had the audacity

to ask him,

hey,

but we don't really need you

to come back,

but you can tell Apollos.

Please tell him

because we're waiting for him.

So he feels the need

to address Apollos' visit

and it's remarkable

what he says.

Look at verse 12.

Now concerning

our brother

Apollos,

I strongly

urged him

to visit you

with the other brothers.

But it was not

at all his will

to come now.

He will come

when he has

the opportunity.

Isn't that amazing?

Apollos was quite popular

among the Corinthians.

He was described

in Acts 18.24

as an eloquent man,

competent in scriptures.

And he was trained.

He was trained in Alexandria,

which was a center of learning

and rhetoric

in Greek civilization.

So he knew how to speak.

He knew how to teach.

He knew how to command

an audience.

And the Corinthians

liked him

and liked the wisdom

that he had.

And they compared Paul

unfavorably to that.

Considering this,

Paul seems to be

out of his mind.

And he says,

Now concerning

our brother Apollos,

I strongly

urged him

to visit you

with the other brothers.

Given that the Corinthians

are divisive

and that they have

an unhealthy

attachment to Apollos,

why would Paul

ascend to sending

Apollos to them again?

If I were him,

I would never

let Apollos

step foot in Corinth

again.

Right?

In my sinfulness,

I would.

This is

a large-hearted gesture

from Paul.

And Paul reveals

the profound unity

that he and Apollos

have with this gesture.

He said this

earlier in chapter 3,

verses 4 to 8.

For when one says,

I follow Paul

and another,

I follow Apollos,

are you not

being merely human?

What then is Apollos?

What is Paul?

Servants

through whom you believe

as the Lord

assigned to each.

I planted

Apollos' water,

but God

gave the growth.

So neither

he who plants

nor he who waters

is anything,

but only God

who gives the growth.

He who plants

and he who waters

are one,

and each will receive

his wages

according to his labor.

In spite of

the Corinthians'

attempt to pit

Paul against

Apollos,

they themselves

had great unity

between them.

Because they were

fellow servants

of God,

it was God

who sovereignly

chose to use them

and he assigned

to them

whatever he saw fit.

Paul calls Apollos

our brother,

a fellow worker.

There was no jealousy,

rivalry,

or contention

between them.

They knew they were

on the same page,

so Paul knew

that even if he

sent Apollos back,

that Apollos

would bring the

necessary correction

as he himself

would.

This is amazing

to me because

it shows that

Paul wasn't

concerned for

his own ministry,

his name,

his reputation,

but he was

concerned for

God's name,

God's church,

God's ministry.

It'd be like,

I mean this is

a very possible

scenario because

we have very

gifted pastoral

interns in our

church,

so imagine

that this

sort of happens.

So I let

one of our

pastoral interns

preach,

which they do

on a regular

rotation basis,

and every time

this one

pastoral intern

preaches,

everybody loves

it.

They're so

blessed by it,

he's faithful to

the word,

God uses it,

and everyone

wants to hear

him preach more

often.

And when I

preach,

however,

it's like,

okay,

same thing,

I've heard this

before,

right?

So there's this

kind of brewing

tension,

but in that

situation,

imagine if I

said,

oh,

whoa,

then if God's

using him,

he should preach

more.

Let's have him

preach more.

Lord,

that's exactly

what's happening

here.

I mean,

Paul is giving

more air time

to basically

his rival

from the

eyes of

the Corinthians

because it's

not about us.

It's about God

and his ministry

going forward.

And so he

addresses Paul's

visit,

but it seems

that Paul himself

doesn't really

want to go.

I can understand

him because he

said it was

not at all

his will

to come

now.

He will

come when

he has

opportunity.

So indefinitely

delayed,

right?

Perhaps

Paul himself

was uncomfortable

with the way

he was being

idolized by

the Corinthians.

We don't

know that for

sure,

but for whatever

reason,

Paul has

determined

that it's

not time

for him

to go

back.

So Paul

has said

that he

cannot come

to them

now because

he's ministering

in Ephesus

and he has

said that

Timothy is

on his

way,

but he's

not there

yet.

And he

said that

Apollos himself

is refusing

to go to

Corinth.

So in

the intervening

period,

however,

they must

persevere.

So he

exhorts them

in chapter

verse 13.

Be watchful,

stand firm

in the faith,

act like

men,

be strong.

This is

similar to

what Paul

said earlier

in chapter

15,

1-2.

Now I

would remind

you,

brothers,

of the

gospel I

preached to

you,

which you

received,

in which

you stand,

and by

which you

are being

saved.

If you

hold fast

to the

word I

preached

to you,

unless you

believed

in vain.

The

Corinthians,

in their

doctrinal errors,

but also in

their sinful

behaviors,

were at risk

of forfeiting

their faith

and failing

to persevere

until the

end.

They were

starting to

give evidence

of the fact

that maybe

they had

believed in

vain.

They didn't

have genuine

faith to

begin with.

And so

Paul says,

be watchful.

This refers

to spiritual

alertness,

and it's

often connected

to the idea

of being

sober-minded.

Don't fall

asleep on

this.

Be alert,

be engaged,

be aware,

lest you

fall,

and stand

firm in

the faith.

Paul is

here using

the word

faith to

refer to

the content

of the

faith.

Don't

waver,

don't be

wishy-washy,

stand firm

in the

faith.

And the

next two

commands are

also related

to this

idea,

act like

men,

be strong.

The phrase

act like

men,

of course,

distinguishes

manly behavior

from boyish

behavior,

as well as

from womanly

behavior,

and it's

connected to

the idea

of being

strong and

courageous.

It's a

Greek expression

that's commonly

used in the

context of

exhorting

soldiers in

battle.

Of course,

that is not

to say that

women are

all cowardly

or incapable

of being

courageous and

strong,

nor is it

to say that

men are

better than

women,

where this

passage merely

recognizes that

men and

women are

different,

and that in

God's design,

he has given

to men and

women different

interdependent

areas of

specialization.

And of

course,

it's a

spectrum,

so if this

man over

here on

this side,

woman on

this side,

some men

are on

this end

of the

spectrum,

and some

women are

on this

end of

the spectrum,

so some

women are

going to

have more

masculine,

seemingly

masculine traits

than men,

and that's

fine.

But the

call for

men to

be men and

call for

women to

be women

still remain.

It's their

biblical

mandates.

But generally

speaking,

there are,

as we can

recognize,

there are

character traits

that more

frequently are

associated with

men and

character traits

that are more

frequently associated

with women,

and there are

instances when

both men and

women should

exhibit masculine

traits,

and there are

instances when

both men and

women should

exhibit feminine

traits.

For example,

1 Thessalonians 2,

7,

Paul writes,

we were gentle

among you,

like the

nursing mother

taking care of

her own

children.

So Paul

describes his

own ministry

as like a

nursing mother.

He had to

display feminine

traits in that

context.

But then

shortly after,

in the same

passage,

just a few

verses later,

he says,

for you know

how like a

father with

his children,

we exhorted

each one of

you and

encouraged you

and charged

you to walk

in a manner

worthy of

God who

calls you

into his

own kingdom

and glory.

So I think

Paul intentionally

juxtaposes

those two

expressions to

show that he

displayed a

full range of

parental care

for the

church as

the spiritual

father.

And so this

was an

instance when

he expressed

masculine traits.

So then this

just shows us

that there are

times as

Christians we

have to display

characteristically

feminine traits

as well as

masculine traits

and in this

instance Paul's

calling men

and women to

act like men,

to be strong

and stand firm

and to

courageously

fight the

fight of

faith.

And as

often he

does,

Paul adds

in verse

14,

let all

that you

do be

done in

love.

As Paul

taught in

chapter 13,

love is the

supreme Christian

virtue.

It's what

should undergird

everything that

we do and

everything we

do must be

springing from

love.

So this is

really kind of

almost a

summary exhortation.

It covers

everything that

Paul has

addressed up to

this point

regarding how

they have

failed to

love one

another.

And so he

finally exhorts

to let all

that you do

be done in

love.

I'll talk

about this

a little more

as we go.

And then

after this,

Paul turns

to one more

group of

people that

he wants

to commend

to the

Corinthians,

and it's

the delegation

of the

Corinthian

believers who

had come

to him to

deliver the

Corinthians

letter.

It's the

ones that

are mentioned

named in

verse 17,

I believe.

And he

says in

verse 16,

Now I

urge you,

you know,

you know,

that the

household of

Stephanas were

the first

converts in

Achaia,

and that they

have devoted

themselves to

the service

of the saints.

Be subject

to such as

these and to

every fellow

worker and

laborer.

The members

of Stephanas'

family were

the first

Christian converts

of Achaia,

and they had

devoted themselves

to the service

of the saints.

The word

service is the

same word

that's translated

elsewhere in the

New Testament

as ministry.

And we don't

know exactly

what kind of

ministry this

involved,

because all

Christians are

called to some

form of ministry,

but it's

possible that they

hosted the church

gathering at their

house, they were

the patrons of

the house, of

the house church.

But the language

of verse 16

strongly suggests

that Stephanas,

as the head of

this household,

served in some

kind of leadership

capacity, probably

as an elder of

the church that

met with him.

Because verse 16

says,

Be subject to

such as these,

and to every

fellow worker

and laborer.

The language of

being subject

is used in

1 Peter 5.5

to say,

Be subject

to the elders.

I had this.

And the word

fellow worker

is the same

expression that

Paul had used

earlier to refer

to himself

and to Apollos

in 1 Corinthians

3.9.

So the context

suggests that

Stephanas is involved

in some kind

of ministry

and probably a

role of an

elder in leading

the church.

And Paul says,

Not just to

Stephanas,

but to every

such fellow

worker and

laborer.

Be subject.

The fact that

Paul feels

the need to

say this

probably also

suggests that

Stephanas,

his leadership

was probably

in jeopardy

there as well.

Probably because

he was loyal to

Paul and he

was bringing

this letter

to him.

And so in

this passage,

as you've seen,

repeatedly,

Paul enjoins

the Corinthians

to respect

and to be

hospitable

toward the

church leaders.

He expressed

his hope that

they would

furnish his

missionary journey.

He expresses

hope that

they would

show the

same for

Timothy.

And now he

says this

for Stephanas.

Why is this

so important

to Paul?

It's not

because the

elders are

these sages

who know

all the

answers,

so you should

always follow

everything that

they say.

It's not

because Paul

or the elders

are seeking

power and

they want to

lord it over

the congregation.

Hebrews 13

17 says

this.

Obey your

leaders and

submit to

them for

they are

keeping watch

over your

souls as

those who

will have

to give

an account.

Let them

do this

with joy

and not

with groaning

for that

would be

of no

advantage

to you.

You should

be subject

to them.

Why?

Because they

are keeping

watch over

your souls

as those

who will

have to

give an

account.

He's saying

it's a

hard job

and provided

that they

are doing

what they're

supposed to

be doing,

they're not

doing it

for themselves,

they're doing

it for you.

They're serving

you.

And not only

that,

they're not

their own

bosses.

It's easy

to think

of it that

way because

they don't

have any

human bosses

above them,

but it's

worse than

that.

They have

God as

their direct

boss.

They'll

have to

give an

account to

him,

a holy

God.

And they're

like these

ancient stewards,

right,

who were

servants of

the master

of the house,

who was

given charge,

this derivative

authority to

have authority

over the

household,

the marriage of the

household,

and even over

their children.

But that was a

derived authority,

right?

when the master

of the house

returned,

they had to

give an

account.

They didn't

own anything

in the

house.

Everything

belonged to

the master.

These leaders

of the church

are like

these stewards.

So their

livelihood,

their inheritance,

their rewards,

whether they will

be commended by

God or not in

heaven,

depends on how

they serve

you.

So let

them do this

with joy

and not with

groaning,

for that would

be of no

advantage to

you.

The reason

why Paul

tells the

churches to

submit to the

leaders is

not because

they are

infallible,

but precisely

because they

are fallible,

because they

are human,

because they

are sinful,

because they

are prone

to discouragement,

because they

will fail

miserably

without your

prayers and

support,

because they

will face

the Father

on judgment

day and

have to give

an account

for every

single person

they were

entrusted with.

Paul continues

that line of

thought in

verses 17

to 18,

I rejoice

at the

coming of

Stephanas and

Fortunatus

and Achaicus,

because they

have made up

for your

absence,

for they

refresh my

spirit as

well as

yours.

Give

recognition

to such

people.

Stephanas and

Fortunatus and

Achaicus.

So they're the

ones that

formed the

delegation of

the Corinthian

church to

go to

Paul,

and they

have made

up for

their

absence.

Paul's

inability to

be with

the Corinthian

church had

left the

gaping hole

in his

life,

and this

delegation,

by representing

the Corinthian

church and

coming to

Paul,

has made

up for

their

absence,

has filled

up that

gap for

him,

and he

rejoices in

that.

And he

says,

at one

last time,

give

recognition to

such

people.

Don't

take them

for

granted.

Don't

neglect

them,

acknowledge

them,

recognize

them.

That

kind of

hospitality

for

laborers is

vital for

the health

and ministry

of the

church.

That brings

me to my

final point,

love for

Christ.

Paul brings

his letter

to a close

with the

final greeting

in verses

19 to

24.

He says,

the churches

of Asia

send you

greetings,

Aquila and

Prisca,

together with

the church

in their

house,

send you

hearty

greetings in

the Lord.

All the

brothers send

you greetings.

Greet one

another with

a holy

kiss.

So he

sends greetings

from everybody.

He writes

the churches

of Asia,

and hearty

greetings from

Aquila and

Prisca.

Prisca is

another name

for Priscilla.

They were

actually at

some point

in the past

members of

the Corinthian

church.

Now they're

laboring

alongside Paul

in Ephesus.

And then he

also says

greetings from

all the

brothers,

probably referring

to all of

Paul's

traveling

companions

and fellow

workers.

He only

names one

in chapter

1,

verse 1,

Sosthenes,

but there's

probably others.

And he

says to

greet one

another,

and after

sending their

greetings,

he tells the

Corinthians

themselves to

greet one

another with

the holy

kiss.

Now I don't

think this

means we

need to

greet each

other with

kisses.

I don't

know, maybe

some of you

guys come

from a

culture where

they do

that.

Yeah,

actually,

Portuguese

culture,

yeah.

Because if

you did

that today

after the

service,

that's going

to be

misunderstood

because our

culture has

changed,

right?

So it

doesn't

convey the

same thing

that it

used to

convey.

So we

need to

rather labor

at preserving

the principle

that is

there and

not the

cultural

practice.

And the

principle is

this, right?

It's show

affection.

Greet one

another with

affection.

I don't

think a

professional

handshake kind

of cuts

that.

How can

you show

love for

one another?

Greet one

another

enthusiastically.

Look one

another in

the eyes.

Ask how

they're doing

and be

present with

them.

Embrace

them if

it's

appropriate.

High

five if

that's

your

preferred

mode.

But greet

one another.

Show

affection to

one another.

Then finally

Paul writes

his own

greeting in

verse 21.

I, Paul,

write this

greeting with

my own

hand.

That means

up to this

point someone

else had

been serving

as a

scribe,

probably

Sosthenes,

but when it

comes to

the end he

signs his

own name to

authenticate the

letter because

as we see in

2 Thessalonians

2.2 there

were people who

forged Paul's

letters.

And so he's

trying to make

sure that they

know that this

is from him.

And with the

pen still in

hand, right

after signing

his name,

Paul feels

compelled to

add one last

bit of

exhortation.

In verse

22, in his

own hand,

if anyone has

no love for

the Lord,

let him be

accursed.

Our Lord,

come.

Earlier, he

said in verse

14, let all

that you be

done in love.

And just

after this, he

says in verse

24, he

reiterates his

own love.

My love be

with you and

all in Christ

Jesus.

Amen.

So not only

is Paul telling

the Corinthians

to love, he

himself loves

them.

And the

reason why

Paul used the

language of

love here is

because love

is the ultimate

criterion of

Christian obedience.

The greatest

commandment of

Christianity is

to love the

Lord your God

with all your

heart, soul,

mind, and

strength.

love encompasses

and undergirds

all of

Christian

obedience.

And for

that reason,

Paul is

confident that

the church in

Corinth, those

who truly love

the Lord, will

obey God's

word and

reform their

ways.

And those

who do not

love the

Lord, he

also knows

that they

will not.

So he

says, let

them be

accursed.

Those who

do not love

the Lord

will incur

the judgment

of the Lord

who is coming

soon.

So he

says, our

Lord, come.

Do you

have love

for the

Lord?

Here's a

helpful diagnostic

question for

you to ask.

If you're

already a

Christian, ask

yourself this.

Do you

find yourself

serving and

obeying God

out of a

sense of

duty?

Merely

because you

feel that you

have to,

but not

because you

want to?

That's a

warning sign

that you need

to check your

engine room.

love is the

engine of

Christian life

and obedience.

Maybe you're

running out of

fuel.

Are you

freshly amazed

by the

grace of

God?

Are you

daily aware

of God's

love for

you?

Another

question you

can ask is,

do you

love your

Christian

brothers and

sisters?

Because love

for God

always flows

out into

your love

of your

brothers and

sisters.

Or are

you prone

to withdraw

from them?

C.S.

Lewis puts

it this

way,

a perfect

man would

never act

from the

sense of

duty.

He'd always

want the

right thing

more than

the wrong