Lesson #23

1CORINTHIANS 16
Lesson #23
ADMONITIONS AND CONCLUSION

• Memory verse: 1Cor 16:14

• We have arrived at the conclusion of a very interesting book of the Bible. This book of 1Corinthians has given us a microscopic examination of a very troubled church.
• Paul has exposed the problems in this church with brutal accuracy. But as a spiritual father to those people, he did it with love for them and their spiritual welfare.
• This love has come through at the end of this book.
• Paul has given this church some specific suggestions for correcting those problems.
• Evidently that church took Paul’s counsel seriously for they corrected the major problems that Paul exposed.
• In Paul’s next visit to that church, he was very relieved that they had received his corrections in a positive way and had already made great changes.
• Paul concludes this book with his usual greetings to specific people, some personal notes, and some final instructions.

• Read 1Cor 16:1-4 Conclusion
• The importance of the Jerusalem church
• In these few verses Paul tells the Corinthians that he is collecting money from all the churches in Galatia to send to the Jerusalem church.
• For what purpose is this collection of money?
• The primary purpose was to unify the churches.
• The churches in Galatia were Gentile churches. Yes, they did have some Jews in their congregations, but this was Gentile territory covered by Paul in his missionary journeys. These Christian Gentiles were from the Greek and Roman cultures. Paul had planted these churches, and he considered himself their spiritual father. He was the missionary to the Gentiles while Peter was the missionary to the Jews.
• According to Act 15 there was a big problem at that time that threatened to divide the churches into two groups: one group of Gentile churches with its central headquarters in Antioch, and another group of Jewish churches with its central headquarters in Jerusalem.
• Acts 15 settled the issue that Gentiles do not have to become Jews to be saved.
• Paul taught the Corinthian church in 1Cor 12:26 that if one member of the body of Christ suffers, all the body of Christ suffers. Therefore, collecting this money for the Jerusalem church was a proof to put this passage into action. (Gal 6:10)
• The secondary purpose for the collection of money was to meet the needs of the poorest church that existed at that time.
• The poverty of the Jerusalem church was primarily due to a severe drought and famine and to persecution by orthodox Jews that opposed those Jews who turned their lives to follow Jesus Christ.
• Many suffered unemployment because of their faith in Christ.
• The pastor of the Jerusalem church was Jude, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, and the author of the book of Jude.
• The collection of money:
• In verse 1 Paul orders the Corinthian church to participate in this collection of money for the Jerusalem church.
• “Upon the first day of the week…”

(2)

• This verse tells us that the early church met on Sunday and not on the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) as some people claim.
• They met consistently and regularly on Sunday.
• This tells us also that the giving of offerings was accomplished on Sunday during their worship services.
• Notice that no one was exempt from giving. Paul tells them all to give.
• Notice they were to give as God had prospered them.
• This is the New Testament principle for giving to God that Jesus initiated in Luke.
• Read Luke 6:38
• They were to keep the collected money in the church treasury (“lay by him in store”)
• Paul told the Corinthian church to make these collections every Sunday until he came. They were not to wait until he arrived.
• Paul did not want to use his time with them to raise money, neither did he want to be personally responsible for the money.
• The Corinthian church should also appoint a representative to carry the money back to Jerusalem with Paul. (3)
• This was Paul’s instruction to all the churches in Galatia. They were to collect money from their congregations and then appoint a church member to travel with Paul back to Jerusalem to deliver the money.
• What was Paul’s purpose for having representatives from all the churches?
• The group of representatives travelling together would also unify the churches.
• Paul did not want people thinking that he collected money for himself.
• As we observed in 1Cor 9 (Lesson #13) Paul wanted to be free to preach in every place and to every people without monetary strings attached.
• Was this collection of money for the Jerusalem church successful in its purpose?
• According to the book of Acts, it appears that it was not successful. Paul’s determination to personally deliver the money to Jerusalem caused his arrest and imprisonment that finally took him to prison in Rome.
• Read 1Cor 16:5-12
• Paul’s travel plans speak of his intention to visit the Corinthian church.
• He wanted to follow up his letter of correction to encourage them in love but needed to stay in Ephesus longer because of new opportunities of ministry.
• Paul sent Timothy to Corinth to deliver the 1Corinthian letter.
• He also tells the Corinthian church to treat Timothy well.
• In other words, they were not to have anger for Timothy, the messenger, for the message of correction that Paul wrote. They were to treat Timothy very well.
• Paul expected Timothy to return to him to give a report about the condition of the Corinthian church.
• Who was Timothy?
• Timothy was a young evangelist and later a pastor. He may have been saved under Paul’s ministry in Derbe and Lystra. (Act 16:1) His mother was a Jew and his father was a Gentile.
• Paul trained this young Christian in the ministry to become a pastor. Paul wrote the books of 1 and 2 Timothy to him as a young pastor.
• Paul wanted Apollos to visit Corinth to check on the church, but Apollos was unavailable.
• Apollols had spent some time in Corinth previously when Paul left Ephesus to Return to Antioch.
• Apollos was a very charismatic teacher from Alexandria, Egypt.
• Read 1Cor 16:13-24
• Paul gives some final instructions and admonitions to the Corinthian church:

• “Watch…”

(13)

• The command to watch is one that is given to all Christians. (Mar 13:37)
• Watch for the coming of the Lord. (Mat 24:42 Mat 25:13)
• Watch out for the activities and temptations of the enemy. (Mat 24:43 Mar 14:38)
• The word, watch, is linked with prayer. (Mat 26:41 Col 4:2 1Pet 4:7)
• “…stand fast in the faith…”

(13)

• The command to stand fast refers to maintaining truth and righteousness. (Psa 111:8 2The 2:15)
• This phrase also refers to the characteristic of the perseverance of faith so that you do not fall away from the Lord. (Phi 4:1)
• This phrase refers to preaching the gospel of faith in Jesus Christ. (Phi 1:27)
• “…quit you like men, be strong.”

(13)

• Remember that Paul called those Christians babies in Christ in 1Cor 3:2-3. Now he commands them to be men and stop acting like babies so that they might be strong in their faith and testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ.
• We cannot be strong for the Lord in our own strength, for we are weak.
• We must be strong for the Lord in His strength. (Eph 6:10)
• How do we get this strength?
• The believer becomes strong as he lives in fellowship with other believers. (Heb 10:23-25)
• The believer becomes strong by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. (Eph 3:16-17)
• The believer becomes strong by feeding on the Word of God every day. (1Joh 2:14)
• The believer becomes strong by his obedience. (Jos 1:7-8)
• What final attitude that Paul already discussed in depth is the most important attitude for the Corinthian church to have?
• Paul reminds them to use agape love (charity) in everything they did.
• This command reminds us of 1Cor 13, the love chapter, that was to change their attitude toward other believers in the church and heal the divisions in the church.
• Remember that this kind of love is not feelings for you cannot command people to have certain feelings of love for others.
• This kind of love is a command to actions by a decision of the personal will.
• Paul gives us the example of Stephanas.

• “…they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.”

(15)

• The word, addicted, means = ordained.
• This family ordained themselves and dedicated their lives to the ministry.
• The only thing we know about Stephanas is that Paul baptized him and his family. He was Paul’s first convert in Corinth.
• While we do not know this family to which Paul refers, those Christians in Corinth knew this family very well.
• This family was an example of agape love in action. They evidently had Christian meetings in their home.
• Paul tells the Corinthians to follow the example of Stephanas and his family in preaching the gospel and ministering to others.
• The other Christian leaders that the church should look to for help and encouragement were two men named, Fortunatus and Achaicus.
• This is the only mention in the Bible of these two men. Therefore we do not know much about them except that they had visited Paul in Ephesus with Stephanas.
• These two men evidently supplied some of the needs in the body of Christ.
• In the Corinthian church.
• In Paul’s own ministry.
• To summarize Paul’s final instructions, the believer should be very strict with himself in regards to his Christian walk with the Lord, but be very loving and gracious to other people.
• Usually we do just the opposite. We judge others harshly, and we are very lenient with ourselves.
• Paul sends greetings from Aquila and Priscilla. (19)
• These two were a man and his wife that were well-known teachers. Paul was very close to them because both Paul and Aquila worked as tent makers to support themselves.
• They helped Paul a great deal in his ministry.
• This couple also had a church in their house.
• Aquila and Priscilla had a group of Christians meeting in their home in Corinth when Paul first arrived there. They had left Corinth and currently were in Ephesus helping Paul in that city.
• The greeting with a holy kiss
• This was a common greeting among Christians in the early church and is today among many Christians.
• Paul wrote this letter of 1Corinthians with his own hand. (21)
• Some of the letters (books) by Paul were written by a scribe and dictated by Paul.
• “

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” (22)

• What does this verse mean?

• “Anathema”

• This word means = accursed, condemned, and destined to judgment.
• “Maranatha”

• This word means = the Lord comes or at His coming.
• In other words, Paul ends the book with a warning to those who are there in Corinth just playing church.
• The non-believer will be condemned at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Paul’s final words of love: (23-24)

• “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

(23)

• This was Paul’s usual and final greeting.
• “My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.”

(24)

• This is an unusual ending of love for that church. It demonstrates Paul’s great love for a church that caused him much anguish and problems.
• This ending also softens the harsh rebuke of Paul’s corrections for it demonstrates that Paul has not given up on them.

HOMEWORK
2CORINTHIANS 1
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of 1Cor 16
• Which small detail in this chapter caught your attention?
• Why did it seem important to you or how can it change your walk with the Lord?
• Preparation for 2Cor 1
• Read 2Cor 1:1-6
• Of what value is the suffering of believers?
• What is the comfort for the suffering believer?
• Read 2Cor 1:7-14
• What are some of the things that Paul suffered in his ministry?
• Read 2Cor 1:15-24
• What does verse 22 mean?
• Memory Verse: 2Cor 1:22