1 Corinthians 16 - Part A

Sometimes Christians were accused this before being so heavenly minded that there are no earthly good. I suppose some people are that way. I've always believed that you can't really be much earthly good. Unless you are heavenly minded and the most do for people. Now, here and now are those who are thinking of the wrath to future, minds to more effectively represent Jesus on earth today on connect with Skip Skip shares about the practical things that concern Paul why this matters to you before we begin want to let you know about a resource that helps you dive even deeper into God's truth. Our lives are punctuated by defining moments points that seem to me are now and will become such as choice of marriage partner which is to work. I think it serves others predictable events that happened like in your life. But every now and then life sort of hits you by surprise comes crashing down on you are going a direction they is planned out to get a phone call from a doctor or a friend news is not good. The prognosis is not good and you didn't see it coming. God's word has the direction to get you through the plant unplanned pivot points in your life point package speaks to Mary's death, depression, recovery, the future to any location or job. These teachings that includes written personal direction from scab on each of these topics you received this package when you get $50 or more today to this Bible teaching ministry pastor's point collection of six messages writing letter from Pastor's Thing, you can strengthen your faith faith that cannot be tested faith cannot get these critical point messages today when you get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer or call 892 1888, Chapter 16 Skip pipe to get into today's message. So by way of recapping the book we come to the last chapter of the book you remember that Chloe's household in Corinth, got word to the apostle Paul who was writing this from Ephesus.

They got were Depaul and Ephesus that there were some issues in the church at Corinth real problems they were experiencing challenges as well as some questions they had about a number of issues. Paul covers lots of practical and theological ground.

So Chloe's household got were Depaul that was reinforced by three more people may be people you've not heard of Stefano's for two Nautilus and Caicos you go. Who are those people you're going to meet them before the nights over there mentioned in chapter 16 they came from Corinth as well. Probably to either carry the letter or to bring Paul's word back to the Corinthians, but as you remember the first issue on Paul's agenda in writing this letter was to deal with the division that was in the church and he does in chapter 1 and chapter 2 he speaks about that division Congregational disk unity somewhere saying I'm up all summer saying I am of Apollo summer saying I am of Cephas. Others were saying, I am of Christ. So Paul deals with that in chapters 1 and two. After that Paul speaks about spiritual immaturity. He says that I couldn't speak to you as spiritual people, but as to carnal people, babes in Christ, and he lists several problems that rendered them spiritually immature select chapters 3 and four in chapter 5 and six.

He speaks of sexual impurity that was going out it was a case of incest something that Paul said isn't even done or tolerated in the unbelieving world you have tolerated it and you congratulate yourselves on the fact that you are so liberal minded and that you tolerate. You know these people who have these perverted feelings and activities so he speaks about sexual immorality in the next couple of chapters, he deals with marital issues, marital infidelity, their work divorce. It was rampant in the church. Questions about can I leave my unbelieving husband because he doesn't believe in Ottawa to be unequally yoked. Besides that, there's this cute guy I saw church and be nice to hook up on earth I was going on but he he does address that marital infidelity as the book continues.

Paul deals with the issue of personal liberty. What you can and cannot do.

What are the guidelines when it comes to gray areas, not the black-and-white issues that he is dealt with previously in the book, but gray issues marginal issues he deals with that in chapter 8, then for a few chapters he speaks about imbalanced spirituality that there were issues when it came to the Lord's supper was in immaturity with that people were taking food at the potlucks that they were having and consuming it and eating it before the poor people could and also they were out of balance when it came to spiritual gifts. So in chapters 11, 12, 13, 14. He covers that area. Those areas then chapter 15 that long chapter that could have easily been divided into two by those who did it. Later on, but decided not to 58 versus of doctrinal perplexity, and so they were questioning the resurrection of Christ. They were certainly questioning their own physical bodily resurrection. How are the dead raised what body will they come back with. So that takes us all the way now to chapter 16, where we go from the lofty lessons of doctrinal perplexity down to practical generosity and here's what I love about Paul. Paul was able to on one hand speak about the depths, or shall we say the heights of the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ and the glorification of our physical body, which is a pretty heady doctrinal material to then immediately in the Chapter 16 verse one and following say. Now let's talk about that offering that I want to take up the collection for the church in Jerusalem and so he goes from these doctrinal heights to these practical matters in a sometimes Christians are accused you've heard this before, of being so heavenly minded that there are no earthly good. I suppose some people are that way. I've always believed that you can't really be much earthly good. Unless you are heavenly minded and the most who do for people. Now here in our those who are thinking of the hereafter, but certainly Paul the apostle could never be accused of being heavenly minded and no earthly good. He is very practical when it comes to earthly matters, and here's what it tells me as he deals with heaven and the glorification of the body in the celestial bodies in heaven, and the plant life on the earth as a model for physical resurrection, he gets into some deep stuff and then he talks about practical issues. It shows me the lesson to me is that we can never detach the future from the present. In fact, we are motivated by the future truth.

These heavy doctrinal areas. It should motivate us in the present and that's what it seems. That's the feel that I get if I were to continually read chapter 15 and then on into chapter 16 and it makes sense.

It makes perfect sense. You see, if I really believe that I have a glorious future and that my body is to be transformed at some point in the future, but I'm going to be in heaven with the Lord forever and then come back and serve for a thousand years and eight remade the millennial kingdom in a glorified body that should motivate me to do as Jesus said when he said lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust cannot corrupt your thieves cannot break in and steal. So knowing the future glories of heaven and bodily resurrection. I want to lay up for myself while on earth I want to start preparing for heaven so we can never cut or detach the future from the present and so he gets very, very practical. He takes up or he mentions what he has already mentioned previously, and he's reminding them of because he says I want to come visit you and kind of spilling the beans before I get into what I meant to come and visit you. I want you to make sure that you take this offering for the church in Jerusalem and make sure that you do that before I come and then I'll receive it, I'll send one of your a few of you there and maybe I'll come with you, maybe I won't. But let's get that done ahead of time. Which brings up an issue. Why is he taking an offering for those in Jerusalem will they have fallen into some very difficult times. What exactly are they going through.

Why are they going through a period of poverty, leanness, let me give you two possible reasons or could be a combination about number one. It was a famine, to remind you about something we've already read back in acts chapter 11 when the early church moved its main activity from Jerusalem up to Antioch to remember that. So there in Chapter 11 in Antioch, a prophet stands up in one of the church meetings in Antioch and his name is Actavis and he makes a prediction that there's going to be a famine throughout all of the world so it said every one of them determined to send relief, according to each his own ability to the church in Judeo that is Jerusalem knowing that there's going to be a famine throughout all the world there preparing for the hard times in Jerusalem. Why Jerusalem while the famine if it's throughout all the world would certainly affect Jerusalem, but reason number two and I think it's not one but both of these reasons, together almost all of the employment in the city of Jerusalem during this period of time was temple related that is, it was related to the giving of the sacrifices by the Jewish people from the surrounding regions that would come up to the temple for a number of feasts and festivals as well as daily offerings, and so almost all of the jobs were temple related the temple was controlled by a group of the Jewish people known as the Sadducees of the Sadducees were the prime enemies of the early church because the early church taught and believed a resurrection from the dead. Paul talked about in chapter 15, and because they were such vehement enemies of the early church. They took it out on those Jewish men and woman who had converted to Christ may be worked in an associate role in those temple sacrifices. Somehow they are employed so they would lose their job, lose their employment and were being boycotted by the Sadducees in Jerusalem. So, up to this point. If you remember the early church in Jerusalem sort of lived and worked and shared communally. They sold their goods pool their resources and gave to each one as they had neat acts chapter 2 and four tells us that well that common pot of money that common pool of resources has dried up. In the early church in Jerusalem is suffering so Paul is determined we gotta do something now. Paul has instructed not just Corinth but several of the Gentile churches that he is planted to take up an offering that would be collected and would be sent to Jerusalem. It was very personal to Paul the apostle and if you know anything about Paul's writings, you know that he brings this up a lot. Why was it so personal to Paul because remember when the church started in Jerusalem, who was public enemy number one to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem was Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul the apostle, he harassed them.

It says, and Saul breathing out slaughters and murders against them and he was the one who remembered Stephen's face, as Stephen was being stoned by his Jewish brother and he received the clothes of those people who did that stoning at his feet. He remembers all of that he remembers what an enemy. He was to those people and so he in a very it's very personal them. He wants to make sure that this is done, there's no holes in this endeavor, and that he is reminding the Corinthians. Now, like he reminded the other churches that he would take this offering Paul the apostle. Interestingly enough speaks a lot about giving and is very unashamed to receive an offering. Now receiving an offering is uncomfortable for some people I'm not all that comfortable with it it it's is one of the reasons why we have put black boxes.

These should be brown wooden boxes and other black wooden boxes same boxes just painted but all over the campus. We never made a big issue of it never made a big deal of it.

Paul didn't want to make a big deal of it. He just wanted to make sure it was done before he got there, but he did take or receive offerings and he made no bones about the necessity to do that for the churches, our relationship to our finances tells a lot about who we are. If you took a tour of somebody's checkbook.

You are looking at in in the checkbook and I don't suggest that you look at somebody else's checkbook, but if you were to take a tour of somebody's checkbook your own just distort you'll find out what's important to yourself where your priorities are. What's vital to Jesus did say where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

And Martin Luther said something interesting. He said there's three conversions that are necessary. The conversion of the heart. The conversion of the mind and the person's thought life and the conversions. He said the conversion of their purse or we would say their wallet or checkbook or bank account. Those three conversions are necessary and so Paul was speaking to converted people converted and hard converted in mind you want to make sure there pocketbook was also converted and so he wanted to make sure that offering would be taken out so chapter 16 verse one now concerning the collection for the saints. As I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also to the churches of the region of Galatia churches like I Coni him Lysistrata Derby Antioch of Presidio. Those are all in the region of Galatia. These are all places were Paul traveled on his first second and third missionary journeys established churches there. He had written to churches there. He told them to receive an offering.

He's telling the Corinthians. Also to do that concerning the collection for the saints. As I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also on the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come when I come by whom you were approved by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem, so get the picture.

Usually it is the mother church that supports the mission churches. They send somebody to an area church were things started are the ones that send the people outs and resources to fund those people continue to so that spiritual material seed through their finances but this were reading about what you might call foreign missions in reverse. It's now the churches that have been established by that mother church in Jerusalem that are paying to support the church that started all because they are the ones in dire need. Now the church in Jerusalem needs the help of the Gentiles of the Gentiles are to be supporting the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem.

This really shouldn't be a surprise to us.

Paul when he writes the book of Romans chapter 15 and he mentions this very same offering.

He gives this explanation. For if the Gentiles non-Jewish people are partakers of the Jewish peoples spiritual heritage. What is the big deal if we minister to the Jewish people with our material things that only makes sense if we are inheritors of their spiritual blessings we ought to give them some of our material blessings and Jesus did say to the woman at Samaria.

Salvation is of the Jews it came to the Jewish people came to the Jewish nation. Jesus was crucified outside the Jewish city of Jerusalem.

So that's where it all started. That's where the salvation story started for the early church first started, and now they need the help of those people in non-Jewish areas. Now in verse two, he kinda tells them how to do it when you know something interesting.

I get asked this question a lot.

What about tithing. What is the Bible say about tithing, how much should I give in my time I get that question a lot, you know, the Palm never once mentioned tithing you never use the word tithing want to know why tithing is not a New Testament concept. It's an Old Testament concept tide means 1/10 and in the Old Testament you know a lot of Christians don't understand the tithing with a they gave attempt in the Old Testament. Actually, if you if you tally it all up in the law.

They gave 30% not 10%, 30% to the Lord. And so when people say skip.

You want to teach on tithing on my eye. I'm thinking you really don't want me to teach on tithing. Do you because they gave 10% and then throughout the year more for different things. So it was a total of 30% to the Lord. I mentioned tithing is an Old Testament concept actually predates the law when Abraham gave a tie to Melchizedek in the book of Genesis is fleshed out in the law part of the covenant for the nation of Israel when it comes to the New Testament. It's different. You might start at a 10% base. That's what I do with my family. I start their but then there are special gifts and special offerings for special needs that we see and we want to be a part of, but the New Testament regulation is every man should give as he purposes in his heart. Second Corinthians chapter 9, not grudgingly, nor of necessity, not because you have to, not because you're cajoled into it. For God loves. He said a cheerful giver. So you give you give cheerfully you give it to purpose in your heart so and so Mrs. how much should I give myself much you want to give either. I don't want to give anything and don't give anything because actually if you think about it if you don't want to give it it's really better that you keep it because God loves a cheerful giver, and it is Jesus said it is more blessed to give than receive. But if you can't get your head around that your heart around that concept and give cheerfully hang onto it.

God loves a cheerful giver. Now he does tell us how to do it though. He said on the first day of the week. First day of the week. Why because the church met on the first day of the week the Saturday Sabbath was over in terms of the church practicing that, especially in Gentile areas. People say, well, the Bible says where we had to keep the Sabbath you write, the Bible says that to the Jewish nation. I'm not part of the Jewish nation. That's a covenant for the Jewish nation and circumcision was for the males and so was the Saturday Sabbath, but the early church started meeting on Sundays pretty early on.

Acts chapter 20 says the gather for worship on the first day of the week so they were doing. That way back in the book of acts and that is probably because something happened before the church was even started. What event I'm talking about the resurrection, Jesus rose on the seventh day of the week is Dave doing wraps up Skip a text message series expound first Karen you Skip to share how you can help keep this broadcast going strong connecting you lose around the world with God's word.

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