Castlebar Christian Fellowship

1 Corinthians 16
BACK TO THE PRESENT
Intro
After preaching last week I went home and read over chapter 16 and said to God how can I follow on from last week with this...? Wouldn't it have been great to finish this letter on the subject of our future hope as Christians...? What a place to stop with our hearts fixed on our glorious future... One moment Paul is giving us a guided tour of our breathtaking future in Christ, and the next he's talking about taking up a collection and informing us of his ministry plans... In fact if we'd have been writing this letter we would not have moved away from the thrilling theme of resurrection and of our glorious future hope. We would have put down our pens right there and left the readers longing for more. I know I would have... However this is not where the Holy Spirit stopped Paul and he still has something's to say to us before we are done with this letter. He still has a few things he wants to bring to our attention.
As I briefly mentioned last week - God does not intend for us to live in the future, waiting idly for it to happen, with our heads in the clouds, detached from the present world. This is one reason I believe he continues. We're not called to live in a heavenly bubble, waiting on the rapture. Rather we are called to live for Christ and his kingdom now... but always in light of the future, as citizens of heaven but fully engaged in serving God in is world. We are to live for Jesus as we eagerly wait for his appearing! Whenever God gives us a glimpse of his second coming and of our future hope it is always for the purpose of spurring us on to live more faithfully today! So what does Paul do? He continues by pointing our attention BACK TO THE PRESENT. Why? Because he wants us to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord!
1. Have GENEROUS HEARTS
[V1-4esv] "Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry the gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me."
In these verses Paul is drawing the attention of the Corinthian church towards a specific need in the Jerusalem Church. We're not talking here about general tithing, that's another message for another time. We're talking about putting money aside to give to specific needs! We're not sure exactly why the church in Jerusalem needed financial support. It may have been due to the heavy persecution on the church, or perhaps they were hit harder than most by the worldwide famine predicted by Agabus the prophet, in Acts 11! We can't be sure. But what we can be sure about is that Paul expected Christians to support each other during financially difficult times. As Christians we are to support each other through financially difficult times... We are called to support each other through times of recession. Perhaps one way we can do this is by personally putting aside a little bit of money each week so that we can give to others, under the guidance of God, as genuine needs arise.
It's interesting to note that Paul doesn't make a big appeal about this by putting people under pressure or under a guilt trip... No he quickly and simply asks them to put something aside weekly, out of their income, as they can afford... Neither does he wait until he arrives and spring in on them through a big emotional appeal... No he gives them advance notice so they have time to think about how much they can afford to put aside each week. We are not to be stingy or stupid in our giving... Paul encourages these Christians to be generous and wise with their finances... Then when Paul comes he will make sure their collection goes where it is needed most. Such giving is to come, not from under compulsion, but from generous hearts. God wants us to have generous hearts. He wants us to enjoy giving what we can afford towards helping others. Paul sums it up well in his next letter to Corinth when he says in chapter 9: "The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for loves a cheerful giver."
The primary purpose, not the only purpose, but the primary purpose of giving in the NT, is for the support of God's people and God's church. There's no better place to invest our money, than in the eternal kingdom of God. As Christians our first obligation is to support fellow Christians and the work of God's kingdom on earth. And when we think of giving, I believe we need to think less about percentages, and more about having a generous heart. For a generous heart will always be ready to give what it can as needs arise. Christians are called to be generous people... Paul continues.
[V5-6esv] "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."
2. Have plans, but make sure they're FLEXIBLE PLANS!
It's clear that Paul had plans concerning his ministry, but these plans were in no way presumptuous. I don't know if you've noticed, but life never seems to go exactly as you plan it to. Many of us like to have neat plans because we like to be in control of our lives and futures... In fact some of us may even get really frustrated when things don't turn out the way we planned them. This is why we need to learn to have flexible plans like Paul. It's important to plan ahead, but it's equally important that those plans are flexible and adaptable. Not even the apostles had everything cut and dried. If we turn our bible over just one chapter to 2 Corinthians 1 we will learn that Paul's plans changed.
In life things will always happen that alter our plans, we need to expect this, but God's plans are never altered or frustrated. This is why Paul finishes sharing his travel plans with the words if the Lord permits. This helps indicate how God leads and guides in the life of a believer. God often uses our changing circumstances to indicate his plans and direction... In fact I've found that it's often easier to see how God has led looking back. We are not in control, God is in control! I don't know about you but that helps me sleep at night. If we don't accept this reality then we will spend our days in endless frustration... In fact the book of James tells us it is evil to have overconfidence in our plans. "Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." The important thing is not that everything goes to our plan, but to God's plan. John MacArthur sums it all up well when he writes "Paul had to change his plans, but he had a plan to change."
[V8-9esv] "But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries."
3. When God OPENs DOORS expect opposition
Part of God's plan is the opening and closing of doors. God is the opener and closer of doors. There are times when God opens doors of opportunity. We should pray for open doors, in our own lives and for our church. As his people we need to discern these times, and make the most of the opportunities they provide! If we are praying for open doors, then we will be less likely to miss them when they come our way. These are not doors we need to force open. God is the opener. These are doors we simply need to walk through!
However we need to understand that open doors attract opposition! When God opens a door for us there will be opposition, because Satan fears when God opens doors. So he will throw everything he can in our direction to stop us from making the most of the opportunities that come our way. This is why we need to follow the example of Paul. When a door opens for effective ministry, and there are many adversaries, we stay where we are. When trouble comes we say like Paul "I will stay." "I'm not going anywhere. God has opened a door so I will stay." We can't afford to lie down licking our wounds every time adversity comes our way. We need to stay at it more than ever when opposition comes. We don't run from the opposition, we use it to spur us on. We don't allow opposition to discourage us, no, no, no, there is too much at stake. "We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls."
Opposition is a positive signal that God's kingdom is advancing and Satan doesn't like it! (Share my story) A. W. Tozer once wrote this "But, I will tell you something - it is a delightful thing when you know that you are close enough to the adversary that you can hear him roar! Too many Christians never get into 'lion' country at all."
There are some of you here this morning and God is going to open doors for you and when he opens these doors you will understand why he never opened the other doors you pushed. Also I believe God is going to open doors for us as a church. In fact I believe he has already started. We will be amazed at the doors he opens, but we need to understand something! We need to understand that he is opening these doors for the sake of the gospel... So we must not shy away from declaring the gospel of our Lord Jesus in all its fullness... "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."
All Paul's plans were based around what was best for promoting the gospel of Jesus. Yes opposition will come, but we must not allow it to discourage us. Like Nehemiah we must keep building! "Hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed." We have a message that can change the world one life at a time, and the enemy is out to stop us, but we must not let him. We must be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. We must put on the gospel armour so we can stand against all his schemes!
[V10-11esv] "When Timothy comes, see that you put him as 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."
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 opportunity."
[V13-14esv] "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all be done in love."
[V13-18] "Now I urge you, brothers - 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 labourer. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they have refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men."
4. Be a refresher, not a depressor
I love the way Paul says of these people "they have refreshed my spirit". That's the kind of Christian I want to be. One that is a breath of fresh air in the church and in the world! We should aim to be people who are refreshing to be with. Who possess the ability in God to lift the spirits of others, no matter how down they may be! People who are positive in everything! This can only be true of us if we keep our devotion to Jesus fresh... I'm sure we can all think of those who are the opposite, those who drag us down with their negativity and doom and gloom... But we should be of a different spirit... It might be a good question to ask ourselves which of these groups we belong to. Do we belong with the refreshers or the depressors?
At this time when there is so much doom and gloom hanging over our nation, let's aim to be a breath of fresh air to those God has placed around us. Don't join in the negativity - recession, recession, recession - be a wind of fresh air. Speak words of hope. I'm not suggesting we deny the reality, I'm suggesting we focus on the greater reality - Christ and his kingdom and all the hope it offers!
CALL TO ACTION
1. Generous hearts
2. Flexible plans
3. Open doors
4. Refreshing spirits

[V19-24esv] "The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
I Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen."