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The Collection - 1Cor. 16

1 Corinthians 16

The Collection for the Lord’s People

August 8, 2012

16 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.

The Christians in Jerusalem were suffering from poverty and famine, so Paul was collecting money for them

Romans 15:25-31  ²⁵ Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. ²⁶ For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. ²⁷ They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. ²⁸ So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. ²⁹ I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

³⁰ I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. ³¹ Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there,

Acts 24:17 ¹⁷ “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings.

The Greek word for collection is logia. It means, “an extra collection,” one that is not compulsory. This was not a “tax” upon the Christians of Corinth. They were free to give as their heart directed them.

 ² On the first day of every week (Which would seem to indicate that they did gather together on Sunday), each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.  Paul wanted their giving to be systematic, not haphazard.

Acts 20:7  ⁷ On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

 ³ Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. ⁴ If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

Personal Requests

⁵ After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you —for I will be going through Macedonia. ⁶ Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. ⁷ For 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. ⁸ But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost (That would be in until June), ⁹ because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

In the midst of great persecution many times produces a bountiful harvest.  Paul was no slacker, and the fact that he stirred things up a bunch probably meant there were many that were showing an interest in what he was preaching!  “Opportunities are great. A lot of adversaries, but the opportunities are great!”

¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ 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.

1Timothy 4:12 ¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

¹² Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

¹³ Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. ¹⁴ Do everything in love.

Ephesians 6:10 ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

¹⁵ You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people (KJV: that they have addicted themselves to the ministry).

I love that. What a great addiction. They've addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints, can you say that you have a great addiction to the service of the Lord’s people?

 I urge you, brothers and sisters, ¹⁶ to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. ¹⁷ I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. ¹⁸ For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.

On Sunday evenings, after the Last Call service, a group gather in the Corner Café and they Skype different missionaries around the world, (Vietnam, Indonesian, Africa, Russia) and say hi and share worship songs with them, some in their own language that they’ve learned in advance.  Can you imagine?  “refreshing their spirit”!

Final Greetings

¹⁹ The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla^[a] greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. ²⁰ All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

So Paul had dictated the letter up to this point. Now he takes the pen out of the hand of the secretary there, who he's been dictating the letter to, and squinting bad eyes, he says, "I'm gonna write this in my own hand." And so the big scribbly letters, because he can't see very well, and so they really recognize, yea this is Paul. Look at that.

²¹ I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.

²² If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord^[b]!

²³ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

²⁴ My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

I Corinthians truly could easily be titled I Californians.  Paul, in what may actually have been his second letter to the Church in Corinth has had to deal with God’s work in us; “called to be saints”, describing the “wisdom of God”; and the Holy Spirit, divisions in the body due to their spiritual immaturity, and how they needed the ministers of Christ or “under-rowers”, then he talked of his disgust in their acceptance and tolerance of public incest of a prominent member.  He told them that taking each other to court, outside the church showed weakness, noting that the unrighteous will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God.  Do not become a slave to what once held us in bondage.  He describes the Christian marriage and order, how Christian liberty should edify the Church, not to forget what the ancestors went thru and how they forgot the blessings of God’s presence.  He chastised them on their carnality and selfishness in the way they  celebrated the Lord’s Supper.  About spiritual gifts, and the greatest of all; Love, without it your just noise.  And finally, the resurrection and our new bodies; the sting of death has been removed; Christ LIVES!!

Genesis 2:7   the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.  As Ed pointed out; we are all ‘dirtbags” for Christ!  Blessed be the Lord!!