The Three "Be's" (I Corinthians 16:1-24)
Introduction: In the age of
texting and TikTok, we seldom write and receive letters these days. Did
you know that in letter writing, the closing of the letter is equally or as
crucial as the beginning? How you end a letter can say a lot about whether you
would like to continue the conversation and relationship with the recipient or
not.
Here is some advice on how to
complete our letters effectively: I am looking forward to chatting more
about 'x’/learning more about 'x' – Let me know if you want to talk
about this over coffee. I will follow up with more info soon –make
sure you actually do!
Looking forward to hearing from
you – this sure urges a response, but can come across as a little demanding,
so use caution. Let me know how things go. This establishes further
communication and shows you are engaged and willing to help." Talk
soon/speak soon – nice informal ending, but only use if you intend to talk
again soon!"[1]
We will look at the later part of
the 1st Corinthians fifteenth chapter regarding the Resurrection
Body in the 2nd letter. Today, we will look at Paul's final thoughts in the
first letter to the Corinthians. Paul ended the first letter to the
Corinthians. Vs. 22-24,
"HERE
IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL. If anyone does not love the Lord,
that person is cursed. Our Lord, come! May the grace of the Lord Jesus
be with you. My love to all of you in Christ Jesus." Amen! The all caps
here indicate that Paul has signed this letter.
How about a person being cursed
because of their lack of love for the Lord? It is a curse based on God as a witness
to the unbeliever's essential lack of love and obedience to God. "May the
grace of the Lord Jesus be with you." It is the usual benediction of Paul.
Although Paul had been severe with the Corinthians, in the end, he wanted them
to know he loved them.
How do we understand the Aramaic
word Maranatha, which means "O Lord Come"? How
are we to live in light of that? Maranatha is an Aramaic word that means "the
Lord is coming" or "come, O Lord." The early church faced much
persecution, and life for a Christian under Roman rule was not easy. The Romans
required everyone to declare that Caesar was god. The early Christians knew that there is only one God and one
Lord—Jesus Christ—and in all good conscience, they could not call Caesar "Lord,"
so the Romans looked upon them as traitors, persecuted them, and put them to
death. Living under those adverse conditions, the believers' morale was lifted
by the hope of the coming of the Lord.
"Maranatha!" became the standard
greeting of the oppressed believers, replacing the Jewish greeting shalom ("peace").
The followers of Jesus knew the Lord would be returning to set up His kingdom,
and from that truth, they drew great comfort. They constantly reminded each
other that the Lord was coming (Luke 21:28; Philippians 4:5, Revelation 22:12).
Today, believers in our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ live our lives in the light of the knowledge that He can
come at any time. We are to be ready when the call comes. We should long for
him and expect him to come every day. Maranatha reminds us to keep our eyes on
the eternal things of the Spirit. Let us look at the instructions the Apostle
Paul gave the Corinthian believers to live by as they awaited the Lord's second
coming.
I.
Believers should live a life of generosity. (1-4)
Addressing the Corinthian believer's
question regarding the money being collected for God's people in Jerusalem,
Paul reminded them of a standard procedure he gave to the Churches in Galatia.
On the first day of each week, that was the Lord's Day; each one should put
aside a specific portion (tithes) of money they have earned and not wait until
he comes then take up a collection all at once. Then he would take the gift to
Jerusalem along with designated people.
We will talk about generosity in the
second letter when we talk about the generosity of the Macedonian believers,
but for now, here are a few thoughts on this standard practice of weekly
giving. In contrast to other ancient associations, which usually required
membership dues, giving among believers was voluntary, not shaming the body.
This practice of giving came from
the OT. Exodus 35:5,21 – 22, 26,29; 36:2, "Then Moses said to the whole
community of Israel, "This is what the Lord has commanded: Take a sacred
offering for the Lord. Let those with generous hearts present the following
gifts to the Lord: We see a list of materials and precious stones.
This offering was encouraged, not
forced upon. Vs. 21-22,
"All
whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their
sacred offerings to the Lord. They brought all the materials needed for the
Tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments. Both
men and women came, all whose hearts were willing."
God urged people to bring ten
percent of their earnings to the Temple. Malachi 3:10-11, "Bring all the
tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you
do," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of
heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room
to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!
God wanted his people to give voluntarily
for the work and the maintenance of the Tabernacle and to take care of the
priests and Levites who ministered in the Temple. Even today, God wants us to
support his work and those who minister through free will offerings and tithes.
For that reason, we encourage
people during our Sunday worship service to bring their tithes and free-will
offerings cheerfully so that the ministries of Hope Church will go on and those
who minister (Pastor) will be provided for. The Lord blesses a cheerful giver.
Many in Hope Church give sacrificially and generously towards the work of the
Lord. My God bless you.
II.
Believers should practice hospitality: (5-12)
Paul announces his travel itinerary
via Macedonia to Corinth and spends a lot of time with them, possibly through
the winter. Before his visit, he would stay at Ephesus until the Festival of
Pentecost. We will discuss it next Sunday, June 5th, the Pentecost
day.
He instructed the Corinthian Church
to bless Timothy as he was doing the work of the Lord. Paul's stay with
believers at various locations indicates the practice of hospitality. It is an
ancient practice since Abraham and Sara offered generous hospitality to three
angels. Gen 18. Thirty
scriptures talk about hospitality in the Bible. This one encourages all of us
to provide hospitality. I Peter 4:9, "Cheerfully share your home with
those who need a meal or a place to stay." "Show hospitality to one
another without grumbling." (ESV). Practicing hospitality can be
challenging in a culture that is suspicious of strangers. Nevertheless, we
believers are called to be hospitable. One way to show our love is through
hospitality.
III.
The Three "Be's" (Vs. 13-14)
Vs. 13-14, Be on guard. Stand firm
in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love."
"Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts
and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be
strong. Let everything you do be done in love [motivated and inspired by God's love
for us]. (AMP)
After talking about giving
generously and practicing hospitality, he gave three "Be's" to the
Corinthian believers. The same three action verbs apply to believers of all
time: Be on guard, courageous, and strong. Let's explore them and see how they
impact our lives today.
A.
Be on guard: In
NASB, "Be on the alert." During Paul's time, many false prophets were
deceiving believers who were not firmly rooted in the Word. Jesus said, "Beware
of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are
ravenous wolves." Matthew 7:15
We are to be on guard against the
conspiracy theorists who may sound Christian and biblical, but they are out
there to deceive ill-equipped believers. How do we discern false teachers and
their wrong teachings? By reading the Bible and knowing the truth. By being
firmly standing in our faith. It is so crucial that you do your independent
study of God's Word.
B.
Be Courageous. God
commanded Joshua twice to be "Be strong and courageous," Jos
1:6-7.
Throughout
the scriptures and church history, we find ordinary men and women who showed
extraordinary courage. God demonstrated His power through them because of their
obedience.
He is still looking for people who
are not ashamed of him but take courageous steps of faith at home and their
workplaces for His name's sake. God promises to give us all courage and
strength to live for him. As Paul prayed, we too can pray for God to give us
courage. (Eph 1:19)
C.
Be Strong: Courage
and strength go hand in hand. Both result from our trust in God who is soverign
and promised never to leave or forsake us. When we recognize our weaknesses, we
become strong with God's strength. That's why Paul says, "I boast in my
weaknesses."
Remember, on our own, we are weak
and can not live for God and carry out his mission. Let us recognize our
strength comes from God. Exodus
15:2, "The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This
is my God, and I will praise him—my father's God, and I will exalt him!"
How are we living our lives today? Are we courageous, bold, and strong?
What does it mean to say, Maranatha,
Come Lord soon? It means to live a life of courage, boldness, and strength
for the Lord. How does that manifest in our daily lives? When we only focus on
earthly material things, we live in turmoil because they can never fully
satisfy us. But when we look up to the heavens and have the perspective of the
early Christians and say Maranatha, our focus and pursuit of things will
change. We become more God-centered than self-centered. We become God pleasers
than living for our fleeting pleasures. Maranatha!
