1 Corinthians 16- Stand Fast

5 Replies

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity. I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth. I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such. The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss. The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 1 Corinthians 16:13-23

As we come to the end of 1 Corinthians, Paul ends with a strong benediction and a great reminder for the Church! While the race of Christianity gets long and tiring, we need to remind and renew ourselves , of our higher calling and Gods promises for us! It’s easy to get distracted and feel defeated some days, but we have the greatest power living inside of us, the Holy Spirit, serving the living God, who is our Lord and Savior!

  1. Watch and Be On Alert– The Church has fallen asleep during the last day, unBiblical doctrines have crept in, straying away many from the truth. We need to remember, Satan is like a roaring lion looking to devour us! This is not a walk in the park or a game, we are in spiritual warfare, Watch and Be On Alert at all times!
  2. Stand Fast and Firm- Preserve– As the modern day Church changes the Bible to accommodate today’s culture, Stand Fast! Don’t stray away from the teachings of Christ and the Apostles, the Bible is the Word of God and your foundation. Many will fall away to false teachings and sugar coated messages. Stand Fast to the truth in Jesus Christ, don’t be conformed to the ways of the world
  3. Act Like Men– If only the Church listened to this command today, while many men have abandoned their positions in the Church and at home, Paul reminds us to be the men God has created and called us to be! If you want to know why the Church and society are in the condition they are in today, look at the Men of God in the Church. Many Churches you can’t find any of them, put down your video games and movies, and start taking the responsibility of the Man of God you were called to be in Christ!
  4. Be Strong– Christians today believe they have to be weak and passive to be “Christ-like” , we need strong Christians who would hold to the truth of the gospel, that are willing to step up and be a spiritual shepherd, that are willing to fight the good fight of faith. We have too many watered down and spiritually weak Christians who are conforming to whatever the world instructs them too

The Apostle Paul ends with a strong statement “If anyone doesn’t love The Lord Jesus Christ, let them be accursed (v22). We always hear people using the phrase “Jesus loves You” to justify their sin, which Christ does love everybody, he demonstrated that on the cross (Romans 5:8) However the real question is Do you Love The Lord Jesus Christ? If so Jesus said “If you love me, Keep my commandments” (John 14:15) Amen!

1 Corinthians 16- The Lords Day

9 Replies

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me. Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia. And it may be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go. For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit. But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. Now if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do. Let no man therefore despise him: but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me: for I look for him with the brethren. As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren: but his will was not at all to come at this time; but he will come when he shall have convenient time. 1 Corinthians 16:2-12

I can’t tell you how many people reach out to me to argue over Sunday worship, The Lord’s Day. The argument is always “Constantine created Sunday worship from paganism” 

 When somebody makes a statement like that to me, it’s clear to me this person has very limited knowledge of Church history and the Bible. Many people see these statements online and just parroting them, without actually doing any research or study for themselves.

The recorded words of the Apostle Paul are very significant here for Church history and practical application for the Church today. Paul says “Upon the First Day of the week” Paul gives significance to the gathering of Christians on The Lord’s Day (Revelation 1:10) which is Sunday. The term “Lord’s Day” was used by the Apostle John in Revelation, it’s apparent this was already established as a term for Sunday, when Christ rose from the dead.

 Now if you go back one verse Paul mentions the “Churches of Galatia” also. This was not just a commandment for the Church of Corinth, this appears to be a standard practice for the early Church to gather on Sunday morning for worship.

In the book of Acts it mentions meeting on Sunday multiple times,” Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. “ (Acts 20:7)

So why did the early Christians worship on Sunday? Well what happened on Sunday morning? Yes Jesus Christ rose from the dead, all 4 gospels tell us it happened on “The First Day of the Week (Sunday) in the morning (Mark 16:9, John 20:1-2, Matthew 28:1, Luke 24:1) There is no paganism or mystery about gathering on Sunday morning if you read your Bible, the resurrection of Christ changed everything.

So what happened at the council of Nicaea? Constantine just established what the Christians were doing since the first century, The Church always revered Sunday as The Lord’s Day, and gathered and worshiped, because Jesus Christ is our Lord and rose from the dead! Amen!

1 Corinthians 16- Tithing in the New Covenant

4 Replies

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 1 Corinthians 16:1

As we come to the last Chapter of 1 Corinthians, many might glance over it and see nothing really significant to learn here, but at a second glance, Paul gives us very valuable teachings and  early Church history that we can apply to the Church today. Here we see the topics of tithing  for the New Covenant Church.

The topic of “tithing” has always been confusing when applying it to the Church, the questions arise how do we apply the tithing command from the Old or Mosaic Covenant to the New Covenant? I emphasize this because Christians need to remember you are in the New Covenant with Christ, you are not an Israelite in the Mosaic Covenant, otherwise you would still be dead in your sins.

The Tithe was a commandment of God and a tax to support the Levitical priest line. The priest line, who were from the line of Aaron, didn’t inherit any land or have an occupation other than serving God and the Temple. Therefore the Priests couldn’t financially support themselves or their families, so God commanded a tithe be given to them. Now the “Tithe” wasn’t just money either, it was also food, as the Priests didn’t have any land to farm for themselves. So God provided for the Priests through the people, as all things are provided by God anyway

Now applying this to the New Covenant, obviously we don’t have a Levitical Priest line anymore, however we are all Priests through Christ (1 Peter 2:5) However not all Christians dedicate their full lives to serving God, many Born Again Christians also work and can support themselves. There are many Christians who do dedicate their lives to serving God and the Church, such as a full-time Pastor or Bishop, we should financially support them, as Jesus said “Freely give, as you have freely received” (Matthew 10:8)

We see in the book of Acts, the entire Church community supported each other, “and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” Acts 2:45   The Apostle Paul said this to the early Church quoting The Lord Jesus Christ “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35) As Christians we should have a heart of generosity, willing to support the Body of Christ, or those who are in need. 

The Apostle Paul also says this about supporting your Church leaders “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:17-18)

While in the New Covenant, there is no longer a “Tithing Law of 10%” in place, with regenerated hearts, we should have a giving and generous heart. But when Churches require Christians to give 10%, there is actually no Biblical law for that in the New Testament. Here we see the Apostle Paul taking up a collection for the saints (Christians), As Paul also said  we as the Body of Christ need to support each other, to fulfill our work in The Lord, the Great Commission, Amen!

1 Corinthians 15- Be Strong and Courageous

1 Reply

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58

As we journey through the epistle of Corinthians, we worked through alot of difficult teachings and sparked alot of conversations, which is a good thing! It’s the Holy Spirit working through us and in us to sanctify us in the truth of God’s word. The Apostle Paul closes Chapter 15 with this wonderful benediction that is too good to just passover

Brothers and sisters, be steadfast or stand firm , other translations say be strong and immovable! Regardless of what your position is on some of the doctrines we discussed, the main point is don’t waver in your faith in Christ. Be rooted in Christ (Colossians 2:6-7) Don’t allow a disagreement or a different point of view, throw you off your path with Christ

Part of spiritual maturity is to be able to have discussions and conversations about spiritual things, including doctrines without being triggered by a disagreement. I see way too many Christans, they are great when you agree with everything they say, as soon as you have a difference of opinion, you are called a heretic. This is spiritual immaturity, but it’s also insecure faith. Be immovable in your faith, Be steadfast in your faith, be strong in your faith in Christ

Next Paul mentions “Always abounding in the work of The Lord” Stay busy in Christ! If a Christian has time to argue with everyone who disagrees with them, they are probably not abounding in the work of The Lord. What is our work for Christ? Jesus said “ Go and preach the gospel to everyone “(Matthew 28:19) This should be our main focus, to share the good news and make disciples, is arguing all day about the Rapture sharing the gospel? 

The last is a refreshing reminder to the Church, “You know that your labor is not in vain in The Lord” If you spend countless hours evangelizing on the streets, sometimes it can feel like a losing battle. When Satan is attacking you at every corner , you wonder what is the point? But we can’t lose our focus, none of our labor will be in vain. Everything we do for Christ, is noticed by Christ and will not be in vain

Just as God reminded and commanded Joshua to continue pressing on into the Promised Land filled with giants, Christ is commanding and encouraging us to press on into the Harvest field! Be strong and courageous for the Lord your God will be with you always, Amen!