INTRODUCTION
Please take God's Word and turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 16
We are close to concluding our study in this wonderful book
Today we're looking at verses 5-12
Read 1 Corinthians 16:5-12
There are two ministries the church has been commissioned to: evangelism and edification
We are to reach the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ
We are to teach those who are saved "all things that I have commanded you" (Mat.28:20)
In the words of Colossians 1:28-29, "(28) We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. (29) For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me."
This was Paul's purpose with every church
He wanted to preach the Gospel to the unsaved and teach the word to mature the saved
That is clearly seen in 1 Corinthians
In chapter 15 as he talked about the Gospel, he said he "preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain."
That is always the concern for the pastor
He is concerned that those who say they are saved are truly saved
So he will preach Christ and Him crucified and resurrected
He will also systematically teach the Word of God so the saved will grow "in the grace of knowledge of Jesus Christ."
As we saw in our last two times together, Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand the principles of giving
It's to be "on the first day of every week" (v.2)
It is to be "as [they] may prosper, so that no collections be made when [he] come" (v.2)
His desire was to meet the needs of the saints in Jerusalem and wanted the Corinthians to do the same
Now he is writing to assure them that he is planning to come back to Corinth to be with them
If you will notice in this text, he gives 3 insights into ministry that you and I can glean from in our ministry
Notice in verses 5-7 that...
LESSON
I. PAUL WAS A PLANNER (vv.5-7)
He was specific (v.5)"But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia"
3 times in this letter he planned to come to them
1 Corinthians 4:19, "But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power."
1 Corinthians 11:34, "If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come."
1 Corinthians 16:5, "But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia."
He did go 3 times
First was when he founded the church
He stayed 18 months
Acts 18:11 says, "And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them."
It was also during this time that he met Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:2)
Because they all shared the same trade as tent-makers, he stayed and worked with them (Acts 18:3)
His second visit was a "sad" or "hard" visit
He wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:1-4, "(1) But I determined this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again. (2) For if I cause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful? (3) This is the very thing I wrote you, so that when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be the joy of you all. (4) For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you."
This visit followed the letter we know as 1 Corinthians (which was really his second letter to them). Apparently, things were not getting any better, so Paul went in-person to address some of the problems (probably dealing with the "sinful man" mentioned in 1 Cor. 5).
His third visit is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 13:1, "This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES."
This was was after he wrote the letter we know as 2 Corinthians
He returned on one of his last missionary journeys and remained there for another three months (Acts 20:3) at which time he wrote "Romans" (c. A.D. 55).
Each time he went to Corinth He had a plan
First was to preach the gospel and teach them the Word of God
The second and third time was to address problems in the church
What about you?
Do you have specific plans about ministry to others?
Do you have a plan in sharing the Gospel with others?
Do you know of a situation where a believer is in sin and are you making plans to go to them?
Matthew 18:15 says, "“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother."
1 Thessalonians 5:14 says, "We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone."
This is the responsibility of every believer - Romans 15:14 says, "(14) And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another."
Where we go is based on the Lord's will and planning whether it's short or long term
I have a friend that planned to go to France and the Lord permitted it
He's a church planter and has been doing that for over 30 years
He later changed his plans and the Lord permitted it for him to reach Muslims for Christ
Not only was Paul's plans specific but...
He was flexible (v.6)
He told the Corinthians in verse 6, "And perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way wherever I may go."
He knew his plans could change
That's why he said "perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend a winter there"
He wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:15-17, "(15) In this confidence I intended at first to come to you, so that you might twice receive a blessing; (16) that is, to pass your way into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be helped on my journey to Judea. (17) Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time?"
John MacArthur says, "While we ought to have vision, and plan ahead about what we will be doing and how, we also must be flexible. Our plans should always be subject to the Lord’s revision. The future does not always come together as we think it will. Our original understanding of God’s will for us may not have been entirely right or complete, or His plans for us may change. In any case, we should always qualify our intentions as James advises: “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that” (James 4:15). (MacArthur, John F., Jr. 1 Corinthians. Chicago: Moody Press, 1984. Print. MacArthur New Testament Commentary.)
By using the terms, "perhaps," "even," "wherever," and "if the Lord permits" (v.7) shows his flexibility and prevented him from being presumptuous and inflexible
Proverbs 16:9 says, "The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps."
Paul knew that first hand
On his second missionary journey, Acts 15:36 says he planned "to visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are."
They did visit most of the cities as planned but the Holy Spirit specifically forbade them "to speak the word in Asia" or "to go into Bithynia" (Acts 16:6-7)
According to Acts 16:9-10 God wanted them to go to Macedonia
David Livingstone, who was a missionary to Africa, wanted to be a missionary to China but God sent him to Africa
Because he was flexible he went because he wanted, above all else, to do God's will
After I was saved I wanted to studying and train for ministry at the Master's College but God took me to Columbia
Bible College in South Carolina then back here to complete my training
Paul's planning was specific, flexible and...
He was caring (v.7)
"For I do not wish to see you now just in passing; for I hope to remain with you for some time, if the Lord permits."
He didn't just want to pass through and stop for a moment
He wanted to spend time with them
But he also knew it had to be the Lord's will either way
For now though...
II. PAUL WAS DETERMINED (vv.8-9)
He planned to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost (v.8)
It's in this verse where we learn that he wrote this epistle from Ephesus
Staying "until Pentecost" refers to feast celebrated in Israel on the 50th day after Passover
Pentecost was also known as "the feast of weeks" (Lev.23:15), "the feast of harvest" (Ex.23:16), and as "the day of the firstfruits" (Num.28:26)
From the sixteenth of the month of Nisan (the second day of the Passover), seven complete weeks, i.e., forty-nine days, were to be reckoned, and this feast was held on the fiftieth day (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
It was to commemorate the end of the harvest
It was also to commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2
Pentecost was celebrated this year on May 23rd
Paul was determined to stay in Ephesus because...
There was a wide door for ministry there
He said "A wide door for effective service has opened for me" (v.9a)
God opens and closes doors in ministry
This was Paul's prayer in Colossians 4:3 and it was open and he wanted to go through it
Paul attributes the open door to the "many adversaries" that were in Ephesus
Since that was the case, Paul saw it as a "wide door for effective service"
Trouble is inevitable
Jesus said in John 16:33, "...In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Paul said in Philippians 1:29-30, "(29) For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, (30) experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me."
Paul experienced much trouble from unbelievers as he preached the gospelPaul said in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, "(23) Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. (24) Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. (25) Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. (26) I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; (27) I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. (28) Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.2 Corinthians 11:23-28 - NASB
"When we are looking for a place to serve the Lord, we should look for a place with problems, for a church that is discouraged, for a group in our own congregation that needs to have a better understanding of God’s Word, for people who have never heard God’s Word or have heard it only in a perverted or unbalanced form. That is where the Lord can truly use us." (MacArthur, John F., Jr. 1 Corinthians. Chicago: Moody Press, 1984. Print. MacArthur New Testament Commentary.)
While John Paton was a university student in Scotland, God called him to missionary work in the New Hebrides. After graduation he and his bride sailed to the southwest Pacific and began work among the savage cannibals on the island of Tanna. His wife and infant son died a few months later, and Paton slept on their graves for several nights to prevent the cannibals from digging up the bodies and eating them. After almost four years of faithful work he left without seeing a single convert. Many years later his son by another marriage resumed work on Tanna and eventually saw the entire island come to Christ. When the elder Paton revisited the island, the chief of the former cannibals asked the missionary who the great army was that had surrounded his hut every night when he first came among them. God’s angels had protected him. Because of his faithful work and that of his son, when he left the New Hebrides for the last time, after ministering on another island as well, it is reported that he said with tearful eyes, “I don’t know of one native on these islands who has not made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ." (MacArthur, John F., Jr. 1 Corinthians. Chicago: Moody Press, 1984. Print. MacArthur New Testament Commentary.)
Paul was not only a planner and determined but he was also...
III. PAUL WAS CARING AND SENSITIVE TOWARD OTHERS (vv.10-12)
He was concerned about Timothy's welfare (vv.10-11)
Since the believers at Corinth were fleshly (ch.3) and divisive (1:10), he wanted them to treat him respectfully and with love
No one was to "despise him" (v.11) because he was "doing the Lord's work as I also am" (v.10)
He was also sensitive to Apollos' ministry (v.12)
He wanted him to come with Timothy to Corinth
But Apollos wasn't ready
He would come "when he has opportunity"
What about you?
Are you caring and sensitive toward others?
Many think they should look out only for themselves but that's not true
Remember the lawyer asked Jesus "Who is my neighbor?" and Jesus responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan
Our neighbor is anyone in our path with a need
How much more so of believers and fellow-laborers for the gospel?
CONCLUSION
What can we learn from this?
We are to be planners
We are to be determined
We are to be caring and sensitive toward others
This is true ministry
This is "abounding in the work of the Lord" (15:58)
What about you?
Jesus was all these things too
He came to "seek and to save" the lost
He traveled to specific places for the purpose of preaching the gospel
He was caring and sensitive to the needs of others and ministered to those needs
The first being salvation
The second being edification
He spent 3 years teaching the disciples
Again, what about you?
Who are you investing your life in?
Are you ministering to those who are a part of this ministry?
Do you minister to them during the week or only when you're here?
Do you know the gospel?
Have you repented and received Christ?
Turn to Him now
Let's pray
