![]() ![]() If you don’t, might I encourage you this summer to make the most of every opportunity. Do you have deep friendships with other Christians who are spurring you on to deeper love of Christ, and deeper resolve in Christ. But, the Christian ought to develop a handful of Timothy’s, Aquila, Apollos’s on whom they can depend on. We cannot have this level of intimacy with every person in our life. Paul had deep friendships that were focused around Christ, around prayer, around the work of the ministry In verse 19 he praises Aquila and Prisca for the Church that they are allowing to meet in their house. In verse 15 he mentions Stephanas, Fortunatus, Achaicus and celebrates the way that his soul has been lifted up because of their love. In verse 12 he mentions Apollos, another close friend and ministry partner. And he pleads with the Corinthians to take care of him when he arrives. In verse 10 he mentions Timothy who elsewhere Paul calls himself a spiritual father to Timothy. 3 His Love of His Friends: Lastly, I want you to see the love he has for his friends. Every Christian will be used by God in different ways and in different degrees Perhaps there is somebody in our life who has reached out to us, and who we may offer some guidance. Perhaps it is an ongoing conversation with a coworker. Reading Paul here should force us to ask ourselves, where in our life is God opening up doors for effective Kingdom work. And a door opened, he didn’t leave too quickly. And he was always looking for where God was opening doors for effective work. He was led by the Spirit and he was driven by a desire to be an effective laborer in God’s Kingdom. The way Paul lived his life is how every Christian ought to live their life. There is a part of him that wants to get on a boat and come visit the Corinthians, but in verses 8 and 9 he says, 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 “But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” 2 His Love of God’s Kingdom: Secondly, we see Paul’s love of God’s Kingdom. If one member celebrates, the whole body celebrates. “If one member hurts, the whole body hurts. To see every member bring their whole life into accord with God’s Word. ![]() They want to see every member grow in their knowledge of God. The heart of a Christian is towards their entire Church. To spend enough time with them that they can form memories, and make sure that the doctrine he is teaching is not just doctrine to store in the head, but is doctrine to live out in faithful community among saints that love each other.Ĭhristian-we must be certain that we are fostering this kind of love of Christian community that Paul exemplifies here. He wants to shepherd them, to care for them. Paul wants to do significant life with them. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.” 1 Corinthians 16:7 “For I do not want to see you now just in passing. 1 His Love of the Corinthian Church: I find his longing and love for the Corinthians quite remarkable. Let us look three loves of the Apostle that we saw in this text. I think Paul’s heart comes through very clearly in these words. In verses 5-11 Paul lays out his travel plans, and his longing to come visit the Church in Corinth. Now I urge you, brothers-you know that the household…” Three Loves of the Apostleįirst, let us get our bearings straight by taking a look in general at this section. Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 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. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers. When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. ![]() But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. For I do not want to see you now just in passing. 1 Corinthians 16:5-24 “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. My goal today is two-fold, I want to earnestly understand this last chapter, and particularly focus on verse 13 as a vital last call from Paul, of what to do with this entire letter. In it he provides a few last brief instructions and personalizes the letter with mentions of individuals who are important to him. ![]() This last section is a classic closing of a letter. We have covered much ground, and today, we will be looking at the final chapter, chapter 16. Today we come to the close of what has been a nine month journey of studying the entire book of 1 Corinthians, verse by verse together. ![]()
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