1Cor 16:6-7 | KingComments | STEP | . Paul concludes his letter with some practical instructions about a collection of money. It seems to be a side issue in which he still wants to say something that is not that important. However, that is not the case. What he says here you feel in your wallet. It is said about the Dutchman that the last thing which is converted, is his wallet. Therefore the jokes that our southern neighbors (Belgians) make about the stinginess of the Dutchman are not totally unfounded. Everybody wants as much as he can have of it. The lotteries and other games of chance prove that the phenomenon is not the exclusive preserve of the Dutch population. We also need the exhortation that the Corinthians received, to keep a collection for the poor believers. It is quite human to, when you yourself prosper, to forget the other. You possibly have just enough to get by. What do you have left for the other? Nevertheless, it is not a question of politeness to lay something aside for the other. Paul had already told the churches of Galatia the same thing and now he also points out to the Corinthians their responsibility. He wants to be sure that they will do what he says. In 2 Corinthians 8-9, so two entire chapters, he gives more instructions about the collection of money for impoverished fellow believers. That makes clear how important this issue is to Paul. In those chapters you read among others that it pleases God to see you give freely , not under compulsion. . In our chapter he gives an instruction about how to put money aside for poor believers in the most proper way. Of course there are many ways how you can let others have a share in your prosperity, but the way, concerned in this verse, is closely related to the first day of the week. That is nice. The first day of the week was especially the day that the believers gathered to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and to listen to God’s Word ( ). Isn’t this the automatic consequence of our connection in the Lord, which we experience during the meetings that we also show our connection in a practical way? The Bible speaks about a “sacrifice of praise” that we can bring to God as the “fruit of lips”. The purpose of that is that we tell God how grateful we are to Him that He has redeemed us. But directly connected to that, the Bible speaks about the sacrifices of “doing good and sharing” which pleases God ( ). The collections are not a manner to take money out of people’s pocket, but they are a logical result of our gratitude to God. After connecting the collections to the first day of the week, Paul passes on a practical suggestion: let them put aside a certain amount weekly. That amount can be different every week. It is dependent on their prosperity. To people with a fixed income, it will often be the same amount. They always have to consider: ‘How much can I put aside this week?’ I hope that you are used to giving money in the meeting regularly. Do you also consider regularly if you can give more than you give regularly? The suggestion that Paul made, had the benefit that quite a nice amount would have been collected when he arrived there. If the collection was only made at the moment he came, the benefits would surely not be that big. A single gift is often smaller than the sum of an amount that is saved. . Paul planned to give the amount, collected like that, to brothers whom the church entrusted. These brothers would bring the gift of love to Jerusalem with an accompanying letter. He did not know yet whether he would go along with them. In that case they could have gone along with him. The brothers who were entrusted with this order, were not just random brothers. They were brothers who have proven their capabilities and commitment in their service for the Lord. The church at Corinth would want to recommend these brothers on the basis of their reliability. They had to be people who would not give in to the temptation to run off with the money. In Acts 6 and 1 Timothy 3 you find some characteristics of brothers to whom people could entrust such a service ( ; ). Of course the characteristics described there, should adorn each Christian. If that is already the case, then certainly it is, concerning those brothers, who are given the task to provide for the material needs of the believers. These characteristics are still valid as a condition to be able to serve in material matters. The fact that we can do digital payment transactions nowadays does not weaken the qualities of a person who is entrusted with such a service. . So it was Paul’s purpose to visit the believers at Corinth. He writes to them about which way he was considering to come. From Ephesus (the place from where he writes this letter), he would travel first through Macedonia. There he could pass through the cities of Philippi and Thessalonica, where he also would love to visit the believers there. Then he would come to Corinth. . He wanted to stay quite a while with them, possibly the whole wintertime. When it was cold outside, he could then enjoy the warm love of the Corinthians. That would be a wonderful opportunity to teach them further about the issues on which they had questioned him. When he departed from there, they would be able to help him also. In fact he was counting on that. After all, that is the language of love. He had to tell them a lot in the letter about what is not right with them. Nevertheless he trusts that they would not dislike him because of that. A relationship will surely not cool off if you reprimand a person in love. As it has already been said, his visit would not be a short one. He concludes his plans with “if the Lord permits”. This shows that Paul considered the will of the Lord in everything. You surely are allowed to make plans. There is nothing wrong with that, but they, in the first place, should please the Lord. It is a normal thing for a Christian to submit his plans to the Lord in prayer, whether it concerns a vacation or a business trip or a service for the Lord. The Lord Jesus has said: “Apart from Me you can do nothing” ( ). I think that you also have done certain things without submitting them to the Lord. You did it out of your own desire. It doesn’t matter whether you succeeded or failed; it is wrong to do anything without the Lord, anyhow. It is wonderfully comforting to know that the Lord is guiding your life and that you can consciously put your life in His hands. Therefore, submit your plans to Him and you will experience the blessing of it. . On the other hand, a life with the Lord is not a smooth road. Paul has had that experience too. He wanted to remain in Ephesus until Pentecost because the Lord had a great task for him there. That became apparent because of two things: 1. “A wide door for effective [service]” had opened to him. That means that the Lord had opened the hearts of a great number of people through the gospel in a mighty and impressive way. 2. A proof that the Lord was in action there, was also that there were “many adversaries”. There is nothing that can activate the devil more, than a work for the Lord. The more adversaries you meet in a work that you want to do for the Lord, the surer you can be that it is indeed a work of Him. The devil does not care about people who live only for themselves. He has nothing to fear from that. Such people are doing what pleases him and he enjoys everything that is not done for the Lord’s sake. If you love to be occupied for the Lord, you will often meet these two things: 1. The Lord opens a door for you. That means: you see possibilities to do a work for the Lord. He puts you in circumstances that you recognize as His guidance to do a work for Him. 2. You meet adversaries. Not only you recognize a work for the Lord, but the devil also recognizes that. Therefore he will make every effort to hinder you to do that. In his efforts he uses people, who, as adversaries of the gospel, try to prevent you to do your work for the Lord. Therefore, do not be discouraged, but be encouraged! Now read 1 Corinthians 16:1-9 again. Reflection: Are you saving money? What for/ for whom?

‏ 1 Corinthians 16:6-7

Collection and Travelling Plans

1Cor 16:1. Paul concludes his letter with some practical instructions about a collection of money. It seems to be a side issue in which he still wants to say something that is not that important. However, that is not the case. What he says here you feel in your wallet. It is said about the Dutchman that the last thing which is converted, is his wallet. Therefore the jokes that our southern neighbors (Belgians) make about the stinginess of the Dutchman are not totally unfounded. Everybody wants as much as he can have of it. The lotteries and other games of chance prove that the phenomenon is not the exclusive preserve of the Dutch population.

We also need the exhortation that the Corinthians received, to keep a collection for the poor believers. It is quite human to, when you yourself prosper, to forget the other. You possibly have just enough to get by. What do you have left for the other? Nevertheless, it is not a question of politeness to lay something aside for the other. Paul had already told the churches of Galatia the same thing and now he also points out to the Corinthians their responsibility. He wants to be sure that they will do what he says.

In 2 Corinthians 8-9, so two entire chapters, he gives more instructions about the collection of money for impoverished fellow believers. That makes clear how important this issue is to Paul. In those chapters you read among others that it pleases God to see you give freely, not under compulsion.

1Cor 16:2. In our chapter he gives an instruction about how to put money aside for poor believers in the most proper way. Of course there are many ways how you can let others have a share in your prosperity, but the way, concerned in this verse, is closely related to the first day of the week. That is nice. The first day of the week was especially the day that the believers gathered to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and to listen to God’s Word (Acts 20:7). Isn’t this the automatic consequence of our connection in the Lord, which we experience during the meetings that we also show our connection in a practical way?

The Bible speaks about a “sacrifice of praise” that we can bring to God as the “fruit of lips”. The purpose of that is that we tell God how grateful we are to Him that He has redeemed us. But directly connected to that, the Bible speaks about the sacrifices of “doing good and sharing” which pleases God (Heb 13:15-16). The collections are not a manner to take money out of people’s pocket, but they are a logical result of our gratitude to God.

After connecting the collections to the first day of the week, Paul passes on a practical suggestion: let them put aside a certain amount weekly. That amount can be different every week. It is dependent on their prosperity. To people with a fixed income, it will often be the same amount. They always have to consider: ‘How much can I put aside this week?’

I hope that you are used to giving money in the meeting regularly. Do you also consider regularly if you can give more than you give regularly? The suggestion that Paul made, had the benefit that quite a nice amount would have been collected when he arrived there. If the collection was only made at the moment he came, the benefits would surely not be that big. A single gift is often smaller than the sum of an amount that is saved.

1Cor 16:3-4. Paul planned to give the amount, collected like that, to brothers whom the church entrusted. These brothers would bring the gift of love to Jerusalem with an accompanying letter. He did not know yet whether he would go along with them. In that case they could have gone along with him. The brothers who were entrusted with this order, were not just random brothers. They were brothers who have proven their capabilities and commitment in their service for the Lord. The church at Corinth would want to recommend these brothers on the basis of their reliability. They had to be people who would not give in to the temptation to run off with the money.

In Acts 6 and 1 Timothy 3 you find some characteristics of brothers to whom people could entrust such a service (Acts 6:3; 1Tim 3:8-13). Of course the characteristics described there, should adorn each Christian. If that is already the case, then certainly it is, concerning those brothers, who are given the task to provide for the material needs of the believers. These characteristics are still valid as a condition to be able to serve in material matters. The fact that we can do digital payment transactions nowadays does not weaken the qualities of a person who is entrusted with such a service.

1Cor 16:5. So it was Paul’s purpose to visit the believers at Corinth. He writes to them about which way he was considering to come. From Ephesus (the place from where he writes this letter), he would travel first through Macedonia. There he could pass through the cities of Philippi and Thessalonica, where he also would love to visit the believers there. Then he would come to Corinth.

1Cor 16:6-7. He wanted to stay quite a while with them, possibly the whole wintertime. When it was cold outside, he could then enjoy the warm love of the Corinthians. That would be a wonderful opportunity to teach them further about the issues on which they had questioned him. When he departed from there, they would be able to help him also. In fact he was counting on that. After all, that is the language of love. He had to tell them a lot in the letter about what is not right with them. Nevertheless he trusts that they would not dislike him because of that. A relationship will surely not cool off if you reprimand a person in love. As it has already been said, his visit would not be a short one.

He concludes his plans with “if the Lord permits”. This shows that Paul considered the will of the Lord in everything. You surely are allowed to make plans. There is nothing wrong with that, but they, in the first place, should please the Lord. It is a normal thing for a Christian to submit his plans to the Lord in prayer, whether it concerns a vacation or a business trip or a service for the Lord.

The Lord Jesus has said: “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). I think that you also have done certain things without submitting them to the Lord. You did it out of your own desire. It doesn’t matter whether you succeeded or failed; it is wrong to do anything without the Lord, anyhow. It is wonderfully comforting to know that the Lord is guiding your life and that you can consciously put your life in His hands. Therefore, submit your plans to Him and you will experience the blessing of it.

1Cor 16:8-9. On the other hand, a life with the Lord is not a smooth road. Paul has had that experience too. He wanted to remain in Ephesus until Pentecost because the Lord had a great task for him there. That became apparent because of two things:

1. “A wide door for effective [service]” had opened to him. That means that the Lord had opened the hearts of a great number of people through the gospel in a mighty and impressive way.

2. A proof that the Lord was in action there, was also that there were “many adversaries”. There is nothing that can activate the devil more, than a work for the Lord. The more adversaries you meet in a work that you want to do for the Lord, the surer you can be that it is indeed a work of Him.

The devil does not care about people who live only for themselves. He has nothing to fear from that. Such people are doing what pleases him and he enjoys everything that is not done for the Lord’s sake.

If you love to be occupied for the Lord, you will often meet these two things:

1. The Lord opens a door for you. That means: you see possibilities to do a work for the Lord. He puts you in circumstances that you recognize as His guidance to do a work for Him.

2. You meet adversaries. Not only you recognize a work for the Lord, but the devil also recognizes that. Therefore he will make every effort to hinder you to do that. In his efforts he uses people, who, as adversaries of the gospel, try to prevent you to do your work for the Lord. Therefore, do not be discouraged, but be encouraged!

Now read 1 Corinthians 16:1-9 again.

Reflection: Are you saving money? What for/ for whom?