We\u2019ve made it. We\u2019re in the final chapter of 1 Corinthians. We\u2019ve followed Paul\u2019s words to the fledgling church in Corinth. He\u2019s had to correct a lot of self-centered behavior. He\u2019s advocated for an others-centered life that chooses sacrifice over selfishness, and service over self-advancement.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been a tough journey. Paul hasn\u2019t left many stones unturned. He\u2019s addressed every issue in the church from sexual immorality to leadership battles to food choice. While much of 1 Corinthians feels like a drag through the mud, Paul isn\u2019t going to leave the Corinthians there. He ends with a strong glimmer of hope. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chapter 16 shows how living selflessly affects a wide variety of people. When we put other Christians first, it inspires them to do the same\u2014and that\u2019s exactly what we see in this chapter. The people Paul has invested in are now giving themselves to Jesus, His mission, and His people. Paul invites the Corinthians\u2014and us\u2014to do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though this letter has been full of criticism and harsh rebuke, there\u2019s still a way forward. The Corinthians aren\u2019t stuck. They can turn away from selfishness and toward the life that Paul talked about throughout his letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the same is true for us. We aren\u2019t stuck. We have a way forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Settle in for a few minutes and read through 1 Corinthians 16. Then in your own words, write a couple of sentences summarizing how this chapter ends the book on a hopeful note<\/strong>. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/strong> Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God\u2019s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. 2<\/strong> On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don\u2019t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. 3<\/strong> When I come, I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. 4<\/strong> And if it seems appropriate for me to go along, they can travel with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5<\/strong> I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia, for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. 6<\/strong> Perhaps I will stay awhile with you, possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next destination. 7<\/strong> This time I don\u2019t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. 8<\/strong> In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. 9<\/strong> There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10<\/strong> When Timothy comes, don\u2019t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord\u2019s work, just as I am. 11<\/strong> Don\u2019t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 12<\/strong> Now about our brother Apollos\u2014I urged him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13<\/strong> Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. 14<\/strong> And do everything with love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 15<\/strong> You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to God\u2019s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, 16<\/strong> to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion. 17<\/strong> I am very glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been providing the help you weren\u2019t here to give me. 18<\/strong> They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 19<\/strong> The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings. 20<\/strong> All the brothers and sisters here send greetings to you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 21<\/strong> Here is my greeting in my own handwriting\u2014Paul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 22<\/strong> If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 23<\/strong> May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 24<\/strong> My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n1 Corinthians 16 (NLT)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n While the ending of 1 Corinthians might seem like a simple list of names and greetings, Paul\u2019s words point to a deep truth about what it means to live an others-centered life. By greeting people and advising the Corinthians to do the same, Paul shows the impact the risky life can have on other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Living selflessly means we give up our finances for other people. It means we organize our time around serving other Christians. It means extending hospitality to Christians. It ultimately unifies us. It causes us to stand firm. It brings growth to the whole church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important to put other people first. Paul always looked to the people he ministered to instead of himself. We can do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we move forward into our last week in 1 Corinthians, spend some time talking to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Write out a short prayer asking God to show you how you can invest in one other believer you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray for that person by name. Write down your prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray for him or her throughout your day and pray the Spirit would show you one way to love that person this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re done, share with the group briefly whether or not you have the one other believer God wants you to invest in or not, then ask the group to hold you accountable in what you would do to love that person this week.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and\/or share it as a comment below<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ve made it. We\u2019re in the final chapter of 1 Corinthians. We\u2019ve followed Paul\u2019s words to the fledgling church in Corinth. He\u2019s had to correct a lot of self-centered behavior. He\u2019s advocated for an others-centered life that chooses sacrifice over selfishness, and service over self-advancement.\u00a0 It\u2019s been a tough journey. Paul hasn\u2019t left many stones […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n Welcome!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Welcome to the book of 1 Corinthians. As we study this letter, we\u2019ll step into ancient Corinth while reading the words Paul wrote to the fledgling church. We\u2019re going to see that, like all churches, the Corinthian church wasn\u2019t perfect. They had a problem. A big problem. And it grew to such an epic proportion that it poisoned the church in various ways. Paul wrote to provide the antidote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this study, we\u2019re going to explore Paul\u2019s solution to both the problems in Corinth and in us. Through his words, we\u2019ll learn more about Jesus\u2019s plan for a people who live radically different lives than the world around them. But we\u2019ll also take a hard look in the mirror and ask the Spirit to point out our own self-centered attitudes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading the Bible isn\u2019t just something we do to impress people or to check off on a to-do list. It\u2019s about getting to know God. It\u2019s about shaping every minute of our lives to reflect Jesus. It\u2019s about thinking differently in the power of the Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So as we approach each week, we\u2019ll focus on one main idea. That main idea will point us to change how we think, feel, and act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This week, we\u2019ll see that resolving relational disunity begins in our hearts because division is a symptom of self-focus. From this main idea, we have three goals: <\/p>\n\n\n\n First Corinthians will take us on a journey. We\u2019ll look at the struggles of one of the first local churches in all of history. We\u2019ll see that the Corinthians weren\u2019t much different from us. And we\u2019ll realize that Paul\u2019s words to them still ring true today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But before we jump into 1 Corinthians, spend a few minutes writing out a short prayer to God. Ask him to use this study to change you. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Open up your Bible to 1 Corinthians. Go ahead and read the entire first chapter. As you read, ask yourself this question: What was the problem in the Corinthian church?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 1:1\u201331 (ESV): <\/p> 1\u00a0Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, \u201cI will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.\u201d<\/p> 20\u00a0Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21\u00a0For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22\u00a0For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23\u00a0but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24\u00a0but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25\u00a0For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.<\/p> 26\u00a0For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27\u00a0But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28\u00a0God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29\u00a0so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30\u00a0And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31\u00a0so that, as it is written, \u201cLet the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The Corinthian church suffered from division. We\u2019ll see it all throughout the book. The struggling church fought over leadership, spiritual gifts, food, marriage, and theology. Since the theme of disunity runs throughout the letter, it\u2019s tempting to think that was the church\u2019s problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it wasn\u2019t. Disunity was only a symptom of a far more insidious\u2014and common\u2014 disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you catch the real issue that was going on in Corinth? It was selfishness. They were so consumed with themselves that they tried to solve their problems their own way, held on to their culture, and, as a result, blasted chasms between them and other Christians.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one likes to admit to selfishness\u2014 especially people who claim to follow Jesus. But it often sneaks into our lives in ways we don\u2019t readily see. And then it spills over in ways we never expect. For the Corinthians, their selfishness led to severe divisions in the church. What is it for us? We\u2019ll spend the rest of the study unpacking that very question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we know the main problem Paul\u2019s tackling in 1 Corinthians, take a moment to be honest with God. Write down any fears or concerns you have about confronting the problem of selfishness. Ask God to use this study to turn your gaze to him.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-224113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1corinthians"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
2\u00a0To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3\u00a0Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4\u00a0I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5\u00a0that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge\u2014 6\u00a0even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you\u2014 7\u00a0so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8\u00a0who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9\u00a0God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10\u00a0I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11\u00a0For it has been reported to me by Chloe\u2019s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12\u00a0What I mean is that each one of you says, \u201cI follow Paul,\u201d or \u201cI follow Apollos,\u201d or \u201cI follow Cephas,\u201d or \u201cI follow Christ.\u201d 13\u00a0Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14\u00a0I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15\u00a0so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16\u00a0(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17\u00a0For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18\u00a0For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19\u00a0For it is written, <\/p>