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Now, I encourage all of you brothers – you are aware that the house of Stephanas1 is a firstfruits of Achaia, as well as determined to minister to the Saints.2
| 1 | Stephanas: See notes on 1 Corinthians 1:16. |
| 2 | Determined to minister to the Saints: Or, serve. The KJV uses “addicted.” Generally the word is related to the material and physical care of others. |
Dear Friends of the Nazarene,
The general theme of chapter sixteen is Entreaties and Greetings, so we choose verse 15 as the theme verse. Among these greetings there are some closing instructions from Paul. He first gives orders regarding individual contributions to the poor Saints in Jerusalem. [1-4] Christians did not “pass the plate” in their meetings. Nor is there ever an injunction to tithe. To the true Christian 1/10th is never enough.
Paul then mentions certain godly men and encourages that when Timothy visits he should not be fearful among them. The statement speaks volumes about the condition in the congregation. He has encouraged Apollos to visit but he refuses, possibly because he was some how involved in the disharmony there. Paul exhorts all to remain awake, stand firm, be men, be strong, and to do everything in love. He encourages the congregation to be submissive to these visiting brothers.
Paul ends his epistle to the Corinthians with the warning that those who do not love the Nazarene Master are cursed. He then utters the famous petition, “Our Master, come!” Or, the Hebrew MARANATHA.
And so we come to the end of Paul’s letter. We have seen that his major theme was Unity and Order and how we worked in a variety of subjects under this key point.
May Heaven bless all disciples who work for unity.
[11 June 2002]
