Paul closes his 1st letter to the Corinthians with chapter 16. There are several points I had not noticed before.
- Effective Service was recognized through great and many adversaries.
- 'Act like men' - Paul says this why? Were they not acting like men? He says to them in vs 13 'Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.' why would he need to tell them this?
- 'Acknowledge such men' - he is speaking of those who take care of needs. He mentions Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus why? 'Because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.' We tend today to think acknowledging such men is political, a strategy to either produce guilt in those who did not or to encourage such men to do so again. Paul says to do it. The Holy Spirit says to do it.
- Failing to love the Lord produces a curse - I remember Jesus saying "if you love me..." but I wondered if there was any guidance that not only is it a good idea to love Jesus but it's a command. Paul says here if you do not love the Lord you are acursed. It's not just a suggestion.
0 comments:
Post a Comment