Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
500 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 678106
The church is Corinth is exhorted to be watchful, for their soul’s sake, for their spiritual well-being. They are exhorted to stand fast, to keep up in building themselves up spiritually. The spiritual enemies are lurking at the doors – the flesh, the world, and the devil. Three commands here – watch, stand fast and becoming strong. Build these spiritual habits!
The Apostle Paul has also requested that Apollos be sent to visit and minister to the church in Corinth. Observed William MacDonald, “Apollos did not feel that this was God’s will for him at the time, but he indicated that he would go to Corinth when he had the opportunity.”
The Apostle Paul is speaking with foresight and seeks to calibrate with the church of Corinth concerning how God’s servant, Timothy, is to be treated. “To despise” is as treating someone as of no account despise, disdain, make light of, making someone as of no account disregard, reject, despise. As such, he sought to ensure that God’s work progress unhindered and God’s servant be accorded due respect and honour for the work’s sake.
The Apostle Paul has planned to send Timothy to serve in the church in Corinth. He gives his recommendation that the church would receive him hospitably as they would have received him, to allay his fears. He is able to do the work of ministering to their spiritual needs. Timothy was trained by the Apostle Paul with God’s help and therefore was able to stand in the gap when the Apostle Paul, was in prison and could not visit them.
The great ripe harvest field for souls is emphasized here. There is much work to be done or there is much work yet undone requiring prayer, haste, sowing, and reaping.
Our lives are in the sovereign hand of God. He orders it according to His good pleasure. The Apostle Paul as a servant waiting upon his Master Jesus Christ. He sought to visit the church in Corinth. He commits his plans that the Lord may approve of them and directs or re-directs as He deems fit if the Lord permits.
There was a collection that the Corinthian church has raised for the support of the saints in Jerusalem. The church in Corinth will appoint someone who will be entrusted with this task of bringing the funds raised to Jerusalem. The Apostle Paul shall be making the journey to Jerusalem. This appointed person will go together with the Apostle Paul carrying the collection.
This text sets the precedence for the collection of gifts on the first day of the week when the church comes together for worship, on the Lord’s Day, the day where our Lord was risen from the dead. The idea of this giving is for everyone of the believers to participate as God enables them, they are to give.
William MacDonald observed well, “The first verse of chapter 16 concerns a collection which was to be taken up by the church in Corinth and sent to needy saints in Jerusalem. The exact cause of their poverty is not known. Some have suggested that it was a result of famine (Acts 11:28–30).”
The blessing of eternal life comes with victory over death and sin. A blessing that the kings in the past sought to find but in vain. The secret to eternal life comes by faith in Jesus Christ. This truth, for God’s people, must warm the heart and strengthen the soul. God’s power of salvation is freely given to all who will receive Jesus Christ by faith.