ANTIDOTES TO THE POISON OF PAROCHIALISM

1 CORINTHIANS 16:1-12

NASB

1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. 2 On the first day of every week each one of you is to [a]put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. 3 When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem; 4 and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.

5 But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia; 6 and perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way wherever I may go. 7 For I do not wish to see you now just in passing; for I hope to remain with you for some time, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; 9 for a wide door [a]for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

10 Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without [a]cause to be afraid, for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am. 11 So let no one despise him. But send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me; for I expect him with the brethren.

12 But concerning Apollos our brother, I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brethren; and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has opportunity.

16:2 [a]Lit put by himself  16:9 [a]Lit and  16:10 [a]Lit fear; for 

NLT

1 Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. 2 On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. 3 When I come, I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. 4 And if it seems appropriate for me to go along, they can travel with me.

5 I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia,[*] for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. 6 Perhaps I will stay awhile with you, possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next destination. 7 This time I don’t 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 In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. 9 There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.

10 When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. 11 Don’t 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.[*]

12 Now about our brother Apollos —I 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.

[16:5] Macedonia was in the northern region of Greece.   [16:11] Greek with the brothers; also in 16:12.  

It doesn’t take days of around-the-clock observation to recognize that the Corinthian church suffered from acute selfishness and sectarianism. Rather than loving unconditionally even to the point of personal sacrifice, they pursued their own interests (10:24, 33; 13:5). Instead of banding together as fellow soldiers on the spiritual battlefield, they huddled in their self-designated squadrons and skirmished with each other (1:12; 3:4; 11:18).

I have seen these same conditions plague numerous churches during my life of ministry. As congregations become inwardly focused, they lose sight of their outward mission. This leads to a narrow ministry scope. The problems and concerns of that individual local church take center stage. Because nobody sees eye to eye on everything, special interests form and conflict ensues. Before you know it, hostility replaces harmony as open warfare mars that tiny island of a congregation —believer against believer over some of the most ridiculous things imaginable.

Yet the poison of parochialism can be countered with a few simple antidotes. When the members of a church begin looking up from their provincial problems to see the great needs in the world around them, they gain some perspective on their own pettiness. As the dire and urgent needs of those outside their church walls become the focus of attention rather than their own selfish concerns, they will begin to see that the church is bigger than their own congregation and that the mission transcends their own ministries.

Having chastised the Corinthians for their sectarianism, Paul begins to turn their attention from their own problems to the church beyond their borders. He reminds them of a major financial need among their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem —the grandmother congregation of all the churches (16:1-4). He then reminds them that Corinth itself is merely one small dot in a constellation of ministries among which their own apostolic founders are working. By lifting their heads out of their narrow sectarian focus, they would discover the part they could play in helping others overcome trials and hardships. In short, the Corinthians needed a dose of global awareness to cure their obsession with local problems.

— 16:1-4 —

Before we look at the opening words of 1 Corinthians 16, we should return briefly to Paul’s closing words of chapter 15. Though chapter breaks weren’t part of the Greek text penned by the original writers of Scripture, the editors who later divided it at this point had good reason to do so. Paul begins with a Greek construction that indicates a moderate contrast: peri de [4012 + 1161], “Now concerning.” He already has used the phrase several times to indicate either a complete change of topic (7:1; 8:1; 12:1) or at least a transition to a different issue within a larger topic (7:25).

Although Paul clearly moves on to a different subject —“the collection for the saints” (16:1) —his previous exhortation sets the context: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (15:58). The Corinthians were to thrive in doing the Lord’s work, persevering in whatever they set their hearts and minds to, because their efforts would not go unnoticed by a just and all-knowing God who will one day reward their faithfulness. Their attitudes and actions toward contributing to “the collection” (16:1) were to be no different: steadfast, immovable, always abounding.

In referring to “the collection for the saints” (16:1, italics mine), Paul has in mind not simply the regular giving to the church’s normal ministry funds, but to a special collection (logeia [3048]) designed for a particular purpose. In the case of this collection, we know that numerous churches were involved in the project, including the various “churches of Galatia” (16:1). The money was to go to the body of believers in Jerusalem, to aid the saints who were suffering financial hardship (16:3). Because this was “above and beyond” their normal regular giving, Paul reminds them that they are to contribute to the special offering “as [each] may prosper” (16:2) —that is, according to their ability. Understandably, some could give more, some less. Finally, Paul made special arrangements for the transport of this offering to those in need (16:3-4), indicating the uniqueness of this opportunity to bless others.

In these brief verses, Paul touches on a number of important principles regarding giving —principles that will get more thoroughly fleshed out in 2 Corinthians 8–9. Let’s highlight just a few of these.

First, giving should be systematic. Paul urges the Corinthians to set aside money for this offering each week (1 Cor. 16:2). This may refer to the weekly gathering for Sunday worship (Acts 20:7), but it also indicates thoughtful planning —setting aside the “firstfruits” of one’s earnings at the beginning of the week.[99] This was not supposed to be a “spare change,” last-minute offering when Paul arrived. He urges careful, conscious, and deliberate giving. This is why Paul tells them to systematically “put aside and save” (1 Cor. 16:2).

Second, giving should be an individual matter according to one’s ability. Paul says, “every week each one” should support the Jerusalem relief fund (16:2, italics mine), not just the particularly wealthy or the overly sacrificial. Not just people with personal connections with the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. Everybody was to get involved in giving a portion of their offering to that need far away. Yet this didn’t mean that each member of the Corinthian congregation was expected to give the same amount. Instead, Paul says that each should give “as he may prosper” (16:2). The amount of their weekly wages might differ drastically, but all of them should have the same attitude toward giving: as an expression of thankfulness for whatever the amount of the Lord’s blessing.

Third, giving should be a private matter, not a public spectacle. Paul did not want to employ marketing gimmicks, tacky fundraising stunts, or strong-arm tactics. He did not do anything that would compromise each believer’s personal decision about giving. In fact, he made it a point that “no collections be made” when he arrived in Corinth (16:2). The envelope containing each believer’s offering should be sealed, so to speak. Paul was particularly discreet when it came to handling the Corinthian church’s pooled offering. He wanted no personal part in collecting it, counting it, or delivering it. He would, however, put his seal of approval on whomever they chose to deliver it, accompanying them himself if the gift were large enough (16:3-4).

Paul just scratches the surface on giving in this letter. His detailed treatment of money matters will come in his next letter to the Corinthian church. As we might expect from a church that seems to be hard of hearing and slow to obey, the Corinthians did not exactly heed his soft and gentle exhortation to fulfill their promise to give (2 Cor. 8–9). Nevertheless, by turning the Corinthians’ attention toward the desperate needs of the church in Jerusalem and by calling on them to contribute to the cooperative efforts of other churches in the larger body of Christ, Paul seeks to correct their long-standing habit of selfishness.

— 16:5-12 —

Having urged the Corinthians to prepare their special financial assistance prior to his arrival (1 Cor. 16:2-3), Paul smoothly transitions into a brief discussion of his anticipated itinerary. In 1 Corinthians 16:5-12, he exhibits the high value he places on personal, one-on-one discipleship. With his own anticipated visit, Timothy’s on-the-ground work among them, and the hoped-for arrival of Apollos, Paul highlights the preference for personal presence as a means of authentic discipleship.

First, he shares his travel plans. He had planned to visit Macedonia first (16:5), then travel on to Corinth to visit them in person. Earlier Paul had noted that some of his opponents in Corinth had doubted he would ever show his face in the city again (4:18). Now the intention to come becomes part of his set itinerary (4:19).

Yet for Paul, the church in Corinth wasn’t just a layover. He hoped to roll up his sleeves and to get involved in their lives for an extended period of time, “if the Lord permits” (16:6-7). Paul’s day-to-day plans were always subject to the Lord’s will, but he still exhibited a firm resolve to engage in face-to-face ministry with his spiritual children in Corinth. For the time being, however, Paul had to complete his ministry in Ephesus “until Pentecost” (16:8). A door of great opportunity had opened there, even though his ministry was fraught with opposition (16:9).

While Paul completed his work in Ephesus, he sent his close ministry associate Timothy to Corinth (16:10). He encourages his readers to accept Timothy just as they would accept him, showing proper respect and hospitality to that fellow worker in the gospel. Because of the conflicts in Corinth over Paul’s apostolic authority, he had grounds to worry that Timothy’s reception might be marred with awkward discomfort or even outright rejection (16:10-11). Paul therefore goes out of his way to urge them to “send him on his way in peace,” that is, with the blessing of the church both spiritually and financially. Not only were they to provide for his temporal needs while he visited them in Corinth, but they were expected to provide assistance for Timothy’s trip to Ephesus.

Finally, Paul mentions Apollos again —one of the Corinthians’ favorite teachers from the early days of their founding (1:12). Though Paul had “greatly” urged Apollos to visit Corinth, he had declined until a more opportune moment (16:12). By mentioning this interaction with his “brother” Apollos over strategic ministry matters, Paul indicates the essential unity between Paul and Apollos. These men saw each other as ministry partners, not competitors, so their disciples should see them in the same light (3:4-6).

By recognizing that the ministry transcends their own city limits, the Corinthians would overcome their sectarianism and see themselves as one small part of a much larger global body of Christ. They would see that Paul had fruitful ministry in Ephesus; Apollos’s love for the brethren extended beyond his fans in Corinth; and Timothy, relatively unknown to the Corinthians, deserved as much respect as Paul because of his labors for the gospel far and wide. Once the Corinthians could see their place in a larger worldwide church, they would be able to become partners for ministry to others rather than parasites of ministry from others.

APPLICATION: 1 CORINTHIANS 16:1-12

Putting Money to Work for Ministry

It has been said that money can buy us anything but happiness and take us everywhere but heaven. It is both a cause of evil, for those pursuing it with passion, and an effect of evil for those who acquire it by unlawful means. In the coffers of the wicked it can lead to great destruction, but in the hands of the righteous it can bring great good for many. In our money-crazed world, where people sit glued to the stock market report as though it were a sporting event, the importance of money can be greatly exaggerated. The truth is, there are many things in this world money simply can’t buy.

That is not to say money has no role to play in life. Like air itself, nobody can live in our modern world without money. And, as Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4, without reliable financial support, Christian ministries would peter out. Churches would close their doors. Mission fields would grow over. Bibles would not be printed. Christian organizations would be abandoned. While money can’t buy the blessing of God, money itself can be a blessing —both to the giver and to the recipient.

Near the end of 1 Corinthians, Paul gently touched on the importance of financial giving. Giving is not simply for our local churches, where we see direct benefits for ourselves and our families. Rather, the kind of giving Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 is part of a larger context of an awareness of, and involvement in, the ministry beyond our narrow edge of the global body of Christ. The church in Corinth was called to contribute to meeting the needs of many people whom they would never meet and to show hospitality toward ministers they hardly knew (16:10-11). Neither of these contributions would result in tangible benefits for the church in Corinth itself —or for its members. Paul makes it clear, however, that our giving should reach beyond our own churches and into the lives of believers around the world.

So, how about you? Have you unwittingly succumbed to limiting your giving to ministries that benefit only you, your family, or your church? Would Paul be pleased with your giving patterns, or would he exhort you to engage in a broader ministry beyond the walls of your church and your own immediate concerns?

One of the best ways to critically examine your giving is to review your charitable donations. Go through your checkbook, your electronic debit statements, or your bank accounts. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21), so take some time to evaluate where your treasure is actually going. Where do you invest your finances? What percent of your monthly income goes to necessities? What percent toward luxuries? Toward frivolities? Are you giving regularly to your local church’s ministry or withholding even that? Beyond your local church, do you give to other God-honoring ministries? Carefully think through these questions and, if necessary, make some changes in your giving patterns.

Admittedly, you may not be able to see, hear, or feel the direct benefits of your giving when you choose to bless believers and ministries beyond your own horizons. But do not forget the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).