1 Corinthians 16:13-18

1 Corinthians 16:13-18

Remain alert.  Stand firm in the faith.  Act like mature men.  Remain strong.  Let everything of you all become in love.  And I urge you all, my brothers and sisters, you all have known the household of Stephanas – that it is a first fruit of Achaia and they regularly devoted themselves into the service to the holy ones – in order that you all also should be submitted to persons such as these and to everyone who works with you and who toils hard.  I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunas and Achaicus because these ones have provided what is lacking from your absence.  For they gave rest to my spirit and also yours.  Therefore acknowledge people such as these.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought

Paul gives us 5 imperatives to begin this section of verses. 

1. Remain alert: be vigilant.  We are not to be passive about our faith and about how our faith is put into practice.
2. Stand firm: know what you believe and the reasons behind it.  Don’t follow blindly, but think about what you believe and why it is important so that you can defend it against the attacks of the world.
3. Act like mature men: grow up.  Remember that Corinth was a place where divisions and factions were getting in the way of God’s work.  They were acting like children, not grown adults.  We should not let worldly squabbles get in the way of godliness.
4. Remain strong: be powerful.  We are to practice what we preach.  We need to avoid spiritual lethargy.  God is a powerful God, we need to remember that we have a powerful witness to give to the world.
5. Let all be in love: think about the other person.  We need to remember that Christ put Himself aside so He could die for us.  Christ never sought to get His own way.  Likewise, we need to consider the other person when we act and be willing to let our agendas die for the sake of the other person.

How do each of these words pertain to you?  What words strike you as most important in your life right now?  Why might those words jump out at you?

Second Thought:

Let’s look at why it is that Paul praised Stephanas.  Stephanas and his household were some of the first faithful people in Achaia – the southern half of Greece.  Therefore, they are bold and progressive pioneers rather than followers.  Paul commends them because they were willing to be trend-setters in a faithful response to the good news of Jesus Christ.  But Paul also commends their position of service.  Stephanas and his household were not opposed to filling a servant role to get the job done.  In other words, they are complete people.  They are willing to lead when leadership needs to happen.  But they are also willing to follow and put in the hard work of labor when that is called for as well.

When are you willing to be a bold trend-setter in the faith?  When are you willing to follow and put in time of service to the ministry of others?  Why are both of these aspects important in a faithful response to God?

Third Thought:

Paul then turns to the Corinthians and reminds them to be like Stephanas and his people.  We are to be submitted: submitted to God, submitted to spiritual leadership, and submitted to people who toil hard for God even if they aren’t leaders.  This simply makes sense in the greater scope of Christianity.  When God calls us, He doesn’t call us to glorify ourselves and make our own name great.  As Bonheoffer says, “When Christ bids a man, He bids him to come and die.”  To follow Christ inherently means we die to ourselves so that we can live to Christ.

What does it mean that once more Paul returns to the theme of submission as he finishes this letter to the Corinthians?  To whom do you submit?  To whom should you submit and you don’t?  Are there any people to whom you submit and you shouldn’t?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Corinthians 16:19-24