1 Corinthians 16:1-4

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

And regarding the collection into the holy ones: just as I gave directions to the churches of Galatia, you all also do in the same way.  According to one day of the week, let each one of you all set aside from himself anything that he should gain in prosperity while keeping it safe in order that when I should come a collection should not become.  And when I should come, whomever you all should approve, I will send these ones through a letter to bring your gift into Jerusalem.  And if it should be worth it for even me to travel, they will travel with me.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought

As Paul gets ready to close his letter he quickly transitions from deep theology to practical matters.  One of the things that Paul was doing on his missionary journeys was to take up a collection for the poor and orphaned in Jerusalem.  Wherever Paul went, he asked that people would be willing to give money so that he could take it back and support those in Jerusalem.  See Galatians 2:10, Romans 15:25, and Acts 24:17.  While Paul absolutely cared about theology and what people believed, he also cared about the individual person and their needs, too.

Do find it easier to care about theology or people?  Why do you think this is true?  Why is important to care about both good theology and helping people?  What are the benefits of each?

Second Thought:

Paul gives a really simple strategy in these chapters with respect to saving money.  Keep in mind that Paul is writing this in a day where there is no stock market, very few legitimate banks, and not a ton of hard currency, even.  But even back then we can see that financial advice needs to be taught.  Paul says to them that at the beginning of each week, when they have enough money, that they should set some aside and keep it safe.  This is practically everyone’s first piece of advice with respect to saving money.  When you get money, save some.  Don’t wait to save money after you have paid everything out.  There will always be temptations to spend your money.  If you don’t intentionally plan to save while you have the money, you will spend it all and have nothing to save in the end.

Did you expect Paul to give financial advice in the middle of a spiritual letter?  What do you think of his financial advice?  What does it say about Paul that he can give spiritual and financial advice in the same letter?  What does it say about how our lives are connected together and we cannot really compartmentalize the financial from the spiritual?

Third Thought:

There is something deeper going on here that we should spend a moment talking about.  For Paul, this is more than just an offering to the poor in Jerusalem.  This is a demonstration that the Gentile Christians want to be a part of true Judaism – Jewish Christianity at the very least!  For Paul, this offering is a way of showing the unity of God’s people.  Paul wants to show that God can work through Gentiles as well as Jews.  He wants the Jews and Gentiles to appreciate one another rather than focus on the division that exists because of dietary restrictions and lesser important things like circumcision.  Paul is just trying to unite the church.  Of course, we know from the story of Acts that this offering is one of the things that gets him arrested when he returns to Jerusalem.  How sad it is that people can take something God designed for unity and twist it into something that leads to division and separation.

Do you think God’s people have an easier time focusing on what unites them or what divides them?  Where do you see evidence of either of these dynamics?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Corinthians 16:5-11