Day By Day - 1 Corinthians 9
By David Passmore
Personal Thoughts:
I can hear Paul’s cry as he was trying to explain in love and by example his actions. Paul, as their Apostle, could have been hard on them, but he let go of the privileges that he had and reminded them (verse 2) that they were the “seal” of his Apostleship into which he was appointed and anointed by Jesus Himself (Acts 9:1-19 verses 15-19 in particular).
1. Correction in Love
We have all had times when the need to correct someone has arisen and then we’ve had to evaluate the most appropriate way of doing so, but as we have seen in verses 1-6, Paul has given us a way.
The Lord has commanded us to “love one another as I have loved you.” Yes, at times it is hard to love someone, but prayer for help in such a situation always receives the help asked for.
Yes, Paul (and us), could have stood firm in his power and authority as their Apostle, but then I wonder how could he then have written Chapter 13, “the love chapter,” and we teach it?
2. Financial Support to the Church:
We find Paul teaching us an important message in verses 7-14, he gives three reasons as to why he had the right to financial support from the church.
Society demands that those who give service, soldiers, farmers, and shepherds be paid for that service.
The Mosaic law demanded set wages for those. This principle also being extended even to animals, “the oxen that treads out the grain” (verses 8-13).
Even Jesus Himself demanded the principle of support “for those who preach the gospel.” (verse 14)
The needs of a Pastor or missionary need to be fully met by their church. They are serving the Lord and in the majority of cases have no other means of support, but even so those who do have other means of support still should be cared for by his/her home church.
We saw an area that had to wait for years to receive the message of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit because of shortsightedness. Yes, eventually the Lord sent a Pastor trained by Leanne and Paul to the area as he fled from those trying to kill him and his family. Today there is a thriving, truly evangelistic church there.
3. The Way of Love:
In verses 15-27, Paul also gives us three reasons that justifies his apostleship and reveals the way of love:
a) His calling as an Apostle (verses 15-18)
b) As evangelistic motivations (verses 19-23)
c) His concern for self-discipline (verses 24-27)
Paul who was free from the rigid demands of the law felt that he needed to be careful for the sake of those who were still weak in their “newly” found freedom in the Spirit. He knew that he could and would go to any length within the bounds of the scriptures, and to any place to lead others to the Lord.
His actions are a wonderful example to all of us Christians. Jesus told us to go into all the world to preach the gospel starting in Jerusalem, then to Samaria and then the world. When I look at the shortage of evangelists and missionaries my heart cries out for those who do not know the Lord particularly now with this virus, how many have been lost to the Lord?
Final Thoughts:
In the army, I was a 400 metre runner and in the winter a marathon runner. My best mate, Pete, said to me at a midsummer meet one Saturday, “nick into the St. John’s tent and whiff in lots of oxygen, that will help you to win the final.” I did so, and years later realised that I had cheated and could have been disqualified. The memory taught me a valuable lesson, “there are no short cuts in serving Him.”
Finally, he gives us in verse 27 a wonderful hint, as we were told when first saved “keep a short account with the Lord” to ensure a good finish.
Personal Thoughts:
I can hear Paul’s cry as he was trying to explain in love and by example his actions. Paul, as their Apostle, could have been hard on them, but he let go of the privileges that he had and reminded them (verse 2) that they were the “seal” of his Apostleship into which he was appointed and anointed by Jesus Himself (Acts 9:1-19 verses 15-19 in particular).
1. Correction in Love
We have all had times when the need to correct someone has arisen and then we’ve had to evaluate the most appropriate way of doing so, but as we have seen in verses 1-6, Paul has given us a way.
The Lord has commanded us to “love one another as I have loved you.” Yes, at times it is hard to love someone, but prayer for help in such a situation always receives the help asked for.
Yes, Paul (and us), could have stood firm in his power and authority as their Apostle, but then I wonder how could he then have written Chapter 13, “the love chapter,” and we teach it?
2. Financial Support to the Church:
We find Paul teaching us an important message in verses 7-14, he gives three reasons as to why he had the right to financial support from the church.
Society demands that those who give service, soldiers, farmers, and shepherds be paid for that service.
The Mosaic law demanded set wages for those. This principle also being extended even to animals, “the oxen that treads out the grain” (verses 8-13).
Even Jesus Himself demanded the principle of support “for those who preach the gospel.” (verse 14)
The needs of a Pastor or missionary need to be fully met by their church. They are serving the Lord and in the majority of cases have no other means of support, but even so those who do have other means of support still should be cared for by his/her home church.
We saw an area that had to wait for years to receive the message of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit because of shortsightedness. Yes, eventually the Lord sent a Pastor trained by Leanne and Paul to the area as he fled from those trying to kill him and his family. Today there is a thriving, truly evangelistic church there.
3. The Way of Love:
In verses 15-27, Paul also gives us three reasons that justifies his apostleship and reveals the way of love:
a) His calling as an Apostle (verses 15-18)
b) As evangelistic motivations (verses 19-23)
c) His concern for self-discipline (verses 24-27)
Paul who was free from the rigid demands of the law felt that he needed to be careful for the sake of those who were still weak in their “newly” found freedom in the Spirit. He knew that he could and would go to any length within the bounds of the scriptures, and to any place to lead others to the Lord.
His actions are a wonderful example to all of us Christians. Jesus told us to go into all the world to preach the gospel starting in Jerusalem, then to Samaria and then the world. When I look at the shortage of evangelists and missionaries my heart cries out for those who do not know the Lord particularly now with this virus, how many have been lost to the Lord?
Final Thoughts:
In the army, I was a 400 metre runner and in the winter a marathon runner. My best mate, Pete, said to me at a midsummer meet one Saturday, “nick into the St. John’s tent and whiff in lots of oxygen, that will help you to win the final.” I did so, and years later realised that I had cheated and could have been disqualified. The memory taught me a valuable lesson, “there are no short cuts in serving Him.”
Finally, he gives us in verse 27 a wonderful hint, as we were told when first saved “keep a short account with the Lord” to ensure a good finish.
Posted in 1 Corinthians