1 Corinthians 16 - Part C

Here's one of the dangers of a large church is that sometimes shy people come to large churches because they believe they're going to blend into the woodwork and not be noticed. That's a danger. Notice them. See them. Look for them.

Don't let them get away. Every believer is valuable to the Lord. And today on Connect with Skip Heitzig, Skip shares how you can treasure all your brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Then at the end of today's program, Skip and his wife Lenya share practical insight on how you can honor the people in ministry around you.

Paul said that God encouraged the downcast with the coming of Titus. And I have been a person who's suffered with depression. And so when you say the ministry of presence, you don't realize how much your presence can have an impact on somebody who's just going through a hard time.

Thanks Lenya. If you want to hear more, please stay tuned after today's teaching. Now we want to tell you about a resource that will help you grow stronger in your faith. Our lives are punctuated by defining moments, pivot points that shape who we are now and who we'll become, such as choice of marriage partner or where we choose to work as Skip Heitzig observes. There's predictable events that happens like in your life, but every now and then life sort of hits you by surprise. It comes crashing down on you.

You are going a direction. Your day is planned out, but you get a phone call from a doctor or a friend. The news is not good.

The prognosis is not good. And you didn't see it coming. God's word has the direction to get you through the planned and unplanned pivot points in your life. The pivot point package speaks to marriage, death, depression, recovery, fear of the future, and moving to a new location or job. Get these teachings that include written personal direction from Skip on each of these topics. You'll receive this package when you give $50 or more today to this Bible teaching ministry. We'll send you Pastor Skip's pivot points collection of six messages, plus an encouraging letter from Pastor Skip so you can strengthen your faith in defining moments. A faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.

Get these critical pivot point messages today when you give online securely at connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888. Okay, we're in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 as we join Skip Heitzig for today's study. When Paul swung through there again on his second trip, missionary journey, he had Timothy come along with him, and so he was sort of a protege to him. He was mentoring Timothy. He shared ministry with Timothy, and Timothy matured in his faith. So much so that Paul said when he wrote to the Philippian church, he said, for I have no man like-minded who will naturally care for your estate as Timothy. And it's a very rare word that he used, like-minded.

The only time used in the New Testament, isapsukas, means equal-souled. He and I share the same soul. I'll just say this as a leader. I have many acquaintances. I've had many friends. It's very rare when you find somebody who has an equal soul. And what that is, is somebody who knows your heart, knows your thoughts, can sort of live inside your head. You don't even have to give explanations.

They're already tracking. When you get somebody like that, hang on to them. Timothy was like that for Paul. He was isapsukas, equal-souled, like-minded. Very similar to that Old Testament duo, Jonathan and David, where it says the soul of Jonathan was knit together to the soul of David. And he loved him like he loved his own soul.

And Jonathan said to David, I know that the Lord has chosen you to be the next king, and me, Jonathan, the king's son, who should be the king, I'm going to be next to you. He was like the Timothy to Paul, equal-souled, like-minded. So that is Timothy in the New Testament. But notice what he says in verse 10. If Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear.

Why did he say that? Here's my belief. I believe that Timothy, those equal-souled, love-Paul, loyal to Paul, he lacked the confidence that Paul had. He lacked the robust character of Paul. And he was more naturally fearful and timid.

So I just want to kind of show you that since we're wrapping up the book. In 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 12, Paul writes to Timothy a personal letter and says, listen to the language, let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Don't let anybody look down on you or despise you because you're young. Timothy was in his 30s when Paul wrote that. So he wasn't like a teenager. He wasn't in his 20s even. He was in his 30s, well in his 30s. But in those ancient cultures, you really weren't respected as an elder until you were in the 40s. And Timothy was in his 30s. Maybe he had a baby face.

So maybe he looked like he was in his 20s. So he comes with all the authority of Paul the apostle and people took one look at him, went, whatever. So Paul said, Timothy, don't let that happen. Let no one despise your youth.

Now for that to happen, you need to be an example in these areas. Now over in 2 Timothy, he comes to Timothy, he continues, or I'm drawing your attention to this thread of thought. 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 6, therefore I remind you, stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying out of my hands, for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Now he's writing to Timothy. Timothy was the pastor at that time of Ephesus where Paul was when he wrote 1 Corinthians, but I think by that time the persecution had increased and he was already naturally timid, as we have seen, and he's just experiencing a little bit of hesitancy among the Ephesians to receive Timothy like they received Paul. So Paul has to say, look, dude, stir up the gift that is in you, and God hasn't given us the spirit of fear. Then finally in 2 Timothy chapter 2, he says, you therefore, my son, be strong in the faith.

Oh, wait a minute. Verse 7, God has not given us the spirit of fear. Fear means timidity. Verse 8, therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me as prisoner, seemed that that was part of his hang-up, is that Paul is a federal prisoner, and I'm kind of ashamed that my boss is a jailbird.

People aren't going to respect that, and I don't want to go to jail, and all that stuff he's dealing with. Then chapter 2, 2 Timothy, verse 1, you therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men also who will be able to teach others also. So he's experiencing fear. He's ashamed of the ministry, perhaps his own, certainly of Paul the Apostle, and he's doubting his own giftedness. So it makes sense that from Ephesus, he writes to the Corinthians, he said, look, if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear.

He's kind of a timid dude, fearful guy, you know, kind of tightly strung, be easy on the boy. Verse 12, now concerning our brother, Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time. However, he will come when he has a convenient time. Apparently, the Corinthians, in part of their communique to Paul through Chloe and these others you're about to meet before we close this epistle, they had requested that Apollos return to Corinth and share his ministry. Now, do you remember that Apollos was a Jewish convert to Christ from Alexandria. He went to Corinth, met Paul.

First, he met Aquila and Priscilla, who had been kicked out of Rome, moved to Corinth. Aquila and Priscilla listened to Apollos. They saw that Apollos had an incredible gift of oratory. He was a good preacher. He was very persuasive. He knew the word of the Lord, but only up until the point of the baptism of John, so he hadn't heard the rest of the gospel story.

They filled him in on the rest, and he became a force to be reckoned with. Apollos was in Corinth. Apollos went to Ephesus to help Paul the apostle. Paul probably said, look, Apollos, they want you back in Corinth, and Apollos said, I don't want to go. I'll go later on, but I don't want to go right now, so that's just for whatever reason the honest truth. What I like about this is Paul didn't go, so he didn't want to go, but he's coming anyway because I am the apostle after all, and I gave him a commandment and used my apostolic authority. He just said he didn't want to come.

Next. So he didn't force the issue. That's the heart of a good leader. He let Apollos go according to the leading he had and the gifts that he felt he had, and so now we close the letter with final exhortations. He says, watch, which could be translated be on guard. Watch, be on guard.

Wake up. The Corinthians had fallen asleep on the job. They were letting weird things into their church. They were being split apart by divisions. They were sexually immoral.

They were goofy when it came to spiritual gifts, on and on and on. We've covered that in the whole book, so it's fitting that he says, watch out, be on guard. Don't fall asleep. Wake up. Don't fall asleep. Wake up. The devil is never too busy to rock the cradle of a sleeping saint.

He wants to lull you to sleep. Paul says, wake up, watch, be on guard. Stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

Let all that you do be done with love. I urge you, brethren, you know the household of Stephanus, that it is the first fruits of Achaea, that's the area where Corinth was, that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints. You remember Stephanus, do you not, in chapter one of this book, when the apostle said, I thank God that I baptized none of you except for Crispus and Gaius, for Christ did not send me to baptize but preach the gospel. Oh, I almost forgot, also the household of Stephanus I baptized.

But that's it. I can't remember that I baptized no one else, anyone else, because Jesus didn't send me to baptize people but preach the gospel. So he mentions Stephanus, he mentions him again, and in verse 15, he says, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints. Anybody here tonight have an old King James version in the house? Okay, if you have an old King James, what does it say for devoted? Addicted. Now listen to this, for they have addicted themselves to the ministry. I suppose if you're going to have an addiction, have that one. I struggle with addiction. Really, what are you addicted to?

Serving people. Good. Struggle with that addiction. Be addicted to that.

That's a good one to have. They're addicted to the ministry, man, they love serving people. They're always looking for opportunities.

They're addicted. They're devoted. And that you submit to such, and everyone who works and labors with us. I am glad about the coming of Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achakus.

Those are the three that I mentioned I would introduce you to. For what was lacking on your part, they have supplied. They came, they have filled me in on what's going on.

I have a full knowledge of that. I am apprised of the situation. And also this, for they refreshed my spirit and yours.

Therefore, acknowledge such men. Churches in Asia, greet you. Aquila and Priscilla, greet you. Those were the tent makers in Corinth that Paul hung out with, and they were converted through Paul's ministry. Great ministry team.

Husband and wife, Aquila and Priscilla. Greet you heartily in the Lord with the house that is, or the church, that is in their house. So apparently, Aquila and Priscilla, who were in Corinth, followed Paul to Ephesus, got a home. They were well enough to do with their tent making business that they could afford a large enough home to house whatever believers in that city in Ephesus, and they were able to do that.

City in Ephesus, they supplied the house, and they were just there to support Paul in his ministry. All the brethren, greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. Now we couldn't do that during COVID. I was frowned upon. You couldn't even shake hands during COVID.

You couldn't even get six feet in front of people, or less than six feet for those. We were trying to figure things out, but all that aside, a holy kiss is mentioned five times in the New Testament. It was always the customary greeting.

There's no romantic overtones with that. It's just purely like the Middle Eastern kissing of the cheek and welcoming people into the household of God, and so greet one another with a holy kiss. Make people feel at home. We would say greet one another with a holy handshake.

Greet one another with a holy hug or fist bump or whatever, but make people feel like they're part of the family. Here's one of the dangers of a large church is that sometimes shy people come to large churches because they believe they're going to blend into the woodwork and not be noticed. That's a danger. Notice them. Notice them. See them. Look for them. Don't let them get away.

If they're shy, find them. Don't embarrass them, but love on them. Welcome them. Greet them with a holy kiss, holy handshake, holy hug. Make them feel part of the family.

Don't let them blend in because they ought not to blend in. They should be noticed. They're valuable to God. They're important for the work of the ministry.

They may be the next servant par excellence. When we first started this church, we had a brother who became a pastor on this staff. His name was Mark McAllister. He was my right-hand man. He was a Timothy to me at first. He served alongside of me.

He was very powerful in worldwide missions, did a lot for the church in China and overseas, but I remember what he said to me when I met him. He said, I'm the guy who wants to blend in. I'll make coffee. I'll clean off the stuff at the end of the meeting. I'll turn out the lights.

I'll lock the doors. Don't ask me to speak in public. So as soon as he said that, my mind went to work, and I thought, how can I get that guy to share something? And the only reason wasn't to embarrass him, but I knew he had such depth.

He had so many gifts that needed to be appreciated by the body of Christ. So I did look for ways for that to happen, but finally I just said, look, I'm going to be gone next week in our Bible study. I want you to teach it. He goes, no, I told you, don't let me do that.

I'm not that guy. I said, I want you to do it. He goes, okay, I'll submit. He said, good.

And it was powerful. And he went on to be used powerfully for years to come to churches around the United States and around the world and started mission organizations, and that legacy continues to this day. So don't let him blend in.

Chase him down, man. Greet him with the holy kiss. The salutation with my own hand, Paul, here's what that means. Up till now, Paul has dictated everything to a colleague who has written it down for him. It's called an amanuensis or a scribe, and that scribe or amanuensis wrote everything down until now to authenticate that it was indeed from Paul the apostle.

He wrote the last few lines and signed it, which would give authentication to it. Salutation with my own hand, Paul. If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.

You go, well, that's mean. That's wrong. That's not Christian. Actually, it is Christian. Comes from the Gospels. Gospel of John, he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the Son of God.

He who does believe will not be condemned. So probably thinking of that, he says, he who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed, O Lord, come. Now, in the original Greek, if you could read Greek, it says, he who does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, he who does not love the Lord, anathema, and then maranatha. Anathema was a very strong Greek word to pronounce a curse upon, but the word maranatha is Aramaic, though understood in Greek culture, and maranatha means come Lord.

And it had become a buzzword by this time. It had become a greeting by this time. The early church would say it to each other usually because they didn't want the unbelievers to know that it was a kind of a code word, maranatha.

They go, what is that word? You know, it's Aramaic. So, O Lord, come, or the Lord is coming. And when we lived in the 60s and 70s during the Jesus movement, we said that to each other every week. We had bumper stickers that said maranatha. There were songs that we used to sing that said maranatha. And I think we should bring that stuff back, write more maranatha songs. We even started a music company out of Calvary Chapel called Maranatha Music, which comes from that idea.

So, O Lord, come, maranatha. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

We finished. Amen. Like he said, amen. In verse 22, he said, if anyone does not love the Lord Jesus, that is the simplest description of a Christian, someone who loves Jesus. When people say, oh, you're a Christian, well, what kind?

What denomination do you belong to? Just tell them, oh, I'm the kind that just loves Jesus. I love the Lord Jesus.

He's my friend. Just tell them that, and watch the look on their face. I love Jesus.

Because it's real to you. You take it personally. They're wanting kind of a professional denominational answer.

Oh, I believe you belong to this group. Just say, I love Jesus. Simplest description of a Christian, somebody in love with the Lord Jesus. That's Skip Heitig with the conclusion of the series Expound First Corinthians. Now, let's head into the studio with Skip and Lenya as they share practical insight on how you can honor the people in ministry around you. The apostle Paul valued all the people in his life, especially those who came alongside him. Skip, how can we honor those with whom we serve in ministry? How can we encourage those who serve us in their ministry?

Well, I love the idea of this. I love that Paul spends a whole chapter talking about the people that he served with and that he loved to do ministry with, and that's what this message has been based on. And I think of Paul the apostle as one who did that, but you got to keep in mind, Paul had a pretty good start himself. He was given a platform by somebody called the Son of Encouragement. Barnabas is the one who really pushed him out into ministry. So firsthand, he saw what an encourager can do. And I think that stuck with him, and he became that for other people. Listen, I think it would be hard to minister with Paul.

I don't think it would be an easy thing. He had his run-ins with people who he thought weren't up to snuff, and there was division of people, and there was division of there was division eventually with Barnabas himself over his nephew. But all of that to say, given the fact that Paul was driven so much, he still at the same time appreciated the calling of God in other people's lives and exonerated that. And I think honor is very important, encouragement is hugely important, and I love the ministry of presence.

I love walking around with different people's office and sitting and chatting with them. Just so they see me in a different role than in a pulpit, I like to kid with people and then encourage people and thank them for what they're doing. Simple little things like that go a long way. Something that struck out to me lately was Paul said that God encouraged the downcast with the coming of Titus. And I have been a person who's suffered with depression. And so when you say the ministry of presence, you don't realize how much your presence can have an impact on somebody who's just going through a hard time.

So practicing the presence of God is great that we want to be in God's presence, but that we can bring God's presence to someone else. And even Paul, like you said, it'd be hard to work with him. He's like the ever running bunny to me.

I would be exhausted with Paul. But clearly, he was downcast. And when Titus came, it encouraged him. Wow, that's so good.

Yeah. I just think anytime we can do that in another person's life and get them going a little further down the road by a kind word, a smile, a hug, a prayer, if that's all it takes, it's not much to invest in. Thank you, Skip and Lenya. We hope this conversation refreshed you spiritually. If you've been strengthened or encouraged, please consider helping keep Truth Like This on the air and online to refresh others with God's truth. Visit connectwithskip.com slash donate to give generously and share God's word with others. That's connectwithskip.com slash donate or call 800-922-1888.

800-922-1888. Thank you for changing lives. Tune in tomorrow as Skip Heitzig shares how you can withstand pressures to conform to the world's standards. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never changing truth in ever changing times.