I Corinthians 3:1-15

Paul says in verse 6: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Paul was the person who introduced the Corinthians to Jesus. Apollos came later, after he had been at Ephesus, then came across the Aegean sea to minister at Corinth. He was building on Paul’s work, not disputing it. But I have no doubt that there were a number of other people who had not heard the Gospel from Paul who owed their conversion to Apollos, so that he became both planter and waterer.

Today’s reading should cause each of us to reflect on what sort of builder we are. Frankly, most of are not “Paul”. There are not a lot of Bethany Tennents or Mark Bruners who are true evangelists, planting Gospel seed where no one else has been before. Most of us are of the Apollos model, with some planting and a lot of watering. Consider someone even like Father David. If you were to ask him I’m guessing that he would say that he is an evangelist – or at a minimum that he has an evangelist’s heart. But he came to a congregation already filled with God’s people. He became a waterer. But then as he preaches, others come to know Jesus. But even when you think about that, in most cases someone brought those converts to church where they could hear David preach. As I’ve quoted David’s own words before, “You bring the people and I’ll preach the Gospel.” But again, I have no doubt that David has brought people to the Lord on his own who have had minimal faith seed planted.

So again, let’s consider ourselves. Have we done any planting or watering? You might say that everyone around us already knows who Jesus is, so we can’t possibly be planters. But consider this. I read an item from my Alma Mater, the University of Illinois. They had a practice football field that had been covered with artificial turf for some forty years. When they finally removed the turf, within days sprigs of grass were growing all over that field. Seeds that had been dormant all those years had come to life when the sun hit their soil. Someone had planted those seeds many years before and they would never have grown if someone had immediately covered them with new building materials, such that they never saw the sun. But they did see the sun and they grew.

Folks, we are sunlight to a darkened world. Whatever we say, whatever we do can have an impact on those we meet. I’ve said many times before, “Walk the walk and talk the talk.” Another of my favorite lines is from Acts 4:20, …we can’t help but speak of the things that we have seen and heard. We are sunlight and (from yesterday’s reading) …we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:16)

Slava Bohu!

I Corinthians 2:1-16

Paul is pretty hard on himself as to his testimonies to the Corinthians: …in weakness and in fear and much trembling… (v. 3b). I’m guessing that he is recalling his early testimonies to them, when he had just come from Athens, where skilled oration and elocution were the standard among the learned Athenians. No wonder he felt diminished!

I had to think for a bit to understand the following two verses: For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. (vv. 11-12). Essentially Paul is saying that (1) only we can understand our own thoughts, and (2) only the Spirit of God can understand the thoughts of God, and (3) if we have been given the Spirit of God, then we can understand the thoughts of God that He imparts to us. THAT is wisdom from Above…!!

Slava Bohu!

I Corinthians 1:18-31

Paul is full of triads in today’s reading. See verse 20: Where is… Where is… Where is…? See verse 26: Not many… Not many… Not many… And verses 27 and 28: But God chose… God chose… God chose… Fun!

It is interesting that Paul decries the wise, the wisdom of the world and counters with But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise… (v. 27a) Why do I consider this interesting? Paul, himself, was wise by Jewish standards. He was a student of Gamaliel, one of the leading rabbis of his time. Then God made him even wiser by personally showing him the Old Testament scriptures with a new set of eyes. So in choosing Paul, God did choose the wise! However, Paul never puts himself into that camp. He considers his old life foolishness. Here is one of the few occasions where he lauds himself: For we … worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh — though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. (Philippians 3:3-7) Even in recounting his pedigree, he denies it all for the sake of Christ.

Slava Bohu!

I Corinthians 1:1-17

So now we move on to Paul’s Corinthian letters, which were most likely written sometime during his last year at Ephesus (Acts 16:5-9), so because we have Paul at Ephesus in our Acts readings we read these letters at this point in our chronological study. We will spend quite a few weeks in these letters – Paul writes more words to the Corinthian church than to any other.

We’ve got some familiar names in today’s reading. In the first verse we see the name, Sosthenes, very possibly the leader of the Corinthian synagogue (Acts 18:17), who was beaten by his fellow Jews in front of the synagogue. Was he beaten because he had turned to Jesus? We don’t know that, but that’s a good guess. Actually, we don’t know that this is the same Sosthenes, but it’s a fair guess that the Corinthian Sosthenes may have followed Paul to Ephesus.

We also have Apollos in today’s reading: …it has been reported to me … that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” (vv. 11b-12) We met Apollos earlier in Acts 18:24-28 when he was corrected by Priscilla and Aquila while he was in Ephesus, then that he moved on to Corinth and was preaching there. So it’s no surprise that many of the Corinthian Christians could have “sworn allegiance” to him or either of those other two Christian leaders.

It is interesting in verse 17 that Paul is less concerned with his delivery and more concerned that the Gospel be preached: For Christ …[sent me]… to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. We have many powerful preachers today who have a widespread following in part due to their dynamic personalities. (I don’t follow them, so I can’t name names.) Paul wants his listeners to hear his words and not be tantalized by his delivery method. History shows us that he was enormously successful in his mission! I like what I’ve heard Father David say on a number of occasions, “You bring the people and I’ll preach the Gospel.” A few right words can go a long way!

Slava Bohu!

Acts 19:11-22

After I have been there, I must also see Rome. (v. 21b) Here we have the first indication of Paul’s desire to visit Rome. We’ll see it a few more times in his writings. Unfortunately when he finally arrives there, he comes as a prisoner. I had suggested a few weeks back that his trip to Berea, Athens, and Corinth may have been an unplanned detour from his original intent to go to Rome. But that’s just guesswork.

And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. (vv. 17b-18) And fear fell upon them all… I’m wondering about fear being a good motivator for conversion. “Fear of the Lord” as a humble recognition of His great power is one thing. But this fear seems to be more along the lines of them being actually afraid of the power going out from the Holy Spirit. But as with any conversions, some will stay and some will go. We just trust that the same Holy Spirit power that made demons leap can also be infused into these new Christians – and us!!

Slava Bohu!

Acts 19:1-10

The Apollos-Priscilla-Aquila-Paul-Holy Spirit connection is a bit confusing in chapter 18’s ending and chapter 19’s beginning. When he came to Ephesus Apollos knew only about the baptism of John (Acts 18:25). Paul had left Priscilla and Aquila behind when he left Ephesus (Acts 18:19) and they instructed Apollos more accurately (Acts 18:26). So Paul comes to Ephesus some many months later, following his time in Jerusalem and Antioch (Acts 18:22) and …spending some time there… (Acts 18:23), then traveling through Galatia and Phrygia (Acts 18:23) before finally arriving at Ephesus. So when he arrives in Ephesus after these many months, with Priscilla and Aquila having been there the entire time that he had been traveling, these Ephesians did not know about the Holy Spirit. Paul had been with Priscilla and Aquila some 18 months in Corinth; I would have thought that he would have instructed them more completely in the Holy Spirit and His work in believers’ lives. But these Ephesian disciples knew only of the baptism of John – what they might have learned from Apollos. So there is some confusion therein that I cannot resolve, as to Priscilla and Aquila’s ministry in Ephesus.

Ephesus was a bustling port city during Paul’s three years there. (Their harbor has now silted over and it is some three miles from the Aegean Sea.) As a major commercial center, Paul’s ministry there was easily extended out into the rest of Asia (Acts 19:10) – actually Turkey/Asia Minor as we know it today. Later we will read the Epistle to the Colossians. The Colossians were very likely one of the beneficiaries of Paul’s Ephesian ministry, with Colossae being some 120 miles east of Ephesus.

Slava Bohu!

II Thessalonians 3:1-18

And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. (v. 4) Paul has real confidence in the Thessalonians – in this case, confidence that they will follow his teachings (commands). Earlier I posted about the “third-person compliments” (I Thessalonians 1:9) that he had paid to them and in a later epistle (II Corinthians 8:1-5) he commends them for their generosity when he is talking about contributions toward the faithful in Jerusalem. What a great relationship he has with them!

In verses 6-12 Paul returns to two items he has mentioned previously – their imitating him and his working among them so that he was not dependent on them for his food. Every time I read his words about his disciples’ imitating him, I ask myself if I can say the same thing – “Imitate me!”. Although that should be something that we can easily say, I find it awkward and quite humbling to think of writing or saying that. And as for idleness, I just want to say a word about our staff. They are working tirelessly on our behalf these days, especially David and Kelly. Personally I would also put Todd in that category, but mostly I see the work that he is doing that the rest of you don’t see. In addition there are a number of volunteers who are putting in many extra hours. We are facing challenging times; I am proud of our church’s response! GLORY!

Slava Bohu!

II Thessalonians 2:1-17

Paul’s long sentences and parenthetical expressions often make for difficult reading. I posted in part on this difficulty yesterday. This happens twice today, in verses 1 and 2, then immediately again in verses 3 and 4. Look below at how these verses can be more easily understood when you read the entire verses through, then when you read a second time reading only the bold words:

First, verses 1 and 2: Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. There’s nothing wrong with Paul’s extra words; they contain additional information for the reader. Everything that is not in bold in these verses has to do with how the Thessalonians might be “quickly shaken”, so those are valuable insights that Paul is offering them – things to watch out for. However, their addition does confuse Paul’s main point – that the day of the Lord has not yet come. It takes reading and re-reading to see through these sentence constructions.

Second, verses 3 and 4: Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that [when] he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Again, those words not in bold help us to understand something about this “man of lawlessness” – his opposition to others and his exaltation of himself. But a quick read through these verses and you could easily miss the main point, that this “man of lawlessness” is claiming to be God.

Again, as I said in the first paragraph, read these verses through, recognizing that there are those additional words not in bold, and you will follow the meaning much more clearly. By the way, I recognize these sentence structure issues whenever I find myself troubling over something that Paul has written that I don’t understand. It may well be the same with you!

Verses 6 and 7 talk about a “restrainer”, someone or something that is restraining the “man of lawlessness”, presumably limiting ?him? from accomplishing even more evil. Who is this restrainer? My NKJV has the restrainer pronouns capitalized, implying that it is Jesus or His Holy Spirit. My Study Bible goes further, suggesting that the restrainer might be “the Roman state with its emperor, Paul’s missionary work, the Jewish state, the principle of law and government embodied in the state, the Holy Spirit or the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit through the church, or others.” I certainly don’t know – take your pick!!

Enough for today – I am not an eschatological (end-times) scholar!!

Slava Bohu!

II Thessalonians 1:1-12

I was having trouble with verse 6: …since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you. I wondered how Paul knew that the unbelieving tormenters in Thessalonica were being repaid with affliction. Did Silas and Timothy bring back word to that effect? Then I realized that the first half of verse 7 might really be a parenthetical phrase or an incomplete sentence set off in dashes. Let’s look at verses 6 and 7 with dashes: …since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you – and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us – when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. That is, in shortened form, …God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven… It makes a lot more sense that way! The tormenters will be repaid with affliction when Jesus returns!

There’s a lot of material in this reading about Jesus’ return: mighty angels, flaming fire, inflicting vengeance, eternal destruction, glorified in his saints, marveled at by believers. There’s not much I can say – or that I ever do say – about Jesus’ return. I leave that to end-times authors!

Slava Bohu!

I Thessalonians 5:12-28

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. (vv. 12-13) That short phrase, “in the Lord” is important. When I first read it, I thought Paul might be referring to employers and politicians as well as Christian leaders, but upon a re-read it’s clear Paul is speaking about their Christian leaders. At first glance it might also seem like Paul is a bit self-serving, since he is one who labors among them. But you may recall (Acts 18:3) his labor in Corinth with Aquila and Priscilla (and later he will justify his “paying his own way”), so he is defending other Christian leaders and not setting himself above anyone. One other item here – I wonder who it is in Thessalonica that is in leadership? Paul seems to have spent so little time there, having been run out of town. Did Timothy go back and appoint leaders? Or was it maybe converted Jews who knew the Old Testament scriptures well and were taught by Paul those essential prophetic verses that applied to Jesus? Then again, leadership may naturally have evolved. Just wondering…

…always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. (v. 15b) It’s good that Paul added “and to everyone”. Earlier in this reading he is speaking only of Christians. He follows that up with a bunch of commands in verses 16 through 22. It’s a good listing. I asked myself if I was obeying all those commands. Sadly, I fail miserably on “pray without ceasing”. But our Christian leaders today are saying the same thing, encouraging us to pray constantly for those many needs around us. I’m thankful for “prayer warriors”, but that does not dismiss me to being more active in my prayer life.

Now on to II Thessalonians!

Slava Bohu!