Fulfilling the Mission of the Church

1 Corinthians 16:1-12 - Riley Boggs

This morning is sermon number 27 of what will be 28 sermons through the book of 1 Corinthians. We have looked at Paul’s words about all kinds of things up until this point. Some of this letter has been easier to preach, like the sweet reminder Paul starts with in the first 9 verses. Other passages have been much more difficult, like the section on head coverings. But this week, as I began to study the text, I kind of found myself throwing my hands up and thinking, “what am I supposed to preach here?” We see some instructions for a collection that the Corinthians are to take up and then some travel plans. I thought, “Sure, I can work through the details of what is being said, but how to I preach this text in such a way that it feels like it matters in everyone's life.” I didn’t want you all to leave here this morning and go out to eat somewhere and someone ask, “What did your pastor preach on this morning?” And then you respond, “Ummm... We talked about how the Corinthians took up money and how Paul traveled around, I think.”

As I began to study this text, though, I began to see that there is more going on here that just simply that. Step back from the text for a second and consider why Paul is writing what he is writing here. At the end of this letter full of all kinds of things, why does he begin to close his letter like this? I think the answer is that Paul is laying out for the Corinthians how they are to begin to fulfill the mission of the church. It’s not this dramatic call to go do this or that, but rather it is simple instructions for what they are to do moving forward, as a church, in order to accomplish the task at hand. And, if we see the text in this way, then what we realize is that this passage is incredibly applicable for us. Why? Because by these same steps, we too, as the church, can fulfill the mission of the church. 

So the way I’ve structured the sermon this morning is by drawing out 4 things that we must do in order to fulfill the mission of the church. Now, before we do that, we have to identify what the mission of the church. Paul doesn’t tell us what it is in this text, but it is assumed here. Turn with me, briefly, to Matthew 28. Starting in verse 16 we see Jesus Himself explicitly tell the disciples what the mission of the church is. It says, “16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This passage is what we call the great commission. It is the mission of the church given to us by the head of the church, Jesus Christ. First, he tells us to go and to make disciples of all nations. That is, take the Gospel around the world, so that through the proclamation of the good news, sinners might be saved. Then, we are to baptize them, which we’ve talked about necessitates other believers. So they are baptized into a church, they join other believers, and then should be taught to observe all the Christ has said. They should be instructed by the Word of God. And then lastly, Jesus tells us that He will be with us until the end of the age. This is the mission of the church; it is our mission. And from our text this morning, I want you to see 4 things we must do in order to fulfill this mission. 

To fulfill the mission of the church…

1.) We give of what we have

Paul starts this section by using the “now concerning” phrase  that he has used several times throughout this letter. When he does this, that’s our indication to know that he is responding to something that the Corinthians have either written to him about or he knows needs to be addressed. Regardless, in this case Paul is begins to talk about an offering that is to be taken up by them. Instead of reading through the text again, let me rephrase what he is saying here. 

If we take into consideration other texts that Paul talks about an offering being taken up, such as Romans 15:25-27 and 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, then it seems that Paul is talking about a collection being taken up from the Gentiles that is to be given to the suffering Jewish Christians in Judea. And so he tells them that they are to take up this collection in the same way that he has instructed the churches of Galatia. That is, each week when they gather on Sunday to worship, each person is to put something aside for this purpose. They are to give to the church, each week, instead of giving everything all at once when Paul comes, so that the money might store up over time. And then, when Paul does arrive, he, along with other people who the Corinthians trust with this money, will take it to Jerusalem to fulfill the purpose for which they gave it, to aid the suffering Jewish Christians in Judea.

There are a few things I want to point out here. First, there is an understanding here that the things that we have, particularly our financial resources, ought to be used to help fulfill the mission of the church. Paul doesn’t give the theology of why that is necessary, because it is understood that it is. Now, in one sense we don’t need money to worship God. We could gather in a field somewhere and have preaching, singing, and praying, all the same each Sunday, free of charge. But in another sense, we do need the money to carry out the mission of the church. We need money to buy the plane ticket for that brother or sister who is taking the Gospel to an unreached people group. They need to have money to eat, buy clothes, and have a place to stay. 

So let’s acknowledge that the Lord hasn’t called us to be people who abandon all things money because it’s bad. No, we have been called to use it the way that God has called us to use it, which is, among many other things, to give to the church for the carrying out of the mission of the church.

The second thing I want you to see ,is that they gave each week, and this phrase is key, “as he may prosper”. That is, each week the people in the Corinthians Church should give according to their income. Now this isn’t a call to a certain percentage or anything like that, but rather a reminder that some people are going to give less and some people are going to give more. That isn’t because some people are more generous, necessarily, but because the giving should be in proportion to their income.

 Here’s what I mean. Let’s say you don’t make much money, and you want to give faithfully to the church, so you get a credit card and start burying yourself in credit card debt in order to give more to the church. That is not what Paul is prescribing here. Give what you can from what you have, not from what you don’t have.

A lot of people want to know how much they should give and whether or not 10% is the standard. I don’t believe 10% is the standard for us as New Covenant people, but I do think that is a good percentage if you aren’t sure what else to do. But, if 10% isn’t the standard for us, then what is? Well, the Bible doesn’t tell us exactly. So, here is what I would encourage you to do if you aren’t sure. Make a budget and have tithing as your first line item. Before you budget anything else, make it priority to give to the church. Then, budget the rest and make sure you have enough to pay for all the things you need to and save and all that. If you have a large surplus, you could go back and add to that tithing number. If you aren’t going to be able to pay for you electric bill, it might need to go down.

Further than that, I think it takes more specific conversations and prayer to see what you ought to be giving to the church. My encouragement would be to make sure you are always giving and that it always sacrificial. What I mean by that is that if the money you are giving to the church means nothing to you, it might not be sacrificial. That doesn’t mean it has to be a lot of money, it can vary. But if the money you are giving is such an insignificant amount that it really doesn’t matter to you at all, then your heart might be missing out on giving to the church, and that isn’t a good thing. Giving to the church, when done rightly, ought to build our faith, trust, and dependance on God.

Alright, last thing on money here. Notice that there is an expectation that the offering be handled with attentiveness. As believers, we should trust one another. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t set up measures to keep one another from temptation. Paul expects the church to write a letter saying who they trust to take the money to Jerusalem, so that they might not have to worry about any money going missing. The same should be said with the money given to any church. It should be accounted for and spent how it was decided, by the church, to be spent. 

Okay, so that is the first point. That in order to fulfill the mission of the church, we are to give of what we have. The second point can be seen in verses 5-7.

To fulfill the mission of the church…

2.) We labor in real and personal relationships

You can see this throughout the whole letter of 1 Corinthians, but I think it becomes especially clear here in these verses. As I read these verses, starting in verse 5, listen to how personal this sounds. “5 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.”

Ministry is done best when it is done in real and personal relationships. Paul wants to be with this church; he wants to spend time with them. They aren’t a project for him, they are people who he loves and wants to see grow in the Lord. He has places to be, things to do, but his desire is that he would be able to be with them, so that they might help him on his journey.

I have some friends who are currently church planting in the Salt Lake City, Utah area. And if you don’t know this, that is a very dark place spiritually. They are facing a hard challenge in doing what they are doing, and so often times people from the church we used to attend would go and visit them. They would drive or fly from Jackson, Tennessee all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah, just to see them and spend some time with them. Why? Because missions is done best in real and personal relationships. 

Sure it could’ve been a phone call or a facetime, but those church planters need more than that. They need to spend time with those who are praying for them and sending them money each month. They want to show them what all they have been doing so they can see someone be excited about the work that seemingly no one cares about there. They need to show them the needs and burdens that they face every day. They need real and personal relationships. Sometime if you have the chance, ask those who have served on the mission field about this dynamic. The third point I want to show you this morning can be seen in verse 8.

To fulfill the mission of the church…

3.) We work with intentionality

This point can be seen in much more than verse 8, but I think it is especially clear in this verse. Paul writes, “8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” Paul, despite there being much opposition, decided to stay in Ephesus and continue to do the work the Lord had called him to until Pentecost. Why? Because, he says that there is a wide door for effective work that has been opened to him.

Throughout all of this section, you can see the intentionality that Paul is using. He makes plans, sets dates, and chooses to do what he thinks will be the most fruitful path. I think there is something important for us to take note of in this. If we are to fulfill the mission of the church, we have to be intentional about it. We shouldn’t just take off running full-head-of-steam with no plans, we won’t be as fruitful.

Two examples of this came to my mind as I was preparing this week. Whenever you are putting together a puzzle, what do you typically do? You dump all the pieces out, maybe you flip them all face up, you find the corner pieces, and then might put together the out of the puzzle and so on. But what if instead of that, you hurriedly stick your hand in the box and pull out 5 puzzle pieces, and you begin to try and make them fit together. Over and over again, every combination. There isn’t any thoughtfulness happening there. The person doing that isn’t considering the goal and what the best way the way to complete the task is. The same goes with the mission of the church. There needs to be intentionality as to how we might best fulfill it.

The other example is more related to what Paul is saying here about Ephesus. Recently Laura gave Shelby a willow tree to plant in our yard. We went home and tried to be thoughtful as to where we would plant it. We tried to plant it where it would get a good amount of sun and water, not on our water lines, and not so close to our house that it would be a problem in the future. Sure we could’ve just stuck it in the ground wherever and it might live, but it will be far better in the long run if it done with intentionality.

Paul has noticed that there are unique opportunities for Gospel work to be done in Ephesus, so he is choosing to stay. He is planning accordingly, being intentional about it, and so should we. Pray that God would show you where those steps are in your life and make intentional plans to carry out the mission of the church. Often, we expect that the Lord will just place before us all the work that we are supposed to do, and often, because He is kind to us and desires to see obey Him, He does place all sorts of things right in our path that we are to do. But I think we often miss out on the many things we could do if we just planned it. 

Here’s what I mean. If you struggle to have Gospel conversations with strangers when you’re going about your day-to-day life, then set aside a specific time. Instead of going to the coffee shop to work, go to the coffee shop with the sole purpose of trying to engage someone in a conversation. Make a connection with them, then maybe plan another time to meet up with them and so on. I think a lot of us would benefit from this kind of intentionality because we live such busy lives. If it’s not on the schedule, it’s not a priority, and it’s not getting done. But the mission of the church can’t fall to the back burner. We need to be intentional about it. 

To fulfill the mission of the church…

4.) We walk in the likeness of Christ

Starting in verse 10, Paul writes, “10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers. 12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.”

If we are to fulfill the mission of the church, we have to reflect the characteristics of Christ. We see this in Paul’s willingness to suffer hardships for the sake of the Gospel in Ephesus. We see this in how the Corinthians are to treat Timothy when he comes. They are supposed to be kind, helpful, and encouraging. They shouldn’t despise him for any superficial reasons. We see this in Apollos who doesn’t want to come to the Corinth for whatever reason, maybe because he was one of the teachers who they were dividing between. Regardless, he didn’t want to come, but was willing to lay aside his desires for their sake.

In all of these things it is clear that if we, as the church, are to fulfill the mission we have been given, we have to walk the one who gave us the mission. We have to walk like Christ. If we find ourselves being selfish, greedy, malicious, prideful, resentful, unforgiving, hateful, or any of that, we are going to find ourselves off course. As those who profess Christ, we are saying that we have, and are continuing to, put those things off. 

Now, we are to, as Colossians 3 says, “12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” What is all of this? It is the very character of Christ, and it is what we have been called to if we are to fulfill the mission of the church.

Whether or not the Lord accomplishes all that He desires isn’t the question. We know that God will do all that He pleases. At the same time, He has chosen to use His people, the church, as His primary means to fulfilling His work on Earth. He has given us a mission. Let’s be faithful in our work, let’s do it well. Let’s give of what we have, laboring in real and personal relationships. Let’s work with intentionality and walk in the likeness of Christ. If we do this, we will live well. We will find ourselves fulfilling the very mission we have been given.