Counsels For The Local Congregation

Denominations have their forms of government. Some have a governing body of bishops. Others have a single pastor of a congregation. One is called Episcopalian government. The other is called congregational government. Certain denominations emphasize what they call the priesthood of the individual believer. By this they mean each one can plead his or her own cause before God. There is no need to have some other human as a solicitor or mediator.

On the other side are the denominations that teach the individual needs a human intercessor to stand between him and God. That intercessor may be an ordained person in the hierarchy of the church or a human now dead but by hierarchical decree elevated to the position of a saint.

Both forms have pitfalls. The congregational or the individual priesthood group may leave too much up to individual decision, resulting in disunity in the local assembly. Today we call it tolerance. The Episcopalian form may vest too much authority in a few who make up the governing body that sets the rules.

In Paul’s missionary work, he ordained elders in the newly formed churches. At the same time, he retained definite oversight, issuing some decrees “for to keep.” His epistles reflect his concern and control of the various congregations.

In my opening chapter on I Corinthians, I stated that Paul supported what he taught the Corinthians by referring to what he taught in all churches. I want to reemphasize that I Corinthians is not a provincial epistle. It is for the church. And it is for the church today.

Thus Paul apparently considered he had a leadership role to give direction to a number of congregations, reaching even beyond his time. No one in the congregation, in fact, no congregation, was expected to go it alone.

There was what we call the “community of faith.” And yet there was and is a personal accountability as Paul writes in Romans 14:12: “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Let’s now consider I Corinthians 16:1-12 for  COUNSELS FOR THE LOCAL CONGREGATION.

1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.

2 Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by [your] letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.

4 And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me.

5 Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia.

6 And it may be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go.

7 For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.

8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.

9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and [there are] many adversaries.

10 Now if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also [do].

11 Let no man therefore despise him: but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me: for I look for him with the brethren.

12 As touching [our] brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren: but his will was not at all to come at this time; but he will come when he shall have convenient time.

Here we have several down-to-earth COUNSELS the local congregation should follow.

The first counsel is:

1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.

2 Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by [your] letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.

4 And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me.

Did you notice how the chapter began, how the apostle Paul wrote it? “Now concerning the collection for the saints.” You know what? They had no government entitlement! No welfare state of any kind, political at least.

Christians were to help Christians. That is still a very good principle, and one the congregation can well follow. The church at Corinth was to collect an offering for the believers in Jerusalem. They reached beyond their own area. They were to give consideration to the saints in Jerusalem.

We know, as far as politics was concerned, that the Roman government had a system of taxation. Paul teaches us what to do about that in Romans 13. In verses 5-7 he states it carefully:

Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

So while the Roman government had a system of taxation, believers should pay their taxes and exercise themselves in the body of Christ, in the local congregation.

There is teaching about stewardship here as well. There are several principles involved. Paul said, “On the first day of the week you are to lay by in store.” So there is to be a regularity, a regular schedule, the first day of the week. Now we generally interpret that to mean Sunday. We should interpret it in the light of the practice of that day, however. The first day of the week began on Saturday at sundown. And that’s probably when they met for worship, sundown after the Sabbath.

Another principle involved here is percentage giving: “As God has prospered him.” What God has given the believer is how he determines what he returns to God. While the tithe is not specifically mentioned here, a percentage in giving is clearly implied.

And there was advance preparation. When Paul comes, it will be all together so there need not be any gathering. In other words, when they brought their offerings on the first day of the week, they apparently deposited them in a church treasury. Some commentators believe this was to be a family project, that the father as head of the house would hold the funds at home.

But there was also here a designation of responsibility. Paul said he would commit the offering to whomever they recommended to take the offering to the saints in Jerusalem. He said if necessary, he would go along. But he was hoping the congregation would be able to select persons of reputable standing to take the offering to Jerusalem.

I believe this is an excellent counsel for your congregation today as you collect the offering. Collect it for a purpose. There is one thing I have problems with in many congregations today. They have a budget. So when they receive the offering, the congregation does not know what the offering is being used for. Well, they say, “We have a budget.” But the apostle Paul said, “Now when you receive this offering, designate it for the poor in Jerusalem.” That is nice, I think.

The second counsel directs our minds to how to:

5 Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia.

6 And it may be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go.

7 For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.

8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.

9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and [there are] many adversaries.

Now you might think this hardly has anything to do with the local congregation. But just a moment! The apostle said he was planning to go to Macedonia. Macedonia was in the north, at least to him when he was in Ephesus. Paul said he was going to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost. So Macedonia was northwest of Ephesus across the Aegean Sea. Do you remember how he came on his second missionary journey to Troas and had the vision of the man from Macedonia saying, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (Acts 16:9)? And they went immediately. Looking at the map and the history in the book of Acts, we can see that Macedonia included the towns of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea.

Later Paul wrote letters to Philippi and Thessalonica. They were the churches he established on his second missionary journey. To go to Corinth through Macedonia was probably the best route, especially since there were churches there. He would probably take a ship from Ephesus to Macedonia, go over land to Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, and then take ship along the coast to Athens. That is the way he went the first time. The believers helped him to escape from Berea and take a ship to Athens. That probably was the best route. And then he went overland to Corinth.

Paul said he was going to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, which tells me something about him. He recognized the religious calendar. Pentecost, of course, was an Old Testament feast day when the people brought their first fruits and offered them to the Lord in the temple. It became a Christian holiday after the Holy Spirit came. Remember in Acts 2 the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost, the Feast of the First Fruits.

There was another reason Paul wanted to stay in Ephesus. There was an open door. He said, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” Ephesus was a very important center for the apostle Paul. But it was also the center of idol worship, particularly of Diana of the Ephesians.

Paul’s first visit there created a riot. But he wanted to go back because there was a great open door. We get a look into the measure of Paul’s zeal. Nothing seemed to turn him back. It is a great challenge to me. So the second counsel is Coordinate Your Travel Plans subject to divine guidance.

The third counsel is:

10 Now if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also [do].

11 Let no man therefore despise him: but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me: for I look for him with the brethren.

12 As touching [our] brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren: but his will was not at all to come at this time; but he will come when he shall have convenient time.

Paul names two itinerant preachers, Timothy and Apollos. Timothy was Paul’s understudy. Paul found him in the town of Derbe, on the second missionary journey. Acts 16:1-5 records that first meeting:

Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they all knew that his father was a Greek. And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

That was a wonderful testimony about Timothy, the one Paul expected to go to Corinth. But Paul had referred to him before in this letter, in chapter 4 and verse 17: “For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.” Paul had great confidence in Timothy. Although he was a young man, he had purpose and stability.

Later, the apostle Paul wrote two letters to Timothy. They are wonderful dissertations on leadership. So Paul told the Corinthians to give Timothy due respect. They were not to let his youthfulness turn them off.

The second brother Paul referred to was Apollos. Apollos was known for his silver-tongued oratory. He was an effective speaker. But he was also the cause of parties forming in Corinth, as the first few chapters of the book reveal.

Apollos first came into view in Ephesus. The record is given in Acts 18:24-28:

And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For He mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

Apollos was born in Alexandria, a city in Egypt built by Alexander the Great, three hundred years before Christ. But Apollos had come to Asia, and he was supported by the brethren. He was instructed by Aquila and Priscilla. He was a compelling speaker. The apostle Paul seemed to regret that Apollos was not willing or ready to adjust his itinerary that would take him to Corinth, but he would come when it was convenient for him.

Paul highly recommended these two fellow servants. Trusted preachers are to be cared for and respected for their teaching and their ministry. You agree, don’t you, that Paul’s counsels are to the point for any congregation even in our day?

To refresh our understanding, I say

Plan your stewardship with regularity and proportionately.

Plan your itinerary with regard for advancing the witness of the Gospel.

Plan your reception of traveling preachers with care, making sure they are faithful servants of Christ.

I say these are good counsels for a twentieth-century congregation.