Working Together

The history of Christianity is quite checkered. It seems sometimes it flourished greatly. Other times it was in retreat.

During the first century, Christianity spread far across the world. Tradition tells us that Thomas, the disciple who said he would not believe Jesus had resurrected until he saw the nail prints in His hands and thrust his hand in His side, went to the country of India. Even today there is the St. Thomas Church in India. Another tradition tells us that Mark (John Mark) went to Egypt, though there seems to be little verification of that.

As the church spread across the Roman Empire, strange ideas filtered in. One was that to be holy one must live alone, completely isolated from society. On my 1962 visit to Mt. Athos in Greece, I saw firsthand how this aloneness functions.

The separatist movement began even before the Christian era. The Qumran community on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea in Israel pioneered the idea. Qumran was practically unknown until 1947 when by accident the first scrolls were found by a shepherd boy. We know the Qumran community was separated from general society and concentrated on holiness. They were there, scholars believe, from 150 years before Christ until A.D. 70.

Going back to Mt Athos, the monastic idea sprang out of Christianity. Transportation on the mountain was walking, donkey back, or ship. My friend and I took a ship journey. As we rounded the south end of the peninsula, the hermit huts were clearly visible on the mountain slopes. Hermits do indeed withdraw from society, rarely coming out of hiding. To them society is evil; therefore they have little to do with people.

It appears that hermits have overlooked a basic principle Jesus spoke of when He showed the disciples where and what the source of evil is. The Pharisees were complaining that the disciples were eating without washing their hands. To the Pharisees that was a source of defilement. Jesus explained that the heart is where defilement comes from. Observe Matthew 15:17-20:

Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

To be sure, there is no way anyone can get away from the source of evil by that definition. Therefore, separation from society does not make a person holy until the heart has been cleansed. The heart and mind are closely related.

The apostle Paul put it right in Romans 12:1-2:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

What does “transformed by the renewing of your mind” mean anyway? I repeat, the mind and the heart are closely related. Transformed by the renewing of your mind means refusing to let the world press you into its mold. Instead, be transformed, be changed in the very essence of your being by renewing your mind. The mind is, after all, the source of action. Sometimes we speak of “thoughtless action.” That may be our easy way out. From our study of I Corinthians, you might have concluded that Paul was a loner, somewhat monastic perhaps. Some of his teaching came on pretty strong. Now in this my last message I hope to help you see the other side of Paul.

In I Corinthians 16:13-24 Paul pled for a WORKING TOGETHER.

13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

14 Let all your things be done with charity.

15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and [that] they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

16 That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with [us], and laboureth.

17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied.

18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such.

19 The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.

20 All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.

21 The salutation of [me] Paul with mine own hand.

22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you.

24 My love [be] with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Let me show you the basic underlying PRINCIPLES Paul enumerated for Working Together. The first principle is:

13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

14 Let all your things be done with charity.

To rally the Corinthians, Paul issues the “call to battle,” I would say. He gives four commands. Notice them in verse 13. “Watch ye” literally means “Stay Awake!” So many are lulled to sleep, and much can lull us to sleep. So Paul would say, “Arouse yourself!”

Then “stand fast in the faith.” There is something unique about the word “stand.” It is in the present tense and stresses the thought “keep standing.” Don’t let winds or others move you around. Do not yield to any pressure. Stand fast in the faith. Do not weaken.

“Quit you like men” is very interesting, especially in our feminist society. It doesn’t say “quit you like women.” It says “quit you like men.” Be courageous! Be manly! Take your position and hold it.

“Be strong!” Show yourself brave. Don’t buckle under pressure. You may talk to yourself in private. But how you perform in public reveals who you really are.

Take these four great ideas, and translate them into your personal life. “Watch ye. Stand fast in the faith. Quit you like men. Be strong.”

The overarching experience is love. Paul says in verse 14, “Let all your things be done with charity.” That’s the great word for love, agape. It is the bonding for working together.

To the church at Philippi, Paul wrote in Philippians 2:2-3:

Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

See what I mean?

The first principle for Working Together then is The Conviction of Love.

The second principle is:

15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and [that] they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

16 That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with [us], and laboureth.

17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied.

18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such.

There is a very interesting concept in verse 15: “I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,).”

Stephanas was an early believer in Corinth. The apostle Paul refers to him right at the beginning of his letter. In the first chapter, he speaks about Stephanas’s household. There was some debate in Corinth as to who should be the leader, and the apostle Paul related this in chapter 1 verses 14-17:

I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

So Paul had a special relationship with the household of Stephanas. Stephanas’s addiction was self-imposed. He was willing to be spent in behalf of the ministry. He was addicted to the ministry of the saints. We wish we knew more about Stephanas’s family. These are the brief references we have, but they tell us a lot. They tell us what kind of man Stephanas was.

Then Paul goes on the say, “Submit yourself unto such.” Catch some of the spirit. Cooperate. Help where you can. The hymn writer put it this way, “Go labor on, spend and be spent.” That was Stephanas. He was addicted to the service of the saints.

Then there are two other saints named here, Fortunatus and Achaicus, refreshers. Paul said they refreshed him. These are the kind of people needed. You can be one. Tell your preacher, “I am with you. I am praying for you.” Be a refresher. I am talking about working together, and I am talking about the second principle, The Addiction to Service.

The third principle is:

19 The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.

20 All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.

21 The salutation of [me] Paul with mine own hand.

22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you.

24 My love [be] with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

First of all, Paul referred to the churches in Asia. There was a church in Antioch, a church in Lystra, a church in Iconium, and a church in Derbe. There may have been more than these. There were more by the time John the apostle was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. In the opening verses of the book of Revelation, he addressed the messages from Jesus to seven churches. They were Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These churches in Asia were greeting the believers in Corinth: “The churches of Asia salute you.”

Then there were house churches. Paul referred to Aquila and Priscilla and the church in their house. Aquila and Priscilla were not pulpit people. They were private people. They helped Apollos learn the truth more fully. But here they were in their house church. These were cell groups, an intimacy often lost in larger congregations. Many people prefer smaller congregations. Mega-churches have to create cell groups to have the interaction, intimacy, and fellowship expected in the church.

Then Paul said, “All the brethren greet you.” They say, “God bless you.” And then he said, “Go greet one another with holy affection.”

There are certain cultures where the mouth kiss is not appreciated or practiced. But if you understand this to say “holy affection,” then it fits any and all cultures no matter how the affection is expressed. Greet one another with holy affection. I have observed that now it is more of a hug in many situations than a kiss.

Finally, Paul gave a warning: “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema.” What does that mean? A Greek dictionary has “Doomed to destruction.” Apparently, it means beyond recovery. If a person does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, he is beyond recovery, doomed to destruction. It is a very solemn warning to be sure.

The word Maranatha is a combination of two Chaldean words meaning “The Lord Cometh.” Praise the Lord.

Paul’s final salutation is “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” That was Paul’s identifying mark. Even in Paul’s day some people tried to write letters and sign them as though he had written them. Therefore he made it clear that this was his identifying mark.

So, my friend, we have this principle of The Salutation of the Saints. Find your fellowship and joy in the body of Christ in the local assembly in what we call the community of faith.

The principles Paul sets forth in the closing verses of his letter to the Corinthians are good for all times when believers are desirous of Working Together.

Therefore let

Be the overarching principle of unity

Be the self-imposed principle of ministry

Be the bonding principle of fellowship

Operating together these enable the work of our Lord Jesus Christ to go forward. Amen.