1 Corinthians 16:19-24

                                                                     1 Corinthians 16:19-24

The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.  All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.  I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.  If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.  My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Love is the hallmark of Christ in the lives of believers.  We are called to love one another and to love God.  This love is to be expressed and demonstrated in every aspect of our lives.  Paul has said some difficult things in this book.  He has called the church to repent of sin, but these messages all come from a deep and abiding love that Paul has for this church and the believers in the church.  We would do well to emulate this example.

 

WARM GREETINGS IN LOVE:  As believers we should love and greet one another in a way that demonstrates that love.  The churches in Asia are concerned about and loving the church in Macedonia and vice versa.  Aquila and Priscila had been in Corinth on Paul’s first visit but ended up traveling with to Ephesus where they were instrumental in starting the church and reaching Apollos.  Paul’s ministry team sends greetings and Paul instructs them to be loving in the way they greet one another.  Loving our brothers and sisters in Christ is a blessing and an important part of our testimony as believers.  

 

WARN ABOUT LACK OF LOVE: Paul warns that those who do not love the Lord they are to be accursed. This seems to be an indication that Paul is teaching that those who fail to love one another are, in reality, failing to love the Lord.  We cannot say we love the Lord if we do not love one another.  It is a shame to the name and cause of Christ when believers fail to love, serve and greet one another.  As members of the body of Christ we are to love the people with whom we congregate as well as our brothers and sisters in other congregations.

 

WISH FOR GRACE AND LOVE: Paul expresses his desire for the church that them might experience the grace and love of the Lord Jesus in their lives.  This should be a constant desire that we express in our relationships with one another.  The grace of God is the only means by which we can experience the Love of God.  Just as we depend on these blessings, all members of the body of Christ require them as well.

 

APPLICATION: Be a part of the global church that cares for and sends greetings to the church around the world.  Be active and intentional about loving and greeting the people in our own local church.  Desire the grace and love of God for our own lives as well as the lives of others.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 1:1-2

Paul,   an apostle of Christ Jesus   by command of   God our Savior and of Christ Jesus   our hope, To Timothy,   my true child in the faith:   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The true sign of maturity is multiplication.  Believers, churches, and ministries that do not reproduce are not demonstrating true maturity.  One of the key characteristics we can identify in Paul’s ministry is that he was constantly reproducing godly believers who were faithfully following the Lord.  Evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training are the hallmarks of mature ministers and ministries.   THE APOSTLE: Paul was called by God to be an Apostle.  Though Paul converted after the resurrection and assentation of Jesus, he met Jesus in the road to Damascus and was instructed by Jesus in the desert.  Paul considered himself to be the least of the Apostles because he persecuted the church and did not walk with Jesus on earth like the other Apostles.  However, God had
Read more