Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Alan J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
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Today we conclude our study in 1 Corinthians. We are in the last chapter, chapter 16, and we’ll listen to Faith Comes by Hearing’s reading of the 24 verses of the last chapter of 1 Corinthians.
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1 Corinthians 16 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem.” If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me. I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey wherever I go.” For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 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. 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. Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. Now I urge you, brothers, you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. Be subject to such as these and to every fellow worker and laborer. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours.
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Give recognition to such men. 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.
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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.
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In 1994, on 1 Corinthians 16, I wrote in my journal, Paul’s travel plans were in the Lord. Thank you for a wide door for effective service. He is doing the Lord’s work. Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Act like men. Be strong. And then let all that you do be done in love. If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed. As we close out 1 Corinthians, you might remember that in 2004, I was reading multiple chapters at a time. And so in my journal in 2004, I had read 1 Corinthians 15 and 16, and I shared a lot more about 1 Corinthians 15 and didn’t have a note other than, help us do all things in love. And in 2015, I finished off 1 Corinthians 16 with these words, Paul ends 1 Corinthians with an appeal for an offering to take to Jerusalem. He also expects the Corinthian church to help me on my journey wherever I go, so a personal appeal for funds as well. Then an appeal to help Timothy on his way. Giving was a part of the early church. Just about wherever Paul went, he took up a collection or an offering for the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. That’s what he refers to in the first few verses of this chapter. But let’s look at a couple of things. He says in verse 2, “…on the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up.” What does that say to you? If the early church attended worship services on the first day of the week to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, then he’s saying that each time you go to church, you are to put something aside or give an offering. Is that your practice? Are you a giver to your church body? I happen to believe that tithing is still a principle we ought to be following today. So are you tithing 10% of your income to your local church congregation or assembly? If you don’t believe in tithing, I hope at least you’re giving offerings to the church that’s educating you and teaching you and discipling you. So that’s the first offering that Paul was talking about, an offering to help someone else, an offering to help the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. But he also infers that people ought to help him and Timothy in their ministries. He says in verse 6, “…so that you may help me on my journey wherever I go.” In verse 11, when he refers to Timothy coming their way, he says, help him on his way. So, as I wrote in my journal, giving was a part of the early church. Is it part of your faith, part of your Christianity today? Based on the message from the text we’re reading in this last chapter of 1 Corinthians, it’s probably a good time for me to make an offering appeal to you as well. You are receiving AdBible free of charge. But you realize that nothing is free. These things cost money to produce, to record, to edit, to publish. It costs money to have space on Google Play and iTunes and to have a website where you can listen to AdBible. The Ezra Project that produces AdBible has all the costs associated with ministry just like everybody else. Personnel costs, facility costs, ministry costs. So one of our goals in producing AdBible was to produce a product that would be spiritually beneficial to the user. We hope and pray that you are being blessed by listening to AdBible on a daily basis. If so, I, like Paul, ask you for support. Help us on our way. Visit EzraProject.net and you can contribute right over our website. We make it very simple and easy. There are several options you can choose from. One is just to donate a one-time gift. Two is to become a monthly supporter of the Ezra Project. Or three is to join Club 365. Club 365 was specifically created for those of you listening to AdBible. So as you close out today’s podcast, would you take a moment to prayerfully consider, should you be supporting financially the Ezra Project so AdBible can continue? We believe like Paul in verse 9 when he says, For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. We absolutely believe that God has opened the door for AdBible in your ears and the ears of many here in the United States and all over the world. So will you consider helping us go through that wide and effective door that the Lord has opened for the Ezra Project with AdBible? Audio Daily Devotions. And finally, friends, let’s refer to verse 13. Remember, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians so that they would work together to advance the gospel. What was preventing them from doing so was arrogance and one-upsmanship. Rather than coming together, they were becoming a divided church. We have gone through the arguments Paul has made back to the Corinthian church in his letter. So as he closes his arguments, he says again, be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, let all that you do be done in love. And Paul signs off with this statement, the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you, my love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen. I echo the prayer to Paul to each one of you as well, that the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you and my love be with you in Christ Jesus. Until next time, God bless you. Amen. According to a recent Barna Research study entitled Bible Reading, A New Year’s Resolution, most Americans are not satisfied with their current level of Scripture reading. A majority express a desire to read the Bible more than they currently do. Born-again and practicing Christians are the most likely to desire more Bible reading in their day-to-day lives. It should not come as a surprise that the majority of Americans wish they read Scripture more than they do, says Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group. After all, two-thirds of Americans agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. Why wouldn’t you want to read such a book more often? The study continues. However, like other New Year’s resolutions, such as exercising more and eating healthier, Scripture reading is often an aspirational goal. It’s the goal that for most people probably doesn’t feel necessary to survive and so can easily get swamped by the day-to-day demands of a busy life. Scripture reading takes time and focus, two things that feel like scarcities in today’s fast-paced and on-demand culture. Like exercise, like dieting, regular Bible reading does not offer instant payoff. It’s a discipline whose rewards are reaped over the long haul. And the study continues, when people go from feeling they should read the Bible more to needing to read the Bible more, they find the time. Access to the Bible is not the issue in the USA, is it? We all have Bibles. According to another study done a few years ago, 88% of Americans own a Bible. We have 3.5 Bibles in our homes. And this is amazing. 59% of people who have no faith or are atheists even own a Bible, probably just in case. So if you have a smartphone, you have access to the Word of God. My Gideon Bible app has over 2,100 languages. Access to the Bible is not the issue. The issue is changing our beliefs about the Bible to behavior with the Bible. So where are Christians with the Bible today? Christians are well-intentioned when it comes to the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe, we just don’t behave. Our belief in the Bible and our behavior with the Bible are inconsistent. The middle ground related to the Bible seems to be disappearing. The decrease of Bible-neutral and Bible-friendly people and the increase of Bible antagonists suggests that more people are picking a side. Which side are you on? Are you a Bible antagonist questioning the Bible? Are you Bible-neutral? I just don’t know. Or are you Bible-friendly? I love the Bible. Wherever you are, pick a side. Because of our neglect of God’s Word, we are becoming biblically illiterate. For example, in a private religious elementary school, kids were asked about the Old and New Testaments. Here are some funny things that they had to say. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat that apple. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day but a ball of fire by night. What kind of man was Boaz before he married? Ruthless. The epistles were the wives of the apostles. Christians have only one spouse. That’s called monotony. So, if we think about Bible literacy or illiteracy, we think about it this way. If God decided to come down from his throne in heaven, become an author here on earth, you’d think his book would be on the bestseller list. And the fact is, the Bible is the number one bestselling book of all time. 2.5 to 5 billion, according to research. It’s also the most read book of all time. Praise the Lord, that alone might be evidence that the Bible, not any other so-called writing, is God’s Word. According to a weekly World News report, here are a few other Bible facts. About 50 Bibles are sold every minute. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. It’s also the world’s most shoplifted book. That’s interesting. And that doesn’t even count all the Gideon Bibles stolen out of those hotels. So I encourage you to enjoy a portion of God’s Word every day. Make it a daily spiritual habit. And so until next time, I’m Alan J. Huth, and this program is sponsored by The Ezra Project, with support from listeners like you. Visit EzraProject.net to keep AdBible, connecting God’s people to God’s Word, on the air.
