Shakespeare’s Henry V has its share of great speeches, but the best-remembered in our culture is found in Act IV, Scene III, as the king addresses his men before the Battle of Agincourt, a fight in which they know they are greatly outnumbered. He calls his men a “band of brothers”—very familial words for a mixed group of peasantry and nobility, especially in a society in which one’s birth determined so much in one’s life. The Apostle Paul continues to call out his own brothers (and a sister!) in the Lord in this final section of 1 Corinthians, people from different backgrounds and stations in life. Like soldiers on a battlefield, they find themselves united by their common mission and love for their King. Their dedication to the mission and to one another encourages us to better our commitments to Jesus and to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Sunday Dec 03, 2023

1 Corinthians 16:1-11 - ”The Privilege of Participation in the Mission” - Brent Stephens / December 3, 2023

Sunday Dec 03, 2023

Most of us turn off the credits at the end of a movie, unless the music is really good! The endless scrolling list of names does not carry the entertainment value that the rest of the film does. As a student of the Bible, when you start seeing names and personal greetings, don’t treat them like that list of movie credits and tune out! All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for His people (2 Timothy 3:16). In this passage, we get a glimpse into how the budding New Testament churches interacted with one another. How did these small groups of people across the Mediterranean grow into a burgeoning gospel movement that progresses so powerfully across the globe? The churches and their workers walked through “open doors” of ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes they faced adversity on the other side of those doors, but a love for Jesus and His people kept them struggling toward the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24; Philippians 3:14; Hebrews 12:1).