1 Coríntios 16
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Coríntios 16
Wiersbe observed, “God’s ‘delay’ is actually an indication that He has a plan for this world and that He is working His plan.” Remain watchful and prayerful in all you do. Lord, help me remain watchful and prayerful as I await Your return. Help me live faithfully, vibrantly, and soberly while I wait. (Charles Stanley) Jerry Bridges - THE BEST DEFENSE Be watchful. (1 CORINTHIANS 16:13) With all the enemies from the world and from Satan arrayed against us, and a guerrilla army of flesh within our own hearts, how can we effectively watch against the temptations that constantly beset us? The old adage “The best defense is a good offense” is good advice for watching against temptation. The best offense is meditation on the Word of God and prayer. It’s surely no coincidence that they’re the only two spiritual exercises that we are encouraged to do continually. We’re to meditate on God’s Word “day and night” (Psalm 1:2), and Paul exhorted us to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17NIV). There is power in the Word of God to keep us from sin: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). For every temptation that you face, there are specific passages of Scripture that address that issue. If you’re not aware of some, ask your pastor or another mature Christian to help you find them. Then memorize those verses, meditate on them, and pray over them every day, asking the Holy Spirit to bring them to your mind in times of need. Ask, also, that He will strengthen your will to enable you to obey the word that He brings to your mind. All of us are being influenced by sinful society, so we want to do all we can to continually bring the Word of God to bear upon our thinking. Also remember that Jesus told us to watch and pray against temptation (Matthew 26:41). We aren’t capable of watching by ourselves. “Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Even with our best diligence, we need the extra dimension of the Lord watching for us. (Holiness Day By Day) GENERAL CHRISTIAN Stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 1 CORINTHIANS 16:13 1863: “Arm of Stonewall Jackson, May 3, 1863.” So reads a small granite marker in a Virginia cemetery. The marker is a reminder of the reverence that many people felt for the devout and eccentric Confederate general Thomas J. Jackson. On May 2, 1863, Jackson led his troops to a smashing victory at a site called Chancellorsville. Then, around twilight, Jackson and some aides rode out to reconnoiter the Union army’s position. Some Confederate lookouts mistakenly fired on the party, thinking they were Union men. Jackson was struck with three bullets and was taken to a nearby farm. The next day his wounded left arm was amputated. An admirer of Jackson reverently buried the arm. Confederate general Robert E. Lee, hearing of the incident, said of Jackson, “He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right arm.” Jackson lingered for several days, often delirious from infection. Southerners thought back on the general’s quirks, such as his obsession with diet and exercise, his hypochondria, his off-key singing voice, his humorlessness. They thought about his fearlessness and steadfastness in battle, which earned him the nickname “Stonewall.” And they thought about his unwavering devotion to his faith, his unquestioning belief that the New Testament was to be obeyed fully. Jackson held a place in people’s affections because he was not only devout but a general who won battles, and a real “character” to boot. In two years of Civil War fighting, he had made a reputation for himself. As he lay prostrated with fever, thousands of Southerners prayed for his recovery, knowing his death would be a blow to Confederate morale. On May 10, 1863, Jackson was mumbling deliriously. Suddenly he spoke clearly: “Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees.” He was dead at age thirty-nine, but no one doubted he had “crossed over the river” to a better place. Why Is It So Many Believers Grow Cold, Lose The Fire, And Peak Out Spiritually? (from Facts of the Matter) This was part of a conversation I had this morning with a 74 year old war horse of the faith who is still going strong for God. My mind reflected back on my early morning meditation on the passage in Revelation where Jesus admonished the Asian churches to stay on track spiritually. In effect he told them: " WAKE UP!" That is, stay vigilant like a person anticipating a thief: " Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13) Don't be lulled into the spiritual doldrums. " HOLD ON!" Seize what is already yours! Retain it. Don't let it go! Don't go back on what God has already given you! " If he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." (Hebrews 10:38) " KEEP YOUR FIRST LOVE!" Recently I received an e-mail from a Christian friend of long-standing. Anticipating a spiritual challenge, my heart sank in disappointment as he launched into a discussion of his twin passions of soccer and the stock market. Scant mention was made of the things of God. Retaining his " first love"? One wonders. (Jeremiah 2:2; Matthew 24:12) "DON'T COMPROMISE WITH SIN!" In two areas: (1) Idolatry: " Is there anything that commands your affections more than the Lord Jesus Christ?" (2) Sexual impurity: " Is the trend in your thought life and actions moving toward increased purity, or increased enslavement?" (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7) "BE FAITHFUL TO THE DEATH!" Tough times lay ahead, warned Jesus, so be prepared to suffer, even to the point of death. Many times I have rehearsed what I would do if it came down to a choice between preserving my life or confessing Christ. If pressed, I would, by His grace, point to my forehead and say, " Put the bullet right here!" QUESTION: Music scores are often characterized by the diminuendo and the crescendo. With that metaphor in mind, are you moving toward a diminuendo-type existence of selfish refuge, self-indulgence and limited vision, or toward a crescendo of faith, sacrificial service, and investment in that which is eternal? Charles Swindoll - STANDING FIRM 1 Corinthians 15–16 I heard a statistic the other day that blew my mind. Anna Sklar, the author of a book called Runaway Wives, was a guest on a local talk show. In the course of the discussion, she cited that ten years ago, for every wife or mother who walked away from her home and responsibilities, six hundred husbands and fathers walked out. Today for each man who walks away, two women do. Pause and let that sink in. Understand, I’m not advocating either, nor am I taking sides. I’m just amazed at the unbelievably rapid rise in the number of women who choose escape as the favorite method of coping. Contrary to our great American heritage, many of today’s citizens would rather quit than stick. That which was once not even an option is now standard operating procedure. Now, it’s “if you start to sink, jump, don’t bail” . . . or “if it’s hard, quit, don’t bother.” Every achievement worth remembering is stained with the blood of diligence and scarred by the wounds of disappointment. To quit, to run, to escape, to hide—none of these options solve anything. They only postpone the acceptance of, and reckoning with, reality. Churchill put it well: “Wars are not won by evacuations.” No, battles are won in the trenches . . . in the grit and grime of courageous determination . . . in the arena of life, day in and day out, amidst the smell of sweat and the cry of anguish. The apostle Paul, the man who bore on his body “the brandmarks of Jesus” (Gal. 6:17), was a living example of his own counsel: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. . . . Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Cor. 15:58; 16:13). Giving thought to giving up? Considering the possibility of quitting? Looking for an easy way out? Entertaining the idea of running away . . . stopping before it’s finished . . . escaping from reality? Don’t! The Lord never promised you a Disneyland. In fact, the only time He ever used the word “easy” was when He referred to a yoke. Horatius Bonar - Stand Fast “Stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”—1 COR. 16:13. IN the last days many shall be as “clouds without water, carried about of winds.” And this is one of the special perils of these “perilous times.” The winds are let loose, and are now performing their awful work of tossing hither and thither these empty clouds. Hence the instability that prevails. Men are “carried about with every wind of doctrine.” They are not “rooted and grounded in love;” and having never “tasted that the Lord is gracious,” nor rested their weary souls upon Him, they go about seeking they know not what. They want something that will fill them, but not going to the Livine fulness of the incarnate Word for it, they wander on in sadness of spirit, vainly trying to soothe their uneasy souls with every new doctrine or device that meets them in the way! All in vain. For what can be a substitute for God and His free love? Amid all this instability, let us “stand fast in the faith.” Let us be “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Let us beware of novelties in religion. Let us guard against fickleness of opinion and hastiness of decision. Satan will let loose his blasts and call up his storms; let us only moor our vessel firmer, and keep faster hold of the anchor, which is sure and steadfast, “and which entereth into that which is within the veil.” Thus, in patience shall we possess our souls, for “he that believeth doth not make haste.” Stephen Olford - “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13 These four commands have a definite order and lead up to the last one – “Be strong.” The fulfilling of these four commands was, no doubt, the secret of Paul's strength. Be Watchful. He merely emphasizes the words of the Lord Jesus, when He said, “Watch and pray – lest you enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41). Spiritual vigilance enables the Christian to prepare for victorious battles. Be Stable. Here is a call to consistency, to establishment, to stability – holding the profession of faith without wavering. Be Manlike. To be a real man, the spirit, soul, and body must be equally nourished. Be Strong. This is the natural outcome of watchfulness, stability, and manliness. It results in being strong for God, strong against the powers of evil, and strong in the Lord. Lord, may these commands be characteristic of my walk with You. Gregg Laurie - STANDING STRONG Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13) There will come times in all of our lives when we will be tested in our faith. There will be times when what we believe will be challenged. There will be temptations to do the wrong thing. We might ask ourselves, Will I be able to stand strong spiritually when this happens? That is entirely up to you. It isn’t up to God. It is up to you. God wants you to stand. But He is not going to force you to stand. He will give you all the resources you need. He will give you the power to resist. He will even give you a way out. But you have to cooperate. There are some things only God can do. And there are some things only you can do. Only God can forgive sin. But only you can fall into sin. Only God can give you the power to change your life. But you need to be willing to have your life changed. You need to cooperate with Him. He is not going to force you to resist what is evil. You have to be willing to resist it on your own, then take hold of the resources that He gives you. You decide today whether or not you will fall tomorrow. The stand you make today will determine what kind of stand you make tomorrow. When you are building a house, the most important time is not when you lay carpet or paint; it’s when you lay the foundation. If you don’t do that well, then all of your decorative additions will be for nothing. You have to get the foundation right. Therefore, you determine today what kind of situation you will be in tomorrow. 1 Corinthians 16:14 Let all that you do be done in love. 1Co 8:1 12:31 1Cor 13:1-13 14:1 Joh 13:34,35 15:17 Ro 13:8-10 14:15 Ga 5:13,14,22 Eph 4:1-3 Php 2:1-3 1Th 3:6,12 4:9,10 2Th 1:3 1Ti 1:5 Heb 13:4 1Pe 4:8 2Pe 1:7 1Jn 4:7,8 1 Corinthians 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DO ALL IN LOVE This command serves to balance the four commands in the previous passage. Robertson and Plummer - He is glancing back at the party-divisions, at the selfish disorder at the Lord’s Supper, and at their jealousy in the possession of special charismata, and is recalling 1 Cor 13:1-13+. (Critical and Exegetical Commentary)
1 Coríntios 16
Wiersbe - IN CONCLUSION. . . Paul's closing words need not detain us. The "holy kiss" (1 Cor 16:20) was a common mode of greeting, the men kissing the men and the women kissing the women. If Paul were writing to Western churches, he would say, "Shake hands with one another." Paul usually dictated his letters and then took the pen and added his signature. He also added his "benediction of grace" as a mark that the letter was authentic. The word anathema (1 Cor 16:22, KJV) is Aramaic and means "accursed." Not to love Christ means not to believe in Him, and unbelievers are accursed (John 3:16-21). The word maran-atha is Greek and means "our Lord comes" or (as a prayer) "our Lord, come!" If a person loves Jesus Christ, he will also love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8). Paul had been stern with the Corinthian believers, but he closed his letter by assuring them of his love. After all, wounds from a friend can be trusted (Prov. 27:6). Paul has shared a great deal of spiritual wisdom with us. May we receive it with meekness and put it into practice to the glory of God! Will Durant, one of last century's most able historians, had planned to serve in ministry. His faith foundered, however, when he discovered authors anathema to his Christian faith, like Darwin and Huxley. Later, when writing The Story of Civilization, he rejected the divinity of Christ, found in Him hypocrisy, and attributed to Him “no new moral ideas.” Durant had wandered far from his childhood faith. (AND IF HE NEVER REPENTED HE DIED A TRAGIC DEATH AS AN ANATHEMA!) H A