1 Corinthians 16:17 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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1 Corinthians 16:17

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The noises coming from Corinth were not good. You read 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians also that there was a lot of complaining. They are complaining about Paul. They are saying he is no preacher. We like our Greek orator, they are saying; he doesn't sweep you off your feet with his oratory. He didn't flatter them with words of Greek philosophical wisdom. So they criticise him. They say he works for a living, and they didn’t like that. The party men – I am of Paul, I am of Apollos; I don't think so much of Paul; I don't agree with him on this – attacked him from all directions. Then there were compromises. ‘Why should we not remain members of an idolatrous guild? if we come out of that guild we shall lose our trade and our employment. We don't believe in the idols; we just go to the temple worship, and we stand back and then we leave. We go to the feasts and when they offer food to idols, we don't participate in that. We keep our mouths shut; we just go.’ But it was compromise. They didn't want to lose their jobs and pay the price of having a Christian testimony. They complained against the apostle. The noises from Corinth were discouraging. But it wasn't the majority of the people. Happily, there were three representatives and they are named here, and they went from Corinth to Ephesus and they met with Paul and they said, ‘Paul, the majority of people are walking by the teaching, and are cleaving to the Lord’, and Paul's spirits were lifted. That's the picture here. I am glad of the coming of Stephanus and Fortunatur, and Achaicus. For that which was lacking on your part’ – the bad noises coming from Corinth – ‘they have supplied.’ They supplied something that really moved and uplifted Paul. They refreshed his soul, his spirit in that sense.

Application

Praise God and acknowledge people who refresh your soul in conversation. Let us all cultivate conversation that refreshes the soul. Talk of the Lord’s work; bring spiritual encouragement and uplift; share what may be done for the Lord. But someone will say, ‘I find my trouble is that I just don’t know what to say.’ We can talk a lot about earthly things as Christian people. We should be well-informed and interested in any number of subjects. But if that is all we talk about, we never refresh anybody’s spirit, and that is very sad; we are very diminishing people. Get practising. Think of things you can talk about. Prepare some conversations; profitable things. You will soon get used to it. You will soon be practised at it. You will soon be refreshing souls.

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1 Corinthians 16:17 Commentary and Bible Study