This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome to 1st Corinthians chapter 16, the last chapter of 1st Corinthians, the
finish of this book together. Hi, this is Pastor Tom and this is day one of our
look at 1st Corinthians chapter 16, the closing chapter of 1st Corinthians. In
this chapter, Paul is going to tie up some loose ends, he's going to discuss
some personal matters, he's going to give some specific greetings.

And I'd say if we're not careful, this is one of those chapters that we could
just sort of read by and ignore. I mean chapter 15, one of the great chapters of
all the scriptures, chapter 13 of 1st Corinthians, and chapter 14 is all these
chapters. Then you get to 16 and he's greeting this person and talking about
this person.

It's one of those chapters that you can sort of let the study fizzle as it came
to an end, but instead I'd like to see us end 1st Corinthians with a bang to
really see what God has to say to us going forward. Because in many ways, this
chapter doesn't just close the book. It really points to some open doors in our
lives.

It's not a chapter that's just a long way of saying the end. It discusses in
many ways the beginning of some actions, some attitudes which can lead to
growth, can lead to joy in your life. This week as we look at 1st Corinthians
16, we're looking at a chapter that causes you to look forward and expectation
towards all that God wants to do in your life.

In fact, as Paul is ending this chapter talking to these people that he loves,
he sort of is setting up some of the things that you and I need to do
continually in our lives to see God continuing to work in our lives. And so
we're going to see in this chapter, chapter 16 this week, five specific keys to
God's continuing work in your life of growth and change. These are things that
if they're not in my life, then I don't keep growing.

I don't keep changing. It's like I got to keep eating. I got to keep sleeping.

I got to keep exercising to be healthy physically. These are some things that
you and I have to keep doing to be healthy and growing and changing spiritually
in our relationship with God. Five keys, five attitudes of life.

The first attitude is this, a giving attitude. If you want to keep growing, keep
changing, it all comes out of a giving attitude. Paul talks about that in verses
1 to 3.

He says, "Now, about the collection for God's people. Do what I told the
Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should
set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up so that when I
come, no collections will have to be made.

And then when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men and you
approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. " Paul in these verses
commands the Corinthians concerning this offering that's being taken. But he
also commands them concerning God's attitude towards this offering.

He speaks in these verses of a specific offering. Paul was leading in the
churches at this time in the taking up of an offering amongst all the Gentile
churches to meet the need of the church in Jerusalem, which was primarily a
church of Hebrew, of Jewish believers. They were facing a famine in Jerusalem
and they were taking up an offering to meet the need.

They were saying, "We're all one church. We may be different, different
backgrounds, but we're all one church. " Now, the reasons behind this offering
point to the value of giving in my life, whether it's giving your resources,
your service, giving yourself, the value of giving is number one, it
demonstrates the unity of the church.

Giving is not just something I do alone. We do it together as a church. That's
why we give our offerings as a church.

On the first day of every week, each of you set aside some money, keeping with
his income, and then you give it in a collection that's made with the entire
church. Why do we pass the offering plate in a church? Well, Paul is reminding
us here that it's not just a way to pay the bills.

That's a sign of unity in that church. We are together committing our resources
and committing ourselves to the doing of God's will in this world. Giving
demonstrated the unity of the church and giving also put faith into action.

Instead of just saying we should do something about those hungry people in
Jerusalem, they were giving in order to put their faith into action. Then they
were going to send some people with that gift to go to Jerusalem to make a
difference with people that were facing a famine. Giving demonstrates our unity.

Giving puts our faith into action. That's what it's really all about. As Paul
talks about the practicality of giving here, he says it needs to be a habit in
your life.

A giving attitude results in a giving habit. So on the first day of every week,
that's a habit. I have a specific time that I do it, a specific place that I do
it when I go to worship, a specific sum that I set aside, a sum of money keeping
with his income.

That's why tithing a 10% makes sense in giving. It's not a certain amount. It's
a certain percentage based on what God has given to you.

People often ask me why 10%? Why did God say command us to give 10%? And I say I
don't know.

I don't know why 10%. He could have commanded 50% or 5% or 80%. I do know that
10% is enough to challenge my faith when it comes to giving.

The idea here is it is a habit that is backed by an attitude. The habit without
the attitude means nothing. The attitude without a habit attached to it is not
really an attitude.

It's not really a heart. It's just something you would want to do someday. The
two have to go together.

One of the questions I have as I read through this is how can I be the kind of
person who's willing to give, who has the attitude of giving, who wants to give?
It's interesting that as Paul speaks of this offering for the saints in various
places, not just here in 1 Corinthians but in other places, he actually uses
eight different words in the Greek language to describe this gift. And each of
these words unfold something of what it means to have the attitude of a giver,
an attitude of somebody who is giving towards others.

One of the Greek words that's used is the word that's used here. The word
collection is logia in the Greek language. And that word means an extra gift.

That means somebody who's looking for the opportunity to go above and beyond. So
as long as giving is just a law, a legalistic duty in my life, then why would I
do it? I don't have an attitude about doing it.

I don't have a heart for doing it. I just do it because somebody else told me to
do it. Well, that's not going to create any growth in your life.

In fact, that's more likely going to create a sense of frustration in your life
and even resistance in your life. No, you do it because you have the opportunity
to. And you're even looking for the opportunity to give even more.

So this idea of a collection here means going beyond your mere duty to the call
of love. In other places, as Paul talks about this gift, one place he uses the
word charis in the Greek language, which means a grace gift, a freely given
gift. The word grace and charis and gift are all the same.

Two in the English language, one in the Greek language, all the same word. The
idea here is someone who uses their resources to express God's grace. What an
awesome thing to think.

I have the opportunity with the mere resources that God has put into my hands to
somehow express God's grace to someone else. When you begin to see that, it
gives you a giving attitude. You see it as more than just resources.

You see it as an opportunity to give. In another place, as Paul talks about this
gift, he uses the word koinonia or sharing. Now, if you've studied the New
Testament at all, you know that the word koinonia is also translated fellowship
sometimes, but he uses it to express the gift that's given, someone who is
willing to share their life.

And so when you give a monetary gift, when you give to a collection for the
saints, it's just an expression of the fact I'm sharing my life with you. I'm
sharing my life with you, so I'm going to give to you so that God can make a
difference in your life. That's the attitude of a giver.

It's koinonia. It's fellowship. It's sharing your life.

In another place, the Bible uses the word diakona, which might sound like the
word deacon that we use some days in our churches, and it is that same word in
the Greek language. The word deacon actually just means ministry. So it's not
talking about just the deacons having to give here.

It literally means a ministry to somebody else. And sometimes you'll hear
somebody say that, maybe when they've heard a song that they really like in
church, they'll say, "Oh, that really ministered to me. " So you can also
minister to someone else by the giving of a physical gift of some kind, meeting
other people's needs.

Another place, as this idea of a gift is talked about, Paul uses the word in the
Greek language hadrotes, which means an abundance or an overflowing. And then
that put together with the next word, elogia, which means a bounty. There's the
idea in both of those words of someone who recognizes that they possess an
abundance.

God has given me more than I deserve, and so how can I give to someone else? As
long as I'm thinking I deserve more, I'm not going to have a giving attitude.
I'm going to have a getting attitude.

But the minute I realize how blessed I am, I have a giving attitude. I got to
tell you, the people who humble me the most about this are my friends in
countries that have very, very low incomes. And I'll go in and meet with pastors
who are making literally dollars, sometimes a year in our money, and I see the
giving attitude that they have.

I see the sense that they have an abundance in their lives, even though they
have so little. And it challenges me on this one. If I'm going to have a giving
attitude, I've got to recognize the abundance that God has given.

Instead of comparing myself with someone else and thinking about how little I
have, you can always do that. I recognize that, except for the grace of God, I
wouldn't have any of it. And out of that sense of abundance, overflowing
abundance, then giving becomes an overflowing in my life.

That goes to the next word. At times this offering, as Paul refers to it, he
refers to it as a liturgia or a voluntary privilege almost. Somebody who is out
of a heart of sacrifice for others, giving cheerfully, giving freely.

And then one final word that's used in these eight words is the word prosphara.
Now that sounds like prosperity in our language, but it's not that same word.
Really this word means a sacrifice.

You're making a sacrifice for someone else. So as much as it is an abundance, as
much as it is an overflowing, let's recognize also that when you give to meet
someone else's need, it's also a sacrifice. But it's a loving sacrifice.

You're giving up something you could have in order to meet the need of somebody
else. As you look through these words, these words that all have to do with
giving, the question I end up with is, what about my heart? What kind of heart
do I have to give to somebody else today?

Let's pray together. And as we pray together, Jesus, we ask for a giving heart,
a giving attitude. Thank you for what you've given to us.

Give us a heart of giving towards others. Show us opportunities even today to
give to somebody who's in need. And as we give together in church, help us to
realize it's a sign of our unity and it's a sign of our faith.

In your name we pray, Jesus, amen.