Preached by Gregory W. Lee
15 October 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Corinthians 16
-- when I was growing up in the 70's, it seemed like the most popular tv shows and movies involved aliens and UFOs -- I grew up watching the reruns of Star Trek and Lost in Space -- and it seemed like most shows on tv, from time to time, had an episode about aliens coming to earth -- one of the most popular tv shows in the late 1970's was "Mork and Mindy" -- the show where Robin Williams played an alien who came to earth in a giant egg from the planet Ork and lived with Mindy McConnell, who was played by Pam Dawber -- and, of course, there was Project Blue Book, which was supposed to be true stories of UFOs from the files of the Air Force
-- people were fascinated with the idea of aliens existing in the universe and paying visits to earth -- as a kid, I spent a lot of summer nights in my front yard, staring up at the sky and looking for UFOs with my friends -- all of us had stories about friends of a friend who had seen a UFO in the woods, and we spent hours scanning the skies looking for a UFO ourself
-- our country was caught up in a UFO-craze -- everyone was looking for UFOs and stories of extraterrestrials dotted our newspapers and our nightly news -- it seemed like the question on everyone's lips during that decade was, "Are we alone?"
-- and, when you look back, that's an understandable question -- our country had just come through the turbulent 60's, with the protests and the drug culture and the defining war of that generation in Vietnam -- it was during the early 70s that we saw our troops finally leaving Saigon and when we had political corruption in the highest office in the land, leading to the resignation of Richard Nixon -- gas prices were at an all time high -- inflation was soaring -- the future looked hopeless -- and, as we looked around, we couldn't find a calvary -- we couldn't see anyone arriving on the horizon to save the day -- people were naturally looking around and wondering, "Is this all there is to it? -- is there not another group of people who are more intelligent -- who can come in and give us some guidance? -- are we all alone?"
-- one of the biggest fears that people have is being alone -- At one of his crusades, Luis Palau, the South American evangelist, asked the people in his audience to indicate the subject on which they would most like him to speak -- The majority of the people there asked him to speak on the subject of loneliness
-- loneliness occurs when you feel isolated or separated from other people -- cut off from those you would like to have contact with -- physically or even emotionally -- you can be surrounded by people in a crowd, but still feel alone because you don't have a connection with them
-- having a connection with someone else is the number one desire for all people -- it is a spiritual desire -- put into us by God when He created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden -- He put in them a desire to be connected with Him and to be connected with one another -- because of this God-given desire, we long to be in a relationship with someone else -- we long to be connected -- we long to know that we are not alone
-- it was this desire that caused people in the 1970s to go crazy over UFOs and extraterrestrials -- and it was this desire that caused concerns in the early churches of the first century
II. Connected with Christ
-- now, the early church knew that, in a spiritual sense, it was not alone -- it was connected with Christ through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit -- after Christ ascended to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers -- and on the day of Pentecost that we read about in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came and filled the disciples in the Upper Room and brought about the salvation of over 3000 people when Peter preached in the streets of Jerusalem
-- the majority of these new converts were not from Jerusalem, but were visitors to the city who came to celebrate the feast of Pentecost at the temple -- when the celebration was over, these new believers left Jerusalem and returned to their homes and their families in distant cities, carrying with them the good news of the death and resurrection of Christ
-- this was the start of the Christian church in the world -- and, as these new believers shared their faith with their families and friends, small groups of people joined together to worship and praise Jesus on a regular basis
-- after the Jews increased their persecution of Christians in Jerusalem, we read in the Bible that most of the church that was in Jerusalem scattered and went out to other areas in Palestine -- these Christian leaders, who had sat at the feet of the apostles and had been taught by those who knew Jesus and who had been taught directly by Jesus, went forth to strengthen and encourage and build up these fledgling churches -- eventually, men like Paul and Barnabus and Silas and John Mark went out as official ambassadors from the leaders of the Christian church that was centered in Jerusalem and Antioch
-- and, as we can glean through Scripture, when these men and women sought out these small groups of Christians in these distant cities, one of the first things they did was to affirm to them that they were not alone
-- you see, as Christians in house churches scattered throughout Palestine and Asia, these believers would have been small in number -- their faith was not accepted by the Jews or the Romans and they faced daily discrimination and persecution -- they struggled to maintain their group and to maintain their faith in the face of increasing tribulation -- and the Bible seems to indicate that there were times when they were tempted to just give up and give in and let the culture overwhelm them -- they felt alone -- they were not directly connected to any other groups or linked to the larger Christian church
-- so you can imagine what it was like for them when people like the Apostle Paul showed up at their door, telling them, "You are not alone" -- and sharing with them the good news of what Christ was doing in the church throughout the Roman world
-- this was one of the main reasons that Paul and the others sent out letters and carried communications from church to church -- to let them know that they were not alone -- in addition to giving them leadership and guidance and teaching in the ways of Christ, they were also letting them know that they were not alone -- they were connected, not only with each other in their local church, but with other Christians and other churches scattered throughout Asia and the Middle East
-- we see a good example of that here in 1 Corinthians 16 in the close to this epistle -- this letter -- from the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth
III. Connections in Corinth
-- before we dive into this passage, let me tell you just a little about the chuch at Corinth -- Corinth was in modern-day Greece, located about 40 miles west of Athens on the Isthmus of Corinth -- it was a large city, with about 400,000 residents at the time this letter was written
-- Paul had established the church at Corinth -- he had visited the city on his second missionary journey and had gathered together the believers in the city and formed them into a house church and gotten them connected with one another
-- and as he wrote letters to them, instructing them and encouraging them, Paul was always careful to affirm to them that they were not alone -- that they were part of a larger community of believers who existed in Asia and the Middle East
-- look down now at verse 1, and let's run through this together
1. Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.
2. 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.
3. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.
4. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.
-- notice how Paul starts his closing to the Corinthian Church -- he reminds them to take up a collection when they gather together to worship Christ -- they were coming together once a week -- on the first day of the week -- on Sunday -- the Lord's Day -- to corporately worship Christ and to encourage and learn from each other -- they were connected with each other in that city -- and this meeting each Sunday was one way they affirmed to each other that they were not alone -- that if troubles or difficulties arose in that city -- if people started discriminating or persecuting the Christians there -- that they had brothers and sisters in Christ in that place who would stand for them or who would help them in their time of need
-- that is one of the main reasons that we are gathered together today -- we don't have to have church to worship God -- our lives should be worship to God -- we should go about every day recognizing God in our lives -- reading the Bible -- praying to Him -- staying connected to Him -- but, we come together on Sunday to affirm each other -- to encourage each other -- to strengthen ourselves in our walk and to learn more about God and what it means to be a Christian -- we come together to remind ourselves that we are not alone
Hebrews 10:22-25 talks about the importance of coming together once a week like this -- listen as I read this passage
22. let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
23. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
24. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
25. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
-- so, in this closing, Paul was reminding them to meet together weekly, and when they met, to take up a collection for God's people -- now that's an important phrase -- "God's people" -- it was a reminder to the church in Corinth that they were not alone -- that there were other believers in Christ -- "God's people" -- who were in other places -- the Galatians -- and others -- who needed this money to survive and spread the word of God
-- What Paul is saying to this church, in essence, is -- "Stay connected -- stay connected with one another -- and stay connected with the body of Christ as a whole -- help God's people and help God's work by supporting them with your offerings and your prayers and your thoughts"
-- verse 5
5. After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you--for I will be going through Macedonia.
6. Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go.
7. I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.
8. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost,
9. because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
-- Paul continues on reminding the Corinthians of the other churches -- churches in Macedonia -- and Ephesus -- other groups of believers who were just like the Corinthians -- struggling to live and to worship God where they lived -- the church in Corinth was not alone -- it was connected, not only with Christ -- not only with each other -- but also with all of God's people -- whether that was in Macedonia or Ephesus or Antioch or Jerusalem
-- verse 10
10. If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.
11. No one, then, should refuse to accept him. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.
12. Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.
-- Paul reminds them of the other leaders who represented the world-wide Christian community -- Timothy and Apollos -- men who were bringing teaching and who were providing pastoral support to these far-flung communities -- note that Paul says they are coming with the "brothers" -- "there are others out there -- you need to support them just as they support you with their efforts -- never forget that you are not alone"
-- skip over to verse 19
19. The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
20. All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
-- all the churches in Asia send greetings -- the leaders of those churches send greetings -- all the brothers -- all the Christians -- know about you and care about you and are sending you greetings -- you are not alone
-- I was reading this week in the newsletter from the Voice of the Martyr's -- I don't know if you get this magazine or not, but I would encourage you to do so if you don't -- it is free -- all you have to do is contact them and they will send it to you -- but it is a monthly magazine that keeps us connected with what is happening to our brothers and sisters in countries that are hostile to the gospel of Christ
-- one article in that magazine really piqued my interest -- it was titled, "They All Went Back" -- as you all know, North Korea has been in the news over the past several years -- and more so this week as they claimed to have conducted an underground nuclear explosion
-- but you may not be aware of the fact that there are Christians in North Korea even though it is a communist country and even though all religion is outlawed -- these men and women try to survive amidst horrendous persecutions, including beatings and executions
-- a lot of them try to leave the country -- they sneak across the border into China, seeking refuge from the religious persecution in North Korea -- recently, several of these Christians came across the border and were taken in by Christians associated with Voice of the Martyrs
-- these North Korean Christians were overjoyed to find out they were not alone -- to find out that others knew that they were struggling in Korea and to know that others were trying to help the Korean believers in whatever way possible -- amazingly, after escaping from this communist country -- after getting away from the persecutions that were impacting them and the lives of their families and friends -- these North Korean christians decided to go back to North Korea
-- why? -- because now they knew that they were not alone -- now they knew that others were out there, praying for them, providing resources for them -- and, because of this, they all went back to share the good news of Jesus -- to share their faith with others in North Korea -- and to strengthen the persecuted church in that place -- to let them know, that they were not alone
IV. Closing
-- as we read through this closing to the letter to the Corinthians, we are reminded that we are not alone -- yes, we know that we come together here every Sunday to corporately worship God -- but, we are reminded that there is more to Christianity than what takes place within these walls
-- we are not alone -- we are connected with all the people of God -- not just in our charge -- not just in our denomination -- but all the people of God, no matter where they are
-- unlike the Corinthians and the North Koreans, who desperately needed to know that they were not alone because of the struggles that they were facing, we tend to become isolationists in our churches -- we tend to focus only on ourselves and our congregation and rarely interact with the church as a whole -- we need to remember that we are not alone, not because we are facing trials and tribulations and need help from others -- but so that we can be the help that others need
-- as United Methodists, we like to call ourselves a "connectional" church, because we are supposed to be connected to all other Methodist congregations -- not just financially, through our apportionments, but also spiritually -- through our prayers and our lives
-- we need to be making an effort to be more connectional with other congregations -- both Methodist and other denominations -- to encourage those who are struggling and to join together with them in their ministries and activities
-- we are not doing a good job at that -- and I want you to reflect on the words of the Apostle Paul in this letter this week to see if we need to make changes in the way we approach life as Christians in this community
-- one good way to put Paul's words into action this week is to participate in the Gospel Explosion in Naylor -- most of the local churches coming together for a day of celebration and praise
-- but, we need to consider other ways as well -- perhaps we need to join with other small congregations to do joint ministry -- to do service projects -- to spend one day a month sharing the gospel with people in our communities
-- our men and women groups here should be connected with other groups throughout the denomination, and they are not -- I want to encourage you to start thinking past the walls of this church and to start remembering that we are not alone but that we are called to share in the lives of all God's people, no matter where they are
-- as you leave here today, I want you to keep this in mind -- as Christians, we are never alone -- first, we have Christ in our lives, so no matter where we are, we are connected with Him -- secondly, we have this church -- and we need to be actively invovled in this church and in the ministries of this church -- and, finally, we have our brothers and sisters in other churches -- Methodist, Baptist, Church of God -- all the others -- and we need to be directly involved in their lives as well
-- if you are not doing this, then I want to encourage you to make a change in your life today -- let us pray
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