Paul
the apostle instructed the church members in Corinth to, “let
all your things be done with charity”,
and in
chapter sixteen and verse fifteen of First Corinthians, Paul shares
with the church members how the “house of
Stephanas”...“addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints”,
where we read:
I
beseech you, brethren, (you know the house of Stephanas, that it is
the firstfruits of Achaia, and that
they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)
The
verse begins, “I
beseech you, brethren, ...” Paul
began with the words, “I beseech you”
which means
“Paul called for, summoned, entreated and strove to appease”
“brethren”
or “fellow believers who are united to others by the bond of
affection ”. Paul “called for and summoned” his brothers and
sisters in the Lord within the church of Corinth.
The
verse goes on to say, “... (you
know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia,
and that
they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)”
Paul
continued with the words, “you know”
which means
“the church members perceived, noticed, discerned and discovered”
“the house”
or “the dwelling and family” “of
Stephanas”
whose name means “crowned” and was “a Christian convert in
Corinth”, “that it is the
firstfruits”
or “the firstlings in receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ and were
consecrated to God for all time” “of
Achaia”
which means “trouble” and was “a Roman province embracing all
Greece except Thessaly and the maritime region of northern
Peloponnesus”, “and that they”
which refers
to “the people within the family of Stephanas” “have
addicted themselves”
which means “put in order, arranged, assigned to a place and
appointed their own selves” “to the
ministry”
or “to the service of those who execute the command of God
proclaimed and promoted as Religion among them” “of
the saints”
which refers to “the most holy, pure, morally blameless and
ceremonially consecrated people”. Paul shared how the household of
“Stephanas”
of “Achaia”
was the first one to receive Jesus Christ as their “Savior and
Lord”, and afterwards became “addicted”
to the “good news” of Jesus.
When
we think through these words from Paul, we see how he desired for the
church members in Corinth to acknowledge the position of those within
“Stephanas'” house. They were the first, according to the
apostle Paul, to receive the “gospel of Jesus Christ”, and they
proved it by their efforts to continue the “good news” till that
present day. Let us keep in mind that God uses everyone He wills, and
we can be “addicted” to the “gospel” and allow the
world to see Jesus like they never have before.
Next
time
Paul tells
the
church members to “submit”
themselves “unto
such, and to every one that helps with us”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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