Making Plans (1 Cor. 16:1-12) *Verses in NKJV*
– Proverbs 16:9, A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
– Aaron Q and I were in Peru, driving through the streets of a small town in the Colca Valley. Every route out of town was now blocked with large piles of dirt that were not there the day before… We found an exit, now we’re in the center of a crowd of protesters with the road blocked by boulders…
(Play video)
– Angry farmers and citizens upset about the government stealing their water rights…
– Also earthquakes, collapsing buildings, and a tunnel of a main road out of the valley…
– When we were supposed to break away from the team, Q had to commandeer a vehicle so we didn’t miss the transport out of town…
– Reflecting back on this trip, I wasn’t worried or upset. We had a detailed plan that partially blew up, but I remember it as a great experience…Why? I had no expectations of things being perfect…
– In our verses tonight, Paul had made detailed plans for a missionary journey to Corinth, but he knew that the Lord could change them at anytime…
– Paul is also directing the church in Corinth to make plans, and to be prepared for his arrival…
1 Cor. 16:1-12 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. 3 And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. 4 But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me. 5 Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). 6 And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 10 And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. 11 Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren. 12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.
- Make a plan for giving.
– When Paul visits the church in Corinth, his plan is to pick up money that they are supposed to have set aside for him, then he will deliver it to “the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem.”
– 1 Cor. 16:1-2, Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
Some principles for giving:
1st: Plan ahead. Set aside money in advance. Do it first and prioritize it.
– You know the need will one day be there. Don’t wait for it. Set money aside now, a little each time, so you can give generously when the time comes, and not make yourself poor to help the poor.
– Otherwise, you carelessly spend the money, and when the need arises, you “can’t afford it.”
– This can apply to saving for the Men’s Advance, too. If you would save $15 a month, you would be ready to pay for the Men’s Advance, and not have to say, “I can’t afford to pay $175 this month.”
– For just $40 a month you could provide food, education, and physical and spiritual support to an orphan child in Sierra Leone. That’s 2 trips to McDonalds. Stop paying for Starbucks coffee!
– Make plans, not excuses.
2nd: Paul says, “…storing up as he may prosper…” To the measure God has blessed you, you have the ability to pay those blessings forward to others.
– Matthew Henry said, “It is not the diligent hand that will make rich by itself, without the divine blessing. Our prosperity and success are from God and not from ourselves.”
– God is the one who continues to provide for YOUR needs, so why be selfish and stingy about it, like somehow you can’t trust God to continue to supply all of your needs?
– Phil 4:19, And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
– We share the load “each one of us”, so it does not become a burden to only a few. The churches in Galatia were instructed to set aside donations also. The poor also give according to their blessings.
– Generosity is not a coincidence or accident. It is a heart condition.
3rd: Generosity is done willingly. Otherwise, it is called extortion.
– 2 Cor. 9:5-8, Therefore I thought it necessary to [b]exhort (encourage) the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a [c]grudging (covetousness) obligation. 6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows [d]bountifully (with blessings) will also reap [e]bountifully (with blessings). 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of [f]necessity (compulsion); for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
– Your giving should be done cheerfully and willing. Not out of guilt, pressure, or compulsion.
– Generosity has nothing to do with wealth. It is a heart condition that wants to bless others. Example: In India, significant poverty, every home we went to made us tea and a snack… to bless the weary traveler… They would stand up to give you their chair. They gave what they had…
- Make a plan for doing.
– Boxer, Mike Tyson, famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
– People often think this means that making a plan is a waste of time, because as soon as you get hurt, your plan will be forgotten. (Which we have all seen happen in sports…)
– This quote was actually Tyson’s reply to facing adversity. It wasn’t his own plan that would be thwarted by a punch in the mouth, it was his opponent’s, Evander Holyfield.
– Mike Tyson later explained this quote in an interview. “People were asking me [before the fight], ‘What’s going to happen?’ They were talking about his style. ‘He’s going to give you a lot of lateral movement. He’s going to move, he’s going to dance. He’s going to do this, do that.’ I said, ‘Everybody has a plan until they get hit. Then, like a rat, they stop in fear and freeze.’”
– Of course, the fight with Holyfield ended in disqualification because Tyson famously bit Evandor’s ear off… but to make my point, he adjusted his strategy and plan…
– He actually said this quote to reporters before many of his fights. Why? Because Tyson had a plan (albeit a simple one), and he was more focused on what he needed to do, than his many opponents.
– Paul had a plan for his mission trip too. Go through Macedonia, stay in Ephesus through Pentecost, spend the winter in Corinth, and even send Timothy ahead of him and meet up with him later…
– He was focused on what he needed to do. He had planned a route. He had a plan to give Jerusalem the financial support from the field. He was preparing the church to receive Timothy, working to make his visit successful too… but Paul also said one key phrase, “… if the Lord permits.”
– James 4:13-15, Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow [h]we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”
– It is okay to have a detailed plan, but don’t become derailed when the plan changes.
– Paul had been shipwrecked, thrown in prison, and beaten to death. He also preached to kings and lead a worship service from prison… but none of that changed his mission or his resolve.
– Paul kept right on “doing” what God had for him, despite the obstacles or accolades.
– Think about this: Sometimes you can’t change your circumstances, but you can always choose how you will respond to them. You can control your effort and emotions, but God controls the outcomes…
– See obstacles as opportunities for growth. As you draw close to God in those times, you become stronger, better able to handle the next obstacle that will inevitably come along.
– Obstacles are not barriers in the journey. They ARE the journey. Do not grieve them.
– James 1:2-4, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces [a]patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be [b]perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
– You CHOOSE how you will feel. You choose to be offended. You choose to be harmed.
– Marcus Aurelius said, “Choose not to be harmed, and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed, and you haven’t been.”
– You choose the story you tell yourself. Victim of the world, or victory through Jesus?
– Don’t say to me, “But you don’t understand… You don’t know MY situation.” It doesn’t really matter what I know or understand. My opinion is irrelevant to your situation.
– Don’t worry about what I think. Reflect on what God says:
– 1 Peter 5:6-7, Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
– Romans 8:18, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
– Phil 4:6-7, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
– James 1:12, Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
– 2 Cor. 12:8-10, Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
– YOU CHOOSE the voices you are going to listen to. God’s voice… or your own?
- Make a plan to allow the Holy Spirit to redirect you.
– 1 Cor 16:12, Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.
– The bible doesn’t say WHY Apollos was unwilling to go on this mission trip, but let’s play detective:
– Some scholars speculate that because of the drama mentioned earlier in this letter, when the people were picking sides between Paul and Apollos, that he didn’t want to return and create more division.
– He would have been ministering with Timothy this time, and they were a perfect pair. Timothy was young, new, and possibly shy. Apollos was dynamic, well-spoken, and salty… a great example for him.
– Paul had a great plan, and was the Big Boss after all, but I don’t think Apollos was being rebellious.
– Apollos was spirit-filled, so he knew God’s plan for himself, even if it meant resisting Paul’s plan…
– Paul doesn’t seem annoyed by this. He knows that plans can change, “…if the Lord permits”. We need to be ready to adjust when the Holy Spirit redirects us.
– Proverbs 16:3, 3 Commit[b] your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.
– Aaron and I had plans for Peru, but we were open to God changing those plans. Through protests and earthquakes and multiple changes in transportation plans… obstacles became opportunities…
– These “redirected plans” led to many blessings:
– Because we were on mission helping children, the protesters let us pass to do our work…
– No one was hurt in the earthquakes, and we were not trapped by the collapsed tunnel…
– Because of the adjustments, I met Fiorella (future obstetrician) and sponsor her education…
– The transport out of town was full European tourist, and a 5-hour drive over the mountains, so we could share the gospel in English, without a language barrier…
– Make your plans, but be ready and willing for the Lord to change them.
– Proverbs 16:9, A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
– prayer –
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