Fellowship with Believers and Sharing the Gospel with Unbelievers

1 Corinthians 16:5-12

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.

• Followers of Christ want to be among other Believers.
• Followers of Christ wants to bring others to Jesus.
• Followers of Christ wants the Gospel to be shared without intimidation.
• Jesus Christ is waiting for us to join the saints.

Followers of Christ want to be among other Believers. “Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). 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.” 1 Corinthians 16:5-6 As followers of Jesus Christ, we are carriers of the Gospel of Christ, and we want to be wherever others can be strengthened in His Spirit. We also want to be with those who can help us on our journey in spreading the Good News. “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.” 1 Corinthians 16:7 Our prayer is to stay with fellow Believers for as long as we can, but it all depends on whether God makes a way or not.

Followers of Christ wants to bring others to Christ. “But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 The greatest opportunity we have is to bring others to Jesus Christ, and that is more important than even fellowshipping with those who are already saved.  “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” Luke 15:7 Today, there are many adversaries to the spreading of the Gospel of Christ. We live in a society that calls themselves “democratic,” but they embrace humanism rooted in the mark of the beast. They are hostile to belief in God, do not acknowledge the need for the remission of sin through Jesus, and they trample on the Holy Spirit.

Followers of Christ wants the Gospel to be shared without intimidation. “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.” 1 Corinthians 16:10 Timothy was a young boy of about the age of 16, with an unbelieving father and a Christian mother, as read here, “Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.” Acts 16:1 Paul took Timothy under his wings to bring him into the work of sharing the Good News. Timothy was sharing the Gospel of Christ, just like Paul, and Paul didn’t want the Corinthians to intimidate Timothy because of his youth. It’s the Holy Scriptures that matter the most, not the age of the person sharing the Gospel. The message we share is from Jesus Christ, in the same way that the message of Timothy was directly from Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is waiting for us to join the saints. “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.” 1 Corinthians 16:11 Jesus Christ wants us to be able to walk with Him in peace, He will be waiting for us to join all the saints who are destined for the eternal New Jerusalem. Jesus has a word for those who would cause Timothy, or any of us to stumble, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” Luke 17:2

Even among the saints, there are things that impede us from joining the fellowship of Believers. Today, there is no fellowship in the churches with the Spirit of Christ, and Believers are scattered from each other. “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.” 1 Corinthians 16:12 As followers of Christ, we urge Believers to join with other Believers. Sometimes it isn’t possible to do at a given time, but we always hope a convenient time will arise to do so.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11