Lessons #605 and 606
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Final exhortation – Submission and Recognition (1 Cor 16:15-18)
15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, 16 to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it. 17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.
We have come to the second element of the final exhortations in this first epistle to the Corinthians of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul to the Corinthians and so to all believers in Christ. The first element of the final exhortations involved spiritual vigilance as we focused on our last study. The second element that is our concern in the passage before us involves the concepts of submission and recognition. Thus, the message the apostle directed to the Corinthians is that they are to submit to and recognize the family of Stephanus and all those who work hard to benefit them spiritually. This message to the Corinthians leads to a message we believe the Holy Spirit wants us to convey to you. This message is that You should submit and appreciate all those who work hard in your local church to make it possible for you to be provided with the environment for spiritual growth. This message will become clearer as we expound the passage before us.
The apostle left no doubt to the Corinthians that he had not finished with his exhortation to them since he signaled that he had additional exhortations that together form the second element of his final exhortation to them. We are saying that unlike the way some of our English versions began verse 15, the apostle in the Greek conveyed to the Corinthians that he was not done with his final exhortation to them. This is because the apostle used a Greek particle (de) that is routinely translated “but” to reflect a contrast between clauses but when a simple connective is desired, without contrast being clearly implied, it may be translated “and,” and in certain occurrences the particle may be left untranslated as done here in the NIV and a handful of English versions. Nonetheless, in our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:15, the Greek particle is used to relate the second instruction of 1 Corinthians 16:15 to that of the preceding verses 13 and 14. Hence, the Greek particle is translated “now” in some of our English versions such as the NET and the NRSV although the word “and” is also a possible translation. Two English versions began verse 15 in such a way to indicate that the apostle was linking or adding to the first exhortation of verses 13 and 14 to the exhortation of verse 15. The NJB began verse 15 with the sentence There is something else and the REB used the phrase One thing more. Both translations capture the point of the apostle in his use of the Greek particle which is that he had more elements to his final exhortation to them.
Most of our English versions translated verse 15 in a way that reads smoother in the English in that unlike the Greek where the exhortation of verse 15 is the very first word in the Greek of the verse, the exhortation of the apostle is given in the last instruction of the verse that reads I urge. The NASB and the ESV that are often literal began the verse as in the Greek because after the word “now” that begins the verse the translators have the sentence I urge. Although I have made this observation, I will follow the order of the sentence we find in the NIV and majority of our English versions in our exposition of 1 Corinthians 16:15 primarily because the actual instruction of the apostle that is the object of the word “urge” was not given until verse 16 so that everything the apostle wrote following the Greek word translated “urge” in the NIV is intended to provide information about Stephanas prior to the exhortation that is given to the Corinthians.
Following the order given in the NIV, the first thing we note is that Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians of information they already have as introduced in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:15 You know. The form of the Greek word in the plural translated You know is one Apostle Paul used more times in his first epistle to the Corinthians than any other of his epistles. You see, the apostle used the Greek form translated You know twenty-seven times in his epistles but twelve of these in his first epistle to the Corinthians. Of course, ten of these usages are in the form of a question to remind the Corinthians of something they should have known either because of what he taught them or because of their previous experience. For example, he reminded the Corinthians that the Holy Spirit resides in them individually and corporately although through a question as we read in 1 Corinthians 6:19:
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
The question assumes the apostle had taught them this truth about their relationship with the Holy Spirit. He also appealed to what they knew through their experience as Corinthians as it relates to athletic competitions in 1 Corinthians 9:24:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
The Corinthians were aware of what the apostle stated regarding runners because they have observed individuals who participated in various races. So, his question, although rhetorical, assumes something that they know for certain. The interesting thing is that, as we have stated, the apostle used the form of Greek word translated You know ten times in a question format but in our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:15 he deviated from his pattern of using a question. Instead, he used a positive statement. Why is that? Well, the reason the apostle used a positive statement in 1 Corinthians 16:15 You know instead of the question do you not know? is that what he stated to the Corinthians although true may not have been recognized by them. This interpretation is supported by the use of such positive statements in other epistles of the apostle. Stating to the Galatians a fact they may or may not know, he used a positive statement as we read in Galatians 4:13:
As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.
The Galatians were certainly aware of the apostle’s condition when he preached the gospel to them but that does not necessarily mean they knew it was because of his health condition that he ended up preaching the gospel to them. In acknowledging the support, he received from the Philippians, the apostle stated a fact that they may or may not be aware concerning the Philippians being the only local church that supported him, as we read in Philippians 4:15:
Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only;
To the Thessalonians, the apostle referenced how he and his team lived while with them for their sake, something they may or may not know. They certainly knew the apostle and his team lived exemplary lives, but they may or may not know that that was also for their sake as the apostle stated in 1 Thessalonians 1:5:
because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.
Thus, it appears that when the apostle wanted to state a fact the recipients may or may not know, he used a positive statement instead of a question. This then explained his use of a positive statement in 1 Corinthians 16:15 You know. He was being cautious in what he was about to state.
The word “know” is translated from a Greek word (oida) with a range of meanings, but we will briefly consider those that are possible candidates in our context. The word may mean to grasp the meaning of something or to comprehend, that is, “to understand, recognize, come to know, experience” as it is used to indicate the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ to the Jews did not comprehend what He said to them that implies His death and resurrection as given in John 16:18:
They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
The sentence We don’t understand what he is saying is literally we don’t know what he is saying. The Greek word may mean “to remember, recollect” as Apostle Paul used it to state of him not recollecting baptizing anyone else in Corinth than those he mentioned in the context as we read in 1 Corinthians 1:16:
(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.)
The Greek word may mean “to know” in the sense of having information about someone or something as Apostle Paul used the word to indicate that the Galatians, prior to their salvation, did not know the supreme God as stated in Galatians 4:8:
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:15, the word means “to know” in the sense of “to be cognizant or aware of a fact.”
There are two facts the apostle cautiously brought to the attention of the Corinthians that they may or may not know. The first concerns the first believers in Achaia as we read in 1 Corinthians 16:15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia. Literally, the Greek reads you know the family of Stephanas, that it is (the) first fruits of Achaia.
The word “household” is translated from a Greek (oikia) that may mean “a house” literally as a structure used for dwelling as the word is used by Apostle Paul to describe things found in such a place in 2 Timothy 2:20:
In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.
Figuratively, the word “house” refers to the body as the dwelling place of the soul as it is used by Apostle Paul to describe believer’s eternal dwelling in 2 Corinthians 5:1:
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
The Greek word may mean “household, family” as “a social unit within a dwelling,” as it is used to describe a royal official and those in his house that believed in Christ as a result of the miracle of healing of his son as stated in John 4:53:
Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his household believed.
It is in the sense of “household” as “a social unit within a dwelling” that the Greek word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:15.
The household in view belongs to Stephanas as in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 16:15 household of Stephanas. Since a household in the NT time in a Roman province normally included male and female family members (adults and children), freedmen and women, and slaves, the apostle would have meant adult members, based on the context that implies leadership role that were assumed by members of the household of Stephanas.
We do not have any information about Stephanas whose name means “crown” than what is recorded in first Corinthians. We are informed that he and his household were baptized by Apostle Paul as stated in the passage we cited previously, that is, 1 Corinthians 1:16:
(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.)
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:15 he, together with his household, was described in the words of the NIV as the first converts in Achaia as in the sentence the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia or literally the family of Stephanas, that it is (the) first fruits of Achaia. This is because the expression “first converts” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (aparchē) that may mean “first fruits, first portion” as it is used in the Septuagint in a literal sense to describe the instruction of the Yahweh to Israel regarding what they were to offer to Him from their harvest as recorded in Numbers 15:17–21:
17 The LORD said to Moses, 18 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land to which I am taking you 19 and you eat the food of the land, present a portion as an offering to the LORD. 20 Present a cake from the first of your ground meal and present it as an offering from the threshing floor. 21 Throughout the generations to come you are to give this offering to the LORD from the first of your ground meal.
Figuratively, the word was used to refer to the first convert to the Christian faith in Asia as stated in Romans 16:5:
Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
The phrase the first convert is literally the first fruits. Still figuratively, the word may have the sense of “guarantee or pledge or birth certificate” as it is used by Apostle Paul to describe the Holy Spirit given to believers in Romans 8:23:
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
The word may mean “beginning” as Apostle Paul used it to describe the election of the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2:13:
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:15, the word means “first” or “first fruits”, that is, “the first element in a countable series of Christians” so has the sense of “first convert” to the Christian faith. The implication is that Stephanas was first converted at about the same time as the rest of his household, so we have the phrase the first converts in Achaia.
The phrase the first converts in Achaia appears to contradict the narrative of Luke regarding those who were converted in Athens as we read in Acts 17:34:
A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
Bear in mind that it was after Apostle Paul’s ministry at Athens that he went to Corinth so those he mentioned as believers in Athens were indeed in Christ before Stephanas and his household. Athens was part of the Roman region known as Achaia in the time of the Apostle Paul’s ministry. This being the case, the problem is how to resolve what the apostle wrote about Stephanas and his household in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 16:15 the first converts in Achaia to the information in Acts 17:34 where the names of those who believed in Athens are given. Scholars have attempted to resolve it in two ways. A first explanation given by Sir William Ramsay is that household were the “first fruits” of a church or community established by Paul in that region. Another explanation is that Paul meant “first fruits” of Corinth. This second explanation was probably what the apostle meant. We know that Corinth was the capital city of Achaia so that when the apostle used Achaia he was primarily focused on Corinth. This makes sense in that when Apollos went from Ephesus to Corinth it is said that he went to Achaia as we read in Acts 18:27:
When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
Although this passage does not say that Apollos went to Corinth, we know that he did for otherwise, the Corinthians would not have known about him so that some considered him the leader of their partisan group. Furthermore, it is the church in Corinth that the apostle wrote and addressed their members as those in Achaia as we read in 2 Corinthians 9:2:
For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.
The phrase you in Achaia refers primarily to the Corinthians and so it is very likely that when the apostle wrote the phrase of 1 Corinthians 16:15 the first converts in Achaia he was thinking of the church in Corinth and not necessarily any other group in Achaia since his instruction in the passage we are considering is directed to the Corinthians.
In any case the sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:15 the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia is quite interesting as it points to salvation matters of families. I mean that the sentence supports the assertion that if a person is of the elect of God that his entire family would by implication be of the elect. It is true we do not have any specific passage that directly asserts this but the fact that Stephanas and his household were believers suggests that what we said is to be accepted. It is not only with Stephanas that we encounter that but also with Lydia that we are informed that she and her household were baptized as narrated in Acts 16:15:
When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
The same declaration was made about the Philippian jailer for we read in Acts 16:34:
The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.
Again, the phrase he and his whole family suggests that everyone in the family presumably the adults believed in God implying that the entire family were of the elect of God for everyone to believe. My point is that we have enough pattern of members of household being saved so that we can deduce that if a head of household is of the elect of God that everyone associated with him/her in that family is indeed an elect of God. This assertion should cause parents who are saved but some of the members of their family are not at the moment saved to be hopeful that in God’s appointed time these other members would be saved. Anyway, the first fact the apostle brought to the attention of the Corinthians that they may or may not know is that Stephanas and his household were the first believers in Achaia, that is, in Corinth.
The second fact Apostle Paul cautiously brought to the attention of the Corinthians about Stephanas, and his household is their devotion to the ministry in the church of Christ. It is this fact that is given in the next sentence of 1 Corinthians 16:15 and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints.
The word “devoted” is translated from a Greek word (tassō) that may mean “to put in place, establish” of authority as it is used to indicate that the authority of human government is established or put in place by God according to Romans 13:1:
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
The word may mean “to put a person in a specific position” hence means “to appoint” as it is used by Luke to report the response of the elect to the gospel message of Apostle Paul as recorded in Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
The word may mean “to put someone over or in charge of someone or something” but in our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:15, the word has the sense of “to devote oneself to something.” By the way, it is the same Greek form that is used for the appointment of Apostles Paul and Barnabas to the task of going to Jerusalem to table the concerns of the church in Antioch regarding the relationship of Gentile believers to ceremonial aspect of Mosaic Law, specifically, the issue of circumcision as stated in Acts 15:2:
This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
It is true our Greek word is translated “appointed” in this verse in Acts 15, but it has the sense of “to select.” Regardless of whether the meaning “appointed” or “selected” is used, the implication is that others acted on behalf of Apostles Paul and Barnabas in appointing or selecting them. This is different from the usage in 1 Corinthians 16:15 because we have a reflective Greek pronoun (heautou) that in our verse is translated “themselves.” Since the household of Stephanas acted then it is better to understand the Greek word we considered to have the meaning we stated that is, “to devote oneself to something.”
The thing Stephanas and his household were devoted to is given in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 16:15 the service of the saints. The word “service” is translated from a Greek word (diakonia) that is used overwhelmingly by Apostle Paul in his epistles so that he used it twenty-three times out of the thirty-four times the word appears in the Greek NT. The word has the basic meaning of “service” but with several other nuances. The word refers to rendering of specific assistance and so means “aid, support, provision” although it is translated “distribution” in the NIV as part of support or aid given to widows in the early church as recorded in Acts 6:1:
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
The Greek word can mean “task”, as Apostle Paul used it to describe the responsibility of preaching the gospel assigned to him in Acts 20:24:
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
The word can refer to service rendered in an intermediary capacity so that it can mean “mediation, assignment”, as the word is used by Apostle Paul to describe the collection from the Gentile churches, he initiated to help believers in Jerusalem church. It is in this sense that the word “service” is used in 2 Corinthians 8:4:
they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
The phrase this service to the saints refers specifically to the collection that Paul was gathering for Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. The word is also used in the sense of “ministry” in connection with the apostles in 2 Corinthians 5:18:
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
It is probably this meaning of “ministry” that is intended when our word is translated “work” in the instruction to Archippus in Colossae as stated in Colossians 4:17:
Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.”
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:15, the word is used with the meaning of “service” in a general sense. The service is directed towards believers as in the phrase the service of the saints.
The word “saints” is translated from a Greek word (hagios) that pertains to being dedicated or consecrated to the service of God and so means “dedicated to God, holy, sacred.” The word may pertain to being holy in the sense of superior, moral qualities, and possessing certain essential divine qualities in contrast with what is human so means “holy, pure, divine.” It is in this sense that the word is used to describe God whose holiness believers are to imitate, as the Holy Spirit commanded through Apostle Peter as stated in 1 Peter 1:15–16:
15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
When the adjective is used with a definite article in the singular, it refers to “the holy” whether of a thing or a person. Thus, it can be used to refer to that which is holy as it was used in Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:6:
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
The description what is sacred may alternatively be translated what is holy. In this meaning of “the holy,” the Greek word is used in the NT for Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit but never of an individual believer. It is used to describe Jesus Christ several times in the Gospels and in Acts as the Holy One. Demons addressed Jesus as the Holy One as stated in Mark 1:24:
“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
Peter used our word with the definite article to describe Jesus as recorded in John 6:69:
We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Again, when Peter addressed those who witnessed the healing of a crippled beggar, he described Jesus as “the Holy One” as recorded in Acts 3:14:
You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.
Our Greek adjective is used in the singular with the definite article for the Holy Spirit in John 14:26:
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
The examples we cited indicate that when our Greek adjective is used with a definite article in the singular, it means “the holy” but only in reference to deity. There is no single passage in the NT where the Greek adjective is used to describe a human being or any single individual.
The situation is different when the Greek adjective is in the plural and used with the definite article as in the passage of 1 Corinthians 16:15 that we are expounding. When the Greek adjective is used with the definite article in the plural, the meaning is “the holy ones.” The phrase “the holy ones” most often rendered with the word “saints” in our English versions is one that is used in the Scripture to describe God’s people, that is, those in a covenant relationship with Him. In the OT, the psalmist used it to describe God’s people in Psalm 16:3:
As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
Daniel used the word “saints” for God’s people in Daniel 7:25:
He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
In both passages of Psalm and Daniel, the word “saints” from the Septuagint literally reads “the holy ones” because the plural of the definite article and plural of our Greek adjective are used. In the NT, the combination of the plural of the definite article and our Greek adjective is used primarily to describe believers in the Lord Jesus Christ where, the Greek phrase is commonly translated “saints” in our English versions.
The very first use of the Greek phrase translated “saints” to describe believers in Christ is given in Acts 9:32:
As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda.
Apostle Paul used the phrase the saints to describe believers in Romans 12:13:
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
The phrase God’s people is literally the saints. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:15, it is used to describe God’s people or loyal followers of Christ as those dedicated to God. This is probably the reason the 2011 edition of the NIV used the phrase Lord’s people, referring to those who are followers of Jesus Christ.
The service of Stephanas and his household is directed to believers in Achaia since the phrase of 1 Corinthians 16:15 to the service of the saints is literally to the service for the holy ones. The literal translation implies that the service rendered and continued to be rendered by Stephanas, and his household, is for the benefit of believers in Achaia. Of course, we indicated that the service is of a general nature so it will be necessary to consider the nature of the service Stephanas and his household rendered to believers in Achaia or in Corinth that the apostle was cautious to mention. Bear in mind that we indicate that the service rendered to believers in Achaia or in Corinth is general in nature, implying that what Stephanas and his household were devoted to would include various ministries and services that the Holy Spirit had assigned to believers since Apostle Paul had already stated that the Holy Spirit had assigned different kinds of ministries or services to various believers as recorded in 1 Corinthians 12:5:
There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
The existence of different kinds of service or ministry enables us to assert that the members of the household of Stephans would not have been involved in the same services or ministries to their fellow believers in their local church. Since the services or ministries are directed to believers there are at least three services or ministries that Stephanas and his household were devoted to for the benefit of their fellow believers.
The first service or ministry involves teaching of the word of God. Teaching of the word of God to believers is the most important of all the ministries or services directed towards believers since the word of God is the basis of spiritual growth. It is because of the importance of the ministry of the word that the apostles assigned some men, in the early church, administrative duties to ensure they were not distracted from the ministry of the word of God as stated in Acts 6:4:
and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
Since the ministry of the word is most important in a local church, it would seem that Stephanas, being the first convert in Achaia, would have been appointed an elder by the Apostle Paul when he established the church in Corinth. Someone may argue that there is no direct statement to the effect that Stephanas was appointed an elder. This is true but we assert that Stephanas must have been appointed an elder by the apostle based on established patterns of the apostle in his missionary activity. We know that at the first missionary work of Apostles Paul and Barnabas that they appointed elders for the people that responded to the gospel message as we read in Acts 14:23:
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
This passage is the only record in the NT of Apostle Paul being directly involved in appointment of elders for local churches but that does not mean that this was the only case in which he did that. There is no doubt that when Apostle Paul established the church in Ephesus that he appointed elders although there is no direct statement to that effect. However, the apostle’s action sometime after he left Ephesus implies that he had appointed some elders in Ephesus. We said this because unless that was the case, the apostle would not have sent for elders of the church in Ephesus to come to him while he was at Miletus as we read in Acts 20:17:
From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.
We are saying that the fact the apostle sent for elders of the church in Ephesus implies that he knew of their existence. Since he was the one that established the church in Ephesus, we would expect that following the pattern of his first missionary journey with Barnabas where they appointed elders that he would have appointed elders in that church. Furthermore, the apostle indicated that his reason for leaving Titus in Crete was so he would appoint elders as we may gather from Titus 1:5:
The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
One of the criteria for appointing an elder the Holy Spirit stipulated through Apostle Paul is the ability to teach doctrine the apostle passed on to those so appointed as conveyed in Titus 1:9:
He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Interestingly, the epistle of Clement that is considered part of the Apostolic Fathers referenced the apostles appointing their first converts as bishops and deacons as we read in 1 Clement 42:3-4:
3Having therefore received a charge, and having been fully assured through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and confirmed in the word of God with full assurance of the Holy Ghost, they went forth with the glad tidings that the kingdom of God should come. 4So preaching everywhere in country and town, they appointed their first-fruits, when they had proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons unto them that should believe.
We go to this length simply to assert that Stephanas must have been appointed an elder in Corinth although not directly stated. This means that part of his ministry or service to believers in Corinth is to teach them the truth. No doubt, the ministry of the word is usually associated with those with the spiritual gifts of communication, but we should recognize that there is a sense that every believer is involved in the ministry of the word as stated in Colossians 3:16:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
So, we will expect that some, if not all the adults, of the members of the household of Stephanas would have been involved in the ministry of the word in this secondary sense.
Another service or ministry that members of the household of Stephanas would have been involved in is that of taking care of the affairs of the local church that are mostly done by deacons as their ministry parallels that of the seven, the early church chose to administer daily affairs of the church. It is this ministry of handling the affairs of the church that the apostles turned over to the seven men appointed in the early church for that purpose as implied in their instruction to the church as recorded in Acts 6:3:
Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them.
So, we contend that some male members of the household of Stephanas must have in a sense served as deacons for their local church. Still another service or ministry of the members of the household of Stephanas is aiding the needy in keeping with their means. Anyway, the fact is that Stephanas and his household were devoted to the service or ministry of the church in Corinth. My question to you is this: Are you devoted to such? Do you help in keeping this local church going, such as cleaning the place where we meet?
There is more to consider but we are out of time but let me end by reminding you of the message of this section which is You should submit and appreciate all those who work hard in your local church to make it possible for you to be provided with the environment for spiritual growth.
03/08/24