1 Corinthians 16 Discussion

Church life gets real when the Bible starts talking about money, relationships, awkward greetings, and the kind of strength that actually protects people. We’re in 1 Corinthians 16, where Paul moves from big theology to daily practice: a weekly collection for believers in need, ministry plans that stay flexible “if the Lord permits,” and a clear push to honor faithful workers like Timothy while still giving leaders and coworkers freedom, like Apollos. If you care about Christian generosity, church giving, and how the early church operated, this chapter is a blueprint for steady, pressure-free stewardship. 

Then we go straight into the line everyone remembers: “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” We talk about what that meant historically in early Christianity, why it faded in many places, and what the principle still calls for today. Our takeaway is not forcing a ritual, but recovering a church culture that feels like family, where people are known, welcomed, and refreshed instead of shuffling in and out like strangers. 

Paul’s closing commands sharpen the theme: “Be watchful… stand firm… be strong,” and then the key qualifier, “let all that you do be done in love.” We dig into biblical masculinity, spiritual strength, and why strength without love turns toxic. We also don’t dodge the blunt warning that love for the Lord is the dividing line, not mere information about God. If you want practical discipleship anchored in Scripture, this is one to save and share. 

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Transcript

Welcome And Chapter Roadmap

Pastor Plek 0:10

And welcome back to a chapter a day. Keeps the devil away. I'm Pastor Pleck. That's Pastor Holland. We're talking First Corinthians chapter 16. We're going to outline, observe it, interpret, and apply it so that you can take the gospel with you along your way today. All right, so verses one through four, we talk about the collection for the saints that uh Paul is taking up uh to help uh churches uh in Jerusalem. Then in verses five through nine, Paul talks about some travel plans and ministry opportunities. He wants to visit Corinth after passing through Macedonia, but he doesn't want to spend a little bit of time. He might stay the entire winter there. Then verses 10 through 12, instructions regarding coworkers. He's got Timothy. If he comes, help him. Uh Paulos, he's listening, I tried to get him to come, but he can't come. Uh and he's emphasizing mutual respect and support for the faithful ministers. Then finally, we got 13 and 14, a series of imperatives like be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. I love that. And then finally, verses 15 through 24, greeting, encouragement, and a benediction. He's really all about this household of Stephanus, the first converts in Achaea, which is Lower Greece, for devoting themselves to the ministry. And he wants everyone to know that hey, uh Aquila and Priscilla, they also send love, and he wants to make sure everyone's doing some holy kissing. All right. Let's talk about what are your observations?

Pastor Holland 1:40

Holy kiss. When when I mean, when did that stop? People don't do, I mean, maybe maybe some denomination that are still big on the holy kiss?

Pastor Plek 1:52

Not one that I've ever seen. Except in Latin America. And I don't know if that's necessarily kiss. Every Sunday I do get a holy kiss from my Latin sisters. Okay. Every Sunday? Uh just about, yeah. Anytime they see me, I get a big smooch right on the cheek, and I just don't know what to do.

Pastor Holland 2:14

This in the early church, it was widely practiced, mentioned by writers like Justin Martyr, mid-second century, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, and in texts like the apostolic tradition. It occurred in liturgical settings after prayers or before the Eucharist, baptisms, ordinations, and as a general greeting among Christians, restrictions emerged early due to propriety concerns. It was limited to same gender exchanges in many places, excluded unbaptized and non-Christians, and never fully stopped across all Christianity, but it's declined significantly today.

Pastor Plek 2:52

So there you go. You know, when I was in Iraq, I got a holy kiss from my informants. Um, I don't know. It's it's such a cultural deal that it's lost the holiness of the kiss, I think. But you know what, Holland? I think you have a desire to bring it back. Yeah, I'm gonna pray about it for sure. There it is in the word. Can't go wrong. And I we are literalists, so why don't we just literally do what the Bible's saying? Just do it. All right. Um, yeah, I I would definitely think that is a cultural thing, but we do need to do at least a uh a handshake, slap hug, side hug, the holy side hug.

Pastor Holland 3:30

The holy side is that the the Wells branch way?

Pastor Plek 3:32

That is the Wells branch way, a lot of a lot of side hugging, and like you stand side by side and go, hmm. And it's awkward for everybody, but it's good. I think Westerners in general have a hard time with affection, and we probably need to do a lot better at that.

Pastor Holland 3:48

There you go. Does this talk about anything else in this passage, or did we finish it?

Pastor Plek 3:55

All right. What about um I love Paul is is he's like strategic, he's got plans, but then he throws in there if the Lord permits.

Pastor Holland 4:04

Yeah.

Pastor Plek 4:05

Um, and like he's like, Hey, I got a great door of opportunities, but many adversaries. It's like weird. I got some great opportunities, but man, a lot of evil out there, a lot of evil. Yeah, I love it.

Pastor Holland 4:16

And I'm not sure if the the opportunity is because of the evil or with great opportunities. That might have been the opportunities like, hey, I got some people to go debate with and try to lead to Christ, and like he may have been excited about the adversaries.

Pastor Plek 4:28

Yeah.

Pastor Holland 4:29

All right. What about?

Pastor Plek 4:30

I love he's always looking out for Timothy. Like, he's like, come on, somebody help Timothy out. Like at some point, Timothy's like, Paul, I got it. You know, like I'm a grown man.

Pastor Holland 4:39

Uh he says, let no one despise him, you know, similar to what he says to Timothy of hey, let no one despise you for your youth, right? Yeah. And he also tells other people he was really worried about Timothy being despised.

Pastor Plek 4:51

Yeah. Hey, man, that that's that's a tough burden to carry right there. How about Apollos? He's like, I tried to convince him, but he just wouldn't listen to me. Yeah, it was not at all his will to come now. No, not at all his will, which means can you disagree with Paul? I guess so.

Pastor Holland 5:06

Yeah. He's like, I'm not gonna do it, Paul.

Pastor Plek 5:07

Yeah, sorry, Paul. Yeah, pound sand.

Pastor Holland 5:10

Um, I love be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. And then it says, let all that you do be done in love. I think it really this gives you like a great picture of biblical masculinity. It is it is strength. There, you know, there's something particularly masculine about being strong. Um, and that includes, you know, physical strength as well as spiritual strength, but the strength is directed toward love. It's directed toward you know the benefit of others, protecting others, um, being you know, watchful to look out for the people that you care about. And Paul gives that kind of protective challenge um to the men of the church. I think it's awesome.

Pastor Plek 5:50

I love uh Stephanus and the household who get like you know, member of the month. Uh yeah, you know, like he's like, he's working super hard, you know, he's the first converts, and ever since he was converted, he's worked harder than anybody. And I wanted to say except me, but he didn't. I was I was I appreciated Paul's really on that one.

Pastor Holland 6:10

In parentheses, except me, just for the record, I worked harder than any of them. Remember last chapter. Um okay.

Pastor Plek 6:18

Uh what else you got? Um, how about the the nickname? Prisca. Yeah. Like like Priscilla is or Prisca is short for Priscilla. The fact that he he had gives her a pet name.

Pastor Holland 6:33

Or maybe she already had it.

Pastor Plek 6:35

All right, fair enough. No, no, he gave it to her, right? All right, yeah, that's a good point. Maybe, maybe when Luke writes, it's Aquila and Priscilla because it's Luke's official document.

Pastor Holland 6:45

We're like not super tight yet.

Pastor Plek 6:46

But Paul's like, yo, Prisca.

Pastor Holland 6:50

Um, I also love uh verse 22. If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed.

Pastor Plek 6:56

Yeah, it's over for you.

Pastor Holland 6:57

Anyway, to hell with them, basically. Wow. Like uh it's kind of wild. Um like love, love for the Lord. That's what he really emphasized there at the end. Not knowledge about God, um, love for the Lord. That's what it comes down to.

Pastor Plek 7:16

Wow. I mean, that's wild. That's like a bold, like it seems a little bit over the top, but there it is in the Bible. If someone has no love for the Lord, let them be accursed. That's a lot.

Pastor Holland 7:29

Okay, well, let's get into some truths about. Oh, wait, one more, one more, one more. Verse two on the first day of every week. Oh, what do you think that means? Each of you is to put something aside and store it up. Why on the first day of every week? We already covered this back in Acts chapter 20.

Pastor Plek 7:42

I think this is the day they were doing church. What's that? They were doing church that day.

Pastor Holland 7:45

Yeah, they were doing church.

Pastor Plek 7:46

Or gathering for church.

Pastor Holland 7:48

This was the day where the Christians would gather for church. And so he says, you know, on the first day of every week, essentially, while you guys are gathered, set aside some uh money. Uh, and he's gonna bring that to Jerusalem because the church in Jerusalem was struggling. They were, you know, there's poverty, and so he's saying, uh, take up a special collection for that church.

Pastor Plek 8:08

And I like how he says uh on the first day of the week, each of you has put something aside and store it up as he may prosper. Like there's there's two the way that that's written, it could be interpreted as um give according to how much you have made. Okay. Or store it up as he may prosper. And I think it's okay to go with both ways.

Pastor Holland 8:35

What else we got?

Pastor Plek 8:37

Um yeah, I think I'm good with all of this. I love just to make sure everyone knows Achaea is southern Greece, uh, Macedonia and northern Greece, and where it splits is that little peninsula thingy. Um or the little isthmus might be the better word for it. Isthmus. Isthmus. Yeah, the isthmus.

Pastor Holland 9:01

It's really important for everyone to know that.

Pastor Plek 9:03

Yeah, um, that's really kind of where Corinth was, right on the isthmus of a Macedonia. Um, but I like the fact there were some cool names here. Stefan Stephanas, okay name. Fortunatus. Now that's a cool name.

Pastor Holland 9:21

Gotta bring that one back.

Regular Generosity And Healthy Church Life

Pastor Plek 9:22

Uh that one needs to come back. And Akikis. Achaikis. Yeah, I was going with a Caicos, but you're right. Achaikis. Um loved all those guys. Achaikis must have been from Achaea. There you go. Okay, let's get into some uh truths about the nature of man. Um, how about people uh are called to proportional regular generosity? Yeah, I like that. Can you see that? Yeah. As you may as you prosper, give.

Pastor Holland 9:49

And you know, he says, so that there will be no collecting when I come. He doesn't want this to be, you know, under compulsion. Right. Um he he teaches that in another um in the next second epistle. Um he doesn't want to do another one more again.

Pastor Plek 10:04

No, no, that ain't enough.

Pastor Holland 10:05

Yeah, no, keep going. Pass the plate one more time. Yeah, he's he's saying, I want it to already be ready and I want it to be free will, you know, um uh out of out of generosity. So he wants a direct deposit, is what he's saying here. Cash app.

Pastor Plek 10:20

All right. Uh, how about people can be immature or divisive or fearful in relationships? Notice that they needed to be reminded not to despise poor Timothy. Yeah. Hey guys, go easy on Timothy because there's a tendency. I know he looks weak and I know he looks young. Don't beat him down.

Pastor Holland 10:40

Mm-hmm. I like verse 18. They refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Like just our spirit needs refreshing. We get discouraged, we get tired, we get burnt out, we get uh just downcast, and God knows that about our nature and uses others in the body to refresh us.

Pastor Plek 11:00

How about Apollos didn't do Paul's will, but Paul did not diss him for it. I appreciate that.

Pastor Holland 11:08

It's like he had his he couldn't want to come. That's fine. But he will come when he has opportunity. Yeah, when he wants. Yeah.

Pastor Plek 11:14

He didn't want to now. But when he wants to, he will. Which I appreciated that the freedom that Paul gave to Apollos, even as an apostle who like does miracles and like, you know, yeah, raises the dead and all sorts of things. Paul's not God. Yeah, he's not God. He's like, you know what? I'm gonna give that guy the freedom in Christ to do as he sees fit for his ministry.

Pastor Holland 11:33

Yeah. Um, we need uh we we ought to share some level of uh physical affection in the body of Christ. Come on, it's in there. Greet one another with a holy kiss. Holy handshake, holy side hug.

Pastor Plek 11:57

You know, listen, I here's it is right there.

Pastor Holland 12:00

This matters.

Pastor Plek 12:00

It's you I'm God's word matters. I agree.

Pastor Holland 12:06

Yes, but also I'm saying, like, a church is supposed to be family and it's supposed to be full of love. You know, my love be with you all, verse 24. If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be a curse. Like it's supposed to be a great with a holy kiss once.

Pastor Plek 12:20

When I was in in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, all right. Um, the when I was at at West Point, the chaplain, his dad, his dad, so the chaplain's dad was at this church that I was at, and he comes up to me after I was saying in the choir. He comes up after after the church service, he goes, kisses me on the forehead and he goes, Son, I love to watch you sing. And I was like, Thanks. And that was it. So that was my one holy kiss experience.

Pastor Holland 12:51

There you go. Well, I mean, you said you get it every week from well, yeah, I do. It's very true. It's always right over there, too.

Pastor Plek 12:59

It's like one side of the room.

Pastor Holland 13:00

I'm just saying, church shouldn't just feel like people shuffling in to, you know, sing a song, hear a message, shuffle out again. It should be a loving, familial place. I a hundred percent agree. Okay. That's all I'm talking about. I'm just saying that's all I'm saying.

God’s Open Doors And Sovereign Timing

Pastor Plek 13:15

Sloppy wet kisses are for God, from God to the earth. Nobody said sloppy wet kiss. That's all I can think about. Whatever. If someone says holy kiss, unfortunately. Okay. Like, oh my gosh. We should go to the character of God. What do you got? Um, all right. How about God opens effective doors for ministry amid opposition? Just because there's opposition don't mean a door ain't open. Yeah, there you go.

Pastor Holland 13:46

Um, God takes care of his church through other churches. The church in Corinth was helping take care of Jerusalem, like God works through his body to accomplish his purposes.

Pastor Plek 13:57

I love that. I I feel like our our church has been on the receiving end of that so many times. Amen. Um, all right, God directs his plans and his timing in ministry. So there's this repeated deference by Paul to if the Lord permits, or uh if the door is opened. And I just love that um God is gonna ultimately be in charge of what ministry is done.

Pastor Holland 14:25

Yeah, yeah, that's good. Um God is gracious, verse 23 Grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. Yeah, that's good. He is gracious, he is a gracious God, and he's coming back. Verse 22, our Lord come. Jesus is coming back.

Pastor Plek 14:41

Yeah, okay. How about how about right before that? God calls his people to love him supremely. And if you don't love him the most, let you be accursed.

Pastor Holland 14:53

No, nobody, yeah, who who are like what how how would you say this? Like, if you don't love God, you're going to hell. Right? I mean, that like we because we say like believe in Jesus, yeah, but there's not there's not a way to sincerely believe in Jesus without loving him supremely. If you don't love him above all things, you don't really believe in him.

Pastor Plek 15:16

In fact, there's a whole chapter, three previous to this, 1 Corinthians 13. If you speak in the tongues of men of angels, but have not love, uh, you're a noisy gong or clashing symbol. If you do miracles and have faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, you are nothing and you gain nothing. And so if you give your body to be sacrificed, but you have not love, you gain nothing. So I feel like that reality is over and over again. So love for God is sort of essential. And I think sometimes we can fall in love with ourselves, fall in love with our doctrine, but not fall in love with Jesus.

Pastor Holland 15:54

Yeah. I mean, like in another way to say it is like faith in Jesus is loving Jesus, right? You can't love him and not believe in him, and you can't believe in him truly and not love him. Right. So it's like those things are really connected here in Paul's theology.

Pastor Plek 16:10

All right. Can we get into some application? Yep. All right. That's gonna be a sin to avoid or confess, uh, promise claim, example fall, command obey or knowledge to believe. What do you have for one of those?

Pastor Holland 16:21

Love your church family, show affection to your church family. Don't just show up, shuffle in, shuffle out, but greet greet each other with love.

Pastor Plek 16:31

We need to do more holy handshakes, backslaps, holy affection. Just call it holy holy affection, holy kisses. All right. You got anything? After that, yeah, I kind of get just get stuck. All right. Um, how about sin to avoid or confess? Avoid, how about this? Avoid causing grief to faithful leaders, especially the young ones. The young leaders who need a little bit of help.

Pastor Holland 16:57

Don't give them a hard time. Be generous. Set set aside, you know, be ready to set aside some extra, you know, over and above uh for those who might be in need, churches who might be in need. And do it regularly on the Lord's Day. There you go.

Pastor Plek 17:12

All right. How about uh about uh command obey? Act like men. There you go. Be strong. Men, act like men, be strong, uh, and then let all that you do be done in love. So don't be um a manly dirtbag, be a man of God who uh uses his strength for the glory of God.

Pastor Holland 17:41

Um refresh the spirit of others. Verse 18. Nice example to follow. Was that Stephanus example?

Pastor Plek 17:49

Um He and his whole household were like the Fortunatus Achaikis. Man, fortunatus, be a fortunatus.

Pastor Holland 17:56

Yeah, be a fortunatus and refresh somebody's spirit.

Pastor Plek 17:58

Yeah. All right, um, man, I think that's really good. How about knowledge to believe? Just God is sovereign over ministry, over life, over death, over all things. You can trust him today. Amen. Hey, thanks so much for joining us. We'll see you next time on a chapter a day.