Pastoral Visitation

If God’s people would, please
take their Bibles and turn back once again to 1 Corinthians chapter
16. We’re drawing near to the end. But I feel like this is such
a privilege to have studied this book and I just feel like savoring it
for several more weeks. The relationship between a shepherd
and his flock is at the same time fascinating and complicated. Both entities, the body of Christ
and its leader or leaders, are given to one another by God himself. Both entities need one another
A man is no shepherd without a flock, and a flock would soon
be scattered and decimated without a shepherd. And yet, unfortunately,
the relationship is complicated and often consumed in friction
and outright hostility. I’ve heard of, read about, And
I’ve even been part of such congregations in the past, both as a member
and as a pastor. And I have seen some interesting
churches in my day and heard about others. I’ve seen churches
that are sheepishly yielded to every whim and demand of the
leadership. I’ve seen churches that are bought
in and eventually led astray by strong-willed men. I’ve seen
churches where both leadership and congregation are so fearful
of disagreement that they never even discuss potentially difficult
matters. I’ve seen churches that contend
with their leaders over the most trivial things. I’ve seen churches
where leaders and the people rarely interact for fear of contention. I’ve known of churches that are
aggressively battle-minded toward the leadership. That’s how the
relationship starts. I’ve seen churches that are apathetic
and indifferent to its leadership. And I’ve seen churches that are
theologically bullied by the leadership. There are all kinds
of churches and all kinds of relationships between the leaders
of a church and its people. The relationship between shepherds
and their respective flocks is supposed to be a loving, trusting,
peaceable environment. Unfortunately, compared to what
it is supposed to be, the relationship of leaders and the body often
renders the church a veritable battlefield, a place of contention
and strife, or places that are bland and lifeless, or places
that are dysfunctional and ineffective. These things ought not be. You know by now well that Corinth
was a difficult place. Difficult people, it was a difficult
church, a proud, headstrong, even factious people who were
all tugging and pulling in opposite directions at the same time.
Throughout this letter, the Corinthian church very much presents itself
as a flock that was very obviously absent a shepherd. They were
in desperate need of repentance and reform. Paul certainly knew
of their need for leadership, but he also knew that the Corinthians
themselves were to blame for the absence of such leadership,
such shepherding. At the outset of this epistle,
you may remember that we learn that Apollos, a faithful shepherd,
likely removed himself from Corinth in disgust over the personality
cults that were forming around him and Paul and others. That was the heartbreaking information
that had been shared with Paul, that strife and division was
tearing this newly planted church apart. The cause of such acrimony
was not tied to a single subject. They fought about everything. There were many points of contention,
but there was this dark, foreboding cloud over this once promising
work. Paul was fully aware that God
would need to intervene by providing his people with much needed leadership. At minimum, they needed a pastoral
visit. When we consider the plentiful
needs of a church and different churches along the way, we begin
to imagine the dynamics involved in the relationship between a
flock and a shepherd. The Bible provides a wide variety
of reasons why a pastor might be visiting a particular church. And as wide-ranging as the needs
and the reasons for a pastoral visit, The preparation that must
precede such a visit are equally wide-ranging. The New Testament
chronicles that a shepherd could be called to visit a church in
order to simply check on them. In Acts 15.36, Paul is preparing
to assess the condition, the spiritual condition of the churches
that they had already planted. Acts 15, 36, Paul proposes this
to Barnabas. Let us return and visit the brethren
in every city. What a noble endeavor. And see
how they are. They just wanted to check in.
That’s one reason for a pastoral visit. Philippians 2, 19, which
verse we read several weeks ago, Paul hoped to send Timothy to
learn of the Philippians condition. In 1 Corinthians 4.19, this very
epistle, a passage we’ll look at more deeply in a moment, Paul
says, I will come and I shall find out. I’m going to get to
the bottom of this issue. Sometimes pastors come to churches
just to check them out. Sometimes they go to establish
them. This is the reason that Paul left Titus on the island
of Crete, to set in order what remains, to get things established. Sometimes pastors go to churches
to teach them. Acts 20 verse two says that Paul
left to go to Macedonia and he gave them much exhortation. The teaching ministry in the
life of a church is never-ending. 1 Timothy 1.3, he told Timothy,
instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines. And I would
say as long as there are men teaching, there will be cause
to caution them to stay within the confines of Scripture. Sometimes
shepherds go to a church to disciple them, Acts 18.27. Apollos greatly
helped those who had believed through grace. Sometimes we just
take people along just another little step at a time. That’s
discipleship. Sometimes we protect. A shepherd
is called to come in to protect a flock. Acts 18.27, again, Apollos
powerfully refuted the Jews in public. He had come for that
very purpose. Sometimes, as we will see in 1 Corinthians
4, pastors simply come to remind, and if you think of it, that’s
all preaching is. Most times we’re not communicating anything
that’s dramatically new. It’s just a reminder of what
we’ve always been taught. 1 Corinthians 4, 17 says, Timothy
will remind you of my ways, which are in Christ. That’s what we
need, isn’t it, as God’s people? We need to be reminded. And then
Acts 20 captures a whole bunch of these as Paul communicates
with the Ephesian elders. Sometimes shepherds come into
a community to correct them. to rebuke them. The Corinthians
needed that. Sometimes they come to encourage
them, to put their arm around them, as it were, and encourage
them in the things of Christ. Same word. Sometimes they come
along to comfort them. Same word in the Greek, encourage,
comfort. Sometimes they come and they
offer counsel. Sometimes they pray. Sometimes
they come just to fellowship with God’s people. Is there a
sweeter day in your week? Romans 15, four, Paul speaks
in these terms. He says, I just want to come
and enjoy your company. That’s fellowship, good Christian
fellowship, where people get you. They understand you and
you understand them. Later in that same chapter, 1532,
Paul says that he desired to find refreshing rest in your
company. Isn’t that how you walk away
from a Lord’s day? Just refreshed, having been in
God’s presence with God’s people. Sometimes a pastor comes into
a church just to inform them. Ephesians 6.21, Tychicus, who
must have played this role of just a kind of an informant,
somebody who was sent for the very purpose of just catching
people up. Ephesians 6.21, Tychicus will
make everything known to you. He’s coming to set it all straight.
Colossians 4.7, the reason that I say this was likely his role,
Tychicus, again, will bring you information. Sometimes a shepherd
comes into a community to engage others in ministry. Remember,
Paul was going about itinerantly to engage the church in the support
of the Jerusalem gift. Sometimes they come to be listened
to this, helped along by them. We’ll touch base on this in a
moment. Paul uses this over and over again in his letters. 1
Corinthians 16.6, our passage this morning. Send me on my way. Bless me in such a way that I
will not have needs in the midst of my travels. It’s practical
hospitality. He asks the same for Timothy.
In 2 Corinthians 1.16, he wishes to be helped along on his journey. In Romans 15 24, I hope to be
helped along on my way. Paul desired to engage others
in ministry so that he would know that they were behind him.
What could it be? A cool water? A loaf of bread? Sometimes a
leader comes into a church simply to update them. This is what
we see in Acts 21, 19, where Paul came to relate the things
that God had done among the Gentiles. What an important message the
church in Jerusalem received. The gospel had gone forth and
was now flourishing among the Gentiles. Sometimes pastors come
to train. We see that in Acts 19, when
Paul first came into Ephesus, he met some believers who didn’t
even know about the Holy Spirit. Paul quickly addressed that,
didn’t he? Sometimes, pastors come into a church, to a community,
to a region, to strengthen them. After Paul broke with Barnabas,
he went about from city to city, Acts 16, five records, they were
strengthening the churches. And then finally, sometimes a
leader comes into a community to bless them. That’s exactly
what we saw. Paul had foreseen that if we
could only bring a gift from the Gentiles to the Jewish converts
to Christ in Jerusalem, what a great work that would do for
our relationship. Sometimes pastors just come to
bless. a congregation, and that’s what
he did in Jerusalem. And just as Paul had foreseen,
they began glorifying God. The particular needs of a church
vary. And pastors, shepherds, elders,
leaders of the church are called and gifted and trained and tasked
with such oversight of the church. Those wide-ranging needs of a
church are often addressed by faithful shepherds on a pastoral
visit. And a church needs to be prepared
for such a visit. Anytime you or I have the opportunity
to host guests, there is necessary preparation that goes into that,
isn’t it? Unless they just show up on your doorstep. All ministry visits are not the
same, and since they’re not alike, a church needs to prepare differently
for different pastoral visits. Depending on the individual,
depending on the purpose of his visit, depending on the occasion,
And Paul presents news of the Corinthians hosting not one,
but three spiritual mentors. Three in a row, himself, he was
coming, Timothy, and Apollos. Since each of the men are different,
variously gifted, intending to come for differing purposes,
the church will need to prepare differently for each man. And
the readiness for this series of visits required exceedingly
great thought and planning and prayer and preparation. Would you just glance at verse
5, 1 Corinthians 16, Verses 5 through 12. But I will come to you after
I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia. And
perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter, so
that you may send me on my way wherever I may go. For I do not
wish to see you now, just in passing, for I hope to remain
with you for some time, if the Lord permits. But I will remain
in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective service
has been opened to me, and there are many adversaries. Now, if
Timothy comes, see to it that he is with you without cause
to be afraid. for he is doing the Lord’s work,
as I also am. So let no one despise him, but
send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me, for
I expect him with the brethren. But concerning Apollos, our brother,
I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brethren, And
it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come
when he has opportunity. And so Paul presents the possibility
of three different shepherdly visits to Corinth. Each one of
these proposed visits has a different purpose. Each one of the pastors
is different. different gifts, different personalities,
different strengths and weaknesses. Each one of the proposed visits
has a very different feel to it. Some of the visits are booked,
inked, if you will, already on the calendar. Others are tentative,
still in the planning stage. Some of the visits are for the
purpose of instruction and discipleship. Others are more needful of the
Corinthians’ cooperation, their help. Each one of the potential
visitors is attended with his own unique difficulties. Each
shepherd has contingencies, other responsibilities, and challenges. Paul is speaking of three pastoral
visitations. And in this, he’s going to share
with us the relationship between a church and her shepherds. First
and foremost, a church prepares for a visit from her shepherd
where Paul says, Lord willing, I am coming. Lord willing, I
am coming. Go back, if you would, to verses
five through nine. The first scenario that Paul
presents to the Corinthians is for a preparation for a pastor
who is coming. It’s already on the books. It’s
already written down. And this pastoral visit is already
set by no other than Paul himself. Earlier in this letter, Paul
had communicated his intention to visit the Corinthian church,
and the reason for his visit was to admonish them, to set
them straight on a number of key issues. Would you just flip
back for a minute to 1 Corinthians chapter 4? 1 Corinthians chapter
4, back to the thick of it, And once you get there, scroll
down to verse 16. 1 Corinthians 4, 16, therefore
I exhort you, be imitators of me. Paul was never afraid to
ask people to follow his example. That wasn’t arrogance, it was
clarity. Verse 17, for this reason, I
have sent you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child
in the Lord. And he will remind you of my
ways. Sometimes a church just needs
a reminder. He will remind you of my ways,
which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church. Paul wasn’t asking of the Corinthians
anything that he wasn’t asking of every church. And what they
needed was example. They needed a reminder. And Paul
is prepared to send them his right-hand man, young Timothy. But would you look at verse 18? Now, some have become arrogant. I’ve been in this church, by
the way. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to
you, but I will come to you soon. That’s not just a promise by
Paul, that is a threat. He’s cutting it straight here.
He’s putting them on notice that he is coming to deal with the
arrogance, he’s coming to deal with the troublemakers, he’s
coming to deal with the factious men in the church. I will come
to you soon if the Lord wills. And I shall find out Not the
words of those who are arrogant, but their power. For the kingdom
of God does not consist in words, but in power. What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod,
verse 21, or with love and a spirit of gentleness? He basically puts
it back in their court. You tell me what the visit’s
going to look like. In 419, Paul tells them, I will
come to you soon. And here in chapter 16, in the
passage we looked at last Sunday, Paul alludes to such a visit
when he says, when I arrive, he’s coming. And here in this
verse, it’s just a reiteration. In verse five, I will come to
you. So the Corinthians already knew
of Paul’s plan to visit. The preparation was already underway.
I’m sure many discussions were taking place. And they already
knew of the visit’s purpose. The visit will be a visit by
a concerned pastor. Paul was on edge. This is no
social call. This is no curious shepherd checking
in on his flock. This is no season of fellowship
to relax and to be refreshed. Paul is coming with a distinct
intention of confronting errant thoughts, errant practices, and
errant people. He knows already that some have
become arrogant, verse 18, and he aims to discover the power
and the influence of such men. He is going to deal with them,
and decisively. And how that visit plays out,
as I said, is largely up to the Corinthians themselves. Shall
I come to you with a rod? A rod of chastisement and discipline. Shall I come to you forcefully?
Shall I come to you with the intent of practicing church discipline? Or should I come with a spirit
of love and gentleness? He wonders, and he basically
says, your choice. So the Corinthians’ preparation
for the apostles’ visit would have been one of bracing themselves,
examining their own hearts, perhaps confessing sin to one another,
perhaps seeking others’ forgiveness, perhaps making right what had
been wrong. When he came back, he is going
to set them straight no matter what it took. Back, if you would,
please, back to chapter 16. The Corinthians have a lot for which
to prepare for this visit. From a concerned pastor, they
ought to be bracing themselves. And one of the more bitter realities
they have to face is that they are not Paul’s only responsibility.
They’re not his only priority. As bad as things are in Corinth,
Paul cannot just drop everything that he’s doing in Ephesus and
make a beeline to Corinth. In fact, even once he leaves
Ephesus, there are other priorities along the way. Paul lays out
his travel itinerary to these believers And this had to hit
them with a dose of cold reality. He was coming, but not by the
direct route across the Aegean Sea, but rather the slow route,
the land route, way over the top of the Aegean, through Macedonia. He was doing that first. And
Paul emphasizes this plan, look at, just glance at verse five.
Initially, he just suggested, after I go through Macedonia,
almost an afterthought that his root, and then he affirms his
plan, I am going through Macedonia. And he says this because somewhere
along the line, perhaps he spoke of or hinted at a more immediate
visit. Maybe that’s how they took his
message in chapter four, that he was coming right away. In
fact, when he writes a second letter to them, he acknowledges
this change of plans. Paul had his critics, and one
of the things they criticized him about was his frequency of
changing his plans. In 2 Corinthians 2.15, he says,
I intended to come first to you. That was his desire. A few verses
later in that same chapter, he seems to acknowledge that he
needed some cool-down time. Some people like to fix their
arguments immediately, and some people need some cool-down. Paul
needed to cool off a bit. He was so exercised over what
was going on in Corinth, he says this, to spare you, I did not
come again to Corinth. Had he gone right then, they
would have gotten it. It would have been an intense confrontation.
And so Paul’s intentions were firm, but his plans were fluid. And the situation in Corinth
was a serious concern, but it wasn’t Paul’s only priority.
Corinth was just one of many. And as for God’s plans, or as
for Paul’s plans, in God’s sovereignty, plans are always subject to change,
aren’t they? Listen to the way that Paul acknowledges
this. Look at verse six. Perhaps I
will stay with you, I don’t know. Perhaps I’ll even spend the winter,
I don’t know. And he adds, so that you may
send me on my way. I mentioned this a moment ago,
that little clause is almost a wish, an appeal, that his beloved
church would renew their affection and concern for him by sending
him on his way. Paul is speaking there of hospitality,
that they would think to provide him with what he might need for
his travels, water, food, warm clothing, a monetary gift, All
of this indicates Paul’s desire to secure the Corinthians partnership
in ministry. Sending someone on their way
was a pleasant way of tying others into his ministry. Would you just glance at verse
seven? In verse seven, he offers an explanation for all of these
uncertain plans. And he says, I do not wish to
see you now just in passing. Paul knew that he and the Corinthian
church would need a significant measure of time together. Even
if he were able to drop everything in Ephesus and scoot over to
Corinth, coming across the very rough Aegean Sea, it would have
been a very short visit. Too short for his liking and
too short for theirs. And so he adds, for I hope to
remain with you for some time. I want to spend some time with
you. I need to spend some time with
you. He knew that they all needed
some lengthy time together to work through their numerous difficulties.
Even such a noble cause was subject to God. Look at the way Paul
says it, if the Lord permits. This is what I want to do. I
am coming. I’m going to go through Macedonia.
I hope to stay with you for some time and everything gets submitted
to the Lord. Paul was constantly submitting
his plans to the Lord by prayer, and in God’s good providence,
Paul eventually was able to fulfill this need for a prolonged visit. Acts 20 verse three tells us
that he eventually spent three months. That’s quite a list of
problems. And based on this letter, we
can understand that a three-month visit was probably very short. as he closes his discussion of
this planned visit, communicating his attentions that would have
a greatly humbling and corrective effect on the church. Verse 8,
would you just look? I will remain in Ephesus until
Pentecost. for a wide door for effective
service is open to me and there are many adversaries.” You know
what? That had to have been a sudden,
humbling realization among the Corinthians that no, they weren’t
Paul’s top priority. At that very moment, he was enjoying
a remarkable season of ministry in Ephesus. A wide door for effective
service, he calls it. Paul uses this metaphor several
times in his writings, a door, a wide door. In 2 Corinthians 2.12, his second
letter to the Corinthians, he tells them that a door was opened
for me in the Lord for the gospel. Writing to the Colossians in
his closing words to them, he asked them to pray that God would
open up for them a door for the word. here by this statement,
that a wide door was opened to him for effective service, he
surely indicates a welcome opportunity there in Ephesus to preach the
gospel. Who would want to walk away from that? Paul creatively
communicates that he’s in the midst of a remarkable season
of ministry in Ephesus, and going to Corinth was just going to
have to wait. That’s humbling, isn’t it? We
don’t like to wait. The Corinthians had to wait. The fact that there were adversaries
there threatening to undo his ministry made it all the more
necessary that he continue on there. Acts 19 captures a glimpse
of the opponents that Paul faced there. In the midst of a remarkable
season of ministry, Luke describes it as the word of the Lord was
growing mightily and prevailing. Paul couldn’t leave that right
now. Suddenly an idol maker, Demetrius,
stirred up a mob and eventually drove Paul out of the city. We
have a minute. Could you turn back to Acts 19
for a minute? Acts 19, I’ll just show you this,
what’s going on, what Paul is experiencing even as he’s writing
these things to the Corinthians. And once you get to 19, scroll
down to verse 23. About that time, there occurred
no small disturbance concerning the way, Christianity. For a
man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis,
a goddess, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen. These
he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades and
said, men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this
business. Paul is ruining our business. Big whiner. You see and hear
that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, Paul has
persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people saying that
gods made with hands are no gods at all. Not only is there danger
that this trait of ours fall into disrepute, but also the
temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless. And
that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be
dethroned from her magnificence. Paul’s ministry is so powerful
that he is going to destroy our God-ess. Ridiculous. When they heard this, verse 28,
they were filled with rage and began to cry out, great is Artemis
of the Ephesians. The city was filled with confusion.
They rushed together with one accord into the theater, dragging
along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from
Macedonia. Remarkably, Paul manages to avoid
all of the violence, but verse 1 of chapter 20 says it captures
his departure. After the uproar had ceased,
Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had exhorted them
and taken his leave of them, he left for Macedonia. This is
the trip that he communicated to the Corinthians. So that’s
what Paul was facing. And in the meantime, the Corinthians
are going to have to prepare for Paul’s visit. A disappointed pastor, concerned about their behavior,
and the Corinthians are gonna have to prepare, they’re gonna
have to brace themselves for possible rebuke and correction.
They’re going to have to be patient while he completes his mission
in Ephesus, and they’re going to have to continue to wait as
he works his way all the way down through Macedonia toward
them. Timothy’s visit would be very
different. as would their preparation for Timothy. And we see that
in verses 10 and 11. Timothy’s visit, whereas Paul’s
visit was a visit, Lord willing, I am coming. Timothy’s visit
was very different. It’s a visit from a timid pastor
that is contingent. If Timothy comes, This is the
preparation for a pastor who might come. Look at verses 10 and 11. Now,
if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to
be afraid. For he is doing the Lord’s work, as also I am. Let
no one despise him, but send him on his way in peace so that
he may come to me, for I expect him with the brethren. Timothy,
as we know, was Paul’s beloved convert, friend, disciple. eventual replacement of sorts,
were first introduced to Timothy in Acts 16 when Paul traveled
and visited his hometown. Timothy may have come to Christ
because of Paul’s previous ministry there, because Paul often speaks
of him as his son, a spiritual son, his true child in the faith. Timothy was commended to Paul
most highly by his hometown church. And Paul drafts him into service,
and he highly regards this young man. To the Philippians, Paul
touted his proven worth, serving the Lord with Paul in the furtherance
of the gospel like a child serving his father. when the young man
became Paul’s fellow worker and near constant companion in the
ministry. In Acts 19.22, Luke records that
Paul dispatched Timothy and Erastus on a mission to Macedonia. That
trip was supposed to culminate in Timothy visiting Corinth. That’s how it was all supposed
to work. But we see the tentativeness in this passage. And we’re not
sure. It’s not clear that Timothy ever
made it to Corinth. Scripture doesn’t seem to indicate.
2 Corinthians mentions that Titus, another fellow worker of Paul,
and Titus is mentioned there in 2 Corinthians nine times. Never once is Timothy mentioned.
Maybe the Corinthians had not properly prepared for the young
shepherd’s visit. It seems clear that Paul must
have eventually caught up with the young man because by the
time Paul writes his second letter to the Corinthians, Timothy’s
with him. Paul and Timothy are brother
to the church in Corinth. Timothy’s first, pardon me, Timothy’s
visit to Corinth was always tentative. Look if you would at verse 10.
If Timothy comes. It was never set in stone. Timothy
might come, that’s all Paul could say, but Paul wants his church
to prepare for this young man’s visit anyway. And this recommendation,
this preparation that Paul asks of them would have been very
difficult to hear. Listen to this. If Timothy comes,
see that he is with you without cause to be afraid.” That is
a very sad realization. The Corinthians had to face it.
Think of this. Paul basically breaks the news
to the Corinthians that they were a mean and intimidating
church. Look, I don’t even want to send
my number one guy there because you’re so mean. You’re so nasty. You’re so harsh. Even though Timothy had been
there, ministered there, served there, he was fearful of going
back. How sad is that? We can only
imagine how the Corinthians would have had to process this news. See that Timothy is with you
without cause to be afraid. The preparation to which Paul
calls his church is to first check themselves, to examine,
am I that guy? Am I? In seminary, we were always
cautioned, beware of the one who meets you at the train station.
I didn’t take a train, but I know what he meant. You always meet
the individual who glad hands you and is so warm and welcoming
because he’s in control of the church. You don’t want to cross
him. Beware of the one that meets
you at the train station. And perhaps there were those
in the midst of the Corinthians that needed to check themselves.
Am I that guy? Am I the mean one? Am I the short-tempered
one? Am I the one that is constantly
running people off? Do they even realize that they
come off as mean and harsh and intimidating? Some churches are
that way and they never deal with it. Paul’s basic advice
to the Corinthians was, I mean, think of this, be nice. Should
you even have to say that to a church? When Timothy comes,
please be nice to him. We don’t know exactly what Paul’s
concerns were. The Corinthians were indeed a
rambunctious bunch. Remember that at this moment,
the church is divided, it’s a veritable hornet’s nest, and Timothy was
more on the quiet side, if not just downright timid. When Paul
writes to him in his second letter, 2 Timothy 1, 7, he reminds Timothy,
God has not given us a spirit of timidity. Why would he have
to say that to this young man? 2 Corinthians 2, 1, 2 Timothy
2, 1, you therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is
in Christ Jesus. Don’t be timid, don’t be shy,
don’t be fearful. In addition, at this point, In
his life, this was a relatively young, inexperienced man. At the present moment, he was
no match for this feisty body of believers. And Paul wants
them to know about this young man’s gentle nature so that they
can prepare, so that they can dial down their intensity, so
that they can check themselves and repent of their harshness. After all, Paul points out at
the end of verse 10, just glance at it, he’s a fellow worker in
the gospel. He’s doing the Lord’s work, just
as I am. And so contending with him was
entirely inappropriate. They wouldn’t dare treat Paul
this way. They shouldn’t treat his fellow
workers that way either. Harassing young Timothy was actually
undermining the Lord’s work. Paul says, look, Corinthians,
if Timothy comes, be nice to him. And Paul emphasizes this
in verse 11. Would you look at it? Let no
one despise him. What a strong word in a strange
place. We’re going to have a pastor’s
conference. Please don’t hate the man. Why would Paul say this? Why should Paul even have to
give this admonition unless there were a possibility of such treatment?
This admonition was likely directly tied to Timothy’s young age.
Some eight years later, when Paul writes his first letter
to Timothy, he says to him, let no one look down on your youthfulness. Timothy was young, and the Corinthians
were feisty and just downright rude. That’s a bad combination. The attitude was likely to be,
who’s this kid? Why do we have to listen to him?
Buzz off, kid. You’re out of your league here
in Corinth. That’s the attitude that Paul
seems to be countering when he says, let no one despise him.
The contrary, these believers, Paul says, should show Timothy
the same courtesy they’d show to him, the same hospitality
that Paul expected. He uses the exact same phrase,
send him on his way. That doesn’t mean that they walk
him to the city gate. It means that just like they
did with Paul, they supply him with the needs for his journey,
food and water and clothing and money. Bless him, send him away
in peace. Be peaceable towards him while
he’s there, and when he goes, bless him, pray for him. Make
no mistake, Paul would know exactly how they treated him. Paul would
find out, because Timothy is supposed to go rejoin Paul immediately
upon his departure. And so there is the pastor who
is coming, Paul. There’s the pastor that might
come, Timothy. And then there’s the pastor that
Paul just speaks indefinitely when he comes. This is Apollos
in verse 12. When Apollos comes, this is the
preparation for a pastor who will come later. This is a visit from a wounded
pastor. And Paul basically urges them to be patient, to correct
themselves, to be prepared to make it right with young Apollos.
Look at verse 12. But concerning Apollos, our brother,
I encourage him greatly to come to you with the brethren. And
it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will join
you. when he has opportunity. Just the mere mention of his
name would have elicited great sadness among the Corinthians.
This was their pastor and they ran him off. It was because of
them that he had left. The Corinthian church had started
down a dangerous path. Paul heard about it, and he exposed
it in the opening chapter. It was this age-old cult of personality,
just latching on to one man as over against another. I am of Apollos. While others were
saying, I am of Paul, still others were of Cephas. It certainly
must have sickened Paul to hear that there was division in the
church at all, but that it was centered around him, centered
around Apollos, centered around these personality cults. Apollos was not behind this.
The very idea was repulsive to him. Apollos was a very gifted,
trained, and capable man, a man of exceptional oratorical skill,
But he was not a factious man. He wanted no part of this tearing
at the fabric of the church. And so he left. He left and he ends up in Ephesus
with Paul, probably for repair. So Paul writes to encourage the
Corinthians to prepare for yet another, a third pastoral visit. This one from a pastor who will
come. This visit is from a wounded pastor. Paul speaks of Apollos’
visit not in terms of if, but when. He will come when he has
opportunity. The last thing that Paul wanted
to do is go back, rather, the last thing that Apollos wanted
to do is to go back into that community and be drawn back into
this wretched situation. This was a direct rebuke of the
church. The news that they were a mean
church and needed to play nice, and now this? That their beloved
pastor doesn’t even want to come back to the church? Not yet.
It must have really stunned the proud Corinthians. Paul even
says that he encouraged Apollos greatly to return to Corinth.
Paul was doing some arm twisting. Come on, Apollos, get back in
the game, get back on the horse. They need you, Apollos. And that
tells us several things. It tells us, first of all, that
Paul knew of Apollos’ character, and that he in no way was part
of this division over personalities. He calls him our brother. Paul
wanted the Corinthians to know, secondly, that he was not prohibiting
Apollos. Look, I’ve encouraged the brother
to come back to you. This is his decision. Thirdly,
because of his character and his disdain for this division
over personality, he was actually the ideal person to go back and
straighten things out. Paul was for Apollos. And then
the other thing that we observe from this is that Paul himself
wasn’t threatened by Apollos’ return. Paul wasn’t concerned
that when Apollos went back, the whole church might unite
behind him and against Paul. Paul wasn’t concerned about that
at all. The Corinthians certainly needed Apollos’ pastoral care,
but Paul also shares Apollos’ thoughts on the matter. Glance
at it, if you would, verse 12. It was not at all his desire
to come. That must have pierced the Corinthians’
hearts. Here, the pastor they loved,
over whom they were dividing, was so bothered by their juvenile
behavior that he didn’t even want to go back. Not yet. He
didn’t want to be drawn back into this whole thing. But when he comes, it will be
a visit by a wounded pastor. You’re gonna need to make things
right. You’re gonna need to repent of some things. You’re gonna
need to embrace him, all of you, whether you were on his team
or not. And still Paul pauses to encourage
these believers by telling them that Apollos indeed will come
back when he has opportunity, when the time is right, essentially.
And this too was largely up to the Corinthians when Apollos
would return. When the people had repented
of their mindset, this approach, this personality cult, until
then, Paul’s encouragement seems to be to correct themselves. Get right with the Lord. Get
right with Apollos. Repent of this division over
personalities. Until then, be patient. Be patient. There’s an uncomfortable feature
in Scripture. Sometimes we’re left hanging.
We don’t know exactly what happened, how the story turned out. It’s that way with Jonah, right?
At the end, we’re not told if he repents or not. The story
just seems to come to an abrupt end. We don’t know what Jonah
did. It’s that way with the woman
at the well, right? She went back and told the entire
city, the entire city repents. We’re never told that the woman
of the well repented and placed her faith in Christ. And you
know what? It’s that way with Apollos. Did
he ever return to court? We don’t know. The only other time he’s ever
mentioned In Titus 3.13, it seems that he’s at least passing by
or passing through the island of Crete where Titus was. We’re
never told that Apollos ends up back in Corinth to live
happily ever after among his church. And that’s a reality
sometimes. Sometimes there are wounded pastors,
sometimes there are timid pastors, and sometimes there are concerned
pastors. And the church needs to prepare
for each one, whatever visit may come. Would the Lord’s people
humble themselves before him?