Be Generous, Be Kind, Be Courageous, Be Loving 1 Corinthians 16:1-13 p. 1064

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Legend of King Arthur Believed to be a wise and just king who lived 1,500 years ago Under his rule, laws were made and applied with justice and mercy He defeated ruthless warlords and brought in a kingdom of peace, justice and prosperity

We long for a truly peaceful world

But we have an ancient guidebook

An Ancient Story A very long time ago an all-powerful but loving king brought into existence all that we see He treated us as his children But humans rebelled against their king

Evil was well established The King decided to come to earth and defeat the forces of evil But the problem of evil was complex “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

The unthinkable solution The king became human He did not use his power against the evil forces Allowed himself, a righteous God and sinless human to be killed by evil Through self-sacrifice, the king defeated sin and death and freed humans from the consequences of their sin

The King wins a great victory!

The Kingdom of God The earliest followers of Jesus knew that the Good News was not limited to salvation They had spent three years with Jesus, listening to his teaching and seeing how he lived 1 Corinthians 16 identifies several ways in which the Kingdom of God can become a reality in our lives

Be Generous 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 The Collection for the Church in Jerusalem Everyone was to set aside money each week in keeping with their income When we trust God with our giving we can see God do powerful things

Maynard Howe and Robert Sadler – Rural Manitoba 1958 Saulteaux converts gave from their poverty to missionaries Missionaries gave from their poverty to those in need

God provided for the missionaries’ needs

Be Kind Chapter 4:17 “… I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus…” Chapter 16: 10-11 “…see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you…No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace …”

Be on Your Guard 1 Cor. 13-14: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith, be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” Be on guard your thoughts what you put into your mind your words and your responses to others

Stand Firm and Be Courageous Don’t give up on Jesus when: A relationship does not work out A loved one dies You encounter difficulties and disappointments Be courageous: When living your values is hard When you don’t fit in with those around you When you want to take the easy way out

Be Strong As Christians we are called to not to look to our own interests but to the interest of others (Philippians 2:4) We are called to carry the burdens of others (Galatians 6:2) We need to be strong to resist temptation

Be Loving A general instruction that can cover a wide range of applications A key solution to the problems the Corinthians were facing as a church A key solution for reconciliation of relationships

How can we possibly do this? In our own strength we can have a human measure of generosity, courage, strength, etc. We cannot do this in our own strength – and we don’t have to! Jesus said in John 15:5 “apart from me you can do nothing” We need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to do these things

Abundant Life The idea of a wonderful kingdom of peace and tranquility is not just a legend or a dream John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” God wants his peace – his shalom – to spread throughout the whole earth Because he wants good things for his children