DOORS DANGER AND DEDICATION

DOORS DANGER AND DEDICATION

1 Corinthians 16:4-9 (KJV)

And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me.

Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia.

And it may be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go.

For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.

But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.

For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

This is probably one of my very favorite passages in 1 Corinthians.

Paul is aking some closing remarks and saying he has plans to come to Corinth, but that first, he plans to stay in Ephesus for some time because of the great door that is opened up to him there.

I call this passage: Doors, Danger and Dedication..

*I. THE DOORS

1 Corinthians 16:9 (KJV)

For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

Paul says, "a great door and effectual is opened unto me..."

No wonder he didn't want to leave Ephesus. He had some open doors there, and they were effective.

Paul stayed at Ephesus for more than two years[1], longer than any other place we know about in his ministry.

What were some of the open doors?

A. The length of stay there

Paul did not generally stay in a city too long. A year, year and a half at the most in most instances.

In Thessalonica, he only stayed a week.

Sometimes, he was forced to leave town by the opposition to the gospel.

Sometimes, the Spirit of God led him on to the next place.

But in Ephesus, things opened for him to stay much longer. Which would result in several good things:

·   He would be able to win more souls to Christ

·   He would be able to train the church better in doctrine

·   He would be able to prepare more men for the ministry

Statistics tells us that the most effective churches are almost all pastored by men who have been in their city for 20 years.

There is an effective door that is opened just because of the length of time he stayed in town.

B. The opportunity to disciple and train

Paul not only led several people to a saving knowledge personally while in Ephesus, but he also met other believers and was able to better instruct them in truth.[2]

It is an exceptional thing when a preacher is able to show folks who have been instructed improperly in Christian things the right way.

Generally people get so bound to their teacher that they are not interested in truth; they are interested in what their teacher told them.

C. The Opportunity to send preachers out from Ephesus

Paul was able to teach at the school of Tyrannus (using the building) for two years and thus train and send out preachers so all Asia heard the word of God.

Acts 19:9-10 (KJV)

But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.

And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

It is an open door of exceptional greatness when a ministry is able to send out men of its own into the ministry.

But, along with the open doors, Paul said there were also;

*II. DANGERS

"..And there are many adversaries..."

Having enemies is more a sign of rightness than wrongness when it comes to being a preacher.

Whenever the truth is preached correctly and effectively you have to expect Satan to get upset and try to throw a wrench in things. Satan will stir up some adversaries.

And they will no doubt come from two places. 

Paul warned the pastors from Ephesus in Acts 20:29-30 (KJV)

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

A. From without

There will be those who are outside of the church.

Those that don't agree with your doctrines, don't agree with what you believe.

When you become effective in communicating what you believe, they will rise up against you.

Very seldom do you find the world will bother you if you do not make many waves for Christ. If you are just a little band of Christians staying over in a corner by yourself, Satan, and his folks have little worry about you.

But 

·   when you begin to get something done for the Lord, 

·   when people begin to get saved and begin to follow your teachings... 

SATAN GETS BOTHERED

And so do those who disagree with you.

It was in Ephesus where the silversmiths who made their living by crafting statues of the goddess Diana, made an uproar about Paul, and they didn't even pretend to have a good reason why. Acts 19:24-27 (KJV)

For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;

Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.

Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:

So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.

“We have to keep people believing false things so they will keep buying our false gods.”

Unfortunately, that is not the only place adversaries are to be found the other place is 

B. From within

"...Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things..."[3]

We should not be surprised when someone who we thought was one of us turns out to stand up against us.

Paul predicted that it would happen, and other Apostles experienced happening.

Adversaries did not make Paul want to leave Ephesus, however. He said that one of the reason he wanted to stay was because there were many adversaries.

What discouraged Paul was apathy. 

When people heard him preach and made no decision (like what happened at Athens.)

When they heard him preach and either got saved or mad, that inspired him, motivated him.

Sam Jones, an Evangelist in the early 1800's said one time, "When I first began to preach, I was afraid I might make people mad. Now I am afraid I won't!"

Thirdly, there is in this passage of 1 Corinthians

*III. DEDICATION

1 Corinthians 16:15 (KJV)

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

There are a number of godly men and women mentioned in this last chapter: 

·   Timothy

·   Apollos 

·   Aquilla and Priscilla

But I like what Paul says of the household of Stephanas..

"They have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints..."

Usually an addiction is a bad thing, but since these folks have addicted themselves to the ministry, we can learn something from addictions.

A. You don't necessarily have to enjoy the thing you are addicted to at first

You may get nervous at first. Keep serving the Lord anyway. 

After a while you will get used to it, and then you will enjoy it.

B. People are usually coaxed into an addiction 

Many times, we have to be coaxed, almost pressured into doing the ministry. But after we are in it, we want to get as many others in the ministry as we can too.

C. Once you are addicted, you have to do it

We ought to take the attitude about the ministry that we have to do it.

There ought not be any options for us.

It shouldn't be a question whether we have the time, or whether we want to do it.

We ought to do the ministry because we have to serve God.

Just “quit you like men.”[5]Be strong and do what is right. Serve God. 

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[1]Acts 19:10 (KJV)

And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

[2]Acts 19:2-7 (KJV)

He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

And all the men were about twelve.

[3]Acts 20:30

[5]1 Corinthians 16:13