When Paul had given instructions for the collection for the Jerusalem saints, he gave other instructions and sent greetings to and from various brethren. Then he indicated his intentions to remain in Corinth for awhile. He wrote, “But I will tarry at Ephesus unto Pentecost, for a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:8).
Trouble seemed to follow Paul “like the plague.” According to the citied verse, Paul was in Ephesus, where he intended to stay “until Pentecost,” but there were adversaries — many of them. Paul was despised by those who worshipped idols, and, considering the great success Paul had in turning idolaters to obey Christ and becoming His disciple, it is not difficult to understand the intensity of the hatred those men had for Paul. The hatred of these men grew into a riot in Ephesus. In Acts 19, those who made silver images of the goddess Diana called fellow craftsmen together and said, “Sirs, ye know that by this business we have our wealth, and ye see and hear that, not alone at Ephesus, but almost through all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying there are no gods that are made with hands; and not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Dianna should be made of no account” (Acts 17:25-27). This speech stirred up the people, and, for the space of two hours, the mob cried out, “Great is Dianna of the Ephesians” (Acts 19:34). It was necessary that Paul leave the city he intended to stay in “until Pentecost;” the riot brought to an end the success he had there in leading men to Christ. And while the rage was directed against Paul, disciples also would suffer persecution. Christians everywhere needed Paul’s instructions: “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, be strong: let all that ye do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:13).
This appeal was given almost 2,000 years ago, but the need that it be observed has not lessened, because that watchfulness must be manifested by Christians today: one never knows what inflammatory speech will turn people in the world to strike out painfully against God’s children. Peter warned of the same danger when he said, “Be sober, be watchful; your adversary the devil walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan has not lessened his efforts. He still is determined to lead as many of God’s children to reject Christ as he can. He tests our faith, seeking to lead us into sin; therefore, “watch.”
We also must be steadfast in the faith, for there is but one faith (Ephesians 4:5) which alone is true, and all teaching that contradicts the faith “once for all given to the saints” is a lie, and the ultimate end of following that lie is eternal death. We must “quit ye like men;” we must act as men should act. We must not be “children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). We must not rush into something we have not carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully examined. To be strong also is essential. Finally, whatever it is we do, we must “let all that ye done be done in love.” Sometimes, as parents we must discipline our children, and while it is hard to correct them with stripes, we truly love our children when we teach them there are consequences to the things we do, and sometimes that consequence is very painful. Failure to teach our children that truth may result in punishment for them which could mean either imprisonment or even death.
Faithfulness to Christ may result in persecution or even death for us, but while that would be painful, it is very far better to worship God and keep His commandments than to ignore His will and spend an eternity in eternal punishment. Let us never forget Paul’s command: “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith. Quit ye like men. Be strong. Let all that ye do be done in love.”
Jim McDonald