113 - Wisdom, Problem Solving, Relaxed Mental Attitude

Wisdom; Problem Solving; RMA; 1 Cor. 16:5-11

In verses 5-12 there is an under girding doctrine here that we need to address, the doctrine of decision making and the will of God. But before we do we have to first understand what is going on in the text. As we read through this we see that Paul has a lot of decisions that he has to make due to certain circumstances that are arising and changing in terms of the circumstances in Corinth, and how does he make these decisions?

A summary read: 1 Corinthians 16:5 ^NASB "But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia; [6] 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. [7] 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. [8] But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; [9] for a wide door for effective {service} has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. [10] Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid, for he is doing the Lord's work, as I also am. [11] 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. [12] Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also."

What under girds this is the whole concept of decision making. Paul has a problem that he has been dealing with in this whole epistle with the Corinthians believers. He has been facing a number of problems, not the least of which is the problem of his own authority in relation to that church. He has answered that question and now he has other decisions to make. As we go through life we, too, are faced with numerous decisions. Some of these decisions appear to be rather inconsequential decisions and some are actually are inconsequential decisions, they seem to have no impact. There are other times when we make what appear to be inconsequential decisions and yet something happens and it turns out they are consequential decisions.

How does Paul make decisions? He is faced with a crisis situation with the congregation in Corinth. It probably would take seven or eight days, maybe a little more at that time, to sail from Ephesus over to Corinth. Right now it is not his plan to come to Corinth. He says that he will come to them. He wants to come to them despite the fact that they are antagonistic to him, they have challenged his authority, they have problems with divisions there, but he will still come. Paul also addresses this problem in 1 Corinthians 4:17-21. One of the major issues in understanding the verses in 1 Corinthians 16 has to do with chronology. Paul has already sent Timothy, but Timothy hasn't arrived yet. ^NASB "For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church. [18] Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. [19] But 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. [20] For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. [21] What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?"

Paul uses the phrase "If the Lord wills." He is making plans; he doesn't have any direction from God. He faced the same situation that we have, that is, God is not giving us a direct divine guidance on most decisions. We have to pray about it, we have to apply doctrine, we have to understand what the principles are, and then we make a wise decision. The underlying attitude is: I will make this decision if the Lord wills. This allows us to carry it out, recognizing that sometimes we may go through the whole decision-making process and choose option B, and God says, Okay, the test was how you would make the decision but I don't want you to go through option B, I'm shutting that door and you are going to have to take option C which is where I wanted you all along. So we always make decisions "if the Lord wills."

Back in chapter 16 Paul says he will come to them when he has passed through Macedonia. That is the plan he has now. He says he is going to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost. Pentecost occurs 50 days after Passover which occurs sometime in March or April; it is determined by the new moon. So Pentecost is usually the latter part of May or the first part of June. He is merely using that as a calendar reference. He wants to wait until early summer before he gets starts making his travels when the weather is more conducive to travel. But notice the phrase there, it is the present active indicative of the Greek verb thelo [qelw] which is an assertion of will. He is making a decision; this is what he has decided to do. So Paul, on what basis have you made this decision to stay in Ephesus? He is simply making a wisdom decision. He knows that he has a ministry in which he wants to fulfil certain objectives in Ephesus but he also understands the dynamics of travel and what is involved, he wants to wait until he is out of the rainy season and into the dry season, and then he wants to make sure his journey concludes in Corinth before the onset of winter so that he can then winter in Corinth. He is making these decisions based on what we might call just common sense principles.

But one of the reasons Paul wants to stay in Ephesus is given in verse 9: "for a wide door for effective {service} has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." In other words, there is great opportunity to spread the gospel there is Ephesus, but nevertheless there are some great adversaries, difficulties. Doing the will of God is not without opposition.

Acts 15:37 ^NASB "Acts 15:37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. [38] But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. [39] And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus." Paul isn't saying: "Okay Lord, what is you r will here?" Paul is just applying doctrine to the situation. Mark bailed on him, he needs somebody reliable. So Paul says that in his view that is not the best thing for him. So Barnabas says he wants Mark to go. He sees a lot of potential in Mark but obviously Paul thinks he is going to slow him down, so instead of Barnabas going with Paul he will go back to Cyprus. It is not a matter necessarily of right or wrong. A lot of time we get into situations where somebody wants to do one thing and another person wants to do another and we want to polarize the situation and say, You are right and I am wrong, or visa versa. But here we see that Paul and Barnabas agreed that for the best part it is not a wise decision for Mark to go with Paul, so Barnabas and Mark go their way and Paul looks over the congregation and takes Silas.

In Acts 16:1 Paul picks up Timothy. Note verse 6 ^NASB "They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia." Up to this point they had been making decisions in a wisdom framework of decision-making, there is no direct divine guidance. But all of a sudden they get into this province of Asia and there is direct divine guidance. God does not always have a specific thing for you to do in terms of geographical will, but sometime He does. When He does God is going to make it clear to you. [7] and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them." We don't know how the Holy Spirit communicated this but it was clear that he wasn't to witness or do anything in Asia. It wasn't the time. [8] and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. [9] A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us'." This is God's revealing what His will is, so it is very clear now as to the direction he wanted them to go. God had a specific geographical will, and that was Europe. Where? Well, wherever. This is where wisdom operates within the framework of a specific will. Sometimes there is a general area where God may want us to be but how we operate within that general area is determined by our own decision making and application of doctrine. 

Acts 19:1 ^NASB "It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples." This was at the beginning of his third missionary journey. Apollos at this time was pasturing that carnal crowd over in Corinth. [8] "And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading {them} about the kingdom of God. [9] But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. [10] This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks." Three years earlier Paul went through there and God said not to speak to anybody in Asia. Why? It was too big a task, Paul couldn't have done it, it would have slowed him down. God had something else for him to do. It was a matter of timing. Now he is back in Ephesus teaching Bible classes, and as a result of this the men and women that are coming are getting the Word and they are evangelising others. During this two-year period of time the churches in Colosse, Hierapolis, Laodicea, Pergamum, Thyatira, Smyrna, Sardis, etc. were all founded. So he has a base of operations in Ephesus and they are sending out teams doing evangelism and starting churches all over Asia. So it was a matter of timing. God closed the door at one point but later on He opened the door.

So when that comes back to the issue of decision making in our lives we have to recognize that sometimes we may truly want to do something but God may be saying the timing is not right and He has something else to do right now, and eventually you will get there.

Acts 19:21 ^NASB "Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, 'After I have been there, I must also see Rome'." What this is saying is that Paul is in the decision-making process again. [22] "And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while." That is what he refers to in 1 Corinthians: he sent Timothy. But in 1 Corinthians 16 he knows Timothy hasn't arrived yet. Then he faces opposition. [24] For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; [25] these he gathered together with the workmen of similar {trades,} and said, 'Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods {at all.}."