Reflections with Andy - 1 Corinthians 16: 5-24 – The People of God
At the end of this letter, Paul reminds us of this great truth. It is us, the people of God, who truly matter. Not just the preacher, but all of us; we have a part to play in what God is doing!
As we finish our journey through 1 Corinthians, we look at Paul’s closing words and the many people he names at the end of his letter. Timothy, Apollos, Priscilla, Aquila, Stephanas, and others remind us that the work of God has never been about one person doing everything. Paul may have been the apostle, but he understood that the ministry belonged to all of them together. In this reflection, we talk about why the Christian journey isn’t meant to be lived alone, why church is about more than Sunday morning worship, and what John Wesley meant when he said there is “no holiness but social holiness.” Ultimately, the church isn’t just the preacher, and our faith isn’t built around any one person. It’s us together—the people of God—encouraging one another, serving one another, and living out God’s mission together.
Join us for our daily reflections. In 10 short minutes, we’ll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help us better understand God’s Word.
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Good morning — it’s good to be with you on this Thursday… or Wednesday… whichever day this is. My days are running together a bit, so I’m drinking coffee and trusting the Lord. It’s good to be with you as we finish 1 Corinthians today. We’re wrapping up chapter 16, verses 5 through 21 — the end of the book.
Starting Monday, we’re going to jump into Daniel. I haven’t taught through Daniel in a long time, so I’m both nervous and excited. Books like Daniel and Revelation always make me a little anxious because they’re apocalyptic, symbolic, and require a lot of context. And these morning reflections are devotional, not deep academic study. But we’ll walk through it together and trust God with it.
Before Daniel, though, we’ll spend the next couple of days in the Psalms. Those of you who know me know I treat the Psalms like a palate cleanser — like the sorbet between courses at a fancy dinner. The Psalms reset things. They center us. So tomorrow and Friday, we’ll sit with a couple of my favorites, and then Monday we’ll start Daniel.
Today, though, we finish 1 Corinthians:
“I will visit you after passing through Macedonia… I hope to spend some time with you… Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
These closing verses are classic Paul. Most of his letters end this way — with travel plans, greetings, and encouragement. Paul dictated most of his letters, which explains moments like chapter 1 where he says, “I didn’t baptize any of y’all… well, maybe I baptized a few.” You can hear him thinking out loud. But at the end, he signs it himself. As your document says, “I Paul write this greeting with my own hand.”
These final verses are some of my favorite parts of Paul’s letters because they’re so practical and so human. He mentions Timothy, Apollos, Priscilla and Aquila, Stephanas, Fortunatus, Achaicus — all these people who helped him, encouraged him, worked beside him. Paul gets the attention, but Paul never worked alone. He always had people around him, mentoring him, being mentored by him, serving with him.
It’s a reminder that the work of God is never a one‑person show.
Paul says, “Put yourselves at the service of such people… everyone who works and toils with them.” It takes all of us. That’s the heart of his teaching on spiritual gifts — no part of the body is superior, and no part is unnecessary. We stand together. We stand on the shoulders of others. We need each other.
John Wesley said, “There is no holiness but social holiness.” We often interpret that to mean our holiness must be lived out in the world — and that’s true. But Wesley meant something deeper: we cannot be holy alone. We cannot be faithful alone. We need each other’s prayers, encouragement, accountability, and presence.
That’s why plugging into church matters. Worship is essential — and you know I love worship — but worship alone isn’t the whole church. We need our people. Our groups. Our choir. Our mission teams. Our small groups. Our friends in faith. The journey of faith is not solitary.
And likewise, it’s not just the preacher. I hope I’m faithful. I know I get things wrong. But the preacher didn’t die for your sins — Jesus did. The church is not built on the preacher. The church is built on Christ and carried forward by the people of God together.
Paul ends 1 Corinthians by reminding us: it’s not just him. It’s all of them. And it’s all of us.
That’s a good way to end this book.
Tomorrow we’ll pick up with a Psalm, and we’ll stay in the Psalms through the rest of the week. Monday morning, we’ll begin Daniel.
Thanks for being with us. Have a great day — see you in the morning.