Lesson 486

(Lesson 486)(12-14-12) 1 Corinthians 16:1-9, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. 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."

In this lesson Paul tells the Corinthians to take up a collection from among their membership and prepare it to be taken to the poor saints in Jerusalem. They were to have that offering ready to go on the first day of the coming week so that Paul's messenger wouldn't have to wait for it to be gathered.
Ironically, there are those who have taken from Paul's instructions, to the Corinthians, that there is to be an assembly of the Church on the first day of the week, every week. That however, is not at all the intent of Paul's instruction. He was speaking of, in this instance, a one-time collection that he would retrieve by messenger and personally carry to Jerusalem, seeing that he was going to Jerusalem in time to observe the Passover celebration with the other Jews. He required the same of the membership as he passed through Macedonia and Achaia, Romans 15:26, "For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

From what I have been able to determine, there are only three references made to the "first day of the week" in the entire New Testament. The first is a series of the same reference, made by differing authors, to the events occuring on the day of the resurrection of Jesus. Those references appear in the "four gospels" Matt., Mark, Luke, and John. The second was when Paul preached to the disciples at Troas, the third appears in todays lesson. Not one of these designates the "first day of the week" as a mandatory date for the assembly of the Church.

Although it has become a "Christian" custom to assemble on the first day of the Week (Sunday), that custom was not one, either demanded or authorized by Paul.

Had the entire membership of the Corinthian Church been instructed to meet on the first day of the week, they could have, as we do today, simply taken up a collection. Instead, it is contextually obvious that whoever did the collecting (probably the Deacons) had to go about the countryside to gather the contributions.~