By Wynn Susilo, InterHigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley

What did Apostle Paul consider in making his future plans? What are some experiences of God at work in my life that I need to consider in making my plans?

Apostle Paul made the work that the Lord gave him as the most important factor in making his future plans. Paul left no room in his plans for his own personal agendas, prioritizing first and foremost the work to which God has called him to. From the way he wrote to the Corinthian church, we can see how much he loved this church, and in v.7 we see of his hopes and longing to come and stay with them. Yet he qualifies his statement with “if the Lord permits,” and the final word on what he chose to do rested on his mission to spread the gospel to the Gentiles.  He delayed his visit to Corinth to minister in Ephesus, in obedience to what God had called him to do.

As a Christian, I am to follow in the footsteps of Paul in centering my plans around the gospel. whether we’re talking about long-term plans – like where I’m going to go after college, or how I will spend my winter break this year, to my weekend plans and my everyday plans and agendas – the driving force behind the things that I do should be to glorify God through obedience. One very practical way I can do this is by living out and sharing the gospel that’s been entrusted to me in my day-to-day life. In the past couple of years, I’ve received apologetics training, a better understanding of the gospel, and older, more mature Christians to look up to as examples – like my pastor and leaders. All these are resources that’s been entrusted to me to share with others. This should lead me to be more deliberate in what I do and what I talk about with people in my sphere of influence, from my family and friends to my classmates. I should plan my days in such a way to take every opportunity to use these resources to sow the gospel in people’s hearts & further God’s kingdom, as opposed to just keeping these things to myself.

By Daniel So, InterHigh Mentor, Junior @ UC Berkeley

What kind of relational responsibility is Apostle Paul trying to teach the Corinthians through this collection for the Jerusalem church?

Paul was trying to teach the Corinthian church the important responsibility of giving thanks to whom it is rightfully owed.
The saving gospel of Christ that changed the Corinthians came through the witness of the saints of Jerusalem. Recognizing that this blessing came as a result of their obedience to God calls for their gratefulness. If the Corinthian church did not give thanks, in this case through the collection which would be used to help the church in Jerusalem, it would have been a maladjustment to the reality that they had received something that changed the entire course of their lives.

Why did Apostle Paul instruct them to set aside money each week and save it up in advance for this gift to the Jerusalem church? What is the spiritual benefit of building this practice into their lives?

The reason why Apostle Paul instructed them to set aside money each week and save it up in advance is that the act requires a frequent remembering and mindfulness. Every week, they would have to be mindful to the fact that they have to set money aside and save it ahead of time for the gift, which would in turn make them remember the reason why they are preparing this gift and along with it, the gratefulness. Without the constant remembrance of the this, even if the gift were to be prepared for the Jerusalem at some point in time, it would not be the same since people are prone to forget their indebtedness and the Corinthian church would lose sight of why they are making the gift which would cause them to even become bitter and discontent toward the Jerusalem church. This would have caused disunity among the church.
But through this practice of frequently remembering, they were able to remember the reason for giving and out of the gratitude they have, they would have even given the gifts out of joy in their hearts.

To whom am I indebted for the spiritual blessings that I have received? What habits of love can I build into my life to express my gratitude in concrete ways?

As the Corinthians were indebted to the Church of Jerusalem for the gospel they received from them, I am indebted to the various leaders throughout my life that passed on the gospel to me, in one form or another. I am especially indebted to my leaders at this church because their passing on of the gospel to me led to my accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior and i am continually indebted by the spiritual blessings of this community and the discipleship I receive from older brothers in Christ. I have received something precious and it is right for me to express my gratitude in concrete ways. There are some ways like giving them a gift of appreciation or even cooking for them. But most fundamentally, I need to cultivate the habit of expressing verbally my gratitude toward them instead of just being thankful on the inside. I have personally received thanks and I know how good and right it feels when something you have given is recognized by the giver. Then how much more should I express my gratitude for the people who have given me this precious gospel.