Lessons from the Book of 1 Corinthians: Bible Study with Jairus

The ending of 1 Corinthians is filled with sunshine and hope. The Holy Spirit highlighted 1 Corinthians 16:15-18. I never previously noticed that Paul exalted brother Stephanas in this passage. Paul said that Stephanas' household 'devoted themselves to the service of the saints, made up for the absence of the Corinthian church, and refreshed the spirits of Paul and the Corinthian believers.' So, Paul urged the Corinthian believers to be subject to such people and give them recognition. Why did Paul highly commend believers like Stephanas to those in the Corinthian church? My guess is that Stephanas was the fruit of Paul and Apollos' unity and love. He was baptized by Paul (1 Cor. 1:16). We also know from Acts 18:27 that Apollos went to Achaia where he was encouraged and helped by his brothers. Perhaps Apollos played a role in Stephanas' salvation too. This verse adds to our understanding of the love and unity that existed, which is the theme of 1 Corinthians. Many people think that 1 Corinthians focuses primarily on negative issues and the abuse of spiritual gifts in the Corinthian church. They think that Paul's main burden was to oppose spiritual gifts such as tongues. But these people misunderstand Paul. Although Paul dealt with the abuse of spiritual gifts in the Corinthian church, he was not against spiritual gifts. Rather, he was taking others' feelings into consideration (even Apollos' feelings), in love and unity.
Therefore, in the last chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul thoroughly recommended Stephanas. He painted a positive picture in the ending of 1 Corinthians, thanking the Lord that the Corinthian church had produced a good leader like Stephanas. Paul emphasized that the future of the Corinthian church would be very promising. This is one of the insights we received from the Holy Spirit in our reading of 1 Corinthians. I hope you check out this book for more insights.