3rd Missionary Trip - Lorin

conversion (33 AD) on to the writing of this letter about 54 AD. One can see that missionary service was very
challenging and had to cope with substantial problems, in spite of the positive successes in seeing converts and
new churches started. The parts of Luke’s Ephesian narrative that connect to this depiction are the synagogue
opposition toward the end of the first three months (v. 9) and the riot episode at the end of his stay in the city (vv.
23-41).
Of particular interest is his reference (v. 17) to having sent Timothy to Corinth in order to strengthen the
work in the city. In Acts 19:22, both Timothy and Erastus are sent to Macedonia from Ephesus by Paul. But here
in v. 17 Timothy is sent by Paul to Corinth. In all likelihood this trip from Ephesus directly to Corinth was to carry
the letter of First Corinthians to the church. Then over a year later Timothy receives a second assignment to
travel into Macedonia, but this time with Erastus.
What becomes clear is that Timothy is playing an increasingly important role in the missionary work of
Paul and his associates. This young man was developing solid skills in preaching and disciplining ministries.
Additionally, he had begun serving as one of Paul’s primary writing secretaries in doing the actual writing of a
growing number of Paul’s letters. 142
Timothy’s primary assignment for his trip to Corinth was ὃς ὑμᾶς ἀναμνήσει τὰς ὁδούς μου τὰς ἐν Χριστῷ
[Ἰησοῦ], καθὼς πανταχοῦ ἐν πάσῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ διδάσκω, who will remind you of my ways in Christ Jesus, as I teach
everywhere in every church. As both writer and carrier of First Corinthians to the church there, Timothy would be
in a unique position to interpret the parameters of Christian commitment exemplified in Paul to the church. Plus
the verb ἀναμνήσει stresses living out these principles along with verbal recalling of Paul’s life as an example. 143
Timothy as a flesh and blood product of Paul’s teachings was to exemplify to the Corinthians what Paul stood for
in his teachings.
1 Cor. 16:1-4 (plans) 144
16.1 Περὶ δὲ τῆς λογείας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους ὥσπερ διέταξα ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῆς Γαλατίας, οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς
ποιήσατε. 2 κατὰ μίαν σαββάτου ἕκαστος ὑμῶν παρʼ ἑαυτῷ τιθέτω θησαυρίζων ὅ τι ἐὰν εὐοδῶται, ἵνα μὴ ὅταν ἔλθω
τότε λογεῖαι γίνωνται. 3 ὅταν δὲ παραγένωμαι, οὓς ἐὰν δοκιμάσητε, διʼ ἐπιστολῶν τούτους πέμψω ἀπενεγκεῖν τὴν
χάριν ὑμῶν εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ· 4 ἐὰν δὲ ἄξιον ᾖ τοῦ κἀμὲ πορεύεσθαι, σὺν ἐμοὶ πορεύσονται.
16 Now concerning the collection for the saints: you should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia.
2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections
need not be taken when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send any whom you approve with letters to take
your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
One of the major objectives in the third missionary journey of Paul was the taking up of a love offering
from the Gentile oriented churches in the provinces of Galatia, Asia, Macedonia, and Achaia to be sent back to
Jerusalem for helping the suffering Jewish Christian congregations of Judea. 145 A growing number of individuals
142Up to the time of Timothy’s departure from Ephesus for Macedonia on the third missionary journy, his name is included in the
following letters as a Sender, which suggests his involvement in the writing of the letter: First and Second Thessalonians. Subsequently
included are Second Corinthians, Philemon, Colossians, and Philippians.
143 “Hence it is not simply, or perhaps even primarily, the he will bring to your mind (ἀναμνήσει) by intellectual teaching, but
by his own very stance and conduct. Arguably this accords with the understanding of ἀνμιμνῄσκω as being something more than merely
subjective, mental recollection: to bring to mind has a more objective nuance. The word ἀνάμνησις is discussed in 11:24 (see below on
these complex issues of semantics and theology, as well as the Hebrew background).” [Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the
Corinthians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans,
2000), 374.]
144 “Commentators broadly group the subject matter of ch. 16 into three (sometimes four, or occasionally five) sets of issues.
Our title for the chapter approximates that proposed by M. M. Mitchell.
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1 These sets of concerns include: (A) The Collection for God’s
People (16:1–4), which carries far more theological and pastoral importance than is often superficially perceived to be the case; (B)
Travel Plans (16:5–12), which include the issue of pastoral sensitivity concerning visits on the part of Timothy and Apollos; and (C)
Concluding Exhortations and Greetings — Peroratio (16:13–24). Fee devotes a separate section to diplomacy about Apollos (v. 12,
included in our section B), while Wolff distinguishes the section of Admonitions (Ermahnungen, 16:13–18) from concluding farewells
(vv. 19–24).” [Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek
Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), 1314-15.]
145 “In addition to including an important emphasis on giving and mutuality among Christians who transcend any single ethnic
constituency, this chapter also contains an allusion to the early role of Sunday, ‘the first day of the week,’ in contrast to (or perhaps alongside)
the Sabbath or seventh day (16:2). The chapter also gives examples of judicious pastoral wisdom: official procedures are initiated
for the transportation of the collection by independently appointed, trustworthy agents (16:3, 4); issues of timing prove that Paul is no
“flying evangelist” who stirs people up and leaves others to pick up the pieces (16:7); personal details provide invaluable data for dating
and identifying a time and place of writing (16:8).” [Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians: A Commentary on the