1 Corinthians 16:5-9 (NIV)
After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be going through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
Paul made plans, but in the midst of all he hoped and planned for, he always gave God the last word. Paul would stay in Ephesus to take advantage of the doors God had opened, and would only leave after the riot caused by Demetrius the silversmith (Acts 19:23-20:1). When he finally arrived in Corinth, he was able to spend three months working with the Church there.
Paul’s love for the Corinthians is evident, not only in the care he has put into his correction and instruction in this letter, but in the fact with all that was happening there, he didn’t want to just drop in for a quick visit. He wanted to spend some quality time, helping them to set some things right that it gotten skewed, and helping the Church and the leaders to grow.
It is interesting to note the two opposing forces in Paul’s work in Ephesus, the same two forces that popped up everywhere he went: a great door for effective ministry had opened for him, and there were many who opposed him. Paul didn’t mind the opposition or see it as sign that he should stop the work and move on. He realized that any time the gospel moves forward with power, the opposing forces would rise up in opposition. But he also knew that if he continued strong in all he did, relying on God’s power and guidance, the light would push through the darkness, and the gospel would end up the victor. The important thing was to not quit!
Father, it is a popular (though completely incorrect) theology these days that Your paths are always smooth. That if we run into difficulties or roadblocks of any kind, that path must not be Your will for us, at least at that time. But Paul’s theology seems to have been the opposite. If he ran into opposition, he figured he was in exactly the right spot, and pushed ahead with all Your might. Throughout history, those who had been the most effective for the gospel have been those who pushed ahead through all opposition and every obstacle and didn’t stop or back down until You told them it was time to move on. No wonder they were so much more powerful and effective than we are! Forgive us, Lord, for being timid in your work, and for ceding territory to the enemy that we could have won if we had simply stuck with it through the opposition. Help us to do better, Lord. Amen.