INSTRUCTIONS AND ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE CHURCH
1Corinthians 16.1-24
Paul proposed that on the first day of the week (Sunday) the church shall put their collected donations aside and save before he (Paul) will come to them (1-2). This suggestion of Paul perhaps based on the reason that he does not want to be collected anything on the Sabbath Day when he usually teaches, but such work collection of donations (or any other work or service) should be done on any other day of the week.
It seems that Apostles in Jerusalem and other Christian establishments were in need due to certain circumstances, which could be persecution, hunger of famine, some sort of disturbance, or anything else what Paul did not mentioned here. In verse 3 Paul call donations of the church as a gift to Jerusalem.
Paul was very effective and very practical man, and he had made his ministry, travel, and his plans in such way that he would be more useful and very efficient in his work to spread the Gospel of Christ all over Asia and even Europe (9).
Concerning his beloved Timothy (10-11) Paul caution the church to treat him well and not despise him for his youth, because like the Paul himself, Timothy doing the Lord's work.
In verse 14 Paul again mentioned love and urged the church that if they do something, it must be done with love. Paul always placed and exulted love as the most important spiritual quality for any Christian in which summarizes the most important and essential spiritual features of excellence in worship and service of GOD. For a true Christian everything must be done only in love, anything else is not counts.
"First fruits" in verse 15 mean the first Christians in the region of Achaia, thanks to Paul and other missionaries who visited them and converted them to Christ. The household of Stephanas dedicated themselves to help all those who work in the name of the Lord and spreading the Gospel of Christ in their region. Perhaps they offered food and shelter for Christian's travelers or serve them by some other means in order to help them in their mission.
Greeting by kissing (20) is not a Christian invention or Paul's statute, greeting by kissing is a very ancient tradition and also recorded in the Bible, but Paul in this verse called as "holy kissing." Holy, because the true Christians are holy people who worship and serving their Holy GOD, and so, if the GOD is Holy and so His followers are also holy, and whatever they do, their work and their life all are holy.
Verse 21 in KSB Bible sounds a little bit unfinished and confusing, but in NRSV Bible it is clearly translated that Paul by his own hand wrote this Epistle to the church of Corinth.
The one of the last statements of Paul (22) is very direct, bold, and to the point, declaring that anyone who does not love the Lord is cursed. Just like Jesus Christ Who declared that who is not with Him is against Him, Paul does the same and did not provide any middle ground or choice between two sides. In terms of love for GOD, it must be unconditional. This means that or you with GOD or against Him and nothing else exist or can be found between these two positions.
Its general interpretation, the world is cursed, because it does not have the love for GOD.