Category: 2 Corinthians

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2 Corinthians

Seeking God’s best in people

2 Corinthians

As we wrap up this letter, we see Paul’s heart for the Corinthians, that they would know God’s best in their lives.

Paul starts out by challenging them, saying,

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. (2 Corinthians 13:5)

How can we tell that we are Christians?

The apostle John gives us ways to test the genuineness of our faith: our belief in the truth about Jesus, our obedience to Christ, and the love we have for God and others. (1 John 2:3-4, 22-23; 4:7-8)

This is not to say that we will ever be perfect in obedience and love, but we should see these things starting to develop in our lives. And when we fail, true Christians should be quick to repent.

Paul’s prayer was that they would pass the test. That they would prove the genuineness of their faith by their repentance. He told them,

Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. (2 Corinthians 13:7)

Why did he pray this?

Not that people will see that we have stood the test… (2 Corinthians 13:7b)

In other words not just so that people will say, “Oh Paul is such a great leader. Look at the people he has raised.” But rather,

…that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. (2 Corinthians 13:7c)

What did he mean by this?

Paul had told the Corinthians that he would come with a heavy hand if they didn’t repent.

But if they repented, and Paul as a result didn’t show his heavy hand, his critics would probably say, “See how soft Paul is. He’s no true leader.”

But to Paul that didn’t matter. His only concern was that the Corinthians would repent and do what was right. And so he said,

We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. (2 Corinthians 13:9)

Others might think he was weak because he didn’t come down hard on the Corinthians for their failures.

But again, he didn’t care about that. He wanted them to be strong and not need his heavy hand. And so he prayed for their perfection and restoration.

The ESV puts it,

Our prayer is that you may be fully restored. (2 Corinthians 13:9)

Paul then told them,

This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority–the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. (2 Corinthians 13:10)

In short, “Ultimately I want God’s best for you. God has placed me into your lives that you may be built up.”

And so he charged them,

Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. (2 Corinthians 13:11a)

For if they did so,

The God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11b)

He then concluded,

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

That’s what Paul’s hope and prayer for them were. And that’s what our hope and prayer for others should be.

Sometimes we need to be hard on people when they sin, particularly when they are stubbornly rebellious against God.

But all that we do should be aimed at their restoration, that they may know God’s best in their lives.

How about you? Do you seek God’s best in others?

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2 Corinthians

When Jesus returns

2 Corinthians

In Paul’s warning to the Corinthians in this passage, I see a warning to us as well.

Paul told them,

I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time.

I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others,since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me.

He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you.For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power.

Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him in our dealing with you. (2 Corinthians 13:1-4)

When Paul had last visited the Corinthians, he came in weakness.

In other words, he didn’t come exercising his authority, but rather with tears, suffering rejection by the Corinthians and grieved by their sinful attitudes. This, though he had laid down his life for them.

But now he was saying that when he came back, he would not come in weakness, but in the power of God, exercising the authority God had given him to judge the Corinthians.

And he warned them, “I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others.” (2 Corinthians 13:2)

Jesus says the same thing to us. When last he came, he came in weakness.

He came as a man, a poor carpenter and itinerant teacher. He came not as a conquering king, but as a crucified Savior.

But by the power of God he was resurrected and the day will come when he will come back. And when he comes back, it will not be in weakness, but in power.

More importantly, when he comes back, he will not spare those who continue to reject him. Rather, he will bring judgment.

The problem with many people today is that they simply see Jesus as the loving Son of God who sacrificed everything for us to show us how much he cares for us.

That’s true. He did.

But they forget that when he comes back, he will come back in judgment. The time for mercy for those who reject him will be past.

He will no longer simply be the Lamb of God, but the Lion of Judah, the king who will reign forever. And those who continue to rebel against his rightful rule will face his wrath.

And like Paul with the Corinthians, he will not spare any who continue in their rebellion. (See Luke 19:11-27, in particular verses 14 and 27)

So the question you and I have to ask ourselves is this: Have we submitted to Christ’s rule in our lives? Or will we continue to live in rebellion to him?

God is patient with us. But that patience will not last forever.

Let us not test the patience of God in our lives but rather accept his mercy and grace while we still can.

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2 Corinthians

Marks of a leader (part 2)

2 Corinthians

A couple of blogs ago, we looked at some of the marks of a leader. In this passage, I think we can see more of what a true leader in the church looks like.

1. True leaders do not think of themselves more highly than they ought, but that they think of themselves with sober judgment (Romans 12:3).

In short, they can see who they are, and properly evaluate themselves as a servant of Christ, seeing with humility both their strengths and weaknesses.

Paul said in comparing himself with those “leaders” who criticized him,

I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. (2 Corinthians 12:11)

Paul knew who he was. He was an apostle called by Christ.

He was accredited by the signs, wonders, and miracles he performed; he had started multiple churches; and though he wasn’t “impressive” as a speaker, he nevertheless spoke to great effect.

Yet he also remembered that he was nothing in himself, the least of all the apostles because he had once persecuted the church. (1 Corinthians 15:9)

That in himself he was weak and could do nothing. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

True leaders need to be able to see themselves with that same kind of lens, remembering who they are in Christ and their daily need for God’s grace in their lives and ministries.

2. True leaders also love their people, not simply looking to use them for their own advantage.

Paul wrote,

I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? (2 Corinthians 12:14-15)

Paul truly wanted what was best for the Corinthians, and like a parent was willing to do anything to see them prosper spiritually, no matter what it cost him. All true leaders should have that kind of mindset.

3. True leaders are consistent in their integrity.

Some of the Corinthians accused Paul of somehow trying to exploit them or deceive them, ironically by not taking their money to support his ministry to them.

Perhaps they were saying, “Well, he’s saying that he wasn’t going to take your money, but actually he is under the guise of taking up an offering for the poor in Jerusalem.”

But Paul could point to his life and the men he had sent to the Corinthians, showing that they had all acted with the utmost integrity. (2 Corinthians 12:17-18)

Would that all leaders be able to do that.

4. Finally, true leaders grieve over sin in their people’s lives and ultimately deal with it.

Paul’s fear was that he would have to deal with the Corinthians’ sins and deal firmly with it. He didn’t want to do that, and was grieved over that possibility, but he was willing to do it. (2 Corinthians 12:20-21)

All true leaders should be that way. They cannot simply look the other way in the face of sin.

That’s the kind of leader Paul was. What kind of leader are you?

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2 Corinthians

The problem of self-sufficiency

self-sufficency

I was raised by my parents to be pretty self-sufficient.

I remember one thing my dad told me after I had grown up and left the house was that the one thing he was happy about concerning my brother, my sister, and myself was that we never came back asking for money.

Self-sufficiency, in terms of independence from our parents, is a good thing. We all need to grow up and strike out on our own.

But self-sufficiency in terms of our relationship with God is never a good thing. There will never will be a time when we can truly claim independence from God. We will always need him.

We will always need his power and strength in our lives if we are to make it in this life. In our relationships. In our work. And definitely in ministry.

The problem with self-sufficiency is that it keeps God’s power from truly becoming complete in us.

Put another way, we will never have full access to the power of God in our lives as long as we are trying to be self-sufficient.

That’s what Paul learned and that’s what Paul tried to teach the Corinthians.

Paul had received an awesome spiritual experience, having seen heaven itself. And it would have been so easy for Paul to think, “I’ve made it. I don’t really need God anymore. I am so spiritual that I can live this life on my own strength now.”

And so God gave Paul a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him humble and reliant on God.

What that thorn in the flesh was is not clear.

But whatever it was, a physical ailment (many people think it was an eye problem), or a spiritual problem, or whatever it may have been, though Paul pleaded three times for God to take it away, God refused, saying,

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

In other words, “I don’t need to take this problem from you in order for you to live. My grace is enough for that. And my power is made perfect in your weakness.”

Why?

Because in our weakness we are forced to rely on God’s power and not our own. God’s power will never be made perfect in our lives as long as we are relying on ourselves.

And so Paul said,

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10)

Why did Paul boast of his weaknesses?

Because it forced him to rely on God more, and in relying on God more, he knew more of the power of God in his life. And I have to believe that in the process, he was forced to draw closer to God as well.

How about you? Are you trying to make it on your own? To live by your own power and strength?

By doing so, you’re missing out on two things: the fullness of God’s power in your life and a closer relationship with him.

I don’t know about you, but I want both of those things in my life.

So let us not boast of our own self-sufficiency. Rather, let us live each day leaning on God’s power and strength.

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2 Corinthians

What is far more important than our boasting

2 Corinthians

Perhaps because the false teachers in Corinth had been boasting of their “revelations,” Paul let the Corinthians know that he himself had spiritual experiences that far surpassed whatever experiences these false teachers may have had.

He had in fact been carried to heaven into the presence of God (although Paul himself wasn’t sure if it was just a vision or it really happened).

But then Paul said this:

But I refrain (from boasting about my experience), so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. (2 Corinthians 12:6)

In other words, we may have all sorts of spiritual “experiences.” And I am by no means discounting them as a part of our Christian lives. But we shouldn’t be using them as reasons to boast of our spirituality to others.

True spirituality is found in what we say and do moment to moment, day to day.

That’s what people should see when they see us. Not our awesome spiritual experiences. But God’s working and speaking through us to touch the lives around us. And this, not for our own glory, but for His.

Do you have awesome experiences with God? That’s great!

But a true spiritual experience doesn’t end with the spiritual high. It should translate into our day to day speech and actions.

Does it translate into yours?

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2 Corinthians

The marks of a true leader

2 Corinthians

As Paul compares himself with the false apostles that had crept into the Corinthian church, I think we see the marks of a true Christian leader, what he does, and doesn’t do.

A true leader shouldn’t have to boast.

That Paul did so was not so much a sign of his greatness as a leader, but a concession to the foolishness of the Corinthians, who were too easily impressed by the “credentials” of those preaching to them a false gospel.

Paul himself, time and again berated himself as a fool for having to stoop to these false teachers’ level just to win credibility with the Corinthians.

But under normal circumstances, this shouldn’t be. A true leader realizes that everything he has comes from Christ, and as a result leads with humility, not pride.

A true leader also doesn’t abuse the sheep, even when he must be stern with them because of their sin.

The false teachers on the other hand, enslaved, exploited, took advantage of and insulted the Corinthians.

Unfortunately, even today, you hear stories of pastors who abuse their positions. But according to Paul, a true leader in the church gently instructs and corrects those who wrongfully oppose him. (2 Timothy 2:25)

More, a true leader cares for the sheep. (2 Corinthians 11:28-29)

He sees those that are weak in faith and lifts them up. He sympathizes with their weaknesses just as Christ does as our great high priest. (Hebrews 4:15)

And when others cause his sheep to fall, he becomes indignant just as Christ does. (Mark 9:42)

Finally, a true leader is willing to endure hardship for the sake of the gospel.

He doesn’t insist on luxury and comfort for himself. Paul certainly didn’t, suffering persecution, danger, sleeplessness, hunger and thirst for the sake of the gospel. (2 Corinthians 11:23-27)

Those are the marks of a true leader.

Are you a leader in your church? As a pastor? As a Sunday school teacher? As a Bible study leader? Do these things describe you?

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2 Corinthians

Another Jesus, another spirit, another gospel

2 Corinthians

In this passage, we find a very poignant truth.

When people tell us they represent Jesus, that they have the Holy Spirit within them, and that they’re presenting the gospel, we cannot simply take them at face value.

Why not? Because of what Paul told the Corinthians. What did he say?

I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)

Here Paul expresses his concern for the Corinthians, that they like Eve might fall into deception and fall away from Christ. How could that happen?

By falling for another Jesus, another gospel, and another Holy Spirit.

“Wait a minute,” you might say. “I thought there was only one Jesus Christ, only one Holy Spirit, and only one gospel.”

That’s quite true, but there are a number of counterfeit Jesuses, counterfeit Holy Spirits, and counterfeit gospels.

And they were being presented by, “false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:13)

And Paul says we shouldn’t be surprised by this.

For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)

Paul was already seeing this in his day. There were people coming to the Corinthians speaking out against the things Paul had taught them and against Paul himself, throwing the whole church into turmoil.

And throughout the New Testament, we see these counterfeit teachers bringing their counterfeit teaching.

They brought another Jesus saying that he hadn’t truly come to this earth as a man. (2 John 1:7)

They brought false spirits which made it utterly important to test everyone who claimed to be speaking by the Spirit of God. (1 John 4:1)

And they brought a different gospel, saying for example that people needed to follow Jewish laws in order to be truly Christian. (see Galatians)

To this day, there are false “Jesus”es. The Mormons say that he is the spirit brother of Lucifer and one of many gods. The Jehovah’s Witnesses say he is the archangel Michael and a created being.

There are false Holy Spirits. The Holy Spirit of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is an impersonal force. The Holy Spirit of the Mormons is again one of many gods.

There are false gospels. Both Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons preach a gospel of works in addition to faith as did many in Paul’s day.

The thing is, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons are very nice people. They are very sincere. They may even appear to be more godly than we ourselves are.

But in presenting a different Jesus, a different gospel, and a different Holy Spirit, they prove themselves to be false teachers and false believers. Yet because they sound so good, many people are deceived by them.

Let me be clear. In the case of most Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses or other cultists, they are not purposely leading others into deception. They themselves are deceived.

But if we are to avoid their fate, we cannot simply believe people because they say they believe in Jesus and the gospel. We must test all things by what the Bible teaches, for it alone is truth.

Let us not be children. Let us not be naive. Rather, let us test all things, holding fast to that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

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2 Corinthians

How we evaluate ourselves. How we evaluate others.

2 Corinthians

In this passage, Paul is still dealing with the Corinthians and their attitudes of disdain towards him. Not all of them felt this way, but enough did that Paul felt the need to defend himself.

And as we look at these verses, we see how we should evaluate others and ourselves.

When the Corinthians looked at Paul, they merely looked at the outside. And Paul was apparently a man who was not terribly impressive, in presence or in speech. Some were saying of him,

His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing. (2 Corinthians 10:10)

But Paul told them, “You are only looking on the surface of things.” (2 Corinthians 10:7)

Paul was every much of a Christian and minister than anyone the Corinthians could compare him to, but because they were focused on his appearance and speech, there were a number of them that simply couldn’t recognize that.

They instead looked down on him, despising him for his apparent weaknesses. So Paul warned them,

Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present. (2 Corinthians 10:11)

In other words, “We are not all talk. We live what we say. And we will act on our words when we see you again if you don’t repent of your attitude.”

So as we look at others, we need to be careful to look beyond the surface.

People can be a lot more than they seem, and with the power of God working in them, can do much more than we might expect.

But if we are busy judging them and despising them for their supposed weaknesses, not only will we misjudge them, but we’ll end up despising people God has created in his own image and for his own purposes.

And God does not take that kind of attitude from us lightly.

But as we look at this, we can also see how we should evaluate ourselves. Paul wrote of some of his critics,

When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. (2 Corinthians 10:12)

In short, it’s pure foolishness to measure yourself by other people and compare yourself with them.

Why? Because the standard that we are measured by is God’s standard, not human standards. And when we measure ourselves by human standards, we grossly miss the mark God intends us to reach.

It’s also foolish to boast about something when you have no real right to do so.

It’s bad enough to be overly proud about what you have done. But when you start boasting about what others have done and taking credit for it, that’s even worse. But Paul never did that. (2 Corinthians 10:13-16)

Paul then tells us what we should boast about,

Let him who boasts boast in the Lord. (2 Corinthians 10:17)

What does that mean? The Lord said through Jeremiah in the Old Testament,

But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD… (Jeremiah 9:24)

In other words, our focus shouldn’t be on ourselves and what we’ve done. Rather, our focus should be on God, and knowing him better.

The person who truly knows God truly has something to boast about because their focus is on the right place, and they’re no longer trying to please others, but God.

And in that is wisdom, for Paul tells us in verse 18,

It is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. (2 Corinthians 10:18)

How about you? How do you evaluate others? Do you evaluate them by mere appearances?

And how do you evaluate yourself? By comparing yourself with others? By measuring yourself through human standards. Or by the Lord’s?

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2 Corinthians

Tearing down Satan’s strongholds

2 Corinthians

I suppose the more that we look at the world around us, the more it seems like Satan has set up his strongholds in our culture.

Certainly we see it in the moral shifts that have occurred in America over the last 10-20 years.

And in Japan, the spiritual strongholds are just as strong, keeping people in spiritual darkness with less than a percent of the population being church-going, born again Christians.

It’s enough to discourage us and make us want to give up.

For other Christians, it stirs up anger at what Satan has done to our culture. And it makes them want to fight the way that the world fights: with viciousness and a stomp-you-down mentality.

But that’s not the way we are to fight. That’s not the way to tear down the strongholds Satan has set up.

Paul had to deal with some strongholds in the Corinthian church. Strongholds set up by false teachers. Strongholds of division. Strongholds of rebellion against God and against Paul.

How did Paul respond?

By the meekness and gentleness of Christ.

He didn’t come with an attitude of tearing apart those who opposed him. Rather he came with a gentle spirit.

This is not to say that Paul could never be “bold.”

He could, and he told the Corinthians that if they didn’t repent, he would have to come in boldness and strength. But that was not what he desired to do.

But even in coming in boldness, it was not to tear people apart, but to build them up. (2 Corinthians 10:8)

He then talked about the kind of warfare we are to wage when attacking Satan’s strongholds. He said first,

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. (2 Corinthians 10:3)

Sometimes Christians come with the attitude of, “We need to fight fire with fire.”

Or they get sucked into the idea that they have to use worldly means to fight the deterioration in our society, using things like politics.

Don’t get me wrong: we need to be involved in politics as Christians. We cannot just take our hands off of it.

But if we think we are going to change our society through politics, if we think we are going to change the human heart through politics, we are sadly mistaken.

We can have all the Christian values incorporated into our society, but while it may improve our society, politics doesn’t have the power to actually change the human heart.

If we want to effect long-lasting change, it needs to start with each individual Christian touching the individual lives around them. And we need to be using the spiritual weapons God has given us.

Paul said,

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4)

What are those weapons? Primarily they are the word of God and prayer. It’s speaking the words of God into the lives of the people around us, and then praying for them.

That’s what has the power to change lives as the Holy Spirit works in us and through us.

For it’s through the Spirit, that

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Ultimately, it is only God that can change the human heart, not politics, not our rhetoric, not our debating skills.

So I suppose the question we need to ask is twofold:

1. Are we joining in the battle to tear down Satan’s strongholds?

2. With what weapons are we waging this warfare?

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2 Corinthians

That God may be glorified through us

2 Corinthians

I touched on this at the end of my last blog, but I wanted to expand on the idea more, that is, when God’s people are generous, he is glorified through us. Paul wrote,

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. (2 Corinthians 9:11-14)

One of the key themes that we see throughout these verses is that our generosity causes people to give thanks to God.

They give thanks to God not just because their needs are met, but because they can see God working through us. They see the surpassing grace God has poured into our lives, and they see it pouring out of our lives to touch them and others.

Too often, as the world looks at people professing to be followers of Christ, they see hypocrites and people who are uncaring, unloving, or indifferent.

But when they see Christians who are generous because they have been touched with the grace of Christ, they catch a glimpse of our heavenly Father, who “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)

And as they see us, they start to glorify Him and hopefully start to become drawn to him.

Jesus said,

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

And one of the best ways to shine our light is through our generosity.

But as we are generous, it also encourages others who are believers.

It encourages them because through us, they see that God has not abandoned them and that he cares for their needs.

It encourages them in that they see fellow Christians living out what they believe.

And it encourages them to live out what they believe as well.

And like Paul, they start to thank God once again for his indescribable gift: the gift of his Son (2 Corinthians 9:15).

The gift that so changes people that they would share the love they have received from God with others.

How about you? Is God being glorified through you because of your generosity. Through your giving heart, do people see God in you and praise Him?

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2 Corinthians

Abounding in grace

2 Corinthians

I wonder how many people reading the title of this post, “Abounding in grace,” immediately thought in terms of us receiving grace from God.

Certainly, that is a part of what I’m writing about today, but it’s only half.

Paul wrote,

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

I really like this verse. It first talks about how God is able to shower his grace upon us so that we’ll have all that we need.

But what is the purpose of his showering his grace upon us? His purpose is that we will abound in every good work, showering the grace we have received on others.

Paul quotes Psalm 112 where it says,

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. (2 Corinthians 9:9)

Somehow, whenever I’ve read this passage, I’ve always associated it with Christ. I think I was confusing it with Ephesians 4:8 somehow.

But actually, the psalmist was talking about the righteous man and how generous he is.

He never fears the future because he trusts in the Lord, and that allows him to be as generous as he is, helping those in need and abounding in good works to those around him.

And that’s what Paul goes on to say in verses 10-11.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:10-11)

In short, we can be confident that God will not only supply our needs, but will also increase what we have to the point that we can minister to others, being generous on every occasion.

The question is, “Do we trust God in that way?” I have to admit that I’m still learning to do so.

I want to be like that righteous man in Psalm 112, filled with the grace that God pours into my life, but not holding it in.

I want to be overflowing with the grace of God, touching those around me and blessing them, so that people may see it and glorify God.

How about you? Are you abounding in grace?

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2 Corinthians

Principles of giving

2 Corinthians

Here in this passage, we see two key principles of giving.

Paul says,

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. (2 Corinthians 9:6)

This is true in all aspects of life. If, for example, you sow sparingly into your marriage, you will also reap sparingly.

That is, if you put little time or effort into your marriage, you will reap little benefit from it. In fact, your marriage will most likely wither and die.

If on the other hand, you sow generously into your marriage, you will reap great blessing from it.

The same can be said of raising your kids. If you sow sparingly in the lives of your kids, you will find that when they grow up, they’ll want little to do with you.

But if you sow generously into their lives, you will find that you have a great relationship with them after they have grown up.

But the key point here is with giving of your money.

A lot of people think, “Well, tithing isn’t for the New Testament church, so why should I give anything to the church.”

But if we sow sparingly into the church, what does that mean?

It probably means your pastor will have to take other jobs to support himself and his family leaving less time for ministering to the church.

It means your church will have less resources to touch your community. And it means that your church has less resources to minister to you and your family.

If you sow generously into your church, however, you will find that your church can be a great blessing to you, your family, and your community.

So if you’re complaining that your pastor or your church isn’t doing enough, a big question you need to ask yourself is this: am I sowing generously into the church so that they can do more?

Paul then goes on to say,

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Our giving should never be done with an attitude of, “Well, I guess I have to give.”

It should never be done with the pain of pulling teeth or with the feeling of a gun pointed at your head.

It should be done with a heart of joy and generosity.

It should be done with a heart of, “I just wanted to thank you God for all you’ve done for me. You have given me an indescribable gift in your Son. Now I want to give something back to you.”

And when we give with that attitude, that is acceptable to God, whether we give a large amount or small.

The poor widow in Luke 21:1-3, had very little to give. But because she gave from her heart, Jesus was more pleased with her gift than with any of the large gifts that the richer folks had given.

So how about you? With what kind of attitude are you giving? And are you sowing generously, or sparingly?

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2 Corinthians

When we have an influence on others

2 Corinthians

All of us have an influence on others, whether it be in our homes, at our churches, or at work.

Perhaps we didn’t ask to be their role models, but we have been placed in that position. And if so, we have a responsibility, not only to them, but before God to live up to that position.

When the Corinthians heard about the plight of the poor in Jerusalem, they were quite eager to give and told Paul as much.

Paul was so pleased with their generous hearts that he shared the news about them with the Macedonians. That in turn inspired the Macedonians to give.

Now on returning to Corinth, it seems that some of the Macedonians were thinking about coming back with Paul. And a thought came to Paul: “I hope the Corinthians are ready. What if they’re not?”

And so he sent this letter ahead of time to encourage them to get their gift ready, just as they had promised. For as Paul noted,

If any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we–not to say anything about you–would be ashamed of having been so confident. (2 Corinthians 9:4)

Though they may not have planned to, the Corinthians’ zeal to give had a big influence on the Macedonians, inspiring them to give generously.

And if the Corinthians had failed to do as they had promised, it would have had a devastating effect on the Macedonians because those they had looked up to had so utterly disappointed them.

None of us are perfect. We all fail. And certainly, no one should so place you or anyone else on such a pedestal that if you fall, their faith falls as well.

But that said, it happens. Jesus recognized as much. And so he said,

But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! (Matthew 18:6-7)

So let us be careful. Remember that what you do impacts those who look up to you.

By God’s grace, let us be people that inspire others to follow God, not causing them to fall away from him because of their disappointment in us.

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2 Corinthians

A people that are an honor and glory to Christ

2 Corinthians

In this last section, Paul talks about the measures that he is taking to make sure that the offering he is collecting for the poor in Jerusalem is completely above board, that no one would be able to criticize him.

In doing so, he talks about the people that were chosen to be in charge of collecting the money and carrying it on to Jerusalem.

Among them were Titus and two unnamed brothers, one who was well known for his preaching of the gospel, and the other a man who had proven zealous in his work for the Lord.

Paul says of them,

As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. (2 Corinthians 8:23)

The word “honor” is often translated “glory” as well. So Paul was also saying of these men that they were a glory to Christ.

What does that mean? I think it means these men by their very lives brought glory and honor to the name of Christ.

They did so by their zeal for him. They did so in the preaching of his word. And they did so in the love and concern that God had placed in their hearts for others.

As I read this, I ask myself, “Am I an honor to Christ? Do I bring glory to his name by my words and by my actions?

Am I zealous for him? Am I bringing his words to those who need to hear them? And is my heart filled with the love and concern God has for others?”

I hope that I am. I realize I’m not perfect. But I don’t want to do anything that would put a stain on the name of Christ.

How about you? Are you an honor to Christ? Do you bring glory to his name?

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2 Corinthians

Our example in giving

2 Corinthians

How much do we know the grace of Jesus in our lives?

And if we really did know it, how would it change our attitude in our giving, not only of our money, but of our time, our resources, and of our very lives?

Paul told the Corinthians,

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

What is grace? It is the giving of something to a people that don’t deserve it.

And Jesus was full of grace, giving to us what we didn’t deserve. Think about what he did for us.

Jesus was “rich” in heaven. Not in that he had lots of gold or silver or money. Such things really have little worth in heaven.

But Jesus, while he was in heaven, shared in the glory of God, and was worshiped by the angels. He sat on the throne next to the Father, lacking nothing.

He in fact ruled over all things, and through him, all things in heaven and earth hold together. (Colossians 1:15-18)

And yet, he gave up all his glory in heaven to come to this earth as a man. Not as a king. Not even as a rich man. But as a mere carpenter.

Even when he began his ministry, it was as an itinerant preacher, one who never knew where he would lay his head for the night. (Luke 9:58)

And at the end of his life, instead of receiving worship, he was reviled. Instead of sitting on his throne, he hung on a cross. Instead of reigning in glory, he hung in shame. Why?

So that we might become rich. So that our sins might be paid for by his work on the cross. And so that one day we would become co-heirs with him in his kingdom (Romans 8:17).

That’s the grace of Jesus that he freely gave to us. So once again, the question is, “Do we know that grace in our lives?”

Has that truth truly sunk into our hearts? Because if it has, it will show in our lives as well. Generosity will spring out of our hearts just as it sprang out of Jesus’.

Honestly, it’s a truth that needs to sink a lot deeper into my heart.

How about you? Do you know the grace of Jesus in your life?

Is it overflowing out of your heart in generosity to others?

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2 Corinthians

Excelling in acts of grace

2 Corinthians

In this verse, Paul encourages the Corinthians,

But just as you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us–see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:7)

The Corinthians were well known for their abundance of spiritual gifts as well as for their zeal and love.

But Paul says here, “Don’t just excel in faith, speech, knowledge, zeal, and love. Excel in giving as well.”

Many Christians want to excel in faith, in speaking out for Christ, in their knowledge of God, in zeal, and in love. But how often do we desire to excel as givers.

Precious few, I would guess. But that’s what God desires for us. That we would be givers, and touch the lives of the people around us.

I think that’s primarily what Paul is talking about here, and it’s how the NIV translates it. But as I look at the ESV, it puts this verse this way:

But as you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you–see that you excel in this act of grace also.

I want to focus on that last phrase: “This act of grace.”

Again, this is specifically talking about the grace of giving, namely to the hurting Jews in Jerusalem.

But it strikes me that God wants us to excel in all acts of grace:

In the act of speaking words of grace to those around us.

In the act of showing kindness to others.

In the act of showing forgiveness to others.

In the act of showing mercy to those who are hurting.

We are to be people of grace. Why? Because God is a God of grace, and we as his children are to imitate him.

How about you? Are you a person of grace? Are you a person that excels in acts of grace to those around you?

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2 Corinthians

Finish what you started

2 Corinthians

This passage is so rich with spiritual truth that I think we’ll be here for a few more blogs.

Paul starts and ends this passage by basically saying this: “Finish what you started.”

The Corinthians, when they had first heard about the needs of the poor Jews in Jerusalem, were quick to say, “We want to help.”

That spurred others, most notably the Macedonians, to give as well.

And so Paul told the Corinthians, “It’s great that you offered to help. But finish what you have started. Don’t leave your good intentions to fall to the ground to be trampled on by the shoes of neglect. Fulfill your promises.

Start collecting the money you decided to give so that it will be ready when we come.

And if you do so with a heart that’s right, it won’t matter how much you end up collecting. Because all that really matters to God is that he has your heart.”

How about you? Do you finish what you start?

Do you follow through with your good intentions to bless others? Or do you let your good intentions fall to the ground as your passion fades?

Let us not be that way. Let us fulfill our promises and complete the good that God has put in our hearts to do.

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2 Corinthians

What giving is all about

2 Corinthians

Generosity. Giving.

These are two things I have to admit I’m still working on in my life.

Perhaps it comes from being the youngest child in my family.

Perhaps it just comes from my sinful, selfish nature.

But generosity and giving are two things that are definitely not natural to me. They should be, though. These things should flow naturally out of all Christians.

It certainly was the nature of these Macedonians. According to Paul, despite their troubles and their poverty, they begged to be allowed to give to the poor in Jerusalem.

You almost get the impression that Paul had told them, “No, no. It’s totally okay. You don’t have to give. Others are giving and it should be sufficient to meet the needs of the hurting in Jerusalem.”

But the Macedonians begged Paul to be allowed the privilege of giving. That’s how they considered it: a privilege.

It’s so easy when we’re going through our own problems to focus on ourselves. To become selfish and think only of how to make it through our own trials.

But the Macedonians refused to focus on themselves. Rather, Paul says of them,

They did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. (2 Corinthians 8:5)

That’s what giving ultimately is all about. It’s the giving of ourselves to God, and to others. Or as Jesus put it,

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37)

and,

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39)

So if you are stingy, if you are tight with your money, the question you need to ask yourself is this: “Am I truly loving God with all my heart, soul, and mind? Am I loving my neighbor as myself? Or do I love my money more?”

The other question you need to ask yourself is: “Am I so concerned with my own problems, that I can’t see past myself? Or am I like the Macedonians, who could see past their own troubles to the needs of others?”

Where is your heart today?

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2 Corinthians

Two kinds of sorrow

2 Corinthians

Satan’s name means “accuser” or “adversary,” and for good reason. He often comes at us accusing us for our sins and trying to point out to us what miserable wretches we are.

The thing is, most times we deserve what Satan says about us.

He points out every sin in our lives and basically tells us, “You’re no good. You’re worthless. Look at your sin. You don’t deserve a thing from God. How could God love someone like you?”

And he tries to crush us under the weight of our guilt.

But if you’re a child of God, you need to understand that if you are feeling these things, if you are feeling crushed under the weight of your guilt, those feelings are not coming from God.

Yes, when we sin, God wants us to sorrow over our sin. But godly sorrow and worldly sorrow are two entirely different things.

Paul writes,

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it.

Though I did regret it–I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while–yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.

For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. (2 Corinthians 7:8-9)

Paul’s words made the Corinthians feel guilty for what they had done. His words made them sorrow for their sin…but only for a short time.

Paul’s goal was not to destroy them. He in no way wanted them to suffer any long-term harm from his words of rebuke.

Rather, he wanted them to repent from their sins that their relationship with him and with God might be restored.

Paul then draws a sharp distinction between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. He said,

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

The biggest difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow is this:

Worldly sorrow causes people to live all their lives in regret, seeing no way for their sins to be forgiven and no hope for the future. And ultimately these feelings of sorrow and guilt crush them.

Godly sorrow, on the other hand, leads to repentance and a knowledge that no matter what they’ve done, God has forgiven them.

And so leaving regret and sorrow behind, they take Jesus’ hand and walk into the future he has for them: a future filled with hope and life.

When you sin, is your sorrow a worldly sorrow that crushes you under feelings of guilt?

Or is it a sorrow that leads you to the feet of Jesus? Is it a sorrow that leads you to repentance and life?

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2 Corinthians

True love

2 Corinthians

It strikes me as I look at the last part of chapter 6 and the whole of this chapter, that we see a reflection of God’s love for us in Paul’s love for the Corinthians.

Paul implored with the Corinthians in verse 2,

Make room for us in your hearts. (2 Corinthians 7:2)

Some of the Corinthians had shut Paul out of their hearts, and so Paul said, “Open your hearts to us.”

In the same way, God calls us to do the same: to open our hearts to him. To not yoke ourselves with unbelievers, but to instead walk in close fellowship with him.

Why? Because he loves us as his sons and daughters.

Paul certainly had that kind of love for the Corinthians, calling himself their spiritual father in Christ (1 Corinthians 4:15).

And as their spiritual father, he showed them the kind of love our heavenly Father has for us. Put another way, he showed them what true love is.

What is true love?

We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. (2 Corinthians 7:2b)

Would that all Christian leaders be able to say this:

That they have never intentionally or unintentionally wronged anyone.

That their teaching has led people to holiness.

And that they have never took advantage of people, taking people’s money for their own selfish gain.

Paul was one leader that could say that.

He then said,

I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. (2 Corinthians 7:3b)

True love stands by people whether in life or death. In short, they are faithful to others, no matter the circumstances.

Paul adds,

I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. (2 Corinthians 7:4)

Love believes in people. Even in the midst of his troubles with the Corinthians, Paul had boasted of them to Titus.

It appears he had told Titus, “I believe in these people. I really believe they are God’s people, and so I know that even though my words to them were hard to hear, they will repent.” (2 Corinthians 7:14)

And that’s why Paul did what love does: he spoke out words of rebuke when it was necessary.

Sometimes people avoid speaking words of rebuke. They’re afraid people will think they are unloving. And sometimes people can be unloving as they speak the truth. They are more interested in being “brutal” than being honest.

But that wasn’t Paul’s intent. His intent was that the Corinthians repent.

He didn’t desire that they be harmed by his words. Rather, he desired that they would be built up because of them (2 Corinthians 7:10).

And that’s what ultimately happened.

One of the reasons we rebuke others is to test what is in their hearts.

Paul told the Corinthians, “When I rebuked you, it wasn’t so much for the wrongdoer’s sake or for mine, even though I am the one he hurt.

Rather, I wanted to bring out what was in your heart. And you showed what was truly in your heart by your repentance.” (2 Corinthians 7:11-12)

But again, it wasn’t as if Paul didn’t believe in them and so he felt he had to test them by confronting them with their sin. Rather he believed in them and so he tested them, fully expecting them to come to repentance. And they did.

That’s love.

That’s the love Paul had for the Corinthians.

That’s the love God has for us.

That’s the love we are to have for each other.

The question is: do we have that kind of love?

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2 Corinthians

Unyoking yourself

2 Corinthians

There are a couple of final things I should mention before moving on from this passage.

First, if you are a Christian that is married to an unbeliever, I am not saying that you should unyoke yourself from them. If you married them in rebellion to God’s word, then I believe you need to repent.

However, having repented, it then puts you in a place where perhaps God can use you.

Paul tells you in 1 Corinthians 7 that as long as your partner is willing to live with you, (and hopefully they are), that you should continue with them.

For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.

Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. (1 Corinthians 7:14)

I don’t believe that God is saying that he will guarantee their salvation.

What I do think he means is that as long as you’re there, the Spirit of God will work through you and touch your spouse and children in ways that he might not if you were not there.

And obviously, there’s a much greater chance of them being saved if you are there.

In short, you can make a difference. The main thing is that you have your own relationship with God in order. He cannot use you if it is not.

At the very least, he will be very restricted in what he can do through you, if there’s unrepentant sin in your life.

But if you find yourself regretting your marriage because your spouse is an unbeliever, hang in there. God can use you to turn the situation around.

As I mentioned several blogs ago, however, there are other ways we can be unequally yoked that have nothing to do with marriage.

It may be a non-Christian friend that has undue influence on you. It may be a parent (namely, after you have reached adulthood). And of course, it may be a non-Christian boyfriend or girlfriend.

You may be finding that because of their influence, it’s hurting your relationship with God.

How do you deal with that? It’s very touchy to say the least, and it has to be dealt with in gentleness.

Reaffirm your love for them. But tell them that they seem to be going in a different direction in life than you are and you need to go down the path God is leading you.

Then depending on your relationship with them, you either need to break off the relationship or put enough distance between you and them that they can no longer influence you.

That distance may be physical (like moving out of your parent’s house, assuming of course that you’re an adult), or simply a matter of spending less time with that person.

Hopefully, they will understand. Some will not.

But as long as you are yoked to their influence in their lives, you will never be able to follow God as you ought. So unyoke yourself. Start following after Jesus.

And if you do, you will find the blessings God has promised.

I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people…

I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:16-18)

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2 Corinthians

Unequally yoked (part 3)

2 Corinthians

I don’t think I can leave this passage without touching on an application that people often use when quoting this passage: dating and/or marrying a non-Christian.

Some people say that this passage means we should not date non-Christians.

I will say straight out that while I don’t think it’s necessarily sin, I think it’s a bad idea and it can lead to sin.

I have seen three situations in the past 5 years or so where it turned out for the good. But I have seen many others where it did not.

As for dating a non-Christian, I think the main question I would ask is this: Who is influencing who?

Are you in every way influencing the other person to draw closer to Christ? Or is little by little, the other person drawing you away from Him?

Are they starting to become attracted to Christ through you? Or are they starting to chip away at your spiritual purity?

Are you finding yourself, for example, skipping church to go out on dates?

Are you finding yourself losing way too much time in the Word or in prayer because of the time you spend with them?

Are you finding that you’re compromising yourself sexually?

If the answer to any of these is yes, I would say it’s time to break off that relationship.

That’s a hard saying, I know. Why is it so hard for a person in that situation to accept it?

The problem is that such relationships quickly become not simply an intellectual issue, but an emotional one.

We were created to bond with people of the opposite sex, not just physically, but emotionally.

And so when you start dating someone, that emotional bonding begins.

“He likes me! I like him!”

“She likes me! I like her!”

Everyone that has ever had a boyfriend or girlfriend knows the thrill of that realization. And it only grows stronger the longer the relationship lasts.

The question then becomes, can you hold on to your convictions in the face of those emotions. And that is very hard to do.

It is a very strong (and rare) Christian indeed who can stand firm on all their convictions in the face of pressure from their non-Christian boyfriend or girlfriend.

And I don’t know a single Christian that wouldn’t go through heartbreak, strong Christian or not, if they were forced to break off the relationship because of their convictions.

To take off on something that Paul once said (although the situation he was referring to was completely different)

But those who [date non-Christians or marry them] will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. (1 Corinthians 7:28)

Is it possible that the other person may become a Christian?

Yes. But it’s just as likely, if not more likely that you will compromise on the One who went to the cross for you. And as I said, I’ve seen that far more often than I’d like.

I think the situation is doubly tough as a Christian woman dating a non-Christian guy.

I believe scripture teaches that the husband is to lead in a relationship. And that should start in the dating/courting stage of a relationship.

But can a Christian woman afford to let the non-Christian lead the relationship in everything?

If she does, she is definitely being unequally yoked. If she doesn’t, however, there will always be something off in the relationship, since that is not how God created us to be.

It goes without saying that any Christian that goes ahead and marries an unbeliever is definitely unequally yoked.

And at that point, I think they are definitely in the area of compromise and sin, because they have disobeyed the very words of God we have just read.

So what am I saying? Be very careful about starting any romantic relationship with an unbeliever. Because emotions get involved at a very early stage, it can become very easy for you to fall into compromise and sin.

How about you? Are you unequally yoked?

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2 Corinthians

Unequally yoked (part 2)

2 Corinthians

We talked yesterday about the importance of not being unequally yoked with people.

The main point I made was that if a person is influencing you in ways that cause you to compromise your purity or compromise your life as a person set apart for God, you need to put a distance between you and them.

Why?

Paul tells us,

For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. (2 Corinthians 6:14-16a)

In short, there is a fundamental difference between unbelievers and us, and it cannot be reconciled. Ultimately it comes down to the fact of who we belong to.

We are the temple of God. God lives in us. They are a temple of idols.

Oh, they may not be worshiping literal idols such as Buddha. But in their hearts, they have displaced God from the throne of their hearts and have put other things there. Their own happiness. Money. Possessions. Or whatever it may be.

And whenever these things come into conflict with what God has taught us are true and right, they thrust God aside and simply live as they please.

How can we possibly yoke ourselves to these people and put ourselves under their influence? They have bought the lie of Satan, “You shall be like God.” (Genesis 3:5)

Satan tells them as he did Eve.

“You don’t need God’s advice. You are wise enough. You don’t need to look to God for happiness. Look at these other things that can bring you happiness. You don’t need to live for God. Just live for yourself.”

And by following the lies of Satan, they effectively live for him and influence all others they touch to do the same.

But we are called by God himself to be his children. To be different. To be holy.

Paul says,

As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

“Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:16b-18)

Paul then concludes,

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

We are called into a wonderful relationship with God. But if we want that kind of relationship, God calls us to purify ourselves from sin. And sometimes that means separating ourselves from those that are pulling us away from him.

How about you? Out of your love and reverence for God, are you living holy lives? Lives that are pure before him? Lives set apart for him?

Or are you letting yourselves be influenced by the unbelievers around you to the point that you just blend in with them?

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2 Corinthians

Unequally yoked (part 1)

2 Corinthians

Holiness.

It’s one of those words that could be called Christianese. I suppose if people were to picture “holy” people, they would imagine people with a literal halo over their heads and shining with the glory of God.

But holiness simply comes down to two things: purity and being set apart for God. And as Christians, that’s what we’re called to be.

We can’t just blend in with this world to the point that they can’t tell the difference between us and them. They need to see a difference in our attitudes and our actions.

But blending in is just what many Christians do. And one reason that happens is that they do not live lives that are set apart for God. Rather, they let themselves be influenced by the people around them.

And so Paul says,

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 6:14)

What does it mean to be yoked with an unbeliever? The picture comes from the Old Testament where God commands the people not to yoke a donkey with an ox. (Deuteronomy 22:10).

And that comes right smack dab in the middle of two other laws that condemned the mixing of things that were different: the sowing of two different kinds of seeds in a vineyard, and the mixing of wool and linen to make clothes.

Why did God give these laws? Primarily to make a point about purity. They were pictures that the Jews were to be a pure people.

Why did Paul bring this up in 2 Corinthians as an illustration rather than the mixing of seeds or fabrics?

Probably because he could see further application beyond purity.

When a donkey and ox were yoked together, the donkey had a significant influence on the ox.

The ox might want to go forward, but if the donkey were stubborn and refused to move, the ox would find it difficult if not impossible to move forward.

Or if the donkey tried to move in a different direction, the ox would have to make one of two choices: either follow the lead of the donkey, or again try to force the donkey to follow its lead.

I think the picture Paul is giving here is to not so tie ourselves to unbelievers that they can influence us.

That can be true in any relationship. More than one Christian businessman has found himself in trouble because he partnered with an unbeliever who proved to be less than honest in his dealings.

We can also be influenced by the friends that we look to for our advice.

Now some of the advice unbelievers give can be good. But at other times, they will give us advice that goes contrary to scripture, but sounds good to them and us.

“Go ahead. Move in with your girlfriend. You love her, right?”

“Hey, sometimes to get ahead in life, you have to bend the rules a little.”

And if we are tied to them to the point that they can influence us, they can lead us into sin, well-meaning though they may be.

But this should not be. We are to be the influencers not the influenced.

Am I saying that we should cut ourselves off from all non-Christians then?

Of course not. But for every relationship we are in, we need to ask, “Are they having too much of an influence in my life?

Are they causing me to compromise my purity as a Christian? Are they causing me to compromise my life as one called to be set apart for God?”

If they are, then we need to start putting some distance between them and us to the point that they can no longer do so.

This is getting long, so we’ll talk more on this next time.

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2 Corinthians

What holds our hearts

2 Corinthians

There are some people that think 2 Corinthians was actually two or even more letters pieced together. Looking at this letter, I can see why, though I still believe it is one unified letter.

Still, at one turn, Paul talks about his reconciliation with the Corinthian church, and at the next he talks about his remaining troubles with it.

The reason for this is probably that while the majority of the church had indeed repented, there were still a number of people there that had their reservations about Paul and his credentials as an apostle. The question is why?

Paul says here,

We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.

We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us.

As a fair exchange–I speak as to my children–open wide your hearts also. (2 Corinthians 6:11-13)

Paul essentially says, “We have been nothing but open with you. We’ve laid our hearts all on the table for you. And yet, you still withhold your affections from us.”

The ESV translates verse 12 this way,

You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. (2 Corinthians 6:12)

The latter translation is more literal, and while a bit more obscure in meaning than the NIV, is much less interpretive.

While the NIV’s interpretation may be correct, I actually think what Paul is saying is this:

You may find it difficult to open your hearts to us because of how we’ve dealt with you.

“You may think us harsh for how we’ve dealt with you and the sinners and false apostles among you. You may feel like we have shut you out by doing so.

But really you have shut yourself in because of the things that you are holding on to.

You’re holding on to your sin. You’re holding on to these relationships with these false teachers. You’re holding on to idols in your life.

And so when we rebuke you for these things, you shut us out. These things you cling to are what’s keeping you from opening your hearts to us.”

How about you? What holds your hearts?

Sometimes, people leave the church and the fellowship of believers. Or they may have a falling out with someone they once considered a close brother or sister.

And one reason is that these brothers and sisters have rebuked them for their sin. As a result, they feel rejected by those who have rebuked them.

Being rebuked by fellow Christians can be hard. And unfortunately, sometimes, Christians can go too over the top in their rebuke, failing to rebuke with gentleness. (Galatians 6:1)

I do wonder if perhaps even Paul had failed in this respect concerning the Corinthians.

He was a sinner too after all, and he had had previous failings in his personal dealings with Mark, for example. (Acts 15:36-39)

Nevertheless, Paul truly loved the Corinthians. But because of his rebuke and the Corinthians’ own wrongful affections, they failed to see the love he had for them and shut him out.

So my question is this: Can we see beyond the painful words of our brothers and sisters, recognize sin in our lives, and release these things we are holding on to?

Or are we so in love with these things that it causes us to reject further fellowship with those who love us?

In short, how do you respond to rebuke in your life?

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2 Corinthians

That our ministry would never be discredited

2 Corinthians

All of us, whether in formal ministry or not, are called to be ministers of Christ.

We saw that earlier in chapter 5, where Paul tells us that we have been given the message of reconciliation and are called to be Christ’s ambassadors.

But it can be so easy for our ministry to be discredited. Put another way, it can be so easy for our Christian testimony to those around us to be discredited.

That’s why Paul wrote,

We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.

Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way. (2 Corinthians 6:3-4)

How can we be a stumbling block to those around us? By the way we live. By our attitudes and by our actions.

And so Paul did his best to make sure that he lived his life with integrity, no matter his situation.

He said that though he went through multiple hardships, yet he lived in purity, understanding, patience, kindness, and love. (2 Corinthians 6:4-7)

Think about that for a minute.

How often does our testimony suffer because in the midst of our hardships, we start complaining? Or we lose patience with people. Or we become self-centered, forgetting to be kind and loving to those around us?

Yet whether people honored him or not, whether people praised him or spread rumors about him, whether people considered him honorable or an imposter, whether people respected him or ignored him, whether he went through sorrow and joy, Paul always maintained his integrity.

He continued to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, holding on to righteousness, wielding the Word of God in one hand and the shield of faith in the other.

Can we say the same about ourselves? May our ministry to others never be discredited through our actions and attitudes.

Let us instead walk each day in integrity, in love, in purity, and in patience.

Most importantly let us walk in the power and comfort of the Spirit.

And if we do, we will make a difference in this world.

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2 Corinthians

The message of reconciliation

2 Corinthians

Sometimes, Christians probably wish that in the face of all the troubles they go through in life, that God would just take them to heaven already. Why doesn’t he?

There are many reasons we could give, but one big one is that we have a job to do.

Paul tells us in verse 16, that we should no longer view people from a worldly point of view, but from God’s point of view. How does God view the world?

We mentioned one way he sees us a couple of days ago: as people created in his image, and therefore precious.

But here we see another way he sees us. Paul says in verse 20 that we are Christ’s ambassadors.

In Rome, there were two kinds of provinces, some friendly to Rome’s rule and some hostile.

The latter were under the authority of the emperor rather than the senate. And to these hostile provinces were sent ambassadors to help keep the peace.

That’s the picture Paul gives here: that though the people of this world are created in God’s image, the vast majority have rebelled against him and are hostile to him.

But as his ambassadors, what message do we bring? A message of hostility? No.

First and foremost, it’s a message of reconciliation. We appeal on Christ’s behalf:

Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

This is the heart of the gospel message: that Jesus, God’s Son, came to this earth and he lived a perfect life. He never did a wrong thing, never had a wrong thought, never failed to do a good deed that his Father had called him to do.

But then he went to the cross, and as he did, God put all of our sins on him, and he took the punishment we deserved on himself.

And now, because of what Christ has done, when we put our faith in Christ, God no longer sees us as sinners. Rather, he sees us through the lens of Jesus Christ.

In other words, as he looks at us, he doesn’t see our sins, but Christ’s righteousness covering us.

In Biblical language, he justifies us. He looks at us and says, “Not guilty.”

Not only that, when God looks at us, all of Christ’s righteous works are counted as ours.

What do we have to do to receive this precious gift of reconciliation? Simply believe and accept it.

That’s the message. But that’s not quite all of it. We need to truly see the urgency of this message we are to bring people.

Paul says we need to plead with them, “Don’t just ignore this opportunity you have been given. Don’t wait!” (2 Corinthians 6:1)

For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)

None of us know when our time will come. And the sad truth is, the more people harden their hearts to this message and wait, the more difficult it becomes for them to accept it.

So as one song puts it, we need to tell people:

Tomorrow.
Forget about tomorrow.
Won’t you choose the Lord today.
For your tomorrow, could very well begin today.

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2 Corinthians

A new creation

Eustace and Aslan

This is probably one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I love the Life Application Bible’s comment on this:

We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated — we are recreated, living in a vital union with Christ.

So many times, though, that’s how people think. That God saved us to make us better people. To make us good.

But that is not his purpose at all. Rather, his purpose is to make us into something totally new.

The problem with the world’s way of thinking is that it’s based on the idea that we can be reformed. That we can be rehabilitated. That we can be reeducated. And we can to some extent.

But if there’s going to be any real change, it can’t come from human efforts or human wisdom. It has to come from God, changing us from the inside out.

The Jews tried to reform themselves for years, only to find themselves in relapse time and again. The book of Judges is a constant picture of this.

God sent judges, priests, and prophets to reeducate them. For that matter, they had the wisest man who ever lived ruling them in Solomon.

But not only could Solomon not reeducate his people into becoming new people, he himself fell into utter depravity and sin.

The Jews were put into long-term rehab in the desert for 40 years after their escape from Egypt. Then they went into rehab again in Babylon for another 70.

Still, nothing really changed. Oh, after the final rehab they finally came out a people that were no longer spiritually polygamous, worshiping other gods.

But when their Messiah came, they rejected and crucified him. And to this day, the vast majority of them still refuse to recognize Jesus as their Messiah.

So what people need today is not reform. Not reeducation. Not rehabilitation.

They need to become totally new creatures. And that can only come through Christ.

Only through Christ can we become the kinds of people that God originally created to be. People who are the image of God himself.

I love the story of Eustace in C.S. Lewis’ Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Eustace through his own selfishness and greed had turned into a dragon. And during that time as a dragon, he to a degree was reformed and rehabilitated. But he was still a dragon.

Then he met Aslan, a symbol of Christ throughout the Narnian stories.

Aslan told him, “Go into the pool and take a bath. But before you enter, you need to undress.”

As a dragon, Eustace of course didn’t have any clothes, but he did start to peel off his dragon skin.

When he was done, he was about to go into the pool, when he realized he still had another layer of dragon skin on. So he did it twice more, but still there were further layers of dragon skin.

Finally, Aslan said to him, “You will have to let me undress you.”

Aslan’s claws then cut in so deep and so painfully that Eustace said that he had thought they had gone right into his heart.

Aslan then threw Eustace into the pool, and when Eustace came out, he was a boy again.

Like Eustace, we can try to reeducate, rehabilitate, and reform ourselves. But that’s not what we need. What we need is to become a new creation.

And as Lewis said of Eustace, it is only then that the cure truly begins.

How about you? Are you trying to change yourself by your own efforts?

By doing that, you can only become “a better dragon.”

But if you truly want to become the person you were created to be, you need to become a new creation. And that starts with a prayer.

Lord Jesus, I’ve messed up my own life with my sin. I look in the mirror, and I don’t like what I see. I’ve tried to rehabilitate myself, but it hasn’t worked.

So now I turn to you. I believe you died on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sin. Now forgive me. Make me new. Transform me into your image as I was originally created to be. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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2 Corinthians

A totally new perspective

2 Corinthians

When Paul came to Christ, he was granted a totally new perspective in life.

Prior to his salvation, he had been persecuting Christians, thinking that he was doing God a favor. But upon his salvation, he saw things in a whole new light, and he says as much in this passage.

We saw yesterday that when he saw Christ for who he truly was, and when he saw all that Christ had done for him on the cross and truly understood it, it changed his motivations for life. It caused him to fall in love with Christ.

He now saw Jesus in a totally new way, and not only Jesus, but everyone else. He wrote,

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. (2 Corinthians 5:16)

Before he saw Christ as just a man. Probably as worse than a man, as a blasphemer and under God’s curse. But now he saw Christ as God’s perfect only Son, and his Savior.

Before he saw the Christians as a bunch of heretics. And he saw the Gentiles as a bunch of outsiders. But now he saw them in a totally different light, as people God loves.

In the same way, if we are Christians, not only should our view of Christ change, but so should our view of the people around us. We should not view them as the rest of the world does.

The world evaluates people by their beauty, by their intelligence, by their wealth, and by their overall attractiveness and lovability.

And if they lack these things, especially the latter two, we cast them aside.

But we forget something. In casting them aside, we cast aside people created in the image of God.

Yes, that image may be distorted, in some cases, badly. But they are still created in his image. And because of that God puts special value on them.

He put so much value on them that he sent Jesus to die for them, just as much as he sent Jesus to die for you.

How can we then despise them?

I have to admit, I struggle with this. There are some unlovable people in my life.

But they are not truly unlovable, because God loves them. And if I can’t love them, that points to a problem, not in them, but in me.

If I can’t see the image of God in them through the distortion, then there’s a problem with my spiritual eyes.

How about you? Are you struggling with “unlovable” people in your life.

Lord, you have made me a new creation. You have opened my eyes to who you really are. Now, I pray that you open my eyes to see people as you do. As people created in your image. As people not worth despising, but worthy of love.

Forgive me for my wrong attitude. I don’t want to be this way.

Change me. Give me new eyes. Give me your eyes. And teach me to love them as you do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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2 Corinthians

Compelled

2 Corinthians

What do you live for? And why?

For Paul, the answer was very clear. The thing he always kept in mind was that a day of judgment was coming, not only for himself but for others (2 Corinthians 5:10). And so he wrote,

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. (2 Corinthians 5:11a)

Put another way, to stand before God is a fearful thing.

It’s going to be bad enough for us who are Christians and know we won’t be condemned for our sin. But it’s going to be a million times worse for those who don’t know Christ.

Because of that Paul says, “We do our best to persuade men to turn to Christ while they can.”

Again, he reiterates that he does so with sincerity and good conscience before God and men (2 Corinthians 5:11b-12), because he knows that God will judge him not only for what he’s done but for his motives as well.

What were Paul’s motives? Why did he care enough to share the gospel despite persecution?

If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:13-15)

Paul says here that Christ’s love compels him. Actually, the Greek reads, “the love of Christ compels us.” And it can be understood two ways.

One is how the NIV translates it: Christ’s love for him and others compelled Paul.

The other is that Paul’s love for Christ compelled him.

I think if you asked Paul, he would have said both were true. We see both ideas in the next two verses.

Paul says in verse 14 he was convinced Christ died for all.

Why did Christ die for us? Why did he sacrifice all to go to the cross? Because of his great love for us.

And now in response to his love, we no longer live for ourselves. Rather we die to our old, selfish way of living and start living each day for Christ.

As John wrote,

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

How about you? Are you living for yourself? Or are you living for God?

And if you are living for God, is it merely because of fear of judgment? Or is it because of Christ’s love for you and your love for Christ?

Is Christ’s love flowing through you such that you feel like you simply have to share it with others no matter the cost?

Who and what are you living for? And why?

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2 Corinthians

Though we may groan

2 Corinthians

In this passage, Paul continues his thought on why he had hope in the midst of trial.

He says,

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

Whereas Paul compared our bodies to jars of clay in chapter four, he now compares our bodies to tents. And he says these bodies we live in are just as temporary and flimsy as a tent. It will not last.

But even if they’re destroyed, we have hope. Why? Because we know that we will have another dwelling that is much stronger and will endure forever.

Here he is talking about our resurrection bodies which he talks about in 1 Corinthians 15, bodies that will never get sick or die. But he says that while we have this hope,

We groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.

For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (2 Corinthians 5:2-4)

In other words, we have hope that we’ll not be mere spirits after we die but will actually have new bodies.

But until then, we groan. And as we suffer in this body we are in now, we long to have our new body, knowing that when we receive it, all our weaknesses and sufferings will be gone.

Why in the midst of our troubles can we have this hope? Because God has given us his guarantee on it.

Paul says,

Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 5:5)

In short, it was God’s purpose from the very beginning to give us this new life in him, and to assure us that it will happen, he has sent his Spirit into our hearts.

And each day, the Spirit whispers to us that we are God’s children and works in us each day to transform us into the likeness of Christ.

It is as we hear his voice and see his work in us, then, that we find hope.

Because of this, Paul writes,

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:6-7)

I like the way the ESV puts verse 6. We are always “of good courage.”

We know that we are only away from the Lord for just a little while. We will see him. And so each day, we live by faith with these things in mind. That in turn affects the way we live each day.

So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:9-10)

Because we know that we will see Christ some day, because we know that we will one day be judged for how we live our lives, we make it our goal to please him.

We no longer live to please ourselves, but to please him.

So though we may groan through our trials and struggles, let us keep the end in mind. We will be with the Lord some day and all things will be made new.

Knowing that, let us make it our goal to please him each day. If we do, on judgment day, we will have no need to be ashamed.

How are you living your life? With temporary things in view? Or with the eternal?

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2 Corinthians

How not to lose hope

2 Corinthians

Paul closes this chapter the same way he opens it: with hope.

Here was a man that had experienced so much that it would have been easy for him to lose hope.

He had been hard pressed on every side, with conflicts from without and fears from within (2 Corinthians 7:5).

We often face the same problem. Not only do we have to fight our circumstances, but we have to fight our own feelings. We have to fight our fears, our frustrations, our sorrows, our hurt.

Paul had gone through times where he felt perplexed. Literally, the word perplexed in Greek means “no way,” meaning that he was at a loss, seeing no way out of his situation.

He had been persecuted for his faith and even stoned and left for dead. On top of that, we saw all the problems he had with the Corinthian church, leaving him wondering if all he had done had been in vain.

And yet he had hope. Though he was hard pressed, he was not crushed, neither by his circumstances nor his feelings.

Though he was at a loss, he was not “utterly at a loss.” He knew that if he sought God, eventually he would find a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Though he was persecuted, he knew Jesus had not abandoned him. And though he was struck down, he was not destroyed.

Why? How could he hold on to this hope in spite of his circumstances?

Because he knew God had a plan.

He says in verse 1,

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4:1)

Paul knew God had given him the ministry that he had. And God didn’t give him that ministry for nothing. But God had given him that ministry to accomplish His purposes.

More, Paul knew that he didn’t even deserve to be given that ministry. He had hated Jesus and had even persecuted the church.

But by God’s mercy, God showed him the truth. God had even told him beforehand, “You will suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:16).

So Paul knew that this suffering he was going through was not a surprise to God.

God didn’t say, “Whoa, I didn’t see that coming. Sorry about that Paul.”

Rather, everything that Paul went through, God knew about in advance.

And Paul knew that the same mercy that pulled him out of the darkness of his sin into the light of life, would pull him out of the darkness of his trials into the light of glory as well.

So at the end of this chapter he says again,

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

In other words, though we may suffer in this life, even though we may feel like we are falling apart physically and emotionally, day by day God is doing a work in us.

He is using our trials to transform us into the likeness of his Son that we may reflect his glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

So how do we maintain hope in the midst of trial? By fixing our eyes not on our troubles that we can see. But by focusing on Him who is unseen.

Though we may not be able to see his plan, we need to trust that he has one.

We need to trust that these trials will not last forever. That he will bring us through. And that if we hang in there, we will see his glory, not just in himself, but in our situation and in ourselves.

I like the New King James version of verse 17.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

So let us remember that. God is not surprised by anything that you’re going through. He has a plan.

So whatever you’re going through, put your trust in him that he will work out his plans, and if you do, you will find hope.

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2 Corinthians

Who we proclaim

2 Corinthians

When people see us, what do they see?

So many times we want to impress people with who we are and what we’ve accomplished. I have to admit, it’s a struggle that I am constantly fighting in my life.

All of us want to be affirmed by others. But if we are living for other’s affirmations, we’ll miss the true calling God has put on our lives.

Paul wrote,

For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. (2 Corinthians 4:5)

Paul wasn’t trying to promote himself in his ministry. He wasn’t trying to impress people with who he was and what he had accomplished.

Instead, he preached Jesus. He pointed others to Jesus. As for himself, he took on the attitude that Christ commanded us to take.

So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ (Luke 17:10)

Even when he pointed at himself, he basically said, “I am nothing. It is Christ who is in me that is everything.”

He told the Corinthians,

But we have this treasure (the light of the knowledge of the glory of God — verse 6) in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Paul said, “We are mere containers of this treasure. Not only that, we are weak, fragile containers.” He wrote,

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. (2 Corinthians 4:8-11)

In other words, “We are so weak, that normally we would have been crushed by now.

We’ve been hard pressed with fears from within and conflicts from without (2 Corinthians 7:5), we’ve been perplexed, we’ve been persecuted, and we’ve been struck down.

We’re always on the edge of death. The only reason we’re still here is not because of us and how great we are, but because of Jesus in us.

And through these things, his life shines through these fragile vessels of our bodies.

And that’s the calling God has put on us. That in our lives, Christ would shine through us. And as he shines through us, others will have his light shone into their hearts that they might be saved (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Paul says as much in the next verse,

So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (2 Corinthians 4:12)

So the question you need to ask yourself is this: Who and what are you living for? Why do you do the things you do? For Paul, the answer is clear:

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”

With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. (2 Corinthians 4:13-14)

Because Paul was convinced that Christ died for us and was raised again, because he was convinced that God will raise him someday with Jesus along with all those who would be saved through his ministry, he spoke. He preached the gospel.

How about you?

Are you convinced that Jesus died for you and was raised again? Are you convinced that there is a resurrection and that you will be raised with all your family, friends, and acquaintances who have also put their faith in Jesus?

The proof is in how we live our lives. Are we focusing others’ eyes on ourselves or on Jesus? Are we looking to glorify ourselves, or God?

May we live each day with the attitude of Paul who said,

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15)

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2 Corinthians

Our part, God’s part

2 Corinthians

I think one thing that a lot of people worry about as we share the gospel is how people will respond.

It’s only natural, I suppose. For one thing, we really want them to be saved. For another, we want people to like us.

But while the first desire is important, the latter is entirely secondary. More, it should never interfere with our proclaiming the gospel.

Paul wrote,

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4:1)

When he says, “we do not lose heart,” I think one thing he means is that he doesn’t allow himself to be discouraged when people reject the gospel message.

It can be disheartening when that happens. It’s even more disheartening when people reject us because of the gospel.

But Paul declares,

Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.

On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2)

In other words, “In declaring the gospel, everything we do is aboveboard. We’re not trying to trick or deceive anyone.

Nor,” Paul says, “Do we distort the word of God.”

That word “distort” is very interesting. It’s the same word wine merchants used for diluting their goods.

Put another way then, Paul is saying, “We refuse to dilute the word of God. We refuse to water it down to make it more palatable for those who hear. Instead, we simply lay down the truth plainly as it is.”

In our day and age, it can be tempting to water down the word of God so that people can accept it and us.

But for Paul, it was unacceptable to do this. Instead, he just laid the gospel before people and said, “Here it is. Now what will you do with it?”

And God calls us to do the same. It’s not our responsibility to make people believe. Our responsibility is to tell it like it is.

Paul tells us,

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

What Paul is saying is, “If we declare the gospel as we should, and people still can’t see the truth, we shouldn’t be blaming ourselves. Satan himself has blinded their eyes.”

So what should we do then? Put it in the hands of God. Paul writes,

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Just as God was the only one who could bring light into the darkness at the creation of the world, he is the only one who can bring light into the darkness of the human heart.

So if someone rejects the gospel, pray for them. That’s our part. The rest is up to God.

Let us never dilute the gospel of Christ to make it more palatable to others. Instead, let’s tell it like it is and pray for them.

After that, let God do his part as he works in their hearts. And ultimately, we will see fruit.

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2 Corinthians

Why we need never be ashamed

2 Corinthians

I touched on this yesterday, but I want to look at it much more deeply today.

We saw yesterday that when Moses received the ten commandments, his face initially glowed with the glory of the Lord.

At first, because the people were frightened by this glowing, he covered his face with a veil. But then, he kept it on much longer than he needed to. Why?

Probably because he was ashamed that the glory was fading from his face. And probably because he realized that his own sinfulness caused that glory to fade.

And therein, as we have seen the last couple of days, lies the problem with the law. While it tells us what God is like and what we are meant to be, it cannot change us. We remain sinful in God’s sight and condemned by the law.

But Paul tells us that doesn’t have to be us anymore. Rather, when we come to Christ, we find a new glory that far surpasses the glory that shone from Moses’ face.

Why? Because the law is no longer simply written on tablets of stone or on sheets of paper for that matter.

Rather, when we become Christians, the Spirit writes his laws upon our hearts and transforms us day by day into Christ’s likeness. Each day, we are being transformed from one degree of glory to another.

There is no fading of our glory. Rather, it is an ever increasing glory.

As a result, Paul can tell us,

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. (2 Corinthians 3:12-13)

We don’t have to worry that the glory that God has bestowed on us will fade. Rather we can know with confidence that he will continue to work in us until we are conformed to the likeness of his Son, shining in radiance.

Because of this, Paul says we have freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Freedom from guilt for failing to keep the law.

Freedom from punishment.

Freedom from trying to keep a law by our own efforts.

This was something that even Moses never had. He was bound under law, and as a result, he experienced guilt and shame despite all the sacrifices (Hebrews 10:2-4).

He experienced the pains of judgment in that he could not enter the promised land because of his sin. And so he covered his face as the glory of the law faded away.

But we don’t have to do that. Let us take off the veil and show the world who we are. People saved by grace. People who though we are not perfect, are nevertheless being transformed day by day in the likeness of Christ.

And let us live each day remembering what God has told us,

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone (Jesus), and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:6)

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2 Corinthians

Seeing the law for what it is

2 Corinthians

A lot of times as Christians, we think of Christianity as keeping a bunch of rules. And so do the vast majority of non-Christians out there today.

But the glory that we have as Christians is not found in a bunch of rules. Why not?

Paul writes, concerning the law,

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.

And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! (2 Corinthians 3:7-11)

As we saw yesterday, the coming of the law was a glorious thing. Why? Because it showed us what God is like and how he created us to be. Before we were in darkness as to these things, but God has revealed them to us.

But there was a problem. Ultimately, the law led to death because none of us could keep it, at least not perfectly. And so the glory of the law quickly faded, something that showed in Moses’ face.

When Moses first came down from the mountain with the ten commandments, his face was glowing with the glory of the Lord. The people were frightened by this, and so he put a veil over his face.

But according to Paul, he kept it on much longer than he needed to. And the reason he kept it on was because the glory was fading away.

Perhaps Moses was ashamed of this, thinking that if he were somehow holier, the glory would last much longer. And maybe it would have.

For again, the problem with the law is that no one can keep it. And because no one can keep it, it cannot give life to anyone. Nor does it have the power to transform us into Christ’s likeness.

Yet many people continue thinking that it is through the law that they will be accepted by God. And Paul says when the law is read, a veil covers their hearts (2 Corinthians 3:14-15).

As a result, they can’t see the truth concerning the law. What truth? All its glory has faded away.

But people think it is still filled with glory and can bring them to God. And so they spend all their time in their own efforts trying to keep the law.

In reality, however, all it does is points out their flaws and condemns them.

But when the veil is lifted, we see that the law’s glory is passed, and it causes us to look for what truly has glory.

What is that? The ministry of the Spirit, set in motion by Christ’s work on the cross.

Christ paid the penalty for our sin, and now if we come to him in faith, repenting of our sin and making him our Lord, the Spirit starts to transform us from the inside out.

And each day, we are changed from one degree of glory to the next.

In short, this is no glory that will fade away like the glory of the law. This glory far surpasses that glory. And because of that, it will never, ever fade away.

So let us see the law for what it is. It was something that was necessary for a time, to show us what God is like and what he meant us to be. But it’s something whose glory has faded.

So let us no longer lean on it and our own efforts to change us. Rather, let us learn to walk with the Spirit day by day.

And as we do, we will reflect our Father’s glory to those around us.

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2 Corinthians

Letters from Christ

2 Corinthians

I must becoming ancient. I still remember letters. I remember receiving them, reading them, and writing them.

When I first came to Japan 20 years ago, email was around, I used it in university, but it was hardly common. So whenever I wrote home, I used air letters, which were cheaper than regular ones.

To this day, I still have a number of old letters from friends, but I can’t remember the last time I received an actual letter.

But anyway, Paul calls us letters from Christ. When talking to the Corinthians, he said, “I don’t need letters of recommendation to you or from you to prove my ministry is valid. Rather,

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)

What does Paul mean that we are letters from Christ that are known and read by everyone? He means that when people see us, our very lives are Jesus’ message that he is alive and working in this world today.

For when people see us, they see the change that he is working in us.

Back in the time of Moses, one way God revealed who he was to the Jews was through his laws. Through the ten commandments, he showed what his character was like and what he created us to be like.

But all these things were exterior to the Jews themselves. That is, through the law they could now see what God was like and how he had created us to be, but those tablets of stone could do nothing more for them.

They couldn’t actually give the Jews, or anyone else for that matter, the power to change.

But when we come to Christ, God writes his laws into our very hearts.

No longer are the laws merely exterior to us showing us how we should live. Rather, the laws are written within us and God’s Holy Spirit is changing us from the inside out.

As we live each day, he is whispering to our hearts, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)

And as we follow him, we start to reflect the Lord’s glory in our lives and are transformed into his likeness with “ever increasing glory.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

I like how the ESV puts it. We are transformed from “one degree of glory to another.”

In other words, with each little step we take in which we become more like Christ, we step into another degree of glory.

And as that glory shines through us, people start to understand, “Jesus is real. He lives. Because I see it in <your name>. Each day, I see more of what Christ is through him/her.”

And in us they see that letter of invitation from Jesus that says, “Come to me. You can find life just as <your name> has.”

So each day, let us be that letter to those around us. Let God write his words upon our hearts that others may see his glory and come to know him too.

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2 Corinthians

But how can someone like me make a difference?

2 Corinthians

Sometimes we read in the Bible passages like we saw yesterday, passages that say we are to be the aroma of Christ to those around us, or passages that call us to be his priests, and we ask:

“How can I possibly do that? I’ve got no special qualifications. I’ve never been to Bible school. I’m no pastor or missionary. I’m just an ordinary Christian.”

But the truth is, none of us are truly “qualified” to make a difference in the lives of people.

Sure, you may have university degrees or many years of experience in ministry, but neither of these things nor anything else can give you the power to change a human heart. Only God can.

Paul himself recognized this. After talking about how we are the fragrance of Christ to those around us, he asked,

And who is equal to such a task? (2 Corinthians 2:16b)

The answer to this rhetorical question is: no one. No one is equal to the task.

By our own strength and wisdom, we simply cannot change the human heart. All we can do is what Paul did.

In Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God. (2 Corinthians 2:17b)

That’s all we can do. Fulfill the great commission God has given us. To speak with sincerity. And to speak with integrity knowing that God is watching us.

The rest is up to him. And if we will do our part, he will do his.

Paul wrote,

Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant–not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:4-6)

Paul makes it crystal clear here that we are not competent in ourselves to make a difference in the lives of others. Rather any competence we have comes from God. He is the one that makes us competent to make a difference as we serve him.

And because of that, we can have confidence. Not in our own abilities or gifts. But in the God who gave these things to us, and who can use them to bring change to the hardest of hearts.

So let us remember that. We cannot change people. But God can. And if we will just be faithful to the things God has called us to do, we can make a difference.

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2 Corinthians

The fragrance of life, the stench of death

Fork in the road

As Christians, there will never be a point in time when everyone will like us.

Jesus was perfect, and still people hated him. Why?

Because of the aroma that flows out from Christ.

Paul says something very interesting here in this passage.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

The picture here is of a Roman general leading his troops in a victory parade. And among those following him were the priests who would scatter sweet smelling incense out onto the streets.

For those celebrating the victory, it was the fragrance of life and victory. But to those who were in chains, it was the stench of their own death staring them in the face.

In the same way, we are God’s priests, following our General who won the victory at the cross.

And as we spread the fragrance of the knowledge of him, to those who are saved and to those who hear the message and believe, we are the smell of ultimate victory and life.

But there are many others who hear what we say, and to them, it has the stench of death.

Why? Because it shows them their sin, and it shows them where their sin is leading them: to eternal damnation in hell. And they hate it.

They hate their sin being called sin. And they hate the idea that they will be held accountable for it. To them, Jesus is the stench of death leading them to their own death (HCSB).

And because Jesus is in us, we become that stench to them as well.

To many others, however, Jesus is the fragrance of life leading to life eternal (HCSB). And so when they see Christ in us, we become the fragrance of life to them as well.

I love the words of Jim Elliot who once said,

Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision.

Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.

How about you? When people see you, do they encounter the fragrance of Christ?

And are they forced to make a choice, turning one way or another, to eternal life or eternal death, on facing Christ in you?

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2 Corinthians

When there is repentance

2 Corinthians

When someone hurts us it can be easy to hold a grudge. And even if they are truly sorry and apologize, sometimes we withhold that forgiveness.

Or sometimes we forgive, but we let them know in no uncertain terms that it hasn’t been forgotten.

The same is true in church discipline. Someone sins, and is disciplined by the church. They then repent, but people in the church still look sideways at them and keep their distance from them.

It’s almost as if we’re saying, “We can’t make it too easy for them to get back in our good graces again. We have to make them suffer a little more, and then maybe, just maybe we’ll accept them again.”

But Paul tells us here that’s not how we should be. He wrote the Corinthians,

The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him.

Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. (2 Corinthians 2:6-8)

What did Paul mean by “the punishment inflicted on him is sufficient for him”?

I believe it means that the punishment has accomplished its purpose: he repented.

And once a person repents, there is no further need for the punishment. Instead, we are to immediately forgive and comfort him, letting him know that not only has God forgiven him, but we have forgiven him as well.

Having done that, we are to then reaffirm our love for him.

God wants us to mourn for our sins. But as we will see later in this letter, there are two kinds of sorrow: a sorrow that leads to repentance and a sorrow that leads to death.

But a sorrow that leads to repentance can also lead to death if that person sorrows excessively due to the fact that the people in the church refuse to forgive him or her. The same is true in personal relationships as well.

And that is not something that God wants; it’s what Satan wants. Satan’s schemes always have the same end in mind, “to steal, kill, and destroy.”

When we refuse to forgive a person and leave them in excessive sorrow, we are participating with Satan, not with God.

How about you? Has someone hurt you? Or has someone committed some grave sin within the church?

Have they repented? If they have, then let us join in with God in showing forgiveness and acceptance to them once again.

Remember the words of our Lord who told us,

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)

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2 Corinthians

When we must confront

2 Corinthians

Confronting a brother or sister in their sin is never a pleasant thing. Quite frankly, if you do think it is fun, you shouldn’t be doing it at all.

But sometimes it is necessary, and here we see in Paul’s life some principles for doing so.

Paul wrote,

Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm. (2 Corinthians 1:24)

Here we see a key attitude when confronting people. We should never come to a person with the attitude of, “You must listen to me.”

Rather it should be with a heart of, “I really care for you. I want to work with you through this so that you can overcome your sin. I want you to know true joy, and to stand firm in your faith.”

So often, though, we instead come with an attitude of condemnation, and the love of Christ is not evident at all as we confront them.

But with Paul, it was totally different. He said,

For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. (2 Corinthians 2:4)

There’s no pride or arrogance here. Rather, it’s a heart that truly cared for the Corinthians.

He also confronted them with the strong hope that they would repent as a result.

Sometimes as we confront people, we do so not because we have hope that they will repent, but simply to vent our anger at them and condemn them.

But Paul wrote,

I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice.

I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. (2 Corinthians 2:3)

In other words, “I wrote so that when I came again, we wouldn’t have to go through another painful visit. I wrote as I did because I believed in you. I believed you would repent, and that ultimately, we could share in the joy of the Lord together when I came.”

Our attitude as we confront then, shouldn’t be “This is so like you.”

Rather, it should be, “This is so unlike you. Let’s get back on track.”

Finally, we need to know that there is a time to confront, and there is a time to let God work.

Paul had made his initial confrontation and had been rebuffed. He considered making another attempt, but in the end, put it off. Why?

I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth…

So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you.

For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? (2 Corinthians 1:23, 2:1-2)

And so while Paul wrote another letter pleading with them to repent (2 Corinthians 2:3), he put off seeing them.

Sometimes that is the best thing: to leave people in the hands of God while letting them know that you still care.

So when we confront, let us do so with these attitudes. And by God’s grace, we will see good fruit in the lives of those we care about as a result.

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2 Corinthians

Why we can have confidence in God

2 Corinthians

Sometimes, in the midst of trials, it can be easy to lose confidence in God.

One wonders if Paul ever came close to doing so, when he and his companions “were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.” (2 Corinthians 1:8)

And yet through that time of hardship, they learned to put their confidence and trust in God (2 Corinthians 1:9).

Why were they able to do that? And how can we be able to live that way?

Paul writes,

But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” (2 Corinthians 1:18)

The first thing that strikes me is that God is faithful. And if through the midst of our troubles, we look back on our lives, we will see that.

We’ll see that not only in our lives, but in the lives of people throughout history. More, we will see it in all the promises he fulfilled when he sent Christ to die for our sins.

Paul says “Our message is not ‘yes’ and ‘no.'” In other words, the gospel is something that you can rely on. It’s not a message that ever changes.

God doesn’t tell people, “You need to believe in Jesus to be saved,” only to tell them at heaven’s gate, “Sorry, I changed my mind.”

His word is constant and his promises are true, although everyone else’s may not be.

As Paul said,

Let God be true, and every man a liar. (Romans 3:4)

Paul adds,

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.”

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:19-20)

Put another way, Jesus is the one constant in a world that is always changing. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

All God’s promises are confirmed in Christ. Jesus fulfilled all the prophesies that said he would come preaching the good news, healing the sick, and dying for our sins.

And the day will come when Jesus will fulfill the rest of the prophesies, bringing his everlasting kingdom into the world.

If that’s true, then how much more can we believe all his other promises.

His promises to be with us through trial. His promises that these trials we are going through are just for a little while. His promises to bring us victory and to bring us out as gold through these trials.

And so through Jesus we can say, “Amen. You have promised these things. So be it. I will believe you.”

And just in case that wasn’t enough, he’s given us more. Paul writes,

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.

He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

God has anointed us with his Spirit, setting us apart for himself and his purposes.

He has placed his seal of ownership on us, a seal that says, “This person is mine. I have bought him/her at a price: the blood of my own Son.”

And the Spirit he has given us is his deposit guaranteeing all that he has promised will come to pass.

So whatever we’re going through, let us put our faith and confidence in God.

God is true though everyone else may fail us.

How about you? Will you choose to trust him today?

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2 Corinthians

When others misunderstand and accuse us

2 Corinthians

As you read this letter, you start to see that Paul and the Corinthians had been having a really tough time in their relationship.

Apparently, some of the Corinthians had taken some of the things he had said in his earlier letter badly, and were now accusing him of being unreliable at best, and duplicitous and manipulative at worst.

One thing they had brought up was that he had said earlier that he would come to visit him, and at the last minute he canceled on them.

As a result, Paul ended up having to defend himself as to why he canceled the trip. The main reason appeared to be people who were opposing his leadership.

Many scholars believe that there was a “painful” visit between Paul’s writings of 1 and 2 Corinthians.

During that visit, people opposed him to his face and he had had to confront them concerning their sin, causing a massive rift between him and the Corinthian church.

Paul apparently knew that if he came back right away, it would probably lead to another blowup, as things had not been resolved yet, and so he sent another letter admonishing them, in hopes that they would repent.

In the end, the majority of them did (2 Corinthians 7:6-13).

But there were still those in the church who accused him of being either unreliable or two-faced and deceitful (2 Corinthians 1:17, 7:2).

How do we deal with people like that? People who refuse to understand us and accuse us of things that are totally untrue?

I think we see some answers in Paul’s response.

Paul writes,

Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God.

We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace. (2 Corinthians 1:12)

The most important thing that we can do is to keep a clear conscience before God. That when we are with these people, to deal with them with holiness and sincerity.

It’s a little unclear whether the word in verse 12 should be “holiness” or “integrity.” (The Greek translations for these two words are different by two letters, and some of the Greek manuscripts use one word and some the other).

But either way, our actions should be holy or pure. And they should be filled with integrity, not duplicity. And we are to be sincere.

No matter what others may accuse us of or how they treat us, we are to always live this way, and deal with them in this way.

On the other hand, we are not to deal with them with worldly wisdom. What is worldly wisdom?

James tells us, saying,

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. (James 3:14-15)

Rather, we are to respond to them with the wisdom that flows from the grace of God. What is this wisdom like?

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)

Paul showed that kind of wisdom. As a result, many of the Corinthians came to truly understand him.

To those who didn’t, he reassured them that there were no hidden meanings or agendas in his writings. And he expressed the hope that they too would come to understand that some day. (2 Corinthians 1:13-14)

But until that day, he would continue to live as he always had, with holiness, integrity, sincerity, and grace.

How about you? When others misunderstand you and accuse you, how do you respond?

Let us respond as Paul did, and live in holiness, with integrity, sincerity, and grace towards them.

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2 Corinthians

The importance of our prayers

2 Corinthians

Do our prayers really make a difference? Or would God have just done what he was going to do anyway, even without our prayers?

I think Paul definitely had his opinion on the matter. He said concerning his trials,

He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.

On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.

Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. (2 Corinthians 2:10-11)

The ESV makes it even stronger in verse 11.

You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. (2 Corinthians 2:11)

In short, Paul felt the Corinthians’ prayers made such a big difference that he begged them for their prayers. He encouraged them: “Your prayers make a difference.”

Why does God desire so much that we pray? Why doesn’t he just do whatever he wants to do?

I think the main reason is he wants us to interact with him.

Not only that, he wants us to partner together with him in his work. What happens when we pray, and especially for others?

1. We start to see beyond ourselves to the needs of others.

When God sees us doing that, it delights his heart that we are becoming like him.

Do our prayers then make him more inclined to act? The Bible does seem to imply that.

James wrote, for example,

You do not have, because you do not ask God. (James 4:2)

Jesus himself said,

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 16:24)

2. We start to see what God wants us to do.

As we pray, God starts to whisper to our hearts and tell us how we can touch others.

I think of the disciples coming to Jesus at the end of a long day saying, “Send the crowds home so that they can eat. They’re must be hungry.”

Now I don’t think the disciples were primarily thinking of the crowds. They were probably thinking of themselves and wanting to finally rest after a long day of serving.

But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” (Matthew 14:16)

They then went out and found a boy who had a small lunch of five loaves and two fish, brought it to Jesus, and he performed one of his greatest miracles.

In the same way, as we see the needs of others around us and we pray for them, Jesus starts to show us how we can partner with him to do his work.

3. We start to see more of God’s goodness as he answers those prayers.

That in turn gives us even more encouragement to pray in the future.

4. Not only will we see God’s goodness and be encouraged, but others will too.

Paul said,

Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. (2 Corinthians 2:11b)

So let us never doubt the importance of prayer in our lives.

And let us make it a special point to partner with God by praying for others.

Who is God calling you to pray for today?

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2 Corinthians

Seeing beyond ourselves

2 Corinthians

As I was rereading 2 Corinthians 1:6-7, it struck me that Paul was truly following the pattern of Christ.

If Christ had merely been concerned about his own comfort, he would never have come to earth.

He would never have been born in a stable. He would never have lived in a poor carpenter’s house. He would never have gone days at a time without a place to lay his head. He most certainly would never have gone to the cross.

But he did. Why?

For our comfort and salvation.

We were miserable because of all the sin and evil in this world. More, we were headed for destruction. And because Christ saw all of that, he gave up the comfort of his life in heaven and allowed himself to become afflicted for us.

Paul saw Christ’s example, and he followed it.

For the sake of the Corinthians and all those he was serving, he was willing to go through shipwrecks, imprisonment, times of hunger and want, and persecution.

Why? Because he saw beyond his own comfort. And he saw the utter hurt and need of these people he was ministering to.

Even when Paul experienced comfort, his focus wasn’t completely on himself.

Rather, he saw it as being an encouragement to the Corinthians. That they would see that Paul’s troubles, hard though they were, were nevertheless temporary. That he found relief and God’s joy.

And so as they went through their own trials, they would have hope that just as Paul had found God’s comfort in his life, they would eventually find comfort as well.

With that hope, it would then give them the courage to endure any troubles that they suffered through.

It can be so easy to be self-centered. To, as I said yesterday, live like a sponge simply soaking up God’s love and to just live a comfortable life.

But God calls us to see beyond ourselves. To follow Christ’s example and be willing to give up our comforts, and even be willing to suffer that others may be saved.

If that’s ever going to happen, though, we need the eyes of Jesus. Eyes that see the utter hurt and need of the people around us. Eyes that drove Jesus to the cross.

Do you have those eyes?

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2 Corinthians

Called to be a channel, not a sponge

Channel of blessing

One of the great things about being a Christian is the blessings that God pours out in our lives. And one of those blessings is the comfort that he gives us as we go through trials.

But it’s so easy for us as Christians to simply become sponges. We simply soak in the love of God and the comfort that he provides in our lives.

But while we do need those times of soaking in his love and comfort, God does not want us to merely be sponges. Rather, he desires that we be channels of his blessing to those around us.

Paul writes,

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Note that one of the main reasons God comforts us is so that we can take the comfort we have received and pass it on to the people who are hurting around us.

I like how the HCSB puts verse 5.

For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows. (2 Corinthians 1:5)

Christ’s sufferings, in a sense, overflowed out of his cup and into ours. Not in the sense, of course, that we have to suffer for our own sins. Jesus has already paid our debt completely.

But now for his sake, we are sometimes called to suffer. Sometimes we are persecuted. Sometimes we go through trials.

But God uses all these things not only to spread his kingdom, but to shape us into the people that he wants us to become.

As Peter said,

These [trials] have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:7)

But as much as his sufferings may spill over into our lives, so much more does his comfort spill over into our lives. Not only that, Jesus overflows our cup with his comfort.

Why not just fill us to the brim? So that his comfort might spill into the lives of those around us who are hurting too.

So often though, people just like to soak in that love and comfort they have received, and never see the needs around them.

But if we’ll just take a look around, we’ll be able to see people going through the same things we went through. And God calls us to give them the hope of our experience. To reach out to them and say, “I understand. I’ve been there. God will see you through.”

And to pour out God’s love and comfort into them.

How about you? Are you merely a sponge, soaking in all you can from God?

Or are you also a channel through whom God can pour his out blessings to those around you?

Categories
2 Corinthians

Comfort in the midst of trial

God of comfort

This is probably one of my favorite passages in scripture. Paul writes,

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

Sometimes, we wonder through our trials and sufferings if God really cares. If he really does love us. But here Paul calls God the Father of compassion.

I like the ESV which translates it “the Father of mercies.”

In other words, when God sees us, he’s not indifferent to us. Rather, he looks upon us with compassion and mercy.

I think about Jesus when he saw the people of Israel hurting and in need. Time and again, the gospels tell us that he looked upon them with compassion. And in this, he was a perfect reflection of his Father.

More, Paul tells us that he is the God of all comfort. So not only does he feel compassion for us, but he reaches down to touch us.

I think of the time that Jesus dealt with a leper that came to him one day (Matthew 8). Not only did Jesus look upon him with compassion, but he actually reached out and touched him.

This man probably hadn’t experienced human touch for years because others had feared catching his disease. But in Jesus’ touch, the man found comfort and healing.

And though sufferings may abound in our lives now, God’s comfort will abound toward us even more (verse 5, ESV).

Paul spoke from experience. He himself went through intense suffering, more than he could handle on his own.

I have heard and actually taught many times that God will never let us go through more than we can handle. But as I reflect on this passage, it seems to me that while this is a true statement, it’s incomplete.

God often does let us go through more than we can handle…in our own strength. He stretches us beyond what we can handle to our breaking point. Why?

Paul tells us,

But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:9)

In other words, God will put us in these situations to teach us that we can’t make it through this life alone. But if we rely on him, he is the God who is so powerful he can raise the dead.

And in the hopelessness of our situation, by his grace, he can pull us out and give us new hope and life.

As God would tell Paul later,

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

(2 Corinthians 12:9)

And as we go through these trials and ultimately look back on them, we’ll see that God was there all along. Then as we face future trials, we can have hope knowing that the same God that delivered us before will deliver us again.

Paul learned this, saying with confidence,

He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us. (2 Corinthians 1:10)

How about you? Are you going through trials that you can’t see an end to? Are you feeling stretched beyond the breaking point?

Remember that God does care and he hasn’t abandoned you.

So let us not rely on ourselves, but lean on his strength and power. And by his grace he will bring you through.