Today's passage: 2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Helpful thoughts:

• After much instruction concerning things that were dividing people in the church, Paul concludes his letter with a recap of the highlights:
  • Rejoice.
  • Aim for restoration.
  • Comfort one another.
  • Agree with one another.
  • Live in peace.
    • All of these things can only truly be accomplished when we pursue them in truth.
• In clearly stating the triune Godhead, Paul also emphasizes three more characteristics God possesses the church should strive for:
  • Grace
  • Love
  • Fellowship

Questions to consider:

1. Do you think there is any overlap in these lists Paul brought before the church at the end of this letter?  In what way would pursuing one of these goals result in progress in the others?
2. Why must these things be pursued in truth, in sincerity, and in humility?  Why wouldn't choosing to be silent and becoming bitter or estranged from someone in the church be an acceptable substitute for living in peace and agreeing with one another?
3. How does the grace, love and fellowship of the Godhead serve as a model for us to pursue joy and unity as a body of believers?

Today's passage: 2 Corinthians 13:1-10

Helpful thoughts:

• After Paul's lengthy rebuke, he prepares the church for proper church discipline upon his next arrival if those in sin do not repent.  One purpose of discipline is to pursue repentance and reconciliation.  The other purpose is to keep the church pure.
  • If there were people in the church at Corinth who were not believers, they should not have been in the church.
• If Christ is in a person, they will change and grow.  They will persevere in the faith.  Those who have Christ in them have no need to live in fear of falling short.  Those who are living in sin are right to inspect their hearts.
• Things that God uses in great strength can appear weak in the eyes of the world.  What is truly strong and truly of the Lord will prove true in time.

Questions to consider:

1. Why did Paul write these challenging words ahead of his arrival in Corinth?  What did he want the church to begin doing before he got there?  What should they have been able to do whether or not he was there?  How might he have helped them if they struggled to obey?
2. Before whose eyes and for whose approval was Paul living?  What characterizes a strong church in the Lord's eyes?
3. What are some ways you have seen the power of God working in you?  How have you been growing?  How have you seen it in others in and how you could encourage them today?

Today's passage: 2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Helpful thoughts:

• Paul concludes this difficult section of 2 Corinthians with a clear warning.  The way some in the Corinthian church are acting is the way of the world.  The way they are speaking to one another and about one another looks like a list of actions associated with the lost.
• Paul's sadness if he should find the church to be living this way would not be for his own rejection, but because it would mean they were still lost and dead in their sins.
• If the last several paragraphs of scripture have made you feel a little gross, like Paul was acting inappropriately, that's a good thing!  That's his point.  It appears he has been imitating the methods of those arguing in the church, holding up a mirror so they could see themselves.

Questions to consider:

1. How should we speak to each other in the church?  How should we approach each other to resolve conflicts?  What does it look like to speak the truth in love, not be so easily offended or fearful, etc.?
2. When a church gets busy speaking selfishly and treating one another poorly, what aren't they doing?  How long will a church remain alive if it only looks inward and quarrels?
3. What would have been the right response of those in the church Paul was addressing after hearing this letter being read?  What would be their temptation?  When we refuse to repent after honest rebuke, what is it we want more in those moments than to please the Lord, to pursue righteousness, and the health of the church?

Today's passage: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Helpful thoughts:

• Paul's continued “boasting” in order to “earn the respect” of his doubters in Corinth results in his being content with “weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.”
  • The kinds of things others boasted about to get attention, Paul had actually experienced.
  • Paul's experiences had led back to weakness.  And in his weakness, he rejoiced.
• The man Paul refers to in this passage is himself, which is made clear in the context.  His hesitancy to speak of this experience compelled him to try to distance himself from this “man.”
• We don't know what this “thorn in the flesh” was which Paul experienced.  All of the hardships we know Paul endured in his lifetime would fit the criteria.
  • The important thing is not to decipher exactly what the “thorn” was, but to know that in our weakness, God can use us in strength. (“When I am weak, then I am strong.”)

Questions to consider:

1. What does it appear Paul saw in his vision?  Since we have no other record of his experience, what was it's purpose?  What didn't Paul do with it that would have been encouraged by many today (and back then)?
2. What are we being instructed to value more than “amazing experiences” we can tell everyone else about?  What is the truly amazing experience of living the Christian life?
3. Why and how was Paul made strong?  Was it in Paul?  Did he find it deep down inside himself?  Who gave him this strength?  Who will therefore also give it to you?  Where does the strength to serve the Lord effectively come from?

Today's passage: 2 Corinthians 11:16-33

Helpful thoughts:

• Paul continues his satire to prove a point.  The church “gladly bears with fools,” so Paul is being “foolish.”  Though, he would rather be counted a fool by man if he is accurately and fruitfully preaching and teaching the truth.
• The list of sufferings Paul endured should make anyone know with certainty that he is truly committed to Christ and the church.  However, many of those whom the people might have considered amazing would have run from those experiences.  Or, even called Paul weak or stupid for having endured them.
• If many people consider Paul weak, stupid, a poor speaker, etc. it is of no concern.  The Lord knows his heart and his ministry (2 Corinthians 5:9).

Questions to consider:

1. In what ways does the visible church in the west (Or in the US) bear resemblance to the church in Corinth?  How do these passages we have been reading hit close to home?
2. How should we weigh Jesus' words in John 15:18-20 with what Paul is writing here?  Should Christians be surprised when affliction (Perhaps similar to the list Paul presented) comes our way?
3. Should the affliction or the lack thereof, all on its own, be the reason a teacher is either good or bad?  What makes teaching good?  What makes ministry fruitful?   In what ways are we prone to measure the quality of ministry in worldly/fleshly ways as opposed to the way God would see it?

Today's passage: 2 Corinthians 11:1-15

Helpful thoughts:

• Paul continues to defend his ministry and apostleship.  There were some in the Corinthian church who questioned him.  The “foolishness” of the defense is that Paul didn't have to defend himself.  God had worked through him.  Christ is our Lord and Savior.  The Spirit had been working.  Some in the church needed to get their eyes off of the servants and on the savior.
  • With the foolishness of the evaluation of men going on, Paul uses some satire in his writing (e.g. “Super-Apostles”).
• In Jewish culture, it was the father's responsibility to present his daughter at her wedding celebration as a pure virgin.  Paul was being a father-figure to the church and fighting for her purity.
• The way some in the church valued the messengers over the message left them susceptible to false teaching.

Questions to consider:

1. Does this passage seem unusual to you?  Why might that be?  What is Paul doing at this point in the letter?  What tone is he taking?
2. How does making an idol of a preacher/teacher/writer leave us susceptible to false teaching?  How are we to righty discern if someone's teaching is good?
3. To whom have we been betrothed?  Who is the church's groom in waiting?  How can this illustration help shape our view of separation from the world and devotion to Christ?

Today's passage: 2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Helpful thoughts:

• There were some in the Corinthian church who were critical of Paul and his apostleship.  It is their claim, written out in verse 10, that Paul's attitude and words were different in person than when he wrote from far away.
  • The content of Paul's communication was the same, near or far.
    • When with the people, he preached and taught the Word of God.
    • When away from the people, he wrote these two letters, which were the inspired Word of God!
• Evidently, Paul did not practice public speaking in a way some in the church felt appropriate.  He wasn't “polished” enough.
  • Yet, the Spirit had obviously used his preaching!  Souls had been saved, the church was born, people were growing.
• Christ is the head of the church.  We are all His servants.  Faith comes by the hearing of the word (Romans 10:17).
  • If we rely on appeasing the desires of the flesh (Trying to appease the eyes, ears, etc.) in order to accomplish the work of God, we have missed what God is truly doing!
    • “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power…

Questions to consider:

1. It isn't wrong to do the things we do with excellence (Psalm 33:3, in fact we should pursue excellence! – 1 Corinthians 10:31), but it would be wrong to assume that because our excellence attracted interest, that was why someone put their faith in Christ.  What is the most important thing we can do as a church (What must we believe and communicate)?  And, who is the one who makes our ministry fruitful?
2. Is a sermon good because we enjoyed listening to the preacher?  What makes a sermon, a lesson, song lyrics, etc. effective and fruitful?
3. How should verse 18 impact the way we evaluate ministry?  How does the Lord commend the service of His people?

Today's passage: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Helpful thoughts:

• God knows every intention of our hearts.  What matters most about our giving is the heart with which we give.  God loves a cheerful giver.
• Paul's promise of “reaping what you sow” is not a promise of financial prosperity.  The spiritual ministry Paul was encouraging the Corinthian church to pursue would yield spiritual results.
  • Paul uses other words like “every” and “all,” accompanied with “righteousness” and “grace” and “works.”  God will provide for His people, and the things He knows we need (That we might not typically think of) will be given.
• When Paul considers the mutual service, prayers and giving of the churches for one another, he sees the grace of God in Christ on display and says, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”
  • The inexpressible gift is Jesus.  The result of the grace we receive through Christ is evidenced in our mutual love and service.

Questions to consider:

1. How much should “each one” give to this special offering (Verse 7)?  What is Paul (And the Lord) more concerned with than the total amount?  Why do you think that is?  In what way is the importance of both the heart and the total amount of the gift also emphasized?
2. How do we rightly discern what is an appropriate thing to say/ask?  How does the fact that Paul was an Apostle and that this offering was a special gift (Not regular giving to the church) impact what we learn and apply here?
3. How was the church (And other churches participating) showing the grace of God in their actions?  In what way does the gospel work itself out in our lives so that we might become generous and cheerful givers of our time, abilities, finances, etc.?

Today's passage: 2 Corinthians 9:1-5

Helpful thoughts:

• The generosity of the Corinthian church had encouraged others to give as well.  Paul now exhorts them to follow through with what he already knows they will do.
  • Paul had shared with others such high hopes for the generosity of this church, it would have been an embarrassment to him if they didn't give.
• The offering of the church was to be given willingly.  It was not required of them and it was not in return for services (Exaction).
• It was good for Paul to ask, to encourage, etc.  He stopped short of any demanding.

Questions to consider:

1. Why is it important we have a right understanding of the word, “exaction?”  If someone gave to the church “in return of services” how could that go wrong?  Why wouldn't it be right for a person to give to a church and then demand certain things be done according to their personal wishes?  Or, why wouldn't it be right for a person to “withhold their tithe” until they got what they wanted?
2. How does the fact that Paul was an Apostle help us to rightly understand his role in asking the church in Corinth for this gift?  Are there people outside of our local church that could do something like this with the same authority today?
3. Why do you think Paul wanted to make sure the gift remained a “willing” one?  What didn't he want to rob the church of in their giving?  What do we lose (Or miss out on) when we are demanded to pay up as opposed to being offered an opportunity to give?

Today's passage: 2 Corinthians 8:16-24

Helpful thoughts:

• After encouraging the church to give toward the needs of the church in Jerusalem, Paul lets them know who is coming to minister to them as a part of the collection of this gift.
  • The men going were Titus and two others (At least 3 total):
    • One of them was a great preacher of the gospel.
      • With all that is being discussed in this passage, the church needed gospel-centered ministry!
    • One of them had been tested and was earnest for the ministry.
  • The goal was to bring ministry to the church at Corinth (And others) while asking for help on behalf of the church in Jerusalem.  They were going out raising support.
  • The number of men traveling together also provided accountability and safety for the amount of money that would be traveling across the region back to Jerusalem.
  • Churches were working together to accomplish this ministry (Verse 19).
  • Individual local churches were to decide for themselves what they might give.
    • An example of the autonomy of local churches, while still cooperating in fellowship.

Questions to consider:

1. In what ways does what we read in this passage remind you of missions/ministry support raising still today?  In what ways is this kind of giving still done?
2. This passage certainly doesn't forbid individual giving toward missions, churches or other ministries, but what are some special benefits of giving toward ministries together as a church (For the church and for the one(s) receiving the gift?
3. In what ways can churches be strengthened when they work together?  What are the benefits of a fellowship of churches?