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:
- 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?
- Before whose eyes and for whose approval was Paul living? What characterizes a strong church in the Lord’s eyes?
- 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?