Archive for month: September, 2021

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 10:7-18.  Let’s go!

2 Corinthians 10:7-14 (NIV)
7  You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he.
8  For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it.
9  I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters.
10  For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”
11  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.
12  We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.
13  We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you.
14  We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ.

On verses 7-14:  One criticism being thrown at Paul was that Paul had been boasting excessively about his authority in the church.  This criticism was probably coming from the “super apostles”, a group that featured speakers who were more eloquent than Paul but who did not have the authority that Paul had as founding pastor of the church.   Paul tells his church, “Stop judging by mere appearances and enough with these silly comparisons.” (v7)  

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 10:1-6.  Let’s go!

2 Corinthians 10:1-6 (NIV)
1  By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you–I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” when away!
2  I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.
3  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
4  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
5  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.
6  And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

On verses 1-6:  In 2 Corinthians 10:1-6 Paul addresses a criticism that some people were making of him: that he is so bold and forceful when he writes letters from a distance, but when he is face to face with the people he is “timid” (v1).  Perhaps it’s because these critics were comparing Paul to other religious leaders who called themselves “super apostles”, who carried themselves in front of the Corinthian church in a more impressive way, and who spoke negatively about Paul.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 8:16-24.  Let’s go!

2 Corinthians 8:16-24 (NIV) 
16  I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. 
17  For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. 
18  And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. 
19  What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. 
20  We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 
21  For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men. 
22  In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. 
23  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. 
24  Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it. 

On verses 16-24:  In making preparations to collect the offering from his church in Corinth, Paul goes out of his way to tell his church in Corinth that he and his team are taking great pains to make sure that the funds given by his church are being handled carefully and without any hint of mismanagement.  In particular Paul focuses on the trustworthiness of the individuals who have been appointed to go to the church in Corinth to receive their offering and from there to deliver the offering to its intended destination.  Those individuals include Titus, whom Paul praises at length (v16-17) as well as two other individuals whose names are not stated but who are apparently highly reputable church representatives (v18-19a and v23).  

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Corinthians 8:1-15.  Let’s go

2 Corinthians 8:1-6 (NIV)
1  And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.
2  Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
3  For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,
4  they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
5  And 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.
6  So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.

On verses 1-6:  Paul encourages his church in Corinth to learn from the example of the churches he helped to start in the northern region of Macedonia.  How about you?  Are you willing to learn from others?  Part of following Jesus is being willing to change and learn from the example of others, especially from more mature followers of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV) 
7 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.