Milo

OCTOBER 26

Reading 299

CARING IN MINISTRY 2 Corinthians 6–7

“We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. . . . As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also” (2 Cor. 6:11, 13).To minister effectively, we must do so in love.

Overview

Paul expressed his love for the Corinthians by facing hardships (6:1–10), by personal openness (vv. 11–13), by confrontation (v. 14–7:1), by expressing confidence (vv. 2–4), by joy (vv. 5–7), by rebuke (vv. 8–12), and by delight at Titus’ affection for them (vv. 13–16).

Understanding the Text

“Now is the time of God’s favor” 2 Cor. 6:1–2. Most feel these verses belong at the end of chapter 5. Yet they also fit here. Paul was about to express his feelings for the members of the church in Corinth. These feelings were intense, because he was gripped by a sense of urgency. “Now,” Paul was convinced, “is the day of salvation.” Driven by this conviction and by love for others, Paul gave his all to win them to Christ and lead them to a full present experience of salvation. Both a sense of urgency and love are vital if we are to have an impact for Christ on those around us. We must be convinced that “now” is vital for them. And we must care. “As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way” 2 Cor. 6:3–10. Real love is expensive. And Paul had spent himself without holding anything back. Some might think the physical hardships Paul listed—beatings, imprisonments, sleepless nights, hunger—are the greatest evidences of his love (vv. 3–5). Yet we all know that it’s much harder to always show “purity, understanding, patience and kindness” to our loved ones than to suffer hardships for them. You or I might give our lives for a loved one. Yet we find ourselves snapping at him or her in irritation, being critical, or uttering some cutting word we’d never think of saying to a stranger. Let’s remember, as Paul did, that we are “servants of God.” As God’s servants we have been assigned the task of showing His love to others. We may never have to show that love by braving the kind of hardships Paul faced. But we daily have the opportunity to show love by our purity, patience, understanding, and kindness. “We have spoken freely to you” 2 Cor. 6:11–13. When I first read 2 Corinthians as a young Christian, I was embarrassed for Paul. He seemed so, well, emotional. I much preferred the reasoned argument of Romans and Galatians, or the visionary images of Ephesians. Only much later did I realize that while Romans and Galatians represent the head, or the intellectual content of the Gospel, 2 Corinthians represents the heart, or the emotional drive of ministry. Actually, the heart is at least as important as the head. And in this book Paul “opened wide” his heart, for us to see. His emotions spilled out freely, touching us almost against our will. His feelings are so strong that we either draw back, as I once did, or we respond to the warmth. Why did Paul share himself so freely with the Corinthians, where many were already critical of him? Paul realized that human beings are whole. People are not computers who output programmed information, but sentient beings whose feelings play a vital part in every significant choice. Emotions play such a large part in every life. If we truly wish to influence others, we must love them, and let the love show. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers” 2 Cor. 6:14–18. Paul wasn’t speaking here about casual friendships (cf. 1 Cor. 5:9–11). We’re not asked or encouraged to cut off all contact with non-Christians. The image of “yoked together” draws an analogy from an Old Testament law which forbade the Israelites to hitch animals of different kinds to the same plow. Two oxen might work a field together. Or two donkeys. But not an ox and a donkey. Thus partnership in a cooperative endeavor is what Paul forbids. Don’t go into a business partnership with a non-Christian and expect that you’ll pull together. Don’t marry an unbeliever, and expect to walk through life in harmony, matching stride for stride. There’s no guarantee that a professing Christian will make a perfect partner or spouse. But you will have Christ in common, and God will “live with them and walk among them.” A common commitment to Jesus is the foundation on which we can build harmonious relationships in our significant personal relationships (see DEVOTIONAL). “You have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you” 2 Cor. 7:2–7. People we care deeply about can have a powerful effect on us. Paul’s relationship with the Corinthians had been rocky: they’d given him many an hour of anguish and worry. Yet at the same time that love makes us vulnerable to hurt, it opens up our lives to unexpected joys. It’s this that buoys up the apostle. Despite the troubles that had marked the relationship, Paul had great pride in the Corinthians, and word of their continued affection for him stimulated great joy. Caring may make us vulnerable. But it also expands our lives and gives us deep and abiding joys. Don’t hold back for fear of pain. Press on to deepen your relationships with other Christians in expectation of joy. “Your sorrow led you to repentance” 2 Cor. 7:8–9. Scholars believe the letter mentioned here is not 1 Corinthians, but another, lost epistle. Paul must have spoken very bluntly: so bluntly he regretted rebuking his beloved friends. But the letter had its desired result, and the Corinthians responded. Bluntness and rebuke are an important element in love. An acquaintance of ours brought up a son without ever rebuking him. Even worse, whenever the son was in trouble, the mother protected him from harmful consequences. Today the son is married with three children, is in constant trouble with drugs and alcohol, has permanently lost his driver’s license, and only holds a job because he works in his father’s factory. Misplaced love, unwilling to rebuke, contributed to his situation. If you really love another person, you will rebuke him or her when you see wrong. “Godly sorrow brings repentance” 2 Cor. 7:11–13. The world’s sorrow is an “I’m sorry I got caught” kind of sorrow. The individual is sorry for himself, and the consequences he now has to pay. Godly sorrow is grief about the original act, and repentance—a commitment to turn from wrongdoing. We need to be careful when someone says with tears, “I’m sorry.” If they’re crying because they’re sorry for themselves, don’t expect a change. If they’re weeping because they feel grief over what they did, there’s hope. “I had boasted to him about you” 2 Cor. 7:13–16. Tim brought his new girlfriend, Liz, along to meet Sue and me the other day. He’d told her, “Don’t worry. They won’t be critical.” It would have been hard to be critical of this girl even if we’d tried. And of course we didn’t. Later Tim told us Liz had been worried, and felt so relieved afterward. Tim hadn’t been worried. He knew we’d welcome her. It was so nice to hear that Tim had been confident in introducing us to his currently constant date. That’s just what Paul was telling the Corinthians. “Titus really appreciated you. I told him he would, and he did.” It makes others feel good when we can tell them honestly, “I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.” Along with infrequent rebukes, true love offers frequent reassurance and praise.

DEVOTIONAL

Be a Father(2 Cor. 6:14–7:1)Most of God’s promises are claimed simply by faith. Here’s a promise, however, that’s contingent. “Touch no unclean thing” the Old Testament says (Isa. 52:11), and “I will be a Father to you” (2 Cor. 6:17). At first this seems a strange promise. After all, God is our Father through faith in Christ. But He is able to be a Father to us only as we live holy lives. My wife’s oldest, Matthew, lives in Michigan with his father. For five years he lived with us, and while he was here, I was able to be a father to him. I disciplined him, took him on fishing trips, got him to bed on time, and did all the other things that are part of parenting. But when he moved to Michigan, I could no longer be a father to him. The distance between us is just too great. That’s what Paul is telling us here. God, who is a Father to us, wants to be a Father to us. But it’s our responsibility to see there’s no distance between us. Usually when you and I read Paul’s warning in 6:14–16 about being yoked together with unbelievers, we think of disasters that can result if we disobey. We think of the partner we can’t trust; of the spouse whose values and commitments are so different from ours. But Paul wants us to consider first the impact of being unequally yoked in our walk with God. You see, we Christians are to be completely separated unto the Lord, with that separation as sharp as the dividing line between light and darkness, between Christ and Satan, and between the temple of God and a shrine where idols are worshiped. In short, we are to “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit.” Why? Because sin’s contamination separates us from God. He is our Father even then, but when we isolate ourselves from Him by bad choices, He is not able to be a Father to us in the same, intimate way He would if we were in close fellowship with Him. What a joy it is to have God be a Father to us. To walk hand in hand with Him. To be disciplined, yes. But then to be caught up in His arms and comforted as well. No wonder Paul urges us to purify ourselves from everything that contaminates out of reverence for God. There is no greater experience here on earth than to walk with the Lord, and have God be a Father to us.

Personal Application

Each step away from sin is a step closer to our Heavenly Father.

Quotable

“My Lord and my God, take from me all that separates me from Thee! My Lord and my God, give me everything that will bring me closer to Thee! My Lord and my God, protect me from myself, and grant that I may belong entirely to Thee!”—Nicholas of Flue

OCTOBER 25

Reading 298

RECONCILIATION 2 Corinthians 4–5

“God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” (2 Cor. 5:19).Counted sins stunt other’s growth.

Overview

Paul ministered the New Covenant in honesty (4:1–6), aware of his mortal weaknesses (vv. 7–15) yet confident of the unseen (vv. 16–18). Heaven is assured (5:1–10), as is the love of God which works transformation within the believer (vv. 11–15), assuring the success of the New Covenant ministry of reconciliation (vv. 16–21).

Understanding the Text

“We have renounced secret and shameful ways” 2 Cor. 4:1–6. Paul used no tricks in presenting the Gospel. He set “forth the truth plainly” (v. 2). Some will believe, others will reject. Paul trusted the outcome of his ministry to Christ. Donald Barnhouse wrote a book called The Invisible War. In it he pictured spiritual armies of good and evil conducting their warfare on the battleground of history. This warfare is being conducted yet today, with Satan struggling to blind man’s eyes to the Gospel, as God cries out, through the proclamation of Jesus, “Let there be light!” How foolish we are to rely on our skill to make a material difference in the invisible war. Yet God has in fact entrusted to us the most powerful weapon of all, the simple message of Jesus and His love. We can rely on the simple story. As Paul wrote to the Romans, it is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). “We have this treasure in jars of clay” 2 Cor. 4:7–15. Paul wasn’t being critical of the mortal body. He was simply contrasting the weak and ordinary character of the messenger with the overwhelming power of the message. Paul found himself under pressure, perplexed, persecuted, knocked to the ground. Everything in his experience reminded him that the dynamic power that had marked his ministry had no source in him. He credited Jesus, who saves all who believe in Him, with the fact that despite his weaknesses he had not been crushed, nor drowned in despair, nor abandoned or destroyed. Don’t let a sense of personal weakness keep you from serving God. The fact that you and I are weak is the backdrop against which the incomparable power of God is revealed. “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” 2 Cor. 4:16–18. This verse is the key to understanding New Covenant ministry. We don’t rely on the evidence of our senses. We rely instead on the utter reality of what has been revealed to us by God. Paul said, “Therefore we do not lose heart” (v. 16). Setback after setback can occur. People we minister to—our children, our friends—can fail again and again. But we remain confident that God’s Spirit does transform those who know Jesus, and will work in the lives of those we serve. Paul said that there is only one thing certain about things we can see and touch and feel. They are temporary: they can and will change (v. 18). And there is one thing certain about the unseen world. God will not change! What He has said is fixed for all eternity. How much better then to rely on what we cannot see than to rely on what we can see. Never mind discouraging setbacks. Never mind disappointments. These can and will change. Simply count on God, who can’t change. And who won’t. “If the earthly tent we live in is destroyed” 2 Cor. 5:1. We know only too well that one of those things which changes is our body. We grow old. We develop wrinkles. Our eyesight dims, our stride shortens, our back bends. One day the body, our “earthly tent,” will be destroyed. The seen is temporary, changeable. How wonderful to be able to look beyond our own decaying frames, and know that “we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven” (v. 1). Some ridicule Christians for confidently looking for life beyond death. How ridiculous instead to pin all one’s hope on an earthly body that every passing year brings closer to the grave. The “judgment seat” (bema) at Corinth was a large platform from which official announcements were made, and special honors given citizens were proclaimed. Paul’s teaching that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (v. 10) is no threat suggesting punishment. It is a promise implying reward! “Clothed with our heavenly dwelling” 2 Cor. 5:4–9. Christians earnestly debate Paul’s meaning here. Was he speaking about the resurrection body? Or, as the text seems to suggest, was he teaching that an intermediate body is worn by those who die until the time of resurrection comes? No one is really sure. But we can be sure that after death “what is mortal” will be “swallowed up by life.” How can we be sure? The Holy Spirit is a down payment God has made, His guarantee of what lies ahead. The Spirit is unseen, but real. His presence makes it possible for us to say “we are always confident” and that we “know” (v. 6). “What is seen rather than what is in the heart” 2 Cor. 5:11–14. Anyone other than Paul might have been discouraged at the unresponsiveness and unspirituality displayed by the Corinthians. Many a pastor has despaired over people like them. And many a parent has felt grief and remorse over a rebellious child. But Paul placed no confidence in what is seen (4:18). He was not one of those folks who viewed statistics as the bottom line in ministry. Yes, it’s nice to be able to report 39 folks joined the church, giving is up 18 percent, 7 young people went off to help construct a building in South America, and to bask in the envy of fellow pastors at the annual district meeting. But Paul took no pride in statistics (in “what is seen”). What counted for Paul was what was in the heart. However discouraging things may be, if Christ is in the heart, believers will be compelled by love to grow. And growth will transform the stumbling, unspiritual men and women of today into tomorrow’s saints. “Christ’s love compels us” 2 Cor. 5:14. One of the worst things desperate pastors and parents do is turn to inadequate motivators of spiritual growth. Some say “you must” and try to force growth. Some say “you should” in hope that guilt will move the reluctant. Some say “you can,” and try to create a willingness to try. Paul said, “Jesus loves you.” And he counted on an awakening response of love for Jesus to move others to want to grow and change. Keep on telling others, “Jesus loves you, and I love you too.” Love is the unseen reality that motivates spiritual growth and change. “He died for all” 2 Cor. 5:15. How could Paul have such confidence in the Corinthians, whose unspirituality he admitted in his first letter? (1 Cor. 3:1) Despite the evidence of all those problems in the church? Paul tells us that Christ died not just to forgive our sins, but to transform us. He died, “that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them.” It is unthinkable that God’s grand purpose in the sacrifice of His Son should fail. It is unthinkable that the Cross should have no impact on those who believe. Our progress may be slow. But God is committed to bring all who believe to the place where they gladly live for him! “We regard no one from a worldly point of view” 2 Cor. 5:16–17. Paul developed the thought of verse 15. Judged from a worldly point of view—by what we can see and observe—some might throw up their hands and give up on the Corinthians. Sometimes we feel that way about our fellow Christians too. But Paul said that’s not the way to look at people. Why, if we looked at Christ from that point of view, even He would seem a failure: a preacher of love, who awakened so much hatred that He was unjustly slaughtered by His enemies. But if we look at Jesus from God’s point of view, we see in the Cross the triumph and not the defeat of God. And if we look at our fellow believers from God’s point of view, we see Christ in the heart. And we know, whatever a believer may be now, he is one of God’s new creations, and one day he will become a living example of the triumph of God’s saving grace.

DEVOTIONAL

Reconciled(2 Cor. 5:15–21)

Mom and Dad looked at each other in fresh despair. No matter what they did, Jimmy didn’t seem to respond. Try to develop responsibility with regular chores, and Jimmy “forgot.” Insist he pick up his room before playing, and somehow or other he slipped out of the house before either of them could ask if he’d finished. Not just once. Not just twice. Dozens of times. Mom’s and Dad’s frustration mirrors that of many who come after a time to expect their children—or their charges—to misbehave. Ready to give up, their attitude says loud and clear that they don’t really expect their children to change. And that makes change even more difficult. Paul, on the other hand, exuded confidence in the Corinthians. Even though they challenged his authority. Even though they’d failed time and again. How can we have his confidence in others, and communicate that confidence as well? Paul understood the nature of reconciliation. This biblical term means, essentially, “to bring into harmony with.” Paul was sure that God, who in Christ has reconciled the world to Himself, will work in the believer’s life until he is experientially reconciled, and lives that life of righteousness that reveals our harmonious relationship with the Lord. Paul understood reconciliation. “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” (v. 19). Paul understood, and he modeled his ministry on God. Like God, Paul didn’t hold the Corinthians’ sins against them. He didn’t even count their sins! Instead Paul communicated total confidence. The purpose for which Christ died will be accomplished, and the lives of believers will be brought into harmony with the righteousness of God. With this assurance, you and I are freed too. We’re freed not to count the sins of those who are young in our family or our faith. We’re freed not to hold their failures against them. And we’re free to communicate our confidence that, though they stumble, they will rise again.

Personal Application

Expect God to work in others, and they will believe that He can.

Quotable

“It is the Christian’s business to believe in others until they learn to believe in themselves.”—Gilbert R. Martin

OCTOBER 24

Reading 297

TRANSFORMATION 2 Corinthians 2:5–3:18

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).It’s not what we are, but what we are becoming, that communicates Christ.

Overview

Paul urged restoration of the penitent sinner (2:5–11). He spoke of his motives (vv. 12–17) and explained implications of the Spirit’s New Covenant ministry (3:1–18).

Understanding the Text

“Reaffirm your love for him” 2 Cor. 2:5–11. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul demanded that a brother living in open immorality be expelled. A majority (2 Cor. 2:6) did as Paul commanded, and the brother repented and broke off the illicit relationship. While the Corinthians may not have known how to handle repentance, I suspect many felt the sinner deserved to be punished anyway. It seems too easy to let folks who have done wrong off the hook, just because they say, “I’m sorry,” and promise not to do it again. It goes against our human sense of justice. A person who does wrong ought to pay. But the purpose of Christian discipline isn’t to punish! It’s to restore. We’re not out to make a person suffer for his sins. Christ has already suffered for those. What we’re out to do is to bring a sinner back to righteousness and to fellowship with the Lord. Repentance—turning away from the sin and back to God—is everything. How we need to remember this in our families, with our spouses, with our children. We punish to restore, not to make a person pay. Afterward, as Paul said, “You ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow” (v. 7). Love without discipline encourages a self-indulgent life. But discipline without love encourages bitterness and rebellion. “We are not unaware of his schemes” 2 Cor. 2:11. Satan is much too clever to incite us to do open violence to others. We’d realize how wrong this is, and draw back from our hostile, angry feelings. So Satan encourages us to do destructive things that we can feel holy about. That’s what was happening in Corinth. The penitent sinner was left hanging, even after he renounced his sin, and most of the Corinthians felt self-righteously that justice was being done! Watch out for self-righteousness. “Well, they deserve it” is true. But it isn’t a Christian attitude. We all “deserve it.” Yet what God poured out on us so richly was forgiveness, not punishment. Forgiveness is a gift that has the power to transform. No wonder Satan schemes and struggles to convince us that we should punish instead. “The aroma of Christ” 2 Cor. 2:12–16. The Gospel message stimulates conflicting reactions. Some who hear respond like a child who smells his mother’s chocolate chip cookies baking. Some who hear react with wrinkled noses and expressions of disgust, as though a skunk had just passed by. People’s reactions to the Gospel tell us nothing about Jesus. Their reactions tell us everything about them. “We do not peddle the Word of God for profit” 2 Cor. 2:17. The reaction of the hearer to the Gospel reveals their character. The motive of the preacher reveals his. Even in the first century, traveling evangelists could draw crowds and make a good living off offerings! We have no right to judge the motives of anyone in ministry. If you should give, and later discover the ministry was run by a peddler who was only interested in his own profit, don’t condemn yourself. God may even lead us to give to a religious huckster, for the Word of God is powerful even when preached with twisted motives. The peddler, who is paid in cash for his services, is the real loser. You still win, for you’ll be rewarded in heaven for yours. “Written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God” 2 Cor. 3:1–3. With this chapter Paul began his exposition of New Covenant ministry. The “New Covenant” is that special way in which God relates to human beings now that Jesus has died and been raised again. The “Old Covenant” refers to Mosaic Law, which defined the way God related to human beings from the time of Moses till Christ came. In the earlier age “ministry” involved teaching the commandments and lifestyle God ordained for the Jews. In the present age “ministry” involves sharing the Good News of Jesus, and opening hearts to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us that there is one unmistakable mark of New Covenant ministry. People are transformed, so that what was written in stone is written now on the heart. The world knows of righteousness, not because it is recorded on stone tablets, but because it is engraved on the hearts of Christian men and women around them, and seen in their lives. “Competent as ministers of a New Covenant” 2 Cor. 3:4–6. What an idea for the church’s search committee. Next time you send out a questionnaire, don’t ask folks to say how well the candidate preaches, or how often he visits. Simply ask, Has he helped the members of your church be like Jesus Christ? “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold” 2 Cor. 3:12–18. New Covenant ministry calls for transparency and honesty. It calls for taking off our masks, and being our real selves with others. It requires us to let others know us as we are. Warts and all. That’s the message of this important passage. It’s not a message most are comfortable with. But it’s one Paul desperately wanted us to understand. To help us, he looked back to Moses and the incident of the veil (v. 13). Whenever Moses met with God, his face shone with an awe-inspiring splendor. But the brightness faded in time. Since Moses wanted the people of Israel to see only the splendor, he began putting on a veil to hide his face. Maybe then the people would assume he was still bright with glory. With us, Paul said, it’s just the opposite. We’re not like Moses. We’re bold! We meet others with “unveiled” faces (v. 18). The reason is a basic difference in our relationship with God. We don’t go to meet Him. He has come into our hearts! His Holy Spirit is present within us, and is in the process of transforming us “into His [Jesus’] likeness with ever-increasing glory.” The glory seen on Moses’ face was marred by deterioration. The glory that shines out through our faces is magnified by ever-increasing transformation! Thus we take the veils off our faces, convinced that as others are allowed to see the work that God is doing in our lives, they will be convinced that Jesus is real. I know. It goes against everything most of us have been taught. After all, people say we have to try to present our best face as a “testimony” to Jesus. But people are wrong. If we pretend, if we try to act holy, all that others will see is our posturing. But if we are real with others—if we don’t hide our fears, our doubts, our weaknesses, our struggles—they will know that we are real. And because the Holy Spirit is in our lives, they will sense the reality of Jesus as our transformation continues to take place. Let’s be bold. Let’s believe the Good News of the New Covenant. Trust the Holy Spirit to do His transforming work in your life. And be honest with others, so they can see that Christ is really in you (see DEVOTIONAL). Moses’ face shone with glory after each visit he had with God. But that glory faded after a time, and the veil Moses wore was intended to disguise that fact. Paul used this Old Testament incident to contrast Old and New Covenants. The glory of the Old, in which Moses went to God, faded as Moses left His presence. The glory of the New shines ever brighter, for God’s Spirit has come to us never to depart, and He is transforming us from within (vv. 7–18).

DEVOTIONAL

“Norm, Meet Jesus”(2 Cor. 3:12–18)Dwight buttonholed me as soon as we came out of church. “Larry, I want to talk to you,” he said. And for 10 minutes he proceeded to recount the sermon I’d just preached. Later my friend Norm grinned. “He didn’t want to talk to you,” Norm said. “He wanted to talk at you.” I smiled. If Norm had only known. Eighteen months before two members of our church picked Dwight up off the street. He’d just been released from a local mental hospital, but still was unable to speak a sentence. They took him into their home, where he spent most of the time curled up in a dark closet. They brought him to church, but often Dwight would get up in the middle of the service and run out into the yard. Then they started bringing Dwight over to my house each Wednesday evening. We’d play basketball, eat hot dogs, and talk together about Dwight’s progress and how the couple could best help him. In time we learned Dwight’s story. He’d been a successful young businessman, with a wife and two kids, a nice home, two cars, a boat. But then he’d become obsessed with illicit sex. Gradually his world fell apart. He lost his job, his home, his family, his cars and boat. Finally he even lost the capacity to talk in sentences. He was below rock bottom when the couple from our church found him and took him into their home. The morning Norm made his joking remark I thought back over the months since Dwight had come to us. As he experienced the love of his new friends, he’d gradually calmed. As he participated with us in church, he’d found the Saviour. And then, not suddenly but surely, he’d begun to heal. That very week Dwight had begun to work again—he’d started a lawn service. And that morning he’d been able to tell me, in great detail, exactly what my sermon was about, and what it meant to him. I had the overwhelming realization as I looked that morning at Dwight, that the Person I saw was Jesus. It was Jesus, looking out through the unveiled face of Dwight, revealed clearly through the transformation His Holy Spirit had worked in Dwight’s life. Each Sunday that I came to our little church and looked around, I saw Jesus everywhere. For each of us, like Dwight, had shared our lives with the others. We were an imperfect people. The warts and blemishes of our humanity were all too visible. But we were growing and changing too. In the ever-increasing glory of the transformations taking place, we recognized and knew our Lord.

Personal Application

Let the glory of Jesus be seen in you.

Quotable

“The Christian is a person who makes it easy for others to believe in God.”—Robert M. McCheyne

2 Corinthians

OCTOBER 23

Reading 296

GOD AND COMFORT 2 Corinthians 1:1–2:4

“God . . . 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 Cor. 1:3–4).Only the hurting know what it means to be comforted by God.

Overview

Paul praised his God of Comfort (1:1–7), and shared a personal experience (vv. 8–11). He explained his failure to visit, which had been misunderstood (v. 12–2:2), and the reason for his earlier, blunt letter (vv. 3–4).

Understanding the Text

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” 2 Cor. 1:1. This unusual greeting reflects on the background of this letter. Paul’s ministry had been challenged, and the apostle rejected, by many of the Corinthian Christians. This had to hurt Paul. But it did not shake him. His appointment as an apostle did not come from the Corinthians, but from God. It’s not what they wanted, but what God willed that counted. I’ve known many people who have suffered rejection. I’ve heard pastors weep over being considered—and treated—as nothing more than an employee of the church rather than a minister called by God. I’ve heard moms and dads with rebellious children weep too. Paul would understand. And his response to the Corinthians’ reaction serves as a guide to all of us in similar situations. Remember first who has appointed you to your role, whether it be pastor or parent, and serve Him. As the rest of this letter shows, keep on loving. Keep on sharing. “The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” 2 Cor. 1:3–5. God is not only the source of His servants’ authority, He is the source of our comfort as well. Paul was sure that God understands. He suffers along with us, for as members of Christ’s body we are experiencing the overflow of His suffering. It’s all right to weep when the pain is great. But never imagine yourself alone. The God of compassion and comfort is right there with you, and if you will, you can sense His loving arm around you. “If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation” 2 Cor. 1:3–6. This is one of the most powerful ministry principles to be found in the entire Bible. Paul explained in verse 4: God “comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” What Paul was saying is that people can identify with those who share the same pain. Have you lost a baby? Then those who have lost a child will understand. Have you known the anguish of a divorce? Then those whose marriages have crumbled know you understand them! Why is this so important? Because the first reaction to any words of comfort is likely to be, “But you don’t understand what I’m going through.” Talk to such folks about God’s comfort, and anything you say will seem empty and foolish. But listen to their pain, share enough so they know you do understand, and then share the comfort God has given you. This the sufferer can hear. If you’ve ever anguished over the pain in your life, and cried out, “Why?” here is one possible answer. The pain has equipped you to minister to others who suffer now as you have. Without experiencing their pain there is nothing you could say that would be heard. It is only because you hurt that you can help others heal. “Just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort” 2 Cor. 1:7. We parents have this terrible weakness. We don’t want our children to go through all the troubles we have had. I find I don’t care about winning Lotto for myself. But I sometimes daydream about what it would mean for my boys. It’s foolish, I know. God, lacking this kind of weakness, knows what Paul also understood. Only by going through the painful experiences as Paul himself, would the Corinthians become strong in their faith and commitment to God. We parents need desperately to understand this principle. The overprotective mom and dad, who try to isolate their children from the troubles of life, do them terrible harm. “We despaired even of life” 2 Cor. 1:8–11. Paul had that most unusual of qualities: moral courage. What I mean is this. Most of us, if our authority were challenged, would rise to meet the challenge. We’d ready ourselves for war, gather all our strength, and march out to meet the rebels on the field of battle. But not Paul. He actually humbled himself to meet the challenge! He put off his weapons, and exposed his weaknesses! Is an apostle supposed to feel at the end of his strength, unable to endure a day longer? (v. 8) Is an apostle supposed to feel despair? (v. 8) Isn’t the dark valley of depression something that only pagans experience, while believers dance on sunlit mountaintops for joy? Some may think so. But Paul knew better. And Paul knew something else too. Only as we minister from weakness, in transparent honesty, will we win others to commitment to Jesus Christ, and to trust in us. Paul was an apostle. But he was also a human being. Because he suffered, he came to know God’s comfort as a reality in his life. In this letter Paul was about to share all, and expose his humanness. Yet in the process he would reveal something else. God was, and had been, at work in his life. If we want to touch others’ hearts, we must take the path the apostle trod. “In the holiness and sincerity that are from God” 2 Cor. 1:12–14. Today we call it transparency and honesty. Or we say, so and so is “real.” Paul used theological terms instead of psychological and ethical ones. But the essential meaning is the same. The holy and sincere among us live without masks. They let us know them and their hearts. They are not perfect, but they are growing. We come to understand them even as we understand what they teach. In a world when men and women wear masks, the person who wears his real face is often misunderstood. The face he presents is assumed to be a mask too. But keep on living that life of holiness and sincerity. In time everyone will know who you are. And through you they will come to know God. “It was in order to spare you that I did not return” 2 Cor. 1:15–2:4. Paul had heard that some in Corinth scoffed at the idea that Paul loved them. And they pointed to the fact that instead of coming himself, Paul wrote them a blunt and (to them) insensitive epistle. “Holy and sincere? Paul? Ha!” Holiness and sincerity do imply being a person of one’s word. Paul fully intended to carry out his promise to visit Corinth again. So he explained why he hadn’t been able to do so yet—and why he hadn’t wanted to! Rather than hurt his beloved Corinthians, he wrote so they would have an opportunity to correct what was wrong in their fellowship! It’s not unusual for a “holy and sincere” individual to be misunderstood. People are likely to impute shameful motives to the best intended actions. People are also likely to criticize actions they don’t understand. When that happens to you, it’s best to follow Paul’s example. Keep on affirming your love. Explain the motives and feelings that lie behind what you have done. Don’t take personal offense. And don’t quit. Most of all, don’t quit living that holy and sincere life. You and I can’t help what others say about us. But we can make sure that what they say isn’t true.

DEVOTIONAL

Caring Enough(2 Cor. 2:1–4)

Sometime ago David Augsburger wrote an excellent book called Caring Enough to Confront. In it he showed that if we really care about others, we will be willing to confront them when their actions call for it. Paul, who cared enough to confront the Corinthians in his first letter, shows us here just how to go about confronting. First, he confronted to avoid a greater grief that would otherwise distort their relationship (v. 1). Confronting is a way to keep relationships strong and warm, for things left unmentioned can bring grief. Second, his goal was not to hurt but to heal (v. 2). Confrontation works only when your motive is to help the other person. Don’t think you can confront in anger or antagonism. Your hostility will come through more strongly than any of your words. Third, he expected a positive response. It takes a large dose of trust in others to free us to confront. Paul’s trust had solid roots in his faith in God. He knew God was at work in his brothers and sisters. God would use his blunt words to help them and to heal. Finally, Paul hurt with the Corinthians as he confronted them. He wrote “out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears” (v. 4). Confrontation must grow out of and be an expression of love. You need to hurt along with the person you confront. Your pain will prove your love, and move the other person to respond. Do you care enough to confront others when they go wrong? If you do, be sure your confrontation is marked by a desire to deepen the relationship, by love, by positive expections—and by personal grief and pain.

Personal Application

Confronting is one of those gifts we only give if we care enough.

Quotable

“The better friends you are, the straighter you can talk, but while you are only on nodding terms, be slow to scold.”—Francis Xavier

2 Corinthians

INTRODUCTION

Paul’s second Letter to the Corinthians was written a short time after the first. Though some of his instructions were followed, many in Corinth still seem to have rejected the apostle’s authority. This most open and revealing of Paul’s letters is an “apology”: a defense of his apostleship and a compelling revelation of his motives in ministry. Highlights include Paul’s explanation of New Covenant ministry, his expression of confidence in God’s transforming power, his teaching on giving, and his clarification of apostolic authority.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I.	Personal Items	2 Cor. 1–2
II.	New Covenant Ministry	2 Cor. 3–13
	A. Principles	2 Cor. 3–5
	B. Practice	2 Cor. 6–7
	C. Giving	2 Cor. 8–9
	D. Authority	2 Cor. 10–13