It’s been a very long time since I posted a photo of the week. I thought I’d revive the feature here starting with the new month so, you can expect a photo of the week each Wednesday, right here, and you can also be on the lookout for some other new features here in the coming days.
It would appear from these verses in Chapter 13 that Paul is wrapping up this final defense of his ministry by taking the offensive. He will shortly make another trip to Corinth, and when he arrives, any remaining opposition will be dealt with in strength, not by Paul’s strength, but with the strength of the Lord.
This will be my third visit to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”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. (13:1-4)
Paul has had enough of the Corinthian rebellion; Jesus has had enough of the Corinthian rebellion― it’s about the get real.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. (13:5-6)
In these remarkable verses Paul is telling the people in Corinth to examine, to test themselves to determine whether or not they are in Christ at all. If they are, they should have the Holy Spirit within them, and if they do not, then they have failed the test and were never in Christ: Ouch!
Of course, should they pass this self-examination, the Spirit will confirm that Paul is for real and that their whole rebellion is wrong, a complete fake. This assumption of Paul’s brings us to the heart of the entire matter and to a point that all of us need to learn. If we are in Christ and someone comes along and challenges the church or its leadership, we usually insist that the church, or its leadership must defend themselves against such charges, for this is the way of Men. Yet Paul has just turned the tables entirely, by telling them to examine themselves, their motivations and whether or not they are really followers of Christ. If they are really followers of Christ, they need to seek God’s guidance and be prepared to prove their allegations with two or three honest witnesses― God is not amused by people who sow dissention and division in His Body, the church.
Naturally, God is even less amused by people in positions of authority or leadership who abuse their positions in the church, so if you are indeed His follower, you must have your facts straight and be prepared to prove them before you launch an attack against anyone.
That is where these individuals in Corinth have gone wrong.
It would seem from our text that this is going to be their last chance to get things right in Corinth, because when Paul comes to town, there will be no end of trouble for anyone who hasn’t either repented or gotten their facts straight, for the truth will come out. It would seem that Paul is optimistic about the result:
Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God’s people here send their greetings.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (13:11-14)
As we’ve seen before, most of the Corinthians had come to terms with what was happening in their congregation and had come to realize that the outside instigators of these problems were troublemakers who simply desired to tear down the Church. With these words of encouragement for everyone, coming after Paul’s injunction for self-examination, I think that Paul believed the Corinthians would have the issues settled before his arrival there. Things happen in this life, sometimes people are led astray for a time by criticism, by lies, by instigators… Sometimes people who appear to be the very strongest in the church are fooled and have a hard time recognizing their mistake; this is the human condition.
Yet in the final analysis, people who truly love the Lord and who honestly seek His guidance, not to win the argument, but to follow Him, will find the path of truth. As long as the others will adopt the path of love and allow the ones in error to repent and be restored, harmony, love and unity will endure.
Oh, and just in case, Paul is on his way to make sure they get it right.
Another day begins: O what fun!
Consider the opportunities to share our faith, and the opportunities to show the example of Christ’s love to those around us. Consider the chance we’ll have to bring Christ to others, and to walk side-by-side with Jesus through our day.
When we stop to notice, His glory is all around us. If we are in the country, maybe we can see His awesome creation; the mountains, the trees, the pastures, and forests. If we are in the city, maybe we will notice His glory through vegetation, planters, and trees; we might even see His work in the sky overhead. If we are near the shore, we might see and hear His majesty in the breaking surf or the rolling thunder of a storm. No matter where the day might take us, God’s glory is all around.
In the workplace, though, there is an even better chance to see His glory, for in shining His light to others in the way we speak, the way we behave, and the manner in which we approach problems, we can become part of His reflected glory when others see Christ in us.
What an opportunity: Let’s all have a blessed day!
I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles. How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!
2 Corinthians 12:11-13
In these verses, Paul has begun his transition into the reasons for his having written this entire section of the letter. He loves the people of Corinth and has been grieved by their willingness to be led astray by those he has come to call “super-apostles”, clearly a derisive term. Paul does not believe that he has treated the Corinthians any differently than any other congregation he has dealt with, even though his critics have apparently told them that he was trying to take advantage of them financially. On that score he actually has treated them differently; he didn’t take any support from them, and so, he apologizes for that. Do I detect the slightest little hint of sarcasm?
Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and 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? Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?
2 Corinthians 12:14-18
Things are starting to clear up for us in this paragraph, for now it is clear that the super-apostles have claimed that Paul took the people in by tricks to part them from their money… only Paul didn’t accept any of their money. Yet they, some of them at least, believed the lies. Much like our politicians, it appears that the super-apostles also claimed that Paul was dishonest with them because while he was tricking them out of their money, he didn’t take any from them. Oh yes, we see people in the news do this all the time, claiming both sides of a question at the same time, and expecting us not to notice.
Paul seems to have noticed.
Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. (12:19)
With these words, Paul has another transition. In the remaining verses of chapter 12, Paul makes it clear that his larger concern is that when he returns to Corinth he will discover that nothing has changed, that those opposing him and spreading falsehood about him will still persist in their sin. In chapter 13 we will see that if this is the case, he won’t be so nice as he was last time…
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
How much joy do we take in life?
How much joy do we have in worship?
OK, I agree that not every situation in life can be joyful, for there are also many sorrows and hardships; I also realize that many of us are undergoing severe trials these days.
Yet even in sorrow, hardship, and trial we are the redeemed of the Lord, if we have entered relationship with Jesus Christ. Is there any hardship or trial that can compare with all that He has done for us?
I would never want to make light of suffering, nor would I ever want to let someone forget how great our God is.
Here… let’s try an experiment: Let’s decide that we are going to celebrate our great and awesome God no matter what trial we are dealing with. Let’s even go another step and commit ourselves to praising God in every situation; even the ones we don’t really like that much…
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
We’ll know you tried this experiment when we see the big smile on your face.
I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. (12:1)
With this little bit of transition, Paul takes us in to a second subsection in his enhanced defense of his ministry in Corinth; his readers are still in the woodshed. Here, Paul is getting into a subject that he really doesn’t mention much about in his writings, and apparently in his public teaching: visions and revelations he has experienced. We can infer from this that his opponents, those super-apostles, have big claims to special revelation. If that was true, then we know why Paul would talk about something here that he normally avoided. Why would he normally refrain from discussing these subjects? Because there is “nothing to be gained”.
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. (12:2-4)
So, Paul knows a guy who, 14 years ago, during the period in Paul’s life we know nothing at all about, who was caught up to the “third” heaven… After the story, Paul has an interesting comment to make:
But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. (12:6b-7a)
It sounds like this guy was really Paul after all, doesn’t it? Now look at 7b:
Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Linking the story with his thorn in the flesh makes it pretty clear that Paul is that man. Yes, the super-apostles make their wild claims and tell their entertaining stories, but Paul, who really doesn’t like to talk about it, has real stories to tell. Yet even though he has such stories to tell that also have the benefit of being true, he refrains because his message is about Christ, not about himself. I’ll lay out what Paul only implied: If the gospel of Jesus Christ isn’t enough for you, if you need entertaining fiction to seal the deal, that’s your problem.
As for the thorn in his flesh, we don’t know what it was. In the old days it was taught that the thorn was lust and burning sexual desire, but that explanation has been pretty well discarded now for lack of evidence. More recently people have theorized that the thorn was some sort of medical problem, possibly his eyesight, or maybe malaria or leprosy or chronic migraines or…?
The truth is that we don’t know, and as always in cases like this, beware the teacher who claims to know for certain that which is not revealed in Scripture. Much more to the point is what our text actually does say:
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 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. (12:8-10)
This thorn, this “messenger of Satan”, is something God chose not to take away; it almost reminds one of the story of Job, doesn’t it? God, for reasons of His own, has apparently allowed Satan to torment Paul physically so that Paul would not become prideful and/or arrogant in the pursuit of his mission as the Apostle to the Gentiles, with its crowning accomplishments, signs, wonders and miracles, for such pride and arrogance would surely damage Paul’s ability to carry out this great calling. Instead, in spite of Paul’s weaknesses, which evidently were obvious enough, Paul would overcome his weakness by the power of the Spirit working through him.
Don’t we all have a weakness or weaknesses? I certainly do. In an odd way, as I read these words of shame for the Corinthians who chose to follow false apostles, I find comfort and a great deal of encouragement, for they tell me that even though I am weak, God is strong, and when I serve His purpose as best I can, He provides me with His power to get the job done… in spite of the fact that I am unworthy and inadequate.
Paul closes out his letter in this final part of chapter four. This is largely a personal message to the Philippians, but there are some things about it that we can learn, especially if we keep the theme of the letter in mind; being worthy of the gospel. As Paul has shared what it means for a believer to live the Christian life and to walk with Jesus, as opposed to just believing, in these last verses we see this teaching in practice.
In verses 10-13, Paul expresses his happiness that the Philippians have shown their regard for him in sending one of their men to Paul with aid, as you might recall. He is happy not so much because he needed anything, but because they expressed their concern. Then, he goes on to mention that he has learned to be content with whatever he has, be it plenty or little, whether he is hungry or well-fed, for he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him. (v. 13) Once again, we see that Paul’s orientation to focus on Christ is all that is really needed to get through any situation.
In vv. 14-19, we see another aspect of the sharing on the part of the Philippians; it seems to be a habit with them. On more than one occasion they have sacrificed to share their material resources with Paul, and in so doing they have made their faith manifest. They didn’t simply say, “Gee, that’s a shame I’ll pray for you.” They sacrificed to meet a need; they behaved as Christ would behave.
Isn’t that what this whole letter has been about?
You might recall that in the very beginning of the letter, Paul mentioned that because he has been locked in prison, guarded by Caesar’s palace guard, Caesar’s very household had come to hear the gospel. In those early verses, Paul didn’t actually say whether or not any of them had come to faith, only that they had heard. All things considered, that was a really amazing thing, but in verse 22, Paul reveals the most amazing thing of all:
All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.
There were believing brothers in Christ within the very household of Caesar, because Paul had been imprisoned in Rome to await his trial before Caesar, a trial that was to cost him his life. Even in that dire circumstance, the gospel moved forward to the glory of God.
How much we can accomplish for the gospel if we will only take to heart the lessons that we have found in this letter!
There are some things in this life that are absolutely beautiful. Some are alluring, some are natural while others are man-made. They might catch our eye or arouse our senses. They may seem entirely harmless… and they might be good in and of themselves…
…but they can be deadly.
Take this gorgeous creature for instance, God outdid Himself in the design, it’s simply beautiful, but I don’t think I’d want to walk up and pat her on the head.
Kitty, kitty, kitty!
That beautiful beast just happens to be a killing machine!!!
More often, we become entranced by things of beauty and make them more important than they are in our lives. I really enjoy old Victorian architecture; it is beautiful. Every little detail can be a work of art, and nobody can say it’s immoral. The question is how important will I allow it to become in my life?
I know people who define life by discovering Victorian treasures in unusual places, who live for the day that they can buy their very own Victorian… Not good!
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I can enjoy things, I can appreciate their beauty, but when a “thing” or a pleasure becomes the object of life, I will die spiritually just as certainly as I would die physically if I walked up to a sleeping lion and patted him on the head!
Grant us, O Lord, the discernment to see that which is truly important, and to maintain the perspective we need to give everything the level of priority that enables us to walk more closely with you.
Is it really necessary for us to spend time in prayer in the morning?
I think so.
ll dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
Mark 1:35
How many posts have I done on this one thing? I don’t know, but it has been a common theme here because it is so important for each of us, and yet it can be so easy to put off. Early morning prayer is important because it will set the tone for the entire day, it will help us to focus on what is really important in life instead of being pulled here and there by things that are urgent.
Important or urgent; entire books have been written on the difference between the two, and still we skip the important in favor of the urgent. Prayer in the morning is important.
Jesus spent time in prayer at the beginning of the day, and for me this really underscores how important a habit this is to develop. If it was important enough for Jesus to do, how could it be that I can skip it? We should ponder this point!
Have a great weekend!
Paul has been accused of all sorts of things in Corinth. I can fairly say, from the text, that there have been people, false “super-apostles”, who have accused Paul of weakness and inadequacy both real and imagined, and for what reason?
To build themselves up so that they become the “great ones” who should be listened to and followed.
Paul is now doing the very same thing; he’s building himself up so that he will be thought of as a “great one” who should be listened to and followed. The only thing is, he is adopting the tactics of his opponents, i.e. of boasting about himself, but is using a heaping helping of irony and sarcasm in the process, for he is boasting about all of the reasons he is not great: His weakness.
He calls this being “a fool” and says he must be out of his mind to do it.
I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool.Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast.You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! (11:16-21a)
So then, who is really the fool; is it Paul or his accusers and those who listen to them?
It sure isn’t Paul, he’s taking all of them out to the woodshed.
In the next paragraph Paul mentions the times he has been arrested, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, hungry, thirsty, cold, naked, destitute, and rejected. To be sure, he lays it on pretty thick. Then he begins to come around to his real point:
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands. (11:30-33)
Paul brags about how weak he is, how humiliated he has been, how inadequate; all in complete contrast to his would-be great accusers. Yet unlike his accusers, Paul has been faithful to the gospel, and his accusers have been faithful to themselves.
If you haven’t read this whole passage in a long time, I would encourage you to do so now; it’s really quite something. Yet Paul isn’t finished just yet; I can’t wait for chapter 12!
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