Posts that reference the book of 2 Corinthians

2 Cor

Because God Sees

Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” Genesis 16:13

I have hesitated to post the dozens of others who have suffered unjustly, not because I lack moral clarity on the issue but because first of all, I’m not sure the world needs my voice weighing in. I’m not an intellectual or a theologian. I’m not a social scientist or advocate. I’m pretty low-profile and introverted at that. Second, it is extremely easy to say things poorly and have those misunderstood. I would stop writing before I would wrongly offend or hurt someone with words.

Paul says in Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” And in Ephesians 4:29, he says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Every post – but especially this one – is with those two admonitions firmly in mind.

You may remember the story of Hagar in Genesis 16. She was a slave who became pregnant with Abraham’s son as part of Sarah’s scheme to speed up the outworking of God’s plan. Then Hagar was mistreated and oppressed until it became unbearable and she fled into the desert. At a spring, she was met by the Angel of the Lord. As a result of the encounter, she recognized that God was the God Who Sees. El Roi.

Make no mistake, God sees oppression and mistreatment. He affirms this over and over.

Genesis 4:10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.
Exodus 3:9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
Exodus 22:23 If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry;
Psalm 72:12 For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper.

God has a heart for the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, the minorities. If we are the people of God, if we want a heart like God, we must have a tender heart that breaks for the mistreatment of others. We must see because God sees.

However, I think before our hearts can break, we have to shine a penetrating holy light into its dark corners. You see, the unsettling thing about the story of Hagar is that the oppressor, Sarah, and the passive enabler, Abraham … were the people of God.

So what do we do?

The pagan king in Nineveh actually said it well. He called for fasting, for mourning, and for repentance. “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. (Jonah 3:7-8)

This is not a time for pushback and self-justification. Both of those are arrogant and self-righteous. It is a time for humility and brokenness before God for the suffering of innocent people and for the overt and hidden prejudices we hold.

Then as the people of God, we have to take action toward reconciliation. Lasting reconciliation is not going to be achieved apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ. Racial tensions are not new. Our culture is not the first to struggle with them. In New Testament times, one marked tension was between Jews and Gentiles. Paul explains how the gospel transform those tensions.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. (Ephesians 2:14-16)

The middle wall, the commandments and ordinances all prevented Gentiles from having full access to God’s presence, from being full participants in the system of worship. The gospel blows that apart. We are all sinners before God in need of redemption and when He saves us, we become part of the same body. That should destroy any enmity between us.

Every day, we need the transforming power of the gospel to enable us to treat everyone with dignity, with compassion and with self-sacrificing love. That is a tall order. And in our own strength, it is impossible. But as we do that difficult work, lives will be changed (including ours) cultures will be changed, God will be glorified and the kingdom will advance.

When it comes right down to it, this is not optional.

Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

May we be controlled by the love of Christ and live only for Him.

Righteousness

By Paula

And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6

Abram believed the promises of God and God accounted that belief to him as tsedaqah.

What is righteousness?
Never cheating on your taxes?
Never breaking the speed limit?
Flossing daily?

Well, those are a kind of righteousness.
We conform to the law, the legal standards, so we are “righteous” in a sense.

But God didn’t say, “Abram followed the rules and that was accounted to him as righteousness.”

The Hebrews thought of righteousness not so much as what GOD is, like we do
But more of what He DOES to fulfill His promises, His covenant with us.
This pronouncement of Abram’s righteousness comes in connection with the covenant God made with Him.

Job asked the question, “How then can man be righteous before God?” (Job 25:4)
We aren’t Hebrew. What covenant do we fall back on?
What about the covenant in John 3:16?

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

We believe Jesus died for our sins. We believe that means we will receive eternal life. We believe that promise God made.
So as a result.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

And God accounts that to us as righteousness.
Not what we do, what we believe.

Just like Abram.

The Gifts: Frankincense

By Paula

Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:11

We’re thinking about the three gifts the wise men brought to Jesus. Matthew calls them treasures which implies the value of the gifts. Last week we opened up the gold.

The second treasure was frankincense.

Why frankincense?
For over 6,000 years frankincense has been traded throughout the Near East. It is dried sap from one particular kind of tree, the Boswellia sacra, that grows in remote locations in places like Oman, Yemen, Ethiopia, and Somalia. The best frankincense is silvery-white in color and was usually reserved for sultans. In fact, pound for pound, the frankincense was probably worth more than the gold. Ancient people valued it because it was thought to have medicinal properties and it could ward off snakes (and evil spirits). But it most noted because it smelled terrific.

The ancient world, the world even a hundred years ago could be a pretty stinky place, and not just from livestock. Trades like leatherwork and fishing were smelly. Burning trash is smelly. Disease and death also have odors. And in a time without deodorant and mouthwash, people were smelly.

Even more important, in Exodus 30:34, frankincense is listed as one of the ingredients in the holy incense to be used in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. However, the recipe came with a warning that it was for worship only. The incense was a powerful sensory reminder of prayer, constant prayer, that was lifted to God and received as a wonderful aroma.

Last week, we mentioned that if we wanted to be wise, we would follow the wise men’s example. First, we should do everything we can to get ourselves into the presence of Jesus. The next step is to recognize that He is king. The third step is to fall down and worship Him. Last, open our treasures.

What if we haven’t been to Oman lately for a fresh supply of frankincense?
Make this season one of prayer. Prayers of thanksgiving. Prayers of praise and adoration. Prayers of intercession. Paul encouraged the believers in Thessalonica to pray without ceasing. Jesus also encouraged His followers to be faithful in prayer. In fact, Luke 18 begins, “Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up.”

God is honored by our prayers because each one acknowledges Him as the One able to meet our needs and intervene in the situations we lay before Him. Seeking Him in prayer identifies Him as we praise and worship. It attests that we recognize our limits and His complete sufficiency. Prayers are a treasure fit for our Savior and king.

But here’s another treasure. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 that God spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Christ everywhere through us. We are the fragrance of Christ.

So this week as you celebrate Christmas, what sweet fragrance of prayer can you offer? Where can you bring the aroma of the knowledge of Christ? Don’t keep the treasures to yourself.

Seed and Bread

By Paula

Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10

Seed and bread.
The beginning and the end.
The idea and the accomplishment.

God supplies both.

You’ve sown seed.
Don’t stop.
Hang in there and wait for the harvest.
It’s gonna be big.
Supplied and multiplied for the increase.
Fruits of righteousness.

Paul prayed this for his friends in Corinth.
What if we prayed this for our friends?

Running Lessons: Training for a Half Marathon

By Paula

Training for a half marathon title graphic

It’s been a while since I’ve shared any running lessons with you. Last spring, my sister asked me to run the Iron Horse Half Marathon with her this coming September. There are about 60 million runners in the U.S. and the National Runners Survey says that about 2 million of them will finish a half marathon. That’s 3%. In recent years, the half has become the most popular event distance. Perhaps because it’s a good balance of challenging and attainable.

Now my sister is almost 20 years younger than I am and has not only run half marathons, but she has full marathon under her belt. But I’ve run a couple of ten-mile races and the race is in September which gives me plenty of time to prep.

So I signed up.

Then I made a plan. I laid out a progression of long runs so I could hit my target distance and practice it a couple of times before race day. I planned how to gradually stretch out my intervals so I can increase my stamina and improve my overall times. I got a new pair of shoes and the best socks I have ever worn. Now it’s a matter of getting out and logging the miles.

And it was on one of those runs that I started thinking … How does the percentage of runners who run half marathons compare with the percentage of believers who share their faith? (No lie. Your brain thinks of all sorts of things during a run.) Statistics on sharing your faith are all over the place because they usually ask about the last six months. From both Lifeway Research and Barna, those stats are in the 20-30% range. That sounds great until we dig down into the numbers a little more. Rather than comparing that 20-30% to the 3%, it would be like asking a subset of runners who regularly run 20 miles a week whether they had run a half marathon in the last six months. The 20-30% is from a more highly motivated subset, weekly church attenders. If we look at all Christians, the number is more like 2%, as in 2% of people who say they are Christians have ever shared their faith.

Why not?

That’s the most basic instruction Jesus gave us. So as I ran, I thought of some running-related reasons why we don’t share our faith.

Motivation – I’m running the half because my sister asked. Yeah, it was out there on my long-range plans somewhere, for someday, but it wasn’t urgent. My friends, Jesus didn’t ask us to share our faith, He commissioned us to. Besides that, the salvation message of our reconciliation and redemption is an amazing message. If those don’t motivate us, perhaps we should consider whether we have a genuine faith to share.

Training – I have to put in the time to train for the half marathon. I have to be disciplined and intentional. Granted some people could just up and run 13.1 miles and survive, but that’s generally not the recommended or the most effective way to do it. Surprisingly, many followers of Jesus Christ have never considered taking any training in how to share the Gospel. I’m in a class on Wednesday evenings right now, and not only is this maybe my first ever class, but only a slim percentage of the church is participating. We can be a witness for Jesus Christ from the first moments we’re saved, but with training, we can be even more effective. The disciples, Paul, Timothy, Titus–all those guys–were trained in how to proclaim the good news.

Equipment – Good shoes, socks, compression shorts, running app on my phone. All of those things contribute to my success both in training and on race day. When we witness for Christ, we need to be prayed up both for ourselves and for those we’ll be talking to. We need to know the redemption story. We need to know our story. We need to be good, compassionate, respectful listeners, too.

Plan – I have a plan for the half marathon. That way I know I’ll be ready on race day. If I didn’t have a plan and didn’t make an effort to stick to it, I promise the race will be a flop. In the same way, we should be planning how we’re going to share the gospel and then stick to the plan. Choose someone to share with. Pray daily for that person that God will prepare them and give you the opportunity.

Once the door opens fall back on your equipment, your training, and motivation to get you across the finish line.

For we do not market the word of God for profit like so many. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God. 2 Corinthians 2:17

Have you shared the gospel lately? If not, which area can you concentrate on in the coming month? Motivation, training, equipment or planning?

Paul’s Partners: Titus

By Paula

To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Titus 1:4

Paul was the most influential figure in the establishment of the early church. However, he didn’t work alone. He had several key partners who gave him very necessary support. We’ve been taking a closer look at some of these guys and learning how we can follow their examples even today. So far we’ve studied Barnabas, Silas, and Timothy.

This week, we’ll finish up with Titus.

Titus is not mentioned in the book of Acts, so what we know about him is pieced together from a careful reading of Paul’s letters. He was a Gentile convert and one of Paul’s earliest associates accompanying Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem and attending the important Council there. In fact, he was probably the prime example of a Gentile convert, filled with the Holy Spirit, proving that adhering to the traditions of Judaism were unnecessary to follow Christ. He pastored the church in Crete where Paul wrote a letter to him that we have in the New Testament. In 2 Timothy, we learn that Paul sent him to Dalmatia.

Titus worked closely with Paul. Paul makes mention of him in Corinth, in Galatia, and in Crete. At least part of that time Titus also served alongside Barnabas. As a result, he becomes a people-person like Barnabas and solid doctrinally like Paul. Not a bad combination.

Do we find mentors to serve with who can help us grow in key areas?
Admittedly, this can be challenging, especially if you are the mentor most of the time. However, we should never be satisfied with where we are and always learning and growing.

Titus was a good administrator. He collected and delivered a special famine offering to Jerusalem. He oversaw the churches on the island of Crete.

Are we careful, conscientious stewards of the things God has entrusted to us?
Maybe administration and leadership are not our gifts. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be counted on to faithfully carry out whatever tasks we’re given or roles we’re called to fill.

Titus was trusted with tricky situations. The Council in Jerusalem addressed the question of how Judaism fit with belief in Christ. Titus was in on all those discussions. Not only that, but he carried Paul’s “severe” letter with strong words for the church at Corinth. Because of his tact and wisdom, the Corinthians received the letter in the spirit Paul intended but he brought news back to Paul. Titus was then re-dispatched with Paul’s reply, the letter we have as 2 Corinthians.

Are we good at communicating the truth, even hard truth, in love?
No one likes conflict. However, it can be handled in a wise loving way that honors God. Titus mastered it. The next point may be the secret.

Titus genuinely loved the people he ministered to and rejoiced at their growth and obedience. (2 Cor. 7:15) Delivering that difficult letter wasn’t a matter of simply accomplishing a task. Titus wanted to see the people in the church restored in their relationships with each other and strengthened in their relationship with Christ. All of this would work to grow the church and spread the gospel message.

Do we have a heart for seeing people with restored relationships, both with each other and with Christ?
Or are we more likely to see conflict as none of our business or maybe as too much trouble and not worth the hassle of getting involved?

Over the last four weeks, we’ve taken a look at some of the close companions Paul traveled with on his evangelism trips. Each of the men had different talents and temperaments, varied skills and spirits. However, Paul would not, could not have accomplished all he did without their support.

What if we strove to be more generous and encouraging? Or maybe more serving and persevering? What if our character and reputation were spotless? What if driven by love for others and wanting the best for them?

The parting question, then, is how would the missions of our local churches be impacted if we poured ourselves into them the way Paul’s companions did for his mission? Isn’t it all the same mission, anyway? Seeing lives transformed by the gospel?

Maybe if we were more like Paul’s companions, we would more fruit like the New Testament churches.