2 Corinthians 11:13-15

2 Corinthians 11:13-15  For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.  Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Mark 4:15  Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 

In the above passage, Paul is attacking the Satanic spirit embedded in these false prophets.  These false teachers were confusing the message of grace and stealing the purity of the gospel from the Corinthian church.  Paul refers to Satan as the great deceiver, the great schemer; he will do anything to lead men away from the "Good News."  Satan does not want the light of Christ do flourish in the hearts of men.  One of his best schemes to distract men from the message of grace and mercy in Christ is religion.  Many times, people who ply the trade of  religion do masquerade as angels of light.  They claim to bring light and life, but instead they bring bondage and death.  They play to man's innate self-willed attitude.  This self-willed religious attitude usually wishes to garner God's approval by obeying lifestyle strictures or the letter of the law.  

This spirit tends to say, "Just give me the rules and I will follow them.  You don't have to worry God, I can find righteousness on my own if I know the way.  Just give me the rules and then watch me follow and fulfill those rules.  I will show you that I can rule myself; you don't even have to be involved."  However, if the Old Testament teaches us anything, it teaches us that man is a natural lawbreaker.  Man's basic, sinful tendency is to violate laws, even good laws.   Man's sinful, lawbreaking nature will always surface regardless of how good the rules are (as any one of you can attest to about speeding laws).  Man is a natural lawbreaker; the Bible says everyone has gone his OWN WAY.  

We see religious men throughout the world captivated by this philosophy of pleasing God through their own efforts.  They will even deprive themselves of the amenities of life to please the God they serve.  We even see them beating their own bodies, hurting and cutting their bodies to achieve some sacred goal.  Man's basic stubborn will is to show God that he can please him through his own efforts.  Man desires to prove that he doesn't need grace--he just needs a divine road map to rescue himself from himself.  Show me the way and I WILL DO IT.  But even the angels knew man's fallen nature would never be redeemed through his own efforts.  There had to be another plan to deliver this trapped, degenerate man from himself.  

The Bible reveals that Christ and the cross is that plan.  He alone has the power to release people from their sins, to make mankind right with God.  So Christ came to "SAVE" mankind.  He came to redeem the unredeemable.  In the Corinthian church, Paul was battling with many different spirits, some very carnal spirits: sexual sins, deceitfulness, and the like, but the spirit of Judaism (following the Law to be righteous) was probably the most potentially damaging one of them all.  So Paul was very forthright in dealing with these false prophets.  We must always recognize that because we are IN CHRIST, we are IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, we ARE HIDDEN IN HIM.  There we are safe, secure, and free.

2 Corinthians 11:7-12

2 Corinthians 11:7-12 Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.

Paul was not taking any remuneration from the Corinthians for his teaching. Of course, to financially support a teacher for his instruction was a customary procedure at that time. But Paul did not want the Corinthians to say that he was preaching the gospel for a living; he did not want anything to hinder the purity of his work in their church. Nevertheless, the false prophets claimed that Paul did not really love the Corinthians as equals, for if he did love them like that, he would demand remuneration from them as he would any other community that he respected. Paul, of course, says that is foolishness because he loves the Corinthians so much that he does not want anything to distract them from wholeheartedly receiving the message of redemption. Paul cut the ground from underneath those false prophets who were probably teaching for status or for money alone.

We always need to evaluate carefully the reasons we are doing something for the Lord. As a young Christian, I was encouraged by many pastors to seek out the lost and to win their souls to Christ. Many times their basic message consisted of condemnation if I didn't do all I should do in seeking the salvation of people. I felt condemned and ineffectual in my Christian life. I felt guilty about not giving all my free time to the Lord for delivering people out of darkness. As I look back on those times, I realize I was trying to win my soul's place in heaven rather than other people's place in heaven by trying to convert them. I was seeking my security, not theirs. I wasn't functioning out of love for them; I was functioning out of fear and obligation. When we have that spirit in witnessing, no wonder people are so quick to close the door to us. They know it is about us, not them. We are trying to win our way to heaven by using them. Sometimes as Christians, we feel if we get so many "saved," then we are in a better relationship with God; we are doing the "right thing." However, if witnessing, if testifying, is about us and our eternal security, there is little love in the activity.

Paul is telling the Corinthians that he is serving out of love for them. He is not doing anything for his own best interests, what is right for him. He doesn't even want to take money from them because he doesn't want anything to motivate him other than his great love for them. When we deal with people, we need to pray for that love. God's love transforms us. Our own love for people can sometimes be degrading, for we are not really loving them for who they are if we are placing our interests above theirs. This kind of love is usually easily detectible, for it will get discouraged quickly if things don't go our way. A love that is transforming is an abiding love, an eternal love, one that never quits--God's love. A love initiated from the heart of man is a temporary love, a fleeting love that will quit easily. Paul loved the Corinthians so much that he endured all kinds of humiliation and pain. He definitely placed their interests above his interests. This is the love we want, loving others as God loves us.

2 Corinthians 11:1-6

2 Corinthians 11:1-6 I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.

Paul is battling those who are bringing in a discordant gospel into the church of Corinth, a gospel of impurity, one that is based on fleshly pursuits and man's natural instincts. For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged. (2 Corinthians 12:20-21) He has already heard of sinful activities in the Corinthian church. He has heard that they are teaching another Jesus, another spirit, another gospel. Paul is very much afraid that they have been deceived by these false prophets and that their present plans will destroy their spiritual dwelling place. Paul admits that he is probably not the best, or most becoming messenger of the gospel, for he is not attractive in appearance, nor is his speech eloquent. But he is telling them that no one could possibly love them more than he does. His whole desire is to present them to God in holiness, as a virgin is presented to her husband. Paul is stating again to the Corinthians that he is their true apostle, their spiritual father on Earth.

This same attitude of love and dedication should be present in a parent, especially the father. A true father will not abandon his children. He will do whatever is necessary to insure that his children receive the gospel in the purest form so they might know Christ. If our homes are ones of dissimilitude, of conflict, of anger, or even of flight, we are putting our children in jeopardy of losing out in Christ. For the spirit of the world is always ready to preach another Christ to them, another gospel. Children will learn that they are descended from monkeys rather than from the hand of God. They will learn that all things possess some kind of spirit, and it just happens that they are higher up on the chain of life. They will learn that sin and debauchery are fun, and that life consists only of self-will and self-preservation. FOR SURE, THEY WILL LEARN, ONE SPIRIT OR THE OTHER!

How sad it is when one parent decides that the spirit of the world is more enjoyable, THAT SELF is more important than the family, that life consists of what he/she can get out of the world, and nothing else matters. As far as I am concerned, the sin of self is the basis of all sin. Eve chose self-will over God's will. The serpent said, "Surely you will not die if you follow your self-will," but he lied and death entered man's domain. For God's will is eternal; man's will is temporary. When a man chooses self, another spirit enters the home. Then destruction walks in. The family structure planned by God will end; immense pain will be inflicted on all who abide there. I have seen this many times in my life, and it is always tremendously sad, for the children are the damaged collateral. They are the walking wounded. Their lives will never be the same. As an eighth grade student once wrote in an essay, "The problem with divorce is that it never ends."

Paul had a godly jealousy for the Corinthians. He was a true spiritual father. His chief desire in life was to present the Corinthians to God in purity and love. For a Christian father there is no higher calling in life than leading his children to God. He knows the children will be watching everything he does--they will imitate his actions and words. They always will be reading the letter that his life is writing, and the children will know if it is valid or not. If the letter is full of self, the children will suffer, and they will carry the hurts of this self-willed life throughout their lives. Fathers turn your hearts toward the Lord, He will deliver you from your self-willed ways. He will make your life worth living.

2 Corinthians 10:12-18

2 Corinthians 10:12-18  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.  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.  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.  Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others.  Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you.  For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man’s territory.  But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”  For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. 

Paul is battling false prophets who had moved into the church of Corinth with errant doctrines.  They had come to supplant Paul's ministry in Corinth, not to help him.  They were causing confusion in the Corinthian church and leading many away into immoral lives.  In the above passage, Paul is reminding the Christians in Corinth that he brought the gospel of Christ to them first.  They are his ministering field.  He is their apostle.  He did not build on someone else's work, but he initiated the work there.  The false prophets were boasting about the work in Corinth as if it were theirs, but it was not their work; it was Paul's.  Paul will not boast about his work or anyone else's work, for he says, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”  

We should also boast in the Lord's work, not ours.  If any good thing comes from our lives, we praise God for it.  We know the Lord is the one who brings righteousness to us.  He is the one who causes our lives to increase in goodness and service.  If any help to others comes from our lives, it is the Lord's help.  We are but servants; we do his will.  We should always be focused in that manner, focused on the One who sends us.  When we begin to focus on our exploits, on our abilities, we hamper the work of the Lord within us.  We hamper the flow of the Holy Spirit, for self gets in the way.  We start to need the praises of men before we will do anything for the Lord.  And when we actually do something for the Lord, and then we don't get the praises of men that we feel we deserve, we too easily quit doing the Lord's work.  We should always remind ourselves that He brings the increase in our lives.  He alone causes our lives to bear fruit.  We cannot and will not commend ourselves for anything good that comes from our actions; we will allow the Lord to do that.  

I often question the kind of fruit I am bringing forth.  Am I doing the will of God?  Is God receiving glory from my life?  Am I teaching the right things?  Am I leading people to better lives as believers or am I just leading them into confusion?   But I cannot tarry there in a quandary; by faith I must move on, trusting that God is in my activities and in my ministry.  Paul was moving on.  He wanted his ministry to grow in Corinth, so that he might move on to other regions.  In my personal life, in my spiritual activities, I must also move on.  I must keep pressing the issue that Jesus saves, that his work is enough, and that all who enter into his life will have life eternal if they endure to the end with faith in the one true God.

2 Corinthians 10:7-11

2 Corinthians 10:7-11  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.  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.  I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters.  For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”  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. 

In the above passage Paul tells the wayward Corinthians that he has been given special authority in their lives, for he is their spiritual father on Earth.  Through his teachings, they were birthed.  He introduced them to God and made them aware of the message of Jesus Christ and him crucified.  With his position of apostleship, they should listen to his admonitions.  Mostly, he has been building them up in the Spirit, but now he feels he has to address some of the weaknesses in the church.  He will do that with love, but they should not mistake his love and his willingness to be merciful as a sign of weakness.  The Corinthians are basically claiming that they too are IN CHRIST, so what special authority does he have to speak into their lives.  Isn't Paul just as they are, a member in the body of Christ.  But Paul reminds them that God gave him authority in their lives and that he has suffered much to lead and to shepherd them in Christ.  He is telling them he will be strong in his words and ACTIONS when he meets with them next time.  He is challenging them to change their wayward ways or they will be judged harshly, even to the point of spiritual destitution, losing out in Christ.  

We also sometimes have to be harsher with wayward Christians than we would like to be.  We sometimes have to be cautionary signs, telling people that they are going the wrong way.  If they continue in sin, their lives will end up on the dump heap because sin reaps destruction and death, and sin leads to eternal damnation.  Rebellious Christians don't want hear that, for they figure they are just as smart as the person who is warning them.  They consider their credentials in Christ to be just as strong as the fellow Christian or elder who is warning them of the consequences of their sinful actions.  Sin, the taking back of one's own life from Christ, will not lead to eternal success; it leads to death, in this life and the life that is to come.  Paul is telling them he has the authority to inform them of that.  In Christ we also have the authority with a heart of love to tell a wayward Christian that his actions will lead to death.  We would be misguided if we failed to do so.  

There are two playing fields evident in our existence.  One is very short; it deals with everything seen and felt.  This playing field has an end.  It will never go on into eternity.  Most of humanity plays on this field.  Christians can play on this field if we want.  We might even find a lot of success in playing on it, BUT IT WILL END.  The other field is one of faith, God's field.  We can only play on his field through faith in God and his plan.  This field has no end; it goes on for eternity.  This field is one of self-sacrificing, laying down one's life.  Which playing field are you playing on?  Is it the one that has an end?  This field is the one of self: seeking what is good for me, a temporary high, a field of self-serving, self-justification.  THE OTHER PLAYING FIELD IS THE ONE PLAYED FOR OTHERS, DESIGNED BY GOD OUT OF LOVE.  On this field people look out for others, prefer others before themselves.  This field is played with the rules of love.  This field goes on forever.  It will never end for GOD IS LOVE.  

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.  Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  (1 Corinthians (13:4-12)  WHICH FIELD ARE YOU PLAYING ON?  Your choice has eternal consequences.

2 Corinthians 10:1-6

2 Corinthians 10:1-6  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!  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.  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  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.  And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. 

In this passage Paul is saying that his words have power with God.  Even though in the flesh he is not very imposing, his position in Christ is very strong.  He tells the Corinthians he does not wage war against evil and disobedience within the church with the implements and nature of this world, but he wages war with the power of the Spirit, which has sealed his life in Christ.  He battles destructive forces within the church so that every thought in Christ's body will come into captivity to the mind of Christ.  He is warning the Corinthians that they cannot get away with being disobedient to God by not repenting of wayward lives.  I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.  (2 Corinthians 12:13)  He is warning them that if they do not repent, the Spirit of God would implement correction.  He also knew in Christ he had the power of God on his life, the keys of heaven.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19) 

Christians who have the Spirit within them also have power and influence with God.  We might not see evidence of our prayers being carried out here on Earth, but God implements them in heaven.  He answers our prayers.  Therefore, we should always try to pray out of love, for we do have power with God.  Our prayers should be for healing, restoration, and salvation for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  God does break down every stronghold.  He is mighty to behold.  When we see things that are contrary to the will of God, we should pray for change.  If change does not happen, we should pray for victory in that area so that God will be glorified regardless.  This life is but a whisper, a wisp of smoke, but there will be justice someday.  No man, woman, or situation will meet God without payment for sin.  Sin will either have been dealt with at the cross or it will be dealt with at the judgment seat.  In this world sin might think it has won.  The killer might think he has gotten away with it, but the clock hasn't run out.  The last tick doesn't sound until after the judgment day.  Then time will be no more.  

Paul said, you might think that I am weak, that I can't do anything to you, but I am telling you my prayers will be answered.  I am not playing with an empty hand.  No, my deck is full, and the cards I play are mighty, even to the point of pulling down the devil's strongholds.  Paul is beseeching the Corinthians to clean up their lives, for there will be no arguments, no pretensions on the day of judgment.  All will bow, all will come under God's authority without a whimper of defense.  Therefore, children of God, always be ready to meet the Lord, for on that day, as Paul intimates, there will no more timid actions, no more meekness and gentleness of Christ, but there will be the bold words of right and wrong, the words of justice.  Today, Christ holds out mercy, grace, and love regardless of our failure, but we must turn to him and receive his free gifts.

1 Corinthians 9:12-15

1 Corinthians 9:12-15  This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.  Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.  And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.  Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 

Paul is saying to the Corinthians, your act of giving will not only supply the physical needs of God's people in Jerusalem, your beneficent act will also cause them to draw closer to God through their praises and worship.  Because of your sacrifice, Christians in Jerusalem will be praising God for the gifts you supplied them.  Even though you are giving a tangible, corruptible gift, what is really happening is you are giving a spiritual, incorruptible gift to God.  You are causing the sweet smell of praise and worship from his beloved children in Jerusalem to rise to the nostrils of God.  Therefore, his people in Jerusalem will be blessed by God because of their praises, and you, the Corinthian church, will be blessed by him because of your generous gifts.  

This, of course, is what we want to occur in our lives.  We want God's blessing to be upon our lives, and we want him to receive praises because of our obedience to God.  And that will happen if we live in the right spirit, a giving, sacrificial spirit.  In the flesh, we know when we serve others, others will probably also be concerned about our lives; friendships will probably develop.  We usually benefit greatly from such relationships.  For we have friends who will pray for us, work for us, help us.  However, when we isolate ourselves in the community of believers, when we focus only on ourselves and our concerns, people probably will not get involved with us in a natural, friendly, and loving manner, for they will not know us.  They will not know to pray for us.  Their thoughts will not go to our needs, for they will not know us as an integral part of the community of believers.  

In the previous chapters, Paul's concern was that the Corinthians would become self-centered, concerned only for themselves.  He encourages them in this letter to lift their eyes up to the needs of the whole church.  This should always be the attitude of the church of Christ.  The body of Christ should care about our brothers and sisters around the world.  We should care about our missionaries and evangelists.  Our eyes, our sensibilities, should be on others as much as possible.  When our attitude is such, we cause praises to God to emanate from many lips around the world.  They will praise God because of the gifts and goodness that they have received from Christians.  When we give to others, we benefit, for they will reciprocate by loving us and praying for us.  This is a win/win situation.  No one gets hurt and all are blessed.  

This spirit of giving and loving is also necessary in the local church.  When we get involved with the people across the aisle, we win and they win.  They praise God because of our goodness and kindness to them, and we are blessed because we are carrying out God's will for our lives, to be his servants.  Therefore, child of God, get to know the people in your church: hear their concerns, shake their hands, love them the best way that you can.  They will praise God for your concern and love, and you will be blessed because you are doing the will of the Father.  Remember, they will know us by our love.  Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  (1 Peter 4:8)  This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.  (1 John 3:11)  And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.  (1 John 3:23)  Paul encouraged the Corinthians to love by giving; we also should do likewise by giving of ourselves and our means.