"What makes you feel inferior to other churches?  Is it because I have not allowed you to support me financially?  My humblest apologies for this great wrong!"  (II Corinthians 12:13, Phillip translation)
 
In last week's lesson, the apostle Paul (in II Corinthians 12:1-10) began by returning to the theme of boasting, and the foolishness of it all--noting, however, that it was necessary, under the circumstances--and "caused by them"--for him to have to separate himself from the false apostles and establish his credentials as the true apostle of Jesus Christ!  And so he wrote that he "would go on to speak (maybe boast a little?) of visions and revelations he had received from the Lord"!  And he spoke "of a man in Christ who fourteen years earlier had been caught up into the third heaven (into Paradise, the very place where God dwells), whether in the body or out of the body, he didn't know"!  But a place where "the man heard inexpressible words which a man is not permitted to speak"!  And he went on to say that "on behalf of such a man, in all humility (speaking of himself!), he would boast"!
 
But, in what can only be seen, in retrospect, as a bit of "weasel-wording," he said that on his own behalf he would not boast except in his weaknesses, but that if he did wish to boast about it, it would not be foolish, for it would be the truth"!  But then he seemed to contradict himself by adding that "he would refrain from saying it, so that no one would credit him with more than he sees in him or hears from him" (even though he did not, in fact, refrain from actually saying (boasting about?) the very things he said he would not say)!  Wow!
 
Then he wrote that "because of the surpassing greatness of the revelation, there was given him a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment him, to keep him from exalting himself"!  And although "implored the Lord three times that it might leave him," the Lord didn't remove it, but said to him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weaknesses"!  To which Paul responded with these remarkable words: "Most gladly therefore I will rather glory (boast?) in my infirmities that the power of Christ may dwell in me!  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong!"  And so, the theme of last week's lesson--"power in weakness"!  (And lending further credence to Rod's depiction, last week, of Paul as an "underdog"!)
 
All of which set the scene for our lesson last night where the apostle Paul, still in a defensive mode (as the "underdog," and wreathing with sarcasm), begins (in verse 11) by writing more about what he calls his "foolishness" in having to defend himself against his critics in the church of Corinth, who should have been commending him instead!  For "in no respect was he inferior to (and here he uses a little of that sarcasm) "the most eminent apostles (speaking of the false apostles!), even though I am a nobody"!
 
Then he claimed that he had, in fact, "performed all the signs of a true apostle among them, with all perseverance, by signs and wonders, and miracles"--something they should have been clearly seen while he was with them!  (They're all recorded in the book of Acts, and impressive, as noted by Kirk in his presentation last night!)
 
"In what respect have you been treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not become a burden to you (by not taking financial support from them for his ministry)?  My humblest apologies for this great wrong!"  (He blurts this out with blatant sarcasm!)
 
Then, on a softer note, he likens his relationship to them (in verse 14) as one between a parent and a child!  "For children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their childrn!  I will gladly be expended for your souls!  If I love you more, will you love me less?  But be that as it may, I did not burden you myself...and (and contrary to the suspicion that some had) Titus and the brother I sent to you didn't take advantage of you either, right?"  And he goes on to note that "It is in the sight of Christ that we (speaking of himself as well as for Titus and the other brother) have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved!"
 
But then, in thinking about his planned and soon coming third visit, he expressses fear (in verses 20-21) that, when he comes again, he might "find them to be not what he wished, and them finding him to be not what they wished"!  And that "perhaps there would be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip. arrogance, and disturbances..." and that when he comes again God might humble him before them and he might have to mourn over many of those who had sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality, and sensuality which they have practiced!"
 
Wow!  We see in this passage the human side of Paul and yet the abundance of his love and concern for the spiritual needs of  the Corinthian brothers!  And we remember how he had earlier, in I Corinthians 11:1, "humbly" extolled them "to imitate him as he imitated Christ!"
 
And we closed this emotionally-drivn passage with a song that seemed to amptly fit the occasion: "Rise up, O men of God!  Have done with lesser things.  Give heart and mind and soul and strength to serve the king of kings!"  Amen!  Just like the apostle Paul!
 
Til we meet again, 
 
Lowell

"And He said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me!" (II Corinthians 12:9, KJV)
 
In last week's lesson (on II Corinthians 11:16-33), the apostle Paul again asked the Corinthians to endure what he considered "foolishness" in having to defend his integrity and his calling as an apostle of Jesus Christ against the lies and slander of a band of false teachers who had infiltrated the church of Corinth.  This, after he left Corinth and moved on to other cities!  Since some of the Corinthians apparently were tolerating the abusers and in danger of being swayed away from the truth that Paul taught, he found it necessary to take the offensive, call a spade a spade, and fight fire with fire by doing a little boasting of his own before them!
 
He was every bit as much a Hebrew, and an Israelite, and a descendant of Abraham, as any of them, he claimed, and expressed amazement that any of them could even be called "servants of Christ"!  And he "boasted" (in verses 23-28) how he had endured "far more labors, far more imprisonments," how he had "been beaten times without number, often in danger of death!  Five times (he said) he received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes; three times was beaten with rods; once stoned, three times shipwrecked, a night and a day spent in the deep; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers from false brethren; in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure! And apart from all these external things, there was the daily pressure on him for the concerns of all the churches"!  Suffering and trials that clearly set him apart from the false apostles!
 
And so Paul said (in verse 30) that "if he had to boast (something he hated to do!), he would boast "of what pertains to his weaknesses"!  (MacArthur notes that "by boasting in his weakness he magnified God's power at work in him!)
 
Paul had earlier written (i II Corinthians 4:7), "But we have this treasure (the 'light of Christ shining in darkness') in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves!"  In Colossians 1:29, he wrote: "For this purpose (of 'presenting every man complete in Christ') also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me!"
 
And all this set the scene for our lesson last night where the apostle Paul begins by writing (in II Corinthians 12:1, ESV) that he "must go on boasting"!  He must!  And adding, "Though there's nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord!"  Then relating the experience of "a man in Christ (speaking of himself) who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven...and into Paradise, whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows!  And he (Paul!) heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter!"
 
But then (trying to be humble, with a bunch of weasel-wording that follows!) he says that "on behalf of this man (not me?) I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses--though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I am speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me that he sees in me or hears from me"(?)  Did he refrain?
 
And so "to keep me from becoming conceited (thank the Lord!) because of the surpassing greatness of the revelation, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger from Satan to harass me (and he repeats it again!), "to keep me from becoming conceited"!
 
And Paul goes on to say (in verse 8) that "three times he pleaded with the Lord" that this (whatever it was!) should leave him, but that the Lord said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness!"  And Paul's wonderful response: "Therefore I will boast (there he goes again!) all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me"!  Wow!
 
But he's not finished!  And so makes a broad declaration (in verse 10) of his predicament, something applicable and worth pondering and considering for all of us believers and followers of Christ: "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities!  For when I am weak, then am I strong!"  He was content!  (Contentment glories God!)
 
Wow!  Makes you want to sing, songs and hymns that come to mind!  Here's some of mine:
 
"Like a river glorious, is God's perfect peace, over all victorious in its bright increase; perfect yet still flowing fuller every day; perfect, yet still growing deeper all the way!" (And the chorus) "Trusting in the Father, hearts are fully blest, finding as He promised, perfect peace and rest!"
Verse two: "Hidden in the hollow of His mighty hand, where no harm can follow, in His strength we stand; we may trust Him fully, all for us to do; those who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true!"
 
Or, how bout: "A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing; for still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe, his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal!" (But there's more!) "Did we in our own stength confide, our striving would be losing; were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing; doth ask who that might be?  ChristJesus, it is He...!"
 
Or, "Marvelous grace of our loving Lord; grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!  Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured, there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt!  Grace, grace, God grace!  Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; grace, grace, God's grace; grace that is greater than all our sin!"
 
And, of course: "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!  I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see...!"
 
Remember, men, His grace is sufficient for all our needs!
 
Go with God this week and be a blessing!
 
Til we meet again!
 
Lowell

"If I must boast, I will boast of the things which show my weaknesses!" (II Corinthians 11:30, ESV)
 
In last week's lesson (on verses 7-15), we found the Apostle Paul still having to defend his integrity and his apostleship with the Corinthians, not to save his own reputation but to keep the church from being overrun by false apostles! And he raised the question (somewhat facetiously) as to whether he was, in effect, "committing a sin" by humbling himself and preaching the gospel of Christ to them without charge!  Paul had made it his policy of not accepting money from the churches while he was establishing them but only after they were established!  In fact, he had actually practiced his trade as a tent-maker, rather than accepting funds when he first arrived in Corinth and preached to them and was founding the church! But the Corinthians, instead of seeing this as evidence of his sacrifice and love for them, interpreted it as proof that he wasn't actually an apostle of Christ, something he himself must have recognized, they thought, by him not taking the money!
 
But we know the heart of Paul and realize that his real intention in not accepting financial support was rather to contrast his ministy with that of the false apostles, by making it clear that he wasn't in it for the money, unlike the false apostles whom he said were "deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostle of Christ!  And he wrote (in verses 14-15) that "no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light;" and, therefore, "it was not surprising that his servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness"!
 
The welfare of those under Paul's ministry required him to identify his critics for what they were, and Constable noted that in our day, when people value toleration so highly and practice it so widely, even in the church, we need to learn from Paul's example to "call a spade a spade"!
 
And so the spostle Paul, in this passage, is again asking the Corinthians to endure more of "his foolishness" in having to defend his apostleship and even having to boast about it--contrasting himself with the teaching, and boastings, of the false apostles who "preached another Jesus," and boasted in the flesh!  Paul's critics had been making all kinds of foolish boasts about themselves in order to discredit Paul and his ministry, and so Paul had to "fight fire with fire"!  And so we him boasting, but not as them!  Boasting, rather, in the Lord!
 
And so we asked: what does the Bible say about boasting?  And we found it says a lot!

• Proverbs 27:2 says, "Let another praise you, and not with your own mouth!"
• Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, "Thus says the Lord, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not the rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, says the Lord!"
• Paul himself wrote in I Corinthians 1:31, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord!"
• And in that great love chapter (Corinthians 13) that "love does not brag and is not arrogant"!
• Then, in II Corinthians 10:13, "For we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach as far as you!
• And something similar, in II Corinthians 10:17, "But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord! For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends!"

The apostle Paul didn't like talking about himself, and it was the mark of his humility that he refused to engage in self-promotion!  (MacArthur writes that "humility is the noblest Christian virtue, and that the true measure of a person's humility, like Paul's, is the ability ot boast when necessary and yet remain humble"!)
 
The prophet Micah wrote in Micah 6:8, "He (God!) has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly before your God!"
 
Paul's big concern was what the Lord thought about him! But he felt he needed to defend his apostleship so that the Corinthians, in listening to the false apostles would not turn from the truth to lies!  Boasting was common among the philosphers and leaders in the Greco-Roman world and one of his critics favorite tactics, and something that tended to sway the Corinthians.  And so, when he was forced to talk about himself and his ministry, he apologically asked (in verse 16) that they "bear with him in his foolishness that he might boast a little"!  And he even goes on to say that he wouldn't be saying what he had to say as the Lord would say it" (since He didn't boast)!  
 
MacArthur writes that Paul, while acknowledging that boasting wasn't commended by the Lord, and was foolish, realized that the desperate situation in Corinth, forced him t do this!  And so he writes, with a bit of sarcasm that if the Corinthians "tolerate the foolish gladly...and anyone who devours them, or takes advantage of them, and even those who "hit them in the face," then they should listen a little to his foolishness as well!  "You listen to their foolishness, and their boasting," he says!  "Listen to mine!"
 
And so he begins to write (begininning in verse 22) what is known as his "fool speech"!  Boasting and comparing himself with the false apostles about his pedigree, as a Hebrew, and an Israelite, and as a descendant of Abraham--just like them!  And as "servants of Christ"?  But then, when saying this, he stops abruptly and asks, with more sarcasm, as if he's catching himself "speaking as insane"?  To even refer to the false apostles as "servants of Christ," even for the sake of argument was repulsive to Paul, so he hastened to add a disclaimer,  "Am I out of my mind," to even suggest that they are servants of Christ?  "I more so!"  
 
And he adds (in verses 23-28): "In far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death! Five times I received fom the Jews thirty-nine lashes.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.  Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches!"
 
Wow!  Paul here describing sufferings and trials he endured as a servant of Christ--suffering that clearly set him apart from the false apostles, and that could not possibly be equaled by them!
 
If he were not a genuine apostle of Christ, called by God, then why would he willingly endure so much for the gospel?  Why would he still be persevering in his work?
 
But this kind of suffering is exactly what Jesus predicted His apostles, and all those who followed Him, would experience!  He said, in Matthew 10:16-18 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves...and you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake!"  And in John 15:18, that "if the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you"!  And in John 16:33, "In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world!"
 
And to the general promise to the apostles of suffering, the Lord added a specific one for Paul!  Speaking to Ananias, the Lord said this of Paul, in Acts 9:15-16: "He is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My sake!"
 
Paul's life exemplified the truth of II Timothy 3:12, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted!"  MacArthur notes that "the false apostles had their letters of commendation (II Corinthians 3:1), but Paul had "on his body the brand-marks of Jesus"!  (Interestingly, Paul wrote, in Galatians 6:17, "From now on, let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus!")
 
No wonder he would write in verse 29 (again in contrast with the false apostles), "Who is weak without my being weak?  Who is led into sin without my intense concern?"  And then, in verses 30-31, "If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness!  The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying!"
 
And he closes this passage by making reference to the great escape he had in Damascus when he was let down in a basket "through a window in the wall!" (MacArthur calls this, "the crowning example of his weakness and infirmity in which he boasted")!
 
And he goes on to say in 12:10 that he "was well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake, for when he was weak, then he was strong"!  And we'll get into more of this in our lesson next week!
 
And so, til we meet again, walk with the Lord and be a blessing!  And remember that "His strength is made perfect in our weakness," and to boast only in the Lord!
 
Lowell

"No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds!" (II Corinthians 11:14-15)  
 
Last week we saw the apostle Paul continuing to have to defend his integrity and his apostleship against the false teachers who had infiltrated the church of Corinth, not to protect his own reputation but to continue to keep alive the ongoing ministry that God had established among them through him!
 
And being the humble man of God that he was, he felt foolish in having to put the spotlight on himself by having to defend his integrity and his ministry to them--something they should have been able to see for themselves!  And he expressed the same kind of "godly jealousy" for their welfare as God had for Israel!  God, in Old Testament times, had jealously guarded His people from the deceitfulness of deceivers who sought to drive their affections away Him, while charging them not to forget His covenant or make graven images! And Paul felt this same "pain of God's jealousy" when His name was dishonored by the Corinthians!
 
And, as you'll remember, he used a simple analogy (in verse 2) to descrbe his concern for whatever dishonored God in the life of the church, using the analogy of a father betrothing his virgin daughter to her would-be husband and, in that regard, striving to keep her pure and faithful until the consumation of the marriage!  Just as Christ loved the church (His bride!) and, Ephesians 5:25-26 says, "gave Himself for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word; that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless"!  And Revelation 19:6-9 describes the coming scene in heaven someday when all "the redeemed" of all the ages will rise and be gathered together by the throne of God to participate in the "marriage supper of the Lamb," and His bride, the church!
 
But Paul expressed fear (in verse 3), you'll recall, that "the minds of the Corinthians might be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ," by the same serpent who deceived Eve in the garden!  Led astray by false teachers who were infiltrating the church of Corinth!
 
And we remembered how Jesus warned, in Matthew 7:15-16, that "false prophets would come in sheep's clothing (the garb of shepherds!), but inwardly would be revenous wolves"!   And how Peter wrote (in II Peter 2:1-2) that "in the last days false teachers will rise who secretly will introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them..."!
 
According to verse 4, false teachers had already infiltrated the church of Corinth, and Paul writes (somewhat sarcastically), that they (the Corithian believers!) had apparently "received" and even "cheerfully welcomed those who preached a different Jesus than the one he preached, and a spirit and a gospel quite different from what they had not previously accepted"!  In a similar situation, Paul wrote (in Galatians 1:6-9) how the Galatians "had so quickly deserted Him who called them by the grace of God for a different gospel," and he wrote he said, "as we have said before that 'If any man is preaching a gospel contrary to the one what they had received (from him!), he is to be accursed"!  
 
Then Paul ended our lesson last week by writing that, "even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things"!
 
And that sets the scene for our lesson on March 24, where begins (in verse 7) where we find the apostle Paul still on the defensive, and now posing the somewhat strange question (again with a note of sarcasm): "Did I commit a sin in humbling myself so tha you might be exalted (or "lifted up," as believers), because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge?"
 
As Constable notes, Paul "claimed the freedom to minister in Corinth without receiving financial support from the Corinthians in order to illustrate his self-sacrificing love for his readers, and to contrast his attitude with his critics' selfishness...and is digressing here (in verses 7-12) to defend his policy regarding his own financial support, and (in verses 13-15) to describe his opponents true identity"!
 
Interestingly, Paul had written earlier (in I Corinthians 9:6 and14) that apostles "had the right to refrain from working for a living and to live off the gifts of their audiences;" and yet he chose to work, making tents in Corinth and refusing to accept gifts from the Corinthians (thus humbling himself)!  And the fact that he did this was actually used by the Corinthians not as evidence of his love for them but, instead, as proof that he really wasn't an apostle!  
 
Acts 18:3 says that when he first arrived in Corinth he practiced his trade as a "tent-maker" and followed his policy of not accepting money from the churches while he was establishing them but only taking it from those that were already established!  And as he put it, he "in effect robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you" (the Corinthians)!  And he says in verse 9 that "when he was present with them and was in need, he was not a burden to anyone," because "brethren came from Macedonia to supply his need"!  And he said he "would continue to follow this policy"!
 
And why was Paul responding in this way?  He says, in verse 12, basically to cut off the opportunity of those who thought he was only in to his ministry for money!  To separate himself from the false teachers who did it this way!  God knew his heart, he claimed! And he did what he did because he loved the Corinthians!
 
Again, unlike the false teachers who he said (in verse 13) were "false apostle, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ"!  And (in verses 14-15), "no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light!  And therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds"!
 
Constable notes that "in our own day, when people value toleration so highly and practice it so widely, even in the church, we need to learn from Paul's example of "calling a spade a spade"!  The welfare of those under Paul's ministry required him to identify his critics for who they really were!  We will serve our own generation faithfully if we do the same!"
 
II John 1:9-10 says, "Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son!  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds!"
 
Hold firm, men, in the teachings of Jesus!  And go with God!
 
Til we meet again (on April 7th)!
 
Happy Easter!
 
Lowell