Please Join Us In “A Walk through Galatians, Part 2.”

A Walk Through Galatians, Part 2

© 2026 Lee Tankersley

(Part 2: Galatians 1:11-24)

Introduction:

In the beginning of this epistle, Paul’s introduction gave us a bold stance on where it was going. He combated the false teachers who were speaking against Paul. They were causing confusion with the churches in Galatia and turning believers from faith to legalism. Obviously, legalism is still a relevant issue today. Many groups would try to have us earn God’s favor or even salvation by following rituals and obeying certain rules.

As Christians, God has not boxed us in but has set us free. To uphold our freedom we must stay close to Christ. We stand firm against anyone who promotes subtle or obvious, blatant lies: Ways for us to earn our salvation. Jesus saved us from God’s judgment and the penalty for sin by God’s gift of grace to us. We cannot earn it. (See Ephesians 2:8-9.)

How Does God Save Sinners?

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

We obtain salvation by Grace, through faith (trusting in him) and not by anything else. Being a Christian is in no part based on our own initiative, wise choices, or good character.

Now we will see a little of Paul’s background and how he came to Christ. We don’t know every detail, but he gives us some insight. So if you want to grab your bible we can open up to the book of Galatians 1:11-24. I am reading from the NLT. You can follow along with the translation of your choice. I want to give my sources credit. The NLT Life Application Study Bible, A Layman’s Look at the Epistle to the Galatian Churches, and the BibleRef app.. Thank you.

(Read Galatians 1: 11-24)

11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. 13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. 14 I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16 to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. 17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

18 Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie. 21 After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. 23 All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” 24 And they praised God because of me.

How the Epistle Began

At the beginning of Paul’s letter, he spoke harshly to the churches of Galatia. They were in serious danger. He did not apologize for his direct words. He knew he could not serve Christ faithfully if he allowed them to stay on the wrong track.

Now he explains his own background to provide insight on his coming to faith.

First Argument

11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning.

Paul begins this section to the Galatians by proving that he is a real apostle. Some of the Judaizers of that time were spreading rumors that he was not. Paul knew people needed to trust his authority as a genuine apostle, one sent out by Christ himself. So, Paul presented his evidence. Humans never dreamed up the gospel he preached: It’s not “man’s gospel.” Paul is not just passing along some religious teaching he picked up from other people.

We Need Humility to Seek God’s Wisdom

Not relying on our own understanding or reasoning seems to be a foreign idea to us. We actually think too highly of our own ability and think we actually know how everything works. Then we try to push this thought process onto the gospel. Coming to the good news takes humility. It means the willingness to humble oneself and to say, “I don’t have it all figured out: I need help.”

Now I can look at myself and truthfully say I don’t understand my own motivations or desires. I certainly don’t understand yours, much less those of the world we live in. So I take these motivations and desires to the Cross. And I thank God that he has provided a permanent solution. God’s solution does not rely on me. It only requires faith in what Jesus has done on the Cross, and not on myself. (I can be honest: I would have no chance, if it did.)

Now God has given us a new nature, one that looks, understands, loves, and hopes differently. We can have confidence that he will continue this good work in us through a promise, in Philippians 1:6. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

According to Philippians 2:13, we can know God is working in us! “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

Paul Explains the Source of His Information

¹² I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

The message Paul preaches along with the other apostles comes from Jesus himself. We see that Jesus revealed himself to Paul in Acts 9: 3-6. Jesus revealed his true identity that confirmed the gospel message that Paul was looking to destroy. God provided the revelation to Paul. It was not the apostles, nor the believers whom Paul was tracking down and persecuting at that time.

¹³ You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

Paul reminds the Galatians that he was not a friend of the apostles or the good news. He had been on a path to try to destroy it at all cost. In Acts 7:54-8:3 we see that Paul, (then known as Saul,) fully approved of the stoning and death of Stephen. Paul frequently talks about the zeal he had for the law. Also, that he had surpassed his peers in religious knowledge and practice. He was far more zealous than the Judiazers were, for the law.

The Gospel Is For the World

Many Jews had a hard time understanding that God gave his message of salvation to Jews and Gentiles alike. But God has always planned to offer salvation to all people. He had revealed this plan clearly and repeatedly through the Old Testament prophets and had fulfilled it through Jesus Christ. Now He announced it through Paul.

Jesus fulfilled somewhere around 300+ prophecies of the Old Testament. God gave many of these prophecies hundreds of years before the birth of Christ: They cover various aspects of his life including his birth at Bethlehem, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection.

Mathematician Peter W. Stoner calculated that the probability of one person fulfilling just eight of these prophecies is 1 in 10¹⁷. That’s 1 in one hundred quadrillion, that’s 17 zeros… The chances of that are like taking a silver dollar and marking it in some way, then filling Texas two feet deep in silver dollars, and having a blindfolded person pick out that single marked coin on the first try.

Paul’s Calling

¹⁵ But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being.

Paul continues to defend his authority by telling of his extraordinary conversion to show that his message came directly from God. God commissioned Paul to preach the good news to the Gentiles when (See Acts 9: 3-6) he revealed Jesus to him on the road to Damascus.

When Did God Choose Paul?

Paul says, “even before I was born, God chose me” Now I’m not going to pretend that I fully comprehend this, because I don’t. It really baffles me, but we see proof of it happening before, in the Old Testament, when God was talking to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

And in Ephesians 1:4, Paul says the same truth is for us also: “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”

God chose us to make the point that salvation depends totally on God. He saved us, not because we deserve it, but because God graciously and freely gives us salvation. Our wisdom or good behavior does not have any impact on God’s decision, in his Mercy he has saved us according to his plan and has set us apart.

I guess that is the reality of having a God who is omniscient and is outside of our space and time. He knows the end before the start. He is the only being able to know all things because he has created all things.

Paul’s Response to Conversion

¹⁷ Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

So Paul didn’t “rush out” to go find Peter, John, or any of the other twelve, or head over to Jerusalem to consult with them or with anyone who was a believer before he was: He went away! What was he doing?

I don’t have all the answers for you: My time in my studies and just talking to people about Jesus or trying to share the good news has taught me that I’m not an apologist.

But I will ask, if you had an enemy who was hunting you down, and he “disappeared,” and then showed back up on your team (as we will see in the next verse) how would you respond?

(Compare Acts 9:22-26) We should remind ourselves that The book of Acts is a historical document with a continuous narrative that spans roughly 30 years. Jesus commissioned Paul in Acts 9:15-16. That leads me to the conclusion that during that three years, he also was trained by Jesus as the other apostles were, through whatever means God chose to use.

Paul’s encounter with Jesus showed that he believed who Jesus said He was. If we look at the bible “with blinders on” we can easily be deceived and fooled by our own understanding or “human wisdom.”

Paul Gives Credit to God

Paul speaks on these things, saying in 1 Corinthians 1:19-22, “¹⁹As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” ²⁰ So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. ²¹ Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. ²² It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.”

Some Demand Signs and Miracles

Trying to share the good news, I have encountered people who say things like “Where are all the miracles?” or “I would believe it if I saw a miracle because they happen all the time in the Bible”, and I think that’s a scary place to want to be. Having to try and explain that the bible timeline is compressed, and was written roughly over 1,500-1,600 years spanning roughly about 6,000 years of history, with many things still to come, and God’s preferred method of working is through people, he seldom does what the world describes as miracles.

Trying to explain this to someone and have them view the Bible with a wider lens is disheartening, and I have come to understand that if someone is seeking a miracle or is only interested in worldly wisdom, it won’t matter what is put in front of them, they will reject it. But we need to continue as Chet has taught us through and from the Bible, that we are to stand, shine a light, and sound an alarm.

This is Not a New Problem

(Remember Proverbs 3:5 “ Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.)

¹⁸ Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. ¹⁹ The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

We can see this in Acts 9: 26-30, when he arrived he was met with fear from the believers there: They remembered who he was and the reputation he had. But after Barnabas found him, he became a bridge to the apostles. Barnabas came alongside Paul, putting behind himself the fear and reputation he had known him for: Barnabas saw Paul’s change.

Can God Change You and Me?

Some people claim to be Christian but don’t intend to allow Jesus to produce any change in their life, heart, and mind. That is something to think about as James, (the one Paul meets in verse 19,) says, in James 2:14-16 ¹⁴ What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ¹⁵ Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶ and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

If Paul had not allowed Jesus to change his heart, then Barnabas may have never seen the light that allowed the barrier of fear to be broken down.

We know we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone: Then and only then are we made holy: We are set apart to do the good things he planned for us long ago. Paul finally returned from his three years away: Barnabas brought him to Peter, and James, who at the time was serving as a leader of the church of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was and still is where the first church is. People gathered in house churches for worship, prayer, and fellowship.

Paul spent the two weeks not in training or commissioning with Peter for he already had received that from the Lord, but preaching boldly with them before a few of the Jews there tried to kill him, he was then sent away to Tarsus which was his hometown.

²¹ After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia.

Why Did Paul Leave?

Paul must not have planned to stay there long: Even though he already had people who were looking to kill him, he shares with us this understanding in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

Paul didn’t shrink or shy away from his call and the attempts on his life: He realized his life did not belong to him, Paul expresses this in one of my favorite verses and one beloved by many: Galatians 2:20 “²⁰ My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

We will dive deeper into this verse another time. His new reputation was seen by both sides. When we have put our trust in Christ we are no longer who we were and Paul shares this understanding also in Philippians 3:13 “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead”

(So, no matter who you were, you don’t have to be like that person now.)

God Calls us to Change

²² And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. ²³ All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” ²⁴ And they praised God because of me.”

The churches of Galatia knew Paul and believed the good news he shared, only to turn and doubt him, the Judean churches only knew what people were saying about him: They knew his change could have only come from God, and so instead of doubting Paul’s credibility the Judean churches believed and glorified God.

Now, you and I may or may not have had as dramatic a change as Paul had, but our lives should still change in ways to honor God. When people look at me, do they recognize that change? If not, what might be getting in the way of the Holy Spirit’s work in my life? What are ways that I could better show others the work God is doing in my new life? These are some questions we should ask ourselves.

Jesus is the One Who Changes Us

I was reading the gospel of Mark recently and something stuck out that I want to share. Jesus said in Mark 2:17 “When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Realizing that I am in need, that I don’t have it all figured out, and knowing that Jesus isn’t afraid of all my failures and brokenness, or whatever I think about myself or what I may have done; I take all my passions and desires to the Cross and allow Him to change me: To change the way I see and think about things.

Whether it be fast or slow, I know He will not fail me or abandon me, and it is all for His glory. The biggest step is to allow Him to mold me into the person He created me to be.

Amen.

June 27, 2026June 28, 2026

How to See Why Discipleship is a Matter of Life and Death

**Discipleship is a Matter of Life and Death**

Philippians 1:29

“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”

2^nd Corinthians 4:7-18

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. ⁸We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

¹¹For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. ¹²So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

¹³We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; ¹⁴Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

¹⁵For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. ¹⁶For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

¹⁷For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; ¹⁸While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Introduction:

It is easy for us to get caught up in the pronouns “we, us, and you.” In so doing, we can miss the point of this passage. The pronouns are important. They make it clear “who” was suffering at that time, and “who” was being encouraged by those who suffered.

Philippians 1:29 says suffering is a God-given part of the Christian life, as a whole. (Yes, that includes us!) And, in 2^nd Corinthians 1:3-11, we saw some of the reasons for suffering as believers.

But, here, we see the apostles’ perspective regarding their own suffering, as it related to their progeny in Christ. We see how it affected those whom they taught and encouraged. Paul knew that how he responded to suffering would have a direct impact on the lives of the other disciples. His example, and that of the other apostles, would give those who came after them (including present-day believers…us!) a template upon which to model their own lives and deaths.

So, we see that “we,” here. includes Paul and his associates, but we also see that it may apply directly to us. Some may not suffer much, by comparison. Others are under constant attack, or under threat of persecution or death.

But all believers have this as part of our heritage in Christ. (…unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ…) Notice it is “given”…not dumped on us as the act of a capricious deity, but as the gift of a sovereign God who encourages us to respond well to hard times.

Earthen Vessels

The apostles did not see themselves as something special. Notice, in 1^st Corinthians 3:5-9, that Paul made the disclaimer that neither he nor Apollos were anything. He reminded the readers that it is God who causes growth, and who quickens people’s hearts to hear the Gospel.

⁵Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

⁶I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

⁷So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

⁸Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

⁹For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

Jesus said, in John 15:5, “Apart from Me ye can do nothing.” And, He meant exactly that!

Why Earthen Vessels?

As we taught last week, it is the treasure inside the earthen vessels that makes them priceless before God.

We are not “shiny objects,” attractive to the world. We only reflect God’s light, which simultaneously exposes sin in the world and offers life to all who receive it. (Birds, squirrels and other critters frequently grab shiny objects, just because they are shiny. They get no practical use out of your earring, or car key. It was just shiny, so they grabbed it and took it away to their nest.

The world does not see God’s light as something glittering and attractive. Jesus said, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. ²¹But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

So, when people of the world see a common clay pot, glowing with something “out of the ordinary,” they may reject the light they see leaking out of the common clay vessel. But some may be drawn to the light, seeing that the person they are observing is nobody special, but whatever it is they appear to have, is special!

Neither Paul nor Apollos claimed to be anything special: They just allowed God to freely use them as tools in His hand.

Trouble on Every Side!

The apostles did not have easy lives. They did not get treated like royalty, but rather were frequently derided or attacked by those who despised the message. Paul said,

“ ⁸We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. ¹¹For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

The reason God allowed the apostles to suffer, was to demonstrate His own sufficiency. It did not take a “super-saint” to live the Christian life. It took men and women with the humility and courage to present themselves as saved sinners, with nothing of value to offer, except the Person of Christ: Paul said “We preach Christ Crucified!” He went on to point out that to the Jews, (and other religious individuals who think they are too good to need a Savior) it is an offensive message. To Gentiles (or to anyone who thinks they are too smart to need a God,) it is a foolish message. They laugh at it as a story for the ignorant masses.

God’s Chosen Example

But the example God has chosen to use is the persecuted church. Historically, under persecution, the church grows strong and vital. It becomes a more vibrant, joyous organism. It attracts people who see the reality of the risen Christ in those who endure suffering, persecution, and general hardship, and who respond well to the test. They are drawn to them, because they recognize that it is a supernatural relationship, bearing supernatural fruit in a normal, common, human being.

Some of the apostles were imprisoned before the end of the book of Acts. At least one (James) was executed, quite early. The others, one by one, were all eventually slaughtered for their faith, according to extra-biblical traditions and history. John may be the sole counterexample. But some historians claim that he, too, eventually was taken from exile and killed.

¹²So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

Death was demonstrated in the apostles, for the benefit of the church which saw their example of faith and followed that example, pursuing a similar lifestyle. The deaths of the apostles drew others to live for Jesus, as they saw the reality of the life of Christ lived out in the apostles.

The Spirit of Faith

That Spirit of Faith is what keeps us going in the face of distress. He motivates us to speak when it is uncomfortable to speak.

Two Examples

When Pat James told the young fellow that the only One with the authority to declare where his dad was, after Death, was God. And therefore, it simply did not matter what Pat thought. What mattered was what God said! Was that a “pleasant thing” to have to tell a neighbor? No. it truly was not! But Pat was faithful to go ahead and tell the truth. Why? Because he believed it! He spoke and it was not very well received. But it was the truth, and Pat was faithful to speak.

On another occasion, a person who once attended church here, and who had always acted completely cheerful and friendly, met Pat on the street, here in Forest Grove. The man was confined to a motorized wheelchair, but he always seemed completely sunny and cheerful.

However, when they met on the street, that day, it was the morning after a particular president had been elected. Pat, along with most conservatives, was feeling pretty glum. The man in the wheelchair joyfully asked, “Aren’t you happy about the election results?”

Pat quietly replied, “No, not really.” The man then demanded, “Don’t you want [that candidate] for president??” Pat again answered, quietly, “No, not really!” And the man was instantly furious; incensed, cursing at Pat, and threatening to get out of his wheelchair and attack him!

Pat backed out of his reach, saying, “No, I am not going to be in the news tomorrow, as ‘the pastor who attacked a crippled guy’!” Then he simply walked away. And, unsurprisingly, the man never came back to church.

Is it Easy?

Was that exchange happy for Pat? No, it was sad and shocking, and depressing. Did he tell the truth? Yes! Did he say anything wrong? No. He gave a simple direct answer to an aggressively direct question, without adding any explanation or political posturing. And he was reviled, rejected, and threatened with bodily harm.

Under the circumstances, Pat set the best example he could have: He had already spoken the truth of the Gospel in church, in his attacker’s hearing. He had no reason to expect that kind of abuse. But the man demonstrated the “bad news” of sin and hatred, in the face of someone who had consistently demonstrated the Good News of Grace and Forgiveness.

Pat knew that he was serving Jesus, and he knew that his words and actions would have a long-tern effect. I can look back and realize that many of Pat’s experiences were ultimately for our benefit. He was not discouraged to the point of collapse. He just pressed on to do the will of His Master. And, as Paul said, his inner man was renewed day by day!

Conclusion: Our “Light Affliction…”

Our light affliction works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory. The way for us to see life from that perspective is laid out right here in verse 18: We are not to focus on visible, temporal things, but to remember and rejoice in the invisible, eternal things God has in store for us.

We struggle with that, because we have a lifetime of experience, focusing on the visible and temporal. It takes effort and practice, to learn to consistently focus on the things of God.

And that is what we are advocating here at church. We are not entertaining one another: we are encouraging one another to turn our eyes upon Jesus and to learn to walk with Him.

Lord Jesus, we ask that You would do just that: Encourage our hearts, and lead us to faithfully serve and consistently walk with you.

June 13, 2026June 14, 2026

How to Understand What is The Focus of Faithful Ministry

What is The Focus of Faithful Ministry?

1^st Corinthians 4:2

Moreover, brethren, it is required among stewards, that a man be found faithful.

2^nd Corinthians 4:1-7

¹Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; ²But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

³But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: ⁴In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

⁵For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Introduction:

Recently, we saw, in 2^nd Corinthians 3:6, that we are “ministers of the New Testament.” The idea is that we serve the New Covenant. We deal in the Good News of the Sacrificial Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. But we are Not promoting a list of rules by which one may try (and fail) to please a Holy God.

We preach the Gospel of Christ, which God says is His power to save all those who believe it. He receives all those who come to Him by faith.

So, we ought to consider, “God has made me an Ambassador of Christ, and a minister of the New Testament. How does He want me to act upon that responsibility?

The word “minister” simply means “servant.” In western culture, we have elevated that word to mean a high office. Minister of the interior, Minister of Justice, Minister of Education, etc. But it literally means a servant.

Each of us has been given a stewardship of some sort: There are people within your sphere of influence or even just social contacts, to whom you may be the only source of God’s light in their world. The question then becomes, how are you shining that light for them?

We talked last week about how Moses’s face glowed when he “had been with Jesus.” Also, we saw that the disciples’ lives and speech radiated the fact that they “had been with Jesus.” We talked about the New Testament “shine” that is our task in the world. And, a long time ago, we remembered how God gave Gideon’s Army three tasks:

Stand
Shine a light
Sound an alarm…sound the warning.

We see that God has given us the same three tasks. We have a stewardship to fulfil.

Stewardship Requires Faithfulness

1^st Corinthians 4:2

“Moreover, brethren, it is required among stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

What is Faithfulness?

In some contexts, the word “faithful” just means the believers: it is describing those who have placed their faith in Jesus as their Savior. But, in the context of behavior, it means “reliability:” It means that you can be counted on to actually do what your job entails. It means that you do not just “talk a good fight.”

If the job assigned to a steward is to “walk through a factory and count all their inventory,” then, regardless of how boring and pointless it may seem, an accurate, complete count of everything on the list is absolutely essential to faithfulness. Estimates are not acceptable. (How many gallons of what color of paint? How many cases of toilet paper? Etc.)

If the job to which we are assigned is to “walk worthy of the calling to which you are called,” it means day-by-day walking with Jesus, and responding to the people around you with the Love of Christ. It means fulfilling whatever physical responsibilities you have accepted or have been assigned. We can read about that part of the assignment in Ephesians 4:1-3.

But, if the job is the Great Commission, (and it is) then we need to think about how we can further that task. I may or may not be able to do certain jobs. I will never be a bush pilot, so I will not be taking missionaries into jungle airstrips. However, I can support those missionaries, though, and look for ways to further the job of the Great Commission. Also, I can encourage those around me and help them to focus on the job, too. That is all part of faithfulness.

So, Then, What IS Faithful Ministry?

Paul introduced the idea in 2^nd Corinthians 4:1-2

¹Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

²But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Notice that the first thing Paul says, is that because we have received this ministry (and we have) then, as we have also received the mercy of God that goes along with the job, we do not “faint.” We do not succumb to discouragement.

Yes, we experience discouragement; from the World, from our own sin nature (the Flesh) and from our immortal enemy, the Devil. But we press on, regardless. That is the first element of what we call faithfulness: Don’t quit! Choose to keep on doing what God has assigned to you!

But Look At What Else God Says: (verse 2)

Renouncing the hidden things of dishonesty
Not walking in Craftiness
Not handling the Word of God deceitfully
Manifesting (“making known”) the Truth

The result is that we (as faithful ministers of the Grace of God) find ourselves commended unto the conscience of other people, and before God.

We seek to handle God’s Word faithfully, not feeling that we have to make everything easily understandable in natural terms: We are dealing specifically with the Supernatural, by definition. Time, space, and physical “laws” do not limit God. He is the Author of all things. He can “change the Game” when He chooses to do so. And, only the limits of His own perfect character bind Him in any way.

We are required to say, “I don’t know,” when we don’t know, rather than struggle to come up with an acceptable, palatable explanation. Any other behavior is dishonest. If we try to show that we know it all, and are conscious that we are deliberately giving an answer contrary to the Spirit of God, it is Craftiness, as the actions of Satan are described. None of us wants to be guilty of that! We devote ourselves to Not handling the Word of God deceitfully, by using “out-of-context proof-texts.” We allow God’s Word to comment on itself, as the most accurate commentary.

In all things, we strive to make known the Truth. (Manifesting the Truth) Not only the general truths of what God’s Word actually says, but also the TRUTH. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” Are we seeking to make Him known? That is the central issue in faithfulness as His servants, His Stewards, His Ambassadors.

What is the Result, and Why?

There will be those for whom the Gospel remains hidden, even when we attempt to explain it to them. All the world is lost, but some are more open to the truth of God. Some, by choice, are not. They reject all accountability to a Sovereign, Holy God. They insist that they, themselves, are the standard of truth and righteousness. Romans 1:22 says, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” As a result, they have allowed themselves to be blinded to the truth of God’s Word.

Not Just Israel

God specifically addressed the nation of Israel (Romans 11:25) as having become blind to His truth, and says that the day will come when the few who are left will universally see Him as their Savior and Messiah.

But the principle applies to Gentiles, as well: If I had continued to reject the Gospel, there would have come a time when I was blind to it and could no longer make a reasonable decision. I have encountered more than one person who clearly stated that, even if they could absolutely prove that all of the Bible was true, they still would reject it. They do not want to know the God of the Bible, and resent the implication that they need a Savior.

Verse 4 makes it clear that “the god of this world (implying Satan) has blinded their eyes.” And that his underlying purpose is that they will not receive the “light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.” Satan’s goal is to prevent the light of the Gospel fromshining for them.

How Do We Pursue the Good Result of the Gospel?

⁵For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake

The first point Paul makes is that the Gospel is “not about us:” We do not advance our cause, or our message, but rather the cause and message and Person of Christ… Jesus… The Lord!

We do not present ourselves as anything special: Only as servants…both to the Lord Himself and to the people to whom we are reaching with His message. Paul says, “we are your servants for Jesus’s sake.”

Why Do We Present Ourselves In That Way?

Because the light of God has already shined in our own hearts, and it compels us to reach to others with that same offer.

⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

His light begins our living relationship with Jesus. It opens our hearts to the knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus.

We are living in a world full of deceit, and trickery, and broken promises. But, we offer a God of truth, and honesty: The One Who keeps His Promises to Eternity.

We have to allow Him to live in us in such a way that others see His character in us, and begin to hope that they, too, can know that God. Our lives are supposed to be a living example of His Love and Faithfulness.

Finally, What kind of People qualify as Servants?

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

We are just ordinary people: Clay pots, not fine china. But the key is our focus on the task, and our faithfulness toward completing that task.

The earthen vessels serve to accentuate the Holiness of the God who indwells us. The Excellence we want people to see is not our own, but that of Jesus, Himself.

Who qualifies? Those who have placed their faith in Jesus, and who choose to allow Him to live through them. Jesus said, “Apart from me ye can do nothing.” So, if I keep trying to please Him in my own strength, I am just spinning my wheels, and I am probably getting in the way of what He wants to accomplish.

The humility required to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding” is the backbone of Faithfulness. Embrace the Cross, and the Humility of servanthood. God will bless faithfulness and provide opportunities for service.

Lord Jesus, help Your Servants to focus on Your priorities, and to leave behind our old, selfish lives. Develop faithfulness in each of us, and draw us to follow as Your Disciples.

June 6, 2026June 6, 2026

Here’s a Good Question: Why Did Moses’s Skin Glow?

Why Did Moses’s Skin Glow?

Exodus 34:29-35 (Read it!) Compare 2^nd Corinthians 3:7-18

“⁷But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his ⁸How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

⁹For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

¹⁰For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. ¹¹For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

¹²Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: ¹³And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

¹⁴But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. ¹⁵But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. ¹⁶Nevertheless when it (their heart) shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

¹⁷Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

¹⁸But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Introduction:

There are some strange things in the Bible…mysterious at first glance, and sometimes still mysterious, no matter how we study, trying to understand.

For instance, it is difficult when we try to understand the triune nature of God. The Bible teaches that He eternally exists in three separate persons. Each of the three is individually (and co-equally with the other two), God. And yet, together, they are literally One God…not three. We hear Jesus say that the Father is greater than all. 1^st Corinthians 15:24-28 says , after the Great White Throne Judgment, Jesus will hand over to His Father the Eternal Kingdom. But…Isaiah 9:6 says that one of the Son‘s names is “the Everlasting Father!“

Sorry! That one remains mysterious!

Others turn out to be pretty simple. We easily discovered the reason David took precisely five stones from the brook when he went to face Goliath. The Giant had four brothers! That is still mind-boggling! To David, (if God is on your side) in order to fight five Giants, you only need five rocks!

**But, Why did Moses’s Face Glow, or Shine?**

So, why did Moses’s face shine or glow, when he returned from talking with God in Person? Is this an exaggeration? We sometimes say that certain people seem to “glow with good health, or with happiness.” That is not the same.

Moses was shining in a way that terrified the people, so that they were afraid to be near him. So, was he radioactive, or, in some way exuding dangerous radiation? If that were it, then veiling his face would not diminish the danger, but only mask it. All we know is that Moses was physically glowing and he did not know it. And, once he knew the problem, he understood why the people feared his presence. He hung a cloth over his face to hide the glow.

What was the source of the Light? Did he develop some sort of bioluminescence? Like a glow-worm, or a firefly? No! It was not a natural phenomenon at all! The simple and mysterious truth? He had been with Jesus.

The Apostles Glowed in a Different Way

In Acts 4:13, 14, we see a hint of how that works today. “¹³Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

Philippians 2:15, 16 says that we are to shine as lights in a dark world, and offer the Word of Life. That is what the Apostles were doing. They were shining, and offering the Word of Life!

They had “been with Jesus” before the Holy Spirit came. Exactly the same amount of time as in Acts chapter 4. But they had not been shining…they were hiding! If we are not walking with Jesus: If we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to shine through us, then we are not shining, either.

We look like pretty dim bulbs, because we are afraid to cheerfully shine the Glory of God in our lives and words. Or, perhaps we have become discouraged, and don’t feel that we can shine.

But Jesus commanded us to allow our light to shine in such a way that other people see the change in our lives, and can glorify God because of what they see.

Matthew 5:14-16

¹⁴Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

In John 8:12, speaking of Himself, He said, “I am the light of the World: He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” Why did Jesus say that we are the light of the world?

I hope you are starting to see a possible answer.

Where Does the Light Originate?

If we go all the way back to Genesis 1:3, we see that God Himself was the original source of light. John 1:4 tells a similar story, saying “In Him (the Word…Jesus) was life and the life was the light of Men.”

If we see God as the ultimate source of light in the world (all light, physical and spiritual: moral and intellectual) then the whole question begins to become clear.

Moses had been in the immediate physical presence of the ultimate source of light. God had temporarily “charged” Moses with, or filled him with, that light. He continued to radiate it after he had left the immediate presence of God.

The Apostles had been in the physical and relational presence of the Living Word, Jesus, the True Light of the World, for more than three years. The moral and intellectual light of His Person shone through them. It astonished the adversaries, and shut their mouths. All they could do is recognize that the Apostles “had been with Jesus.”

What is the Result of the Light?

Jesus told His disciples, in the Sermon on the Mount, that they were the light of the world. Like a city set upon a hill, they were not to be a hidden value. The light should be visible. And the light that came from God through them would be a witness to the world around them: It would shine and bring glory to God, regardless of people’s individual responses to the Light.

Remember the story about the lantern in the barn: J. Vernon McGee told how as a child, he carried a lantern into the dark barn, as he went to feed the livestock. When he entered the door, two things happened: The rats, scavenging for food on the barn floor, scattered, hiding from the light. The birds, roosting in the rafters mistook the light for sunrise and they began to sing. The same light brought two utterly different responses. Both responses testify to the light!

What About Israel?

Paul says they saw the light and they hid from it. Moses had to put on a veil, so that they would not see the glory of God, even though it was fading. And Paul goes on to say that the same veil is there today, when they read the Old Testament. They are judicially blind to the light of God. Remember that the veil in the temple was torn in two and it opens the way for us all. They have not taken advantage of that open door, as a nation and as a people. Romans 11:25 confirms this, saying that blindness has come upon Israel in part, until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in.

2^nd Corinthians 3:14-17 says, ¹⁴But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. ¹⁵But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. ¹⁶Nevertheless when it (their heart) shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. ¹⁷Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

So, when the nation of Israel turns its collective heart back to God, the veil will be taken away, and they will be free at last.

What About Us?

How do we fit into this picture? To begin with, we also seek to be the disciples of Jesus. So, his teaching regarding how the disciples were to live would be applicable to us as well. Philippians 2:15, 16 confirms that connection. (Not everything directed to the original disciples is directed to us…Passages like Philippians help us to see which ones are directed to us, and not just to the original disciples.)

He definitely calls us to shine in the World. And we can see that the source of the light has to be Jesus, the Living Word of God. We can also see that the people in the Bible whom everyone saw as “having been with Jesus” were those who had “been with Jesus.”

Moses had been with Jesus! The Apostles had been with Jesus. Stephen, being stoned to death, was shining, and everyone could see it: He not only had been walking with Jesus and speaking for Jesus…He could see Jesus standing to receive him! And they killed him!

**But, What about Us?**

If we are not deliberately seeking the Presence of the Living God in the Person of the Risen Christ, and meditating on the Written Word as we seek to know the Living Word, then we cannot expect to see His Light Permeating our lives.

Years ago, we talked about how, in the wintertime, the headlamps on our vehicles often become spattered with road grime until their light is very dim. We have a difficult time seeing the road. Others may find it difficult to clearly see us, at night. Why is this happening? The electric “fire” inside those lamps has not failed. But, through neglect, or by simple rough use, and severe conditions, the lenses have become so muddy that the light cannot shine through.

Why might we fail to shine?

Our lives are similar in some respects. We need to consistently be watchful, and aware of when we fail to follow, and fail to shine. God calls us to confess our sins, so that He can cleanse us and we can once again shine for Jesus.

The Holy Spirit; God indwelling us, has not changed. His Holiness and Love and Light are still shining, eternally unchanged. But we have allowed the World and our own fleshly fears and follies to dirty, darken, discourage, and dim us until that light is hard to see. We can hardly see it ourselves, let alone others seeing Him in us.

So, here is our hope: 1^st John 3:2

“²Beloved, now are we the sons (“Children:” Greek word is “tekna,” meaning “offspring”) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Folks…I truly want to be like Jesus, but until I see Him face to face, it isn’t going to fully happen. All I can do in this life is to keep focused on the little that I do see of Him, shining through His Word, and in the lives of Godly people around me. The more consistently I seek His face, the more consistently others will have to conclude, “He has been with Jesus!”

Lord Jesus, please grip our hearts with the urgency of Your call to Discipleship. Help us to daily seek Your Face, and be transformed into Your likeness, Shining with Your Light.

May 30, 2026May 30, 2026

In What Way are We Servants of the New Testament?

We are Servants of the New Testament

2nd Corinthians 2:14-3:6

¹⁴Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

¹⁵For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: ¹⁶To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

Introduction:

We have often seen Paul presenting himself as a servant of the gospel. Romans 1:1 says “I am consecrated unto the Gospel of God.” Now, we might interpret this passage also, as Paul explaining the life of the apostles.

However, if we consider the parallel passages, where he also says we are Ambassadors of Christ (2^nd Corinthians 5:20.) In the Great Commission itself, Jesus commanded the apostles to make disciples in all nations. Furthermore, it said, teach those disciples to do everything Jesus assigned to the Apostles. Then we have to slow down and consider, “How much of this applies to me directly?”

**Does God Cause Us to Triumph in Christ?**

Against Satan:

Where is the battle? Who is the enemy? Against whom do we put on the whole armor of God, so as to withstand the attacks of the Enemy? Satan is a defeated enemy, but he still attacks us: and God gives us victory.

Against the World:

When God calls us to “overcome the World,” what does He mean? Where do we find the answer to that question? 1^st John 5:4, 5 says it means you have placed your faith in Jesus, as the Son of God. If you have trusted in His blood as full payment for your sins, then YOU have overcome the World!

Against the Flesh:

Is there more? Yes, of course there is! He calls us to walk with Him and to allow Him to increase our faith. He wants to increase our strength and stability in Him. (We can’t lose! God says nothing in the universe can separate you from His love! Romans 8:38, 39)

As we walk with Him, we find that we are also victorious over our old sin nature. We can’t get rid of it entirely, but God says we can continually set it aside. As believers, we can submit our new nature to the holiness of God. We can’t eradicate our old nature in this life, but we can starve it, and have daily victory. Galatians 5:16 promises that IF we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the Flesh.

So, yes! God does cause us to triumph in Christ!

**What Is The Result Of That Spiritual Triumph?**

He says that, due to that triumph, God causes us to “Smell like Jesus,” for better or worse. To those who are responsive to God’s call, we smell like eternal life. To those who habitually reject Him, we smell like judgment, and death.

We do not cause that aroma. God causes the fragrance of Christ as the result of His Grace manifested itself in our lives. Look at 2:14 again: He says God causes us to triumph, and God makes known the savour (aroma, or fragrance) of His knowledge by us in every place.

But, since that is the standard, if we see that we are not “smelling like Jesus” then the lack is in our response to Him. God does not fail, but we frequently fail to cooperate with His Grace. So, to the question, “Who is sufficient for these things?” we reply, “Only God!”

**What Does it Mean, to “Corrupt the Word of God?”**

The word translated as “corrupt” in verse 17 can also be translated as, “peddle,” or “make merchandise of.” When a band sells “merchandise” at a concert, it includes all sorts of “I was there” memorabilia. (Junk, really, but to those who want to advertise a favorite band, it may seem desirable.) And the band frequently makes more from the merchandise sales than they do the ticket sales.

There are preachers who are “in the ministry” for money, and they have an agenda to sell. They use God’s Word as merchandise, and they hope to gain great financial support from people who “like their message.” One problem with that approach is that they tend to modify the content to some degree, in an effort to make their message more popular. In doing so, they are corrupting God’s Word.

We have nothing to sell! We preach the Good News of Salvation through the Cross, but we also preach the bad news: “The necessity of the Cross: Why did Jesus have to die for us?”

Obviously, we cannot afford to “make God’s Word more palatable.” If we were to do so, we would be corrupting the Word, which Paul specifically warns against, here.

We choose to tell people the truth about Jesus: That He is God in the Flesh. That He hates sin just as much as ever, but He chose to become a man and to die in place of the entire Human Race. We teach that He calls us to place our trust in His completed Work, and to abandon our attempts to please Him with our own works. He asks us to allow Him to work through us. And He has given us a job, which He will accomplish through us, as we walk with Him by faith.

2^nd Corinthians Chapter 3

¹Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? ²Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

³Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

⁴And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: ⁵Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; ⁶Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

**No Self-Commendation, and No Self Condemnation:**

Paul cautions the Corinthian believers to understand that he is not “commending himself:” He says if anyone wants a “letter of recommendation” regarding his work, they should read the lives of the people who have believed the Gospel and who are being set free from sin!

He says that the believers who have benefitted in one way or another by Paul’s teaching are the only letter of recommendation He can ask for. Either God has been working via the Gospel, and the message Paul has preached is sound teaching, or He has not, and Paul’s ministry is flawed.

God’s Word transforms lives! He works from the inside out, to renew our minds and to strengthen our walk with Him. Paul faithfully transmitted the true Gospel of Christ, and everywhere Paul went and shared the message of the Gospel, there was either a riot, a revival, or both! Why? Because he was telling the truth!

The message can be clearly read in the changed hearts and lives of the believers. No one has to go to a temple and read the commandments written in the stone. They can see the living Word of God shining in the changed lives of His saints.

Why is that happening? Because of the triumph we saw in chapter 2. God “has (past tense) made us able ministers (servants) of the New Testament…the New Covenant.”

What Gospel do We Preach?

We do not “preach the Law,” though it is Holy and unchanging: We preach the Righteousness of Christ, which now is available to all. Romans 3:21 says, “But now the righteousness of God without the Law is manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the prophets.”

We no longer condemn ourselves for failing to “keep the Law:” No one but Jesus ever succeeded in keeping the Law. Acts 15:7-11 says that none of the Jews, who were raised up from infancy under the Law were ever able to keep it. It goes on to say that the Gentiles are not responsible to “keep the Law.”

They (and all believers, Jew or Gentile) are offered the Gift of Eternal life through the finished work of Jesus at the Cross. The Law, thereafter, sees the believer as “Dead in Christ!” ( Galatians 2:19-21) And the Law has no effect on “dead people”…it warns the living of the Holiness of God, and the coming judgment. But our judgment was carried out and finished at the Cross.

What did John the Baptist and Jesus preach?

John the Baptist preached the coming Judgment and the promise of God. Jesus pointed out that as natural humans, we are already under the condemnation of God for our sin. But He presented His life as the sacrifice for our sins, and promised that we can have eternal life immediately, if we believe His Word, and trust in His shed blood for our salvation.

We do not have to wait until we die to know that we have eternal life. He gives it immediately when we place our faith in Him, and He says that He wants us to know that we have eternal life. Romans 8:2 says that “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death!”

That is Good News!

So, What is Our Job?

We know that our job is to be ambassadors for Christ. So, we want to learn how to do our job effectively. When I worked as a welder, I wanted to learn to do my job well, with top quality welds and high productivity. I wanted to be effective at my job.

Here at True Hope Christian Fellowship, we are attempting to equip the saints for the work of ministry, as we are told to do in Ephesians 4:11-17. We hope to see all the believers grow to be highly functional as ambassadors of Christ.

That involves thorough, serious teaching of the Written Word, and constant encouragement for all of us to “get out of our comfort zone,” as they say.

But the fact remains, for all of us: We have a job to do! Let’s get on with it!

Lord Jesus, grip our hearts with the honor You have conferred upon us, that we are allowed to go to work with You, every day, and see Your hand changing the world around us, and offering life to the hopeless. Teach us to be devoted to Your service, so that it is no longer a matter of convenience, but of true commitment.

May 23, 2026May 23, 2026

How to Understand The “Other Side” Of Church Discipline

The “Other Side” Of Church Discipline

2^nd Corinthians 2:1-11, compare 1^st Corinthians 5:1-7

Introduction:

Quite some time ago, we taught through 1^st Corinthians 5. There we saw a man known to be having sexual relations with his father’s wife. The church of Corinth did not see this as an evil thing. They did not know the Mosaic Law condemned such behavior in strongest terms. That is no surprise, since, in the first place, they were Gentiles, and abysmally ignorant of the Mosaic Law.

But Paul pointed out that, even in most Gentile societies, such a thing was unthinkable, and universally condemned. So, how could they have “missed the memo,” so to speak? Why did the Corinthian Church actively support behavior that “everyone knew” to be wrong? (And which God specifically stated was wrong?)

“Welcome to Corinth!” The community center for that city was the largest house of prostitution in known history! It was the temple of Aphrodite. There, the practitioners approved every form of perversion! The Britannica Encyclopedia said, in its peak years, that temple employed 10,000 prostitutes, male and female. Corruption ran especially deep in Corinth. And that is where this story originated! Please turn to 1^st Corinthians 5:1-7.

1^st Corinthians 5:1-7

¹ It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. ²And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

³For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, ⁴In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁵To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

⁶Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? ⁷Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

What Was The Problem? Incest!

This is nothing new. It happened in the Old Testament, at least once (Genesis 35:22.) And it had permanent consequences for the young man involved. He had committed incest with one of his father’s younger wives (Genesis 49:3, 4).

But in Corinth, they proposed no consequence for the sin. The church seems to have applauded it. They were at least proud of their own “tolerance.” (Sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it? It is happening today, as a spreading pattern among churches.) Paul said they were “puffed up,” meaning “conceited, or proud.” But He condemned their pride. He said that they were dead wrong, for not judging the sin that was being openly paraded before them.

Paul warned that some sins are especially “contagious.” He said sin spreads, just as yeast multiplies in bread dough, until all the dough is full of yeast. They knew enough about the Passover to know that it used strictly “unleavened bread.” Yeast, or any kind of leaven was forbidden. God is Holy, and a walk with Him will constantly require self-examination and confession.

So, he concluded that their “glorying” in their tolerance of sin was not good: it was both counter-productive, and destructive. He said that they should have been mourning that such a thing was happening among them. And he commanded that they separate themselves from that Evil, by separating the individual from their fellowship.

Church Discipline

We usually call this practice “Church Discipline.” But we seldom practice it today. And, sadly, when we attempt to do so it is usually done wrongly, with wrong motives, and for wrong reasons.

I knew a man whose wife left him for another man. But his own church put him out of the fellowship! Why? Because they felt that he had “not done enough” to bring her back.

A few months ago, I heard of a young mother whose husband had been continually abusing her. She finally left him. And her church informed her that she was no longer welcome to take communion with them, because her marriage had failed.

Both of these circumstances are horrible misuses of Church discipline, and they are the sorts of things that give churches a bad name.

Galatians 6:1-5 outlines the correct motive for approaching another believer about sin: The motive is restoration, not condemnation. If there is sin that is threatening the flock, it does require that we approach the persons involved, hoping for restoration, but knowing that, “unless something changes, we are going to part ways.” So far as I am aware, that has only happened once in the thirty years’ history of this church.

So, what happens then? What if they repent, and they want to do right?

The “Other Side” of Church Discipline

The Corinthian Church repented of their sin, and they obeyed Paul’s command! We know nothing about the inner workings of how that played out, but we do get to “read the last chapter” on that situation: The man repented! So, what should they do now??

We Can Read About The End Results In 2^nd Corinthians 2:1-11.

¹ But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. ²For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? ³And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

⁴For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. ⁵But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.

Here, in verses 1-5 we can see how Paul felt about the whole matter: He knew that the words he had sent the church, regarding the sin in their midst, were going to cause grief. He did not want to have to deal with such a “mess” in person, if they would respond to a letter.

He wanted to have a good relationship with them, and, if they would obey the Word without Paul’s personal presence, they would surely have a more joyful response when he finally arrived in person. In fact, in verse 9, he stated that one reason he wrote was to find out whether, indeed, they would obey,

Discipline is Temporary, for Restoration

But the most serious point, here: They had seen the separation as a permanent expulsion. Paul informed them that that was not the purpose of church discipline.

I have never played hockey: but I have read that when a player violates some rule, the referee sends him to a “penalty box.” And the rest of the team struggles on, competing without him. He is not “off the team,” he is just off the ice, for a period of time. It is a penalty for both him and the whole team! In a limited sense, Church discipline is similar.

We need one another, and we do not want to lose people. But God commands that if we “can’t play right,” then He requires our own team to put us out of fellowship. This is not due to some unintentional error, or because someone doesn’t like them. It is a united response to a known sin, and it is specifically due to an unrepentant response to all attempted correction.

We need one another, and we are aware of our own fragility. We are not condemning a person: we are condemning a persistent practice of deliberate sin.

But What Happens When The Sinning Brother Repents?

Paul says: ⁶Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.

The man in 1^st Corinthians 5 was living in a corrupt city, where there was only one group of “Bible-believing Christians,” as we might call them today. He could not say, “Well, fine, there’s a dozen other churches I can join!” There were no other believers to join.

How to Understand The “Other Side” Of Church Discipline

The “Other Side” Of Church Discipline

2^nd Corinthians 2:1-11, compare 1^st Corinthians 5:1-7

Introduction:

1^st Corinthians 5:1-7

What Was The Problem? Incest!

Church Discipline

I knew a man whose wife left him for another man. But his own church put him out of the fellowship! Why? Because they felt that he had “not done enough” to bring her back.

Both of these circumstances are horrible misuses of Church discipline, and they are the sorts of things that give churches a bad name.

So, what happens then? What if they repent, and they want to do right?

The “Other Side” of Church Discipline

We Can Read About The End Results In 2^nd Corinthians 2:1-11.

Discipline is Temporary, for Restoration

But the most serious point, here: They had seen the separation as a permanent expulsion. Paul informed them that that was not the purpose of church discipline.

We need one another, and we are aware of our own fragility. We are not condemning a person: we are condemning a persistent practice of deliberate sin.

But What Happens When The Sinning Brother Repents?

Paul says: ⁶Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.

The unrepentant Sinner found himself “drifting” in a sea of vile sin and corruption. He found himself “shipwrecked” on a desert island, devoid of the food and water of fellowship. But he soon realized that his decision to practice the same sins as the community of the lost, forced him to take up residence with them again… He had nowhere else to turn.

Less Effective Today

Today, this practice is much less effective, because people do feel that they can just “find another church.” (And they can!) But… he repented! Paul told them how to respond to the repentant man:

⁷So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. ⁸Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.

Paul commanded them to receive him back, and to comfort him. The goal was never to drive him to despair, but only to allow him to reflect on his bad decisions, and make a new, good decision.

He needed to see that the other believers still loved him and cared for him: But they simply could not allow him to continue in a pattern that would not only destroy his relationship with God, but would also affect the believers around him.

⁹For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.

Paul admitted that part of the reason he wrote to them in the first letter, regarding the sin in their church, was to discover whether they would respond to correction. They passed the test! Now he says, “The penalty is over! He is repentant, and he desires fellowship with you. He has abandoned his sin, and he is trying to walk with God again! Step in and help him! Encourage him! Forgive him for all the past error!”

Paul Concludes:

¹⁰To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; ¹¹Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

He assures the Corinthian Church that he is in full agreement with their forgiveness and the restoration of fellowship. The Unity of the Church is a vital part of our testimony in the World. The three criteria by which Jesus has authorized the World to judge the Church, are:

The Agapé Love which we either do or do not show toward one another. Remember, Jesus said, “by this shall all men know that ye are my disciple if ye have Love one for another.” (John 13:34, 35)
The Unity of the believers…not fighting and bickering amongst themselves. Jesus also said, (John 17:21) “…That they may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”
The Good Works of committed believers. The overall “Smell of Jesus” in their lives. (Matthew 5:15, 16; 2^nd Corinthians 2:14-16)

We are not to be tearing each other up, in self-righteous indignation over imagined faults. But certain sins can “infect” other people. Hebrews 12:15 points out that bitterness, for example, is contagious, and, if it is allowed to remain, it will defile many. Give that some thought.

Lord Jesus, help us to learn the principles of Your Holiness, and the Power of Your Grace, and the Value of Your Forgiveness, to the end that our fellowship may grow strong in all three.

May 16, 2026May 16, 2026

How to Understand The Gospel As A Cause For Rejoicing

The Gospel Is A Cause For Rejoicing

2^nd Corinthians 1:12-24 (Read it!)

Introduction:

We have examined a couple of passages in 2^nd Corinthians 1, and ended with verse eleven. Now we want to progress through Paul’s explanation of his own motives in life and in teaching.

The Gospel Is A Cause For Rejoicing, Both To The Speaker And The Hearers.

¹²For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation (Greek, “anastrepho”…how we live our lives) in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

Paul and his associates rejoiced in having a clean conscience, knowing that their testimony was consistent. He gave full credit to the Lord, as the One who made such lives possible. He and his team had “practiced what they preached.” They had not given a mixed message. They never preached one thing, as if it mattered, and then did the opposite, as if it did not matter. They preached the truth, and lived it, too! And they rejoiced for the privilege to have served!

¹³For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end; ¹⁴As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our’s in the day of the Lord Jesus.

I found this passage to be difficult to understand in the King James Version. The translators used the word “acknowledge” when the intent was “to understand.”

The New International Version Renders It This Way:

³For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, ¹⁴as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Our “objective” in all speech or writing is communication. But without understanding, we have not communicated. I believe that “Until learning occurs, I have not accomplished teaching.” Paul seemed to agree with this principle. He and his fellow laborers were careful, in writing. They used language they knew the recipients could read. They taught concepts they knew they could understand.

Their hope was that the understanding would continue to develop until the Corinthian believers completely understood the message of Christ. The end result of such understanding is Joy! Paul and his fellow-laborers already rejoiced to see the reality of Christ developing in the lives of the Corinthian believers. (Despite their many errors.)

They hoped the Corinthian believers, eventually, would fully rejoice to have received the message from Paul. (It was not always “fun to hear” Paul’s message. Most of the Corinthian letters are corrective teaching. In our natural selves, we don’t like to be corrected.)

What About Correction, When It Matters?

When we desperately need to be correct in some matter, and we know that the person correcting us truly does know what is correct, and that they are truly acting for our benefit, then correction is precious to us. But when we just want to think that whatever we are doing is correct, then we resent correction. It makes us unapproachable when we feel and act this way.

Personal Example:

A missionary friend told of a tense situation: He and his family had invited several couples from the remote people they were serving, to have dinner at their house. But as the meal progressed, he could see that the men looked more and more angry, and the women looked both embarrassed and flattered.

He had no idea what was happening. His daughter rescued him. She asked him to help with something in the kitchen: There, she asked, “Daddy, do you know what you are doing??” He knew something was wrong, but did not know why. So he replied honestly, “NO! Please tell me!”

She explained that he had been trying to dislodge a piece of corn from between his molars, by probing with his tongue. “But, Daddy, in this culture, THIS…” (poking her tongue into her cheek) “means THIS! (She gave a sly, suggestive wink!)

The missionary was horrified to learn that he had been openly (though unknowingly) flirting with all the wives of the men they had invited as guests. He marched right back into the dining room, and confessed his abysmal ignorance of their culture. He explained that he had only been trying to get a piece of corn out of his teeth.

They accepted his apology, and cheered up, saying “We do it this way!” (Shoving a finger into the far reaches of their mouths, and picking with a fingernail.) The ministry in that village was saved by a young girl who was more observant of culture than the adults were, and a father who was not too proud to learn from a child.

Paul’s Original Intent

¹⁵And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit; ¹⁶And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea.

Paul had intended to pass their way again, but it had not yet worked out. His intention had been to bring additional blessing through teaching, and guidance, as the Holy Spirit worked in their midst, by his presence and teaching and example.

¹⁷When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay? ¹⁸But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay. ¹⁹For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.

No Double Meanings: No Ambiguity

Jesus was not ambiguous in His teaching. Paul sought to also be ambiguous. He did not “say one thing and mean another.” (As an example, he asked, “Do you think I was ‘just talking’ when I said I wanted to visit you?”)

He did not speak lightly to them about anything. Life is serious, even when individual things are amusing or entertaining. The overall results of life are very serious. He had wanted to visit them, and still wanted to do so.

Paul did not “pretend to agree with them and then attempt to correct them.” He was not playing games, and he was never “two-faced” about his ministry. As a God-ordained Apostle, Paul told the truth all the time, and did not try to “soft-peddle…soft-sell” anything. He told the blunt truth.

²⁰For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Paul assured them that all the promises of God were secure. There was no “hidden agenda” with them or with God. As they offered God’s Word, they did so in complete transparency.

Who Builds The Relationships Between Teachers And Their Hearers?

²¹Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; ²²Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Remember that the One who assures us that the teaching we are hearing, and the person doing the teaching are from Jesus Christ, and not leading us astray, is God Himself. God sends the faithful shepherds, and He has sealed them in Christ (Same as He did with us!) and has indwelt them with the person of the Holy Spirit. (Again, the same as He did for us!)

And God has given us the means, in His Word, by which to ascertain their character and their trustworthiness: God tells the necessary qualifications for all the (Elders, Shepherds, Overseers,) and Deacons, in 1^st Timothy 3:1-8, in Titus 1:5-9, and in 1^st Peter 5:1-4.

He tells us what their task is, in both the Old and the New Testament. (In Ezekiel 34:1-10, God laid out seven tasks of the shepherds of Israel, and He condemned them for not even trying to do those things.

And, in Ephesians 4:11-16, God tells us the additional tasks of the New Testament Church leaders. In Acts 20:26-35, he gave final commands to the Elders of the Church at Ephesus. So, we all have the capacity and resources to look, and to search the scriptures, to see whether the teaching is from God, and whether the workers are doing what they are called to do.

**Why Did Paul Not Visit Corinth Again, Sooner?**

²³Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.

Paul knew that the Church at Corinth was riddled with problems, but he did not want to come to them with a list of “all the things they were doing wrong.” He hoped to come to them only to confer a blessing, through fellowship and additional teaching: Not to “Straighten you numbskulls out!” He did not want that sort of relationship with them. Paul had led most of them to Christ, and evidently had baptized a few of them. He would rather enjoy a fatherly, loving relationship with them, rather than constantly scolding and correcting them.

Additionally, he freely confessed that their faith was not to be ruled by Paul, but by Jesus. He only hoped to add to their joy by helping them in their faith. He concluded that it was by faith alone that they stood righteous before God.

²⁴Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

What About Here At True Hope?

We do not “dominate the faith” of anyone here. Our primary goal is to feed the Flock: To help the flock to gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word. All of us seek to help one another to experience faith, and God’s Peace, and the Joy of the Lord. We seek to build disciples who can, in turn, build others, drawing others to believe the Gospel of Christ, and to understand His Word.

The Great Commission comprises the “marching orders” for the whole Body of Christ. We want to teach one another to embrace the One Job he has given to us. We have a multitude of “tasks,” and not all of us have the same tasks, because, for one thing, our gifts also vary.

But ALL of us have only One Job: the Great Commission was given several times, and in different contexts, and in slightly different phrasing: but the central command is the same. We are His Witnesses: We are Ambassadors for Christ. That is not a matter of choice, or preference. That is our reason to exist!

Lord Jesus, awaken in our hearts the earnest desire to walk with You and to become active ambassadors of the King of Kings: representatives of the Savior, the eternal God in the Flesh. Take away our constant tendency to wander away to toys and earthly distractions. Teach us the serious central issues of life.

April 30, 2026April 30, 2026

How to Understand Paul’s Missionary Letters

A Missionary Letter From Paul

1^st Corinthians 16:5-18

Introduction:

We sometimes receive letters from the missionaries we support. Sometimes they have a lot of information, sometimes a lot of prayer concerns, sometimes exciting reports about what the Lord is doing where they serve.

Last week we received two such letters: One simultaneously gave exciting news and let us know of a need:

Burdett Letter

Jim and Judy Burdett announced on Facebook the fulfillment of the ministry we have supported for years. The announcement said the Dom believers are delivering the Dom New Testament. They are distributing them among the people who speak that language in Papua New Guinea. We have a copy of this translation, in the foyer, under Jim and Judy Burdett’s prayer letter and card. The churches they planted began with over one thousand of these New Testaments, last year. Those thousand books are nearly gone. Many people earnestly desire to have a copy of the New Testament.

They have also distributed hundreds of copies of another book: “King of Glory.” It is written in Melanesian Pidgin, the trade language of Papua New Guinea. (It is effectively a translation of the book we often give away, here, called “The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus.” The book explains the Old Testament. It shows Jesus’s appearances throughout the Old Testament. (Jesus taught the two disciples in that way on the road to Emmaus, before they recognized Him.) They are nearly out of that book, too! So, we take that news as an invitation to help replenish their printing fund, though they did not ask for anything.

Megan Lewis Letter

We received another prayer letter, but it was the reverse. Megan Lewis, whom we support in her ministry with Ethnos 360, asked me to send her any news of our church, or needs within our church or ministries, so that she could pray for us! That is encouraging, all by itself!

Paul Sent A Few Missionary Letters, Too:

I am quoting the NLT translation today, because it allows us to see how similar his letter is to the letters we receive.

NLT Version Reads Very Much Like A Modern Prayer Letter.

Paul included these personal notes at the end of the book of 1^st Corinthians. The rest of the book was mostly corrective teaching. This part includes more personal sharing, and information about Paul’s travel plans and about his fellow-laborers.

⁵I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia,^[a] for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. ⁶Perhaps I will stay awhile with you, possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next destination. ⁷This time I don’t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. ⁸In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. ⁹There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.

Other Leaders

¹⁰When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. ¹¹Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.^[b]

¹²Now about our brother Apollos—I urged him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity.

¹³Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.^[c] Be strong. ¹⁴And do everything with love.

¹⁵You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece,^[d] and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters,^[e] ¹⁶to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion. ¹⁷I am very glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been providing the help you weren’t here to give me. ¹⁸They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.

King James Version, In Contrast:

(Read it) (Notice verse 15: “Addicted to the ministry of the saints.”)

**So, Where Was Paul?**

Historical And Geographic Notes:

Macedonia, today, is a separate Balkan nation, north of Greece. But, at that time in history, it was under Roman rule, and it also included the northern part of what we call Greece, today.

Ephesus was also under Roman rule at that time, and though it originally was a Greek city, today it is in modern-day Turkey, on the coast, directly across the Aegean Sea from Athens.

Achaia included the northern crescent-shaped coast of Pelopónnese, the southern section of Greece, as well as a wide strip of the southernmost section of Greece, proper. It was bordered on the west by the Ionian Sea, and on the East by the Aegean Sea. It included Cenchrea, Corinth and Athens, as major cities. Corinth was the Roman capital of Achaia in Paul’s time.

Paul’s Plans

Paul shared with the believers at Corinth that he was currently in Ephesus, and planned to stay there until after the feast of Pentecost (50 days after Passover) because he had a wide open door for evangelism, although there were many who opposed the message, as well. He said he intended to pass through Macedonia on the way to Corinth.

Now, when I look at a map, I can see that Ephesus and Corinth are separated by “only” 250 miles of water. So, to my mind, a ship seems a logical choice: It might be a three- or four-day voyage, depending on where else among the various islands the ship might make stops. But ancient sea travel was dangerous, due to storms and pirates, as well as fairly expensive, compared to walking.

If all you want to do is “get there,” then, even today, a flight is the most efficient way to travel almost anywhere in the world. But: If the journey itself, and the lives of people you touch along the way are also important, then you might choose a means of travel that takes much longer, but allows stops and visits en route.

Paul evidently chose walking: He expressed his intent to travel through Macedonia en route to Corinth. We can read Acts 16 and 17 to see where in Macedonia he may have wanted to visit:

What Cities Might He Visit In Macedonia? (See The Vision In Acts 16:9)

Neapolis, (Acts 16:11)
Philippi, (Acts 16:12-40)
Amphipolis, (Acts 17:1)
Apollonia, (Acts 17:1)
Thessalonica, (Acts 17:1-10)
Berea, (Acts 17:10-14) and
Nicopolis (Titus 3:12)

A walking journey through Macedonia could take some significant time. God does not reveal to us how long he may have spent at each of these places, but the walk itself (Ephesus to Corinth) is around 865 miles by land, and each visit may have added a few days, or more, to the overall journey. So, Paul lets his supporters in Corinth know where he is, and where he intended to go next, and approximately when he might arrive in Corinth.

Paul’s Priorities

When we read 1^st Corinthians 16:8, 9, we see a little of “what made Paul tick.” The reason he stayed in Ephesus, was an open door to the Gospel there: He was not about to miss it!

Want to see another place where Paul states his priorities? Romans 15:20 says, “²⁰Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation:” And, even when he was in prison, for preaching the Gospel, Paul asked for prayer that he would have boldness to keep on preaching the Gospel.

Ephesians 6:18-20, says “¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; ¹⁹And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Paul’s Other Concerns

The Lives Of The Corinthian Believers

Paul said that the believers were to “¹³Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.^[c] Be strong. ¹⁴And do everything with love.”

They were to be watchful at all times, knowing the enemy is not going to take a day off.
They were to stand firm in the faith in which they walked, not allowing any distractions.
He said to be courageous, facing whatever persecutions might come, as they appeared.
They were to be strong in the Lord.
They were to saturate everything they did in the Agapé Love of Christ.

**How The Believers Were Going To Treat The Leaders That God Sent To Them**

Timothy

Timothy was one of Paul’s protégés. He was much younger, and, though he was gifted as a prophet of God, he faced some resistance because of his youth. In 1^st Timothy 4:12-16, Paul warned Timothy that this could be an obstacle, and told him how to avoid it:

“¹²Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, (it means “behavior”) in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. ¹³Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. (Teaching) ¹⁴Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. ¹⁵Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. ¹⁶Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

He told Timothy that his job was to live in such a way that no one would have an excuse to be dismissive of his ministry. But, he warned the Corinthian believers, that their job was to render full respect to Timothy, and not allow anyone to intimidate or despise him.

They were to treat Timothy just as they did Paul, because he was doing the same work. His assignment was from God, just like Paul. Also, he told them to help him on his way, financially.

Paul asked Apollos to visit them, but Apollos was busy elsewhere. He said he would come when time allowed.

Stephanas, And Others Like Him

But Paul was especially concerned that they would learn to value Stephanas and his family for the work they did among the believers, there in Corinth.

He said that they had served faithfully and had been a great blessing to Paul as well as to the whole church. They had refreshed the spirits of Paul and the whole church. Therefore, Paul declared that they were to treat Stephanas and others like him, as elders: Follow their leading, and show appreciation for their work.

The Writer of Hebrews echoes this command: Hebrews 13:17 says, “¹⁷Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

How Does It Apply?

This command is specifically addressed to Church leadership: Secular leaders or supervisors are not “Watching for your souls.” They may be actively attempting to destroy your faith, in fact. But Paul gives reason to follow the leaders in your assembly, and what to watch for in identifying such leadership. 1^st Timothy 3:1-8; Titus 1:5-9; and 1^st Peter 5:1-4 all tell us how proper elders are to behave, and what they are to accomplish. Ezekiel 34:1-10, (from a negative point of view) lists the seven tasks of the shepherds and concludes that the shepherds of Israel were seriously failing to do their collective job.

How Does It Apply to Us?

So, this “Missionary Letter” had a great deal of corrective teaching or exhortation included. It was not just a “How are things on your end?” letter. Information was given, and observations made, and exhortation given, telling them (and us) to actually live out the principles of God’s Word. It is not just “Fun Stuff to Know and Tell!” The letter is practical. It assigns the reader some responsibility and allows them (us) to see “how the writer is practicing what he preaches.”

Paul did all the things he encouraged his followers to do.

My desire is to learn to follow in Paul’s footsteps, but I seem to be progressing awfully slowly.

My hope is that all of you will join me in this endeavor. No one is saying it will be fun or easy: But we get to watch the Lord at work, not only in our own lives, but also in the World at large.

Lord Jesus, please correct the trajectory of our lives. Help us to press on toward the mark: The prize, of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We desire to please You with our lives. We know that “it is God who works in us, both to will and to do of Your good pleasure.” Bless us to Your Service. Amen!

April 25, 2026April 25, 2026

How to Know From God’s Word Why Jesus Wept

Why did Jesus Weep?

John 11:32-37 (Cp. Romans 12:15; Hebrews 4:15, 16)

³²Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. ³³When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. ³⁴And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

³⁵Jesus wept.

³⁶Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! ³⁷And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

Introduction

We often hear about John 11:35 being the “shortest verse in the Bible.” That is true, of course. But it doesn’t seem to have much bearing on what it means for us as believers. Who cares that it is the shortest? That fact is interesting, perhaps, but, in itself it is meaningless. The content of every verse is what we need. What does it say, and what does it mean? And, ultimately, how can I apply it to my own life?

In the context of Lazarus’ death and the grief of his family and friends, Jesus weeping means much more. Did grief overwhelm Jesus also, at having lost His friend? That seems unlikely, since He knew He was about to raise him back to normal life. It seems far more likely that Jesus wept for the grief that the others were experiencing.

Get The Whole Context!

Remember, back in verses 1-14, we saw that Jesus knew all about what was going on in Bethany. Though he was a long distance away, He knew that Lazarus was sick. He knew that it would ultimately not result in death, (v.4) but in His own glorification. Jesus waited two days after hearing the news that Lazarus was sick. Lazarus would not have “just died” when Jesus arrived. He waited that long so that no one had any doubt about his death. So that Lazarus would have been dead long enough that his body would have begun to decay!

Then He told His disciples that He was going back to Judaea. They were afraid the Rulers of the Temple might kill Him. He finally explained to them that Lazarus was dead, and that He, Jesus, was going to “awaken” him. They were still pretty anxious about going back, to a town so close to Jerusalem, but they all went along.

When Jesus initially arrived, the majority of the people he met were his friends. They told Him, “Lord, if you had been here, Lazarus would not have died.” To one another, they said, “This man could heal the blind. Couldn’t he have prevented the death of His friend?” So, we can see that many of them had at least a rudimentary faith in His ability to heal.

What about Death itself?

The issue they were all struggling with, was “Why didn’t you save his life?” But it had not yet occurred to any of them that Jesus could actually raise the dead, except Martha, who seemed to have a glimmer of an idea that Jesus could ask God to bring Lazarus back from the dead. (See verse 22: She said, “Even now, whatsoever you will ask of God, God will give it to you.”)

**Can God Raise The Dead?**

So, the next question is, “How far does Jesus, the Messiah’s Authority really extend? Can He raise the dead?” We know that this is not the first time God raised the dead. In 1^st Kings 17:17-24, we see that the Widow’s son at Zarephath had died, and Elijah asked God to restore him. God honored the request and raised the boy back to life.

2^nd Kings 4:1-37 tells of Elisha, the protégé of Elijah, and another child God raised from the dead. And, at the end of Elisha’s life, long after his death, in 2^nd Kings 13:20, 21, we see some men sent out to bury the corpse of a dead man. But, because the gravediggers saw a band of raiders coming, they hurriedly let the man’s body down into the grave of Elisha.

The result must have been a shocking experience to those men: When the corpse touched the bones of Elisha, it sprang back to life. (I especially enjoy this story: I can imagine the men who attempting to do the burying, running back to the city walls to escape the raiders, and looking back to see the dead man running with them. I’ll bet they really ran, then!)

Finally, Ezekiel 37: Though it was a vision, it still spoke of God’s authority to bring back those who had long ago died. In that particular case, it referred to the resurrection of the Jews as a nation, both physically and spiritually.

But; Can Jesus Raise the Dead?

So, the concept of God raising the dead was not new. But none of them had ever seen it, and now they would see whether Jesus actually possessed the authority He claimed. That is the real question: “Does Jesus truly have the Authority He claims to have?”

We still ask that question today: “Can Jesus really take care of me and my family? Is His blood really sufficient to take away all my sins? How sure am I, really, that everything He says is really true?”

Jesus wants us to be sure. He wants us to know that we have eternal life, now. 1^st John 5:11-13 says that He wants us to know that we have eternal life… not to hope, or just persuade ourselves, or something. He wants us to know it.

The Widow of Zarephath had already believed that Elijah was a man of God. She agreed to make the small cake of bread for him. He promised that her little barrel of meal and her little jar of oil would not run out until the famine was past. And it didn’t!

But then her son died. She immediately reproached Elijah, in grief and anger. But he took the dead child from her, and carried him up to the loft where he was living. He prayed for God to “return his soul to his body.” And God did so. Her response was “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the Word of the LORD in thy mouth is Truth!”

God wants us to be that sure!

How Can We Experience Eternal Life?

We know from the Old Testament stories that God is completely capable of getting us safely home to Himself. We believe that His authority carries beyond the grave. But He wants us to be sure, not only that we already have eternal life through faith in the shed blood of Jesus: He also wants us to be secure in the knowledge that He is with us now, and can carry us through all of the trials of life and through death itself. This is not a “pie in the sky when you die” idea. He calls us to experience that Eternal Life in the here and now!

In John 17:3, Jesus said “ And this is Eternal Life: that they may know thee, the one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” The word translated as “know,” here, is the Greek word, “ginosko,” meaning “experiential knowledge.” It is not just “knowing a lot about a person.” It means having an ongoing, living, growing relationship with that person. If we are to experience eternal life today, then we need to be in that ongoing, experiential relationship with Jesus.

We can “have” eternal life, because we have placed our faith in His completed work at the Cross…faith in His shed blood for our sins. But to experience it in a real, everyday way, we need to be walking with Him.

Seeing the Dead Raised

We might think, “Well, why doesn’t God raise the dead today, and make everyone believe?” There were enemies who saw Jesus raise Lazarus. The experience did not persuade them to place their faith in Jesus. No! They plotted to kill him! And, in the next chapter, it occurred to them that they had better include Lazarus in the bargain: (“Gotta kill him too, or people will believe in Jesus anyway!”)

In Luke 16:19-31, we see the story of the “other Lazarus.” In it, the dead rich man argued that “if they see someone raised from the dead, they will believe!” Abraham answered, “If they will not believe Moses and the Prophets, neither will they believe, though one be raised from the dead.” This passage in John 11, and 12 is clear proof of that truth! Those who rebelled against Jesus were determined to oppose him despite having seen undeniable proof of His deity!

How does it Help Us, to Know that Jesus Wept?

Compassion should have been strong in every priest.

In the Old Testament, it is easy to see that some of the human High Priests were not very compassionate. And the High Priest at that moment, when Jesus was raising the dead, was Caiaphas. He was leading the group that wanted Jesus murdered! (How “compassionate” was that?)

In Exodus 28:29-30, God called the High Priest to carry the names of the tribes of Israel on his shoulders and on his heart. Leviticus 16:1-6 says that the High Priest had to offer a sacrifice for his own sins, before he could minister as the mediator for the people. Hebrews 5:1-3 confirms that the High Priest is supposed to “have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are ‘out of the way,’ specifically because he himself is surrounded by his own infirmity.” And that was just about the human high priests. They were flawed individuals themselves! And they were to have compassion upon others for that very reason.

Jesus Is The Perfect High Priest

And, in Hebrews 4:15, 16, we see that “We do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” I often point out that “our feelings are not always an accurate reflection of reality.” That is certainly true, but the fact remains that the feelings themselves are a reality that we have to deal with! And Jesus is aware of our feelings and is compassionate toward us in our frailties.

Jesus had no sin, but He suffered as though He were just like any other human. He felt the grief of the people, and “wept with those who wept,” genuinely feeling their grief, and sharing in it for their sake. He did not just say, “Chin up! This too shall pass!” Nor did He utter any other such inane platitudes: He wept with them because of their grief, even though He knew He was about to bring them indescribable Joy.

God Calls Us To Join Jesus In His Priesthood

Jesus is the True High Priest… but every believer is called to serve as a priest in the Body of Christ. We are to be His hands and feet and heart in our lifetime, here on Earth, reaching out to those around us in genuine compassion.

This is part of the unity of the church: we are all part of the Body of Christ. And when one part of the body is injured, it affects the whole body to one degree or another. Every living body exhibits this care for itself. If my back itches, for example, my body contorts itself to reach and scratch it. If a toe is injured, the whole body responds to protect that toe by limping or hobbling along, avoiding further injury. We are to care for one another at that level, spiritually and emotionally, as well as physically.

Compassion is Required in Disciples

Romans 12:15 clearly commands us to “Weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice.” This is not a command to “pretend” grief or “pretend’ joy. It is a command to extend our hearts to the needs of those around us, to the extent that we feel their sorrow as our own and we feel their joy as our own. Ultimately, of course, that makes us pretty vulnerable to being hurt. But it also opens us up to experiencing the blessing of God flowing through us to those who are hurting, in the world around us.

If we are genuinely caring about the needs of those around us, then, as Jesus did, we will often find ourselves weeping in sympathy with those who weep, and experiencing the joy of those who rejoice.

Lord Jesus, open our hearts to be like You, caring deeply for those around us, and deeply, genuinely empathizing with them as You demonstrated in Your life. Help us to demonstrate the Agape Love so that the World will see Your face in us.

April 19, 2026April 19, 2026

How to Understand New Testament Giving As a Church

New Testament Giving: Corporate and Individual

Acts 11:27-30; 1^st Corinthians 16:1-4; 2^nd Corinthians 8:1-5; 2^nd Corinthians 9:1-15

Introduction:

Many of us “shy away” from discussing the topic of giving. Part of the reason is that many unbelievers claim, “Churches are only after yer money!”And, sadly, there have been many charlatans over the years who took up collections. They supposedly did so for some worthy cause, or for a charitable project or something. But they were taking the funds for their own use. Some men and organizations still “make merchandise of religion,” so to speak, and even make merchandise of Biblical teaching.

2^nd Corinthians 2:17 says “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”
Notice that the KJV only says they “corrupt” the Word of God. Newer translations say they are “peddling the Word of God for profit,” or making a “trade” of it. In “selling” God’s Word as a commercial product, people frequently do corrupt it. They water it down or “modify” it in other ways, to make it “more marketable;” more palatable.

That is one reason our church explicitly does NOT expect visitors to contribute. This church is self-supporting, and visitors are our guests. This is not a money-centered organization.

I feel fairly comfortable talking about giving because this church has been faithful to give. For at least the last thirteen years, money has not been a problem. No one here needs to feel as though anyone is “squeezing” them for money. Therefore, I can teach on New Testament Giving without fear that someone willbe offended.

Context Matters!

We do take a weekly offering, but we do not try to persuade people to give. And to those who give, we do not ask them to “give more.” Why? Because we know that people are already giving as God directs them!

In the scriptures we read today, we will see that one of the principles of New Testament giving is “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” But they had a purpose in their giving: A specific need right then: Turn to Acts 11:27-30, please.

Acts 11:27-30

²⁷And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. ²⁸And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. ²⁹Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: ³⁰Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

There was a famine, and it evidently hit Judaea pretty hard. The believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the believers in Judaea. They did so, and sent Paul and Barnabas to see that the funds arrived safely and were used properly.

When we give to missionaries, we do so because we already see how they are living. They are using their lives and funds in a way that honor God and that further the Gospel.

The first time we sent funds for Bibles, we sent through a known, reliable man. The people actually received the Bibles before we delivered the money to him! He was faithful! The recipients are faithful, too. They have sent photos of the people receiving their Bibles, and of them worshipping together, and being baptized, etc.

The best the believers at Antioch were able to do was to send reliable men. They sent Paul and Barnabas first, and others later. There was a period of time during which they were giving regularly to support the believers in Judaea. Please turn to 1^st Corinthians 16:1-4.

1^st Corinthians 16:1-4

¹Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. ²Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. ³And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. ⁴And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me.

Notice that the pattern of giving had spread from Antioch to other churches across Asia Minor and Greece. The Galatian churches were involved, and so was the church at Corinth. Paul said that no collection was going to be taken up when he arrived to pick up their gifts: Each person was individually responsible to set aside their own intended gift each week, and whenever Paul arrived, they could put all the gifts together for the church’s corporate donation. Then he said they could choose in writing who they wanted to carry the funds, and if they wanted him to go with their representatives, he would do so.

We have periodically announced the need for Bibles in Kenya and Pakistan, and each person gave as they chose, simply specifying that their gift was for Bibles. We demanded nothing from anyone, but the giving was generous, and immediate. The same thing happened among the Churches in Macedonia: Notice what happened there:

2^nd Corinthians 8:1-5

¹Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; ²How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. ³For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; ⁴Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. ⁵And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

Paul had to “encourage” the believers at Corinth, as voluntary “free will” giving was a new idea to them. But, he said that he had already “bragged” about them to other churches, and warned them that there could be emissaries from those churches, coming along with him…. So, he warned them not to embarrass themselves (or him) by stingy giving.

2^nd Corinthians 9:1-15

¹For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: ²For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. ³Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready: ⁴Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.

Paul had even sent messengers ahead of time to give them ample warning, so they would not feel “ambushed,” or “cornered.”

⁵Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. ⁶But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

Paul did point out that ministry includes (but is not limited to) giving, and that as we invest in God’s work, we know that a small gift can have great returns. We saw how the boy who offered his lunch to Jesus saw a huge “return on his investment.” 5000+ people were fed that day, and there was more left over than the entire amount he had given. Remember that he gave his whole lunch. That is what made it a “heavy investment.”

The “Bottom Line”

⁷Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

This is the rule: no one needs to feel that someone is shaking the plate and staring at them. We are not “paying admission” to attend. We give because we want to do so. And we look to God for His supply in each of our lives.

⁸And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: ⁹(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

Not for Personal Gain

Please do not see this as a temporal “investment program.” Some people do try to teach it that way, as though the Bible says, “give to the church and God will make you wealthy.” The believers in Macedonia gave out of their deep poverty, begging Paul to add their gift to the relief for Judaea. And they were still poor! They gave beyond their means. But the result was great:

¹⁰Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) ¹¹Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. ¹²For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; ¹³Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; ¹⁴And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.

What About Us?

It is almost incredible to me, that God has allowed us the privilege of giving to feed His Word into the lives of hundreds of people in Kenya, and in Pakistan. The results have been amazing, and we are encouraged by those results. But those churches are praying for us, just as Paul says, here. So, the blessing is going in both directions. And all we can say is:

¹⁵Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

AMEN!

Lord Jesus, we are thrilled to be allowed to serve You by giving to put Your Word in the hands and the hearts of people across the globe, most of whom we will never meet. Teach us to find our joy in Your presence and in Your blessing.

A Walk Through Galatians, Part 2

© 2026 Lee Tankersley

(Part 2: Galatians 1:11-24)

Introduction:

How Does God Save Sinners?

(Read Galatians 1: 11-24)

How the Epistle Began

First Argument

We Need Humility to Seek God’s Wisdom

Paul Explains the Source of His Information

The Gospel Is For the World

Paul’s Calling

When Did God Choose Paul?

Paul’s Response to Conversion

Paul Gives Credit to God

Some Demand Signs and Miracles

This is Not a New Problem

Can God Change You and Me?

Why Did Paul Leave?

God Calls us to Change

Jesus is the One Who Changes Us

Discipleship is a Matter of Life and Death

Philippians 1:29

2nd Corinthians 4:7-18

Introduction:

Why Earthen Vessels?

Trouble on Every Side!

God’s Chosen Example

The Spirit of Faith

Two Examples

Is it Easy?

Conclusion: Our “Light Affliction…”

What is The Focus of Faithful Ministry?

1st Corinthians 4:2

2nd Corinthians 4:1-7

Introduction:

Stewardship Requires Faithfulness

1st Corinthians 4:2

What is Faithfulness?

So, Then, What IS Faithful Ministry?

But Look At What Else God Says: (verse 2)

What is the Result, and Why?

Not Just Israel

How Do We Pursue the Good Result of the Gospel?

Why Do We Present Ourselves In That Way?

Finally, What kind of People qualify as Servants?

Why Did Moses’s Skin Glow?

Exodus 34:29-35 (Read it!) Compare 2nd Corinthians 3:7-18

Introduction:

But, Why did Moses’s Face Glow, or Shine?

The Apostles Glowed in a Different Way

Matthew 5:14-16

Where Does the Light Originate?

What is the Result of the Light?

What About Israel?

What About Us?

But, What about Us?

Why might we fail to shine?

We are Servants of the New Testament

2nd Corinthians 2:14-3:6

Introduction:

Does God Cause Us to Triumph in Christ?

Against Satan:

Against the World:

Against the Flesh:

What Is The Result Of That Spiritual Triumph?

What Does it Mean, to “Corrupt the Word of God?”

2nd Corinthians Chapter 3

No Self-Commendation, and No Self Condemnation:

What did John the Baptist and Jesus preach?

So, What is Our Job?

The “Other Side” Of Church Discipline

2nd Corinthians 2:1-11, compare 1st Corinthians 5:1-7

Introduction:

1st Corinthians 5:1-7

Church Discipline

The “Other Side” of Church Discipline

We Can Read About The End Results In 2nd Corinthians 2:1-11.

Discipline is Temporary, for Restoration

But What Happens When The Sinning Brother Repents?

**Discipleship is a Matter of Life and Death**

2^nd Corinthians 4:7-18

1^st Corinthians 4:2

2^nd Corinthians 4:1-7

1^st Corinthians 4:2

Exodus 34:29-35 (Read it!) Compare 2^nd Corinthians 3:7-18

**But, Why did Moses’s Face Glow, or Shine?**

**But, What about Us?**

**Does God Cause Us to Triumph in Christ?**

**What Is The Result Of That Spiritual Triumph?**

**What Does it Mean, to “Corrupt the Word of God?”**

2^nd Corinthians Chapter 3

**No Self-Commendation, and No Self Condemnation:**

2^nd Corinthians 2:1-11, compare 1^st Corinthians 5:1-7

1^st Corinthians 5:1-7

We Can Read About The End Results In 2^nd Corinthians 2:1-11.

2^nd Corinthians 2:1-11, compare 1^st Corinthians 5:1-7

1^st Corinthians 5:1-7

We Can Read About The End Results In 2^nd Corinthians 2:1-11.

**Why Did Paul Not Visit Corinth Again, Sooner?**

1^st Corinthians 16:5-18

**So, Where Was Paul?**

**How The Believers Were Going To Treat The Leaders That God Sent To Them**

**Can God Raise The Dead?**