DownshoreDrift

For a class that I am co-teaching this summer at our church, I prepared a lesson on characteristics of different time periods in Western history and how they relate to our Christian witness. For simplicity's sake, I called them the pre-modern (traditional) period, the modern period, the post-modern age, and the post-post modern age. These names are stupid and simplistic, I know, and it is impossible to generalize in this way. But, the purpose was to try and inform the class through a short primer of how people think from different time periods and how those worldviews co-exist. We have to know what language people speak before we are able to engage them in a redemptive way. If you are interested in the notes, they can be found at writings.downshoredrift.com.

2 Corinthians 3:7-11

In class last week, we reviewed the previous section and talked about what it meant to influence other spiritually.  We got into a great discussion on what it means to be saved and on who God uses to speak for Him and affect others. Bono came up and we talked quite a bit about how we can give off the aroma of Christ. We then moved into our next passage at the end of class.

We want to continually live from the basis of the New Covenant. The New Covenant, which is the covenant of grace that was ushered in through Christ is far more glorious than the Old Covenant, which came with Moses. I have continue reading through the Bible in a year and it was really cool to read the Exodus account and the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, and then come to this in our class.

Here are some scripture passages on both the old and new covenants to meditate on this week:

• Exodus 19:1-19

• Exodus 20:1-21

• 1 Corinthinans 15:56

It is so important that we go back to the Law to learn the character of God and to meditate on what He wants from us. However, we must always keep in mind that our righteousness comes from faith in Christ (Phil. 3:7-11). That is what makes the New Covenant greater. Meditate on the 10 Commandments in Ex. 20:1-21 and ask the Lord to show you where you have fallen short. Then look to Jesus in faith and ask Him to live through you. He is your righteousness before God, but He also lives through us to change our behavior so that His life is reflected in ours. God still requires holiness – He just gives us the means to live it out in Him and He also forgives us completely. Some passages on the new covenant:

• Jeremiah 31:31-34

• Ezekiel 36:24-27

• Hebrews 12:18-29

Read and reflect over these passage this week and let them speak to you about what God has done for you and how He has changed your heart.

Having Spiritual Influence

This past week in our Sunday School class, we discussed 2 Corinthians 2:12-3:6.  This passage deals with how God uses our lives to influence others through our lifestyle and testimony, and through the power of the Holy Spirit living and working through us.  The passage is broken down into four main sections:

2 Corinthians 2:12,13 – this section deals with how Paul was given an open door to preach the Gospel by the Lord, but he still was not content because he was not able to find and partner with his friend, Titus.  So, he moved on from that area and returned to Macedonian. Paul is still giving a defense of his travel plans and explaining his itinerary, but he also brings up an interesting issue dealing with friendship and faith.  I think that too often we try and live life on our own and forget that God made us to live in relationship with other believers.  Paul normally worked in teams and we see this desire shown here.  Are you in close relationships with other believers? Do you partner in life and ministry with others? God’s desire is that we would work together.

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 – this section talks about how God leads us in triumphal procession in Christ.  We are constantly giving off the aroma of life to those who are being saved, or the aroma of death to those who are perishing. This imagery is connected to the way that ancient armies would take slaves from conquered lands and bring them back and march them in triumphal procession through their home city.  Often, priests would walk in front waving censers (bowls) full of incense that would give off a beautiful smell.  This is the picture – we have been caught in God’s victory train and he is parading us around, showing off His people for His glory.  Instead of a negative connotation, is it positive. 

  It makes me think about when I went to Rome last summer and sat at the Via Sacra (Sacred Way) through the Roman Forum. I meditated on the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman general, Titus, and his legions in A.D. 70.  Jerusalem was obliterated and tens of thousands of Jews were taken back to Rome as slaves and marched through the streets.  When I sat there in the very spot, I wondered what they must have been thinking.  Did any of them remember Jesus and his Messianic claims?  Did any of them wonder if they had been wrong? What did the Romans think of all of these Jews being paraded through town?  There is an arch there commemorating the victory called  the Arch of Titus.  It is one of only three arches left in the Roman forum.  The triumphal procession that God leads us in through Christ is just as dramatic.  This world is no longer our home.  When people see us they are to know that we have surrendered to another.  Our lives are now to be lived as slaves of a glorious Lord.  In the same way that Jerusalem was conquered, our hearts have been conquered by Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthinans 3:1-3 – this section speaks of Paul’s credentials for his ministry.  Instead of having a brilliant resume with letters of recommendation, he says that they are his letter of recommendation!  They are a letter from Christ, the result of his ministry.  At this point, Paul is referring to their experience.  They should know that his life and ministry are real because of what they have experienced in Christ.  Jesus is all over them and they have experienced the Spirit!  That is how they know that Paul is genuine.  Match that with the fact that he did not gain anything financially from his ministry to them (vs. 17), and you have people who have benefited from the truth and know in their hearts that the gospel is true and Jesus is real.

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 – here, Paul says that his confidence and competence for his life and ministry come solely from God.  He says that he is not competent to influence them or anyone else with the Gospel, but God has equipped him to minister the new covenant and the Spirit of God, Himself!

This entire passage tells us that we are influence those around us with our lives, so that we will draw some to Christ, while repulsing those who reject Him.  We are also to minister the Spirit of God through words, actions, and miracles.  The Gospel should go forth from us through the power of the Spirit, not our own intellect.  Jesus should be given free reign to shine through us so that all around us will be influenced by who He is!

This weeks class discusses Paul's attempted visit to Corinth and why he decided not to go there twice, but instead planned to only visit there once. The text is 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11.  Paul says that he did not return to Corinth because he did not want to be too harsh with them and grieve them. He wrote them a letter so that they would deal with the problem that was in their midst.  There has been much debate as to what this problem was and it depends on how many letters to the Corinthians you believe there were.  We have two letters, but some scholars believe that there were three.  We do not know exactly what the problem was, but many believe that it could have been the issue in 1 Corinthians 5, where a man was taking his father's wife. If this is the case, then we can surmise that the church in Corinth addressed the issue and the man  repented (2:5-11).  This passage is about church discipline and what it means to confront an erring brother. While this is a difficult thing to do, the Bible tells us to confront those who are in sin so that the sin will not affect the church (1 Cor. 5:6-11), and so that the sinner will repent (1 Cor. 5:4,5; Matthew 18:15-17).

We drew three main lessons out of this passage:

1. Even though it is not easy, we must confront others who are in sin. It is the loving thing to do if we believe that following Jesus is the path to life. If we really love our children, then wouldn't we correct them if we saw them going the wrong way? Often, we take the easy way out and we just want to mind our own business, but when a brother is stumbling, it is our business. We should come around them and help them follow the Lord.
2. Lest we get too excited about this, we should always be broken and humble before we confront anyone (2 Cor. 2:4).  Paul wrote "out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you." Just because we are confronting someone does not mean that we should relish it. If you are vengeful or want to see the person suffer, or if you have malice in your heart toward the person, you should step back. Remember, you too are a sinner. The purpose of the confrontation is to loving help the person get back on track, not to display how wonderful you are and what a mess they are. We should only do this out of love and sorrow for the person in the wrong.
3. We should always confront with the hope of restoration.  2 Corinthians 2:5-11 shows us a picture of the person repenting.  When this happens, we should welcome them back into fellowship and restore them.  God has forgiven them, so should we. Many times, people use church discipline as a means of punishment.  It is to be used to bring correction and restoration. Only if the person does not respond should the steps increase (See Matthew 18).  When the person repents, we should rejoice and welcome them back into fellowship in the church.

While this is always a difficult issue, we will all know the Lord better if we come to believe that we are accountable for our actions and that there are other believers who love us enough to tell us the truth.  All of us have sinned and we will all continue to sin. Confrontation is only scary in a community where self righteousness is the norm and we all have to protect our image of imagined perfection. If we all know that we are fallible, and we are humble before one another and the Lord, hopefully, we will be open to correction and we will repent of sin so that we can continue to travel on with God in the community of faith. If we refuse to repent, then we are making a conscious choice to go the other way. The community of faith has no choice but to release us to travel after our flesh, and in effect, Satan.  Hard words, but true.

What happens when people criticize you? When you are attacked personally?                      Sometimes we get  defensive and go on the attack. Other times we acquiesce completely and just try to make the other person happy. Rare is the person who can objectively consider the criticism and respond in a strong, yet humble manner.  Sometimes, people are right. You blew it. Other times, they are off base.  The issue rarely has to do with the subject matter of the criticism but how it makes us feel about ourselves.

In 2 Corinthians 1:12-22, we see a picture of how Paul responded to criticism. He was planning on visiting Corinth twice on the way to Macedonia and back but he changed his plans to respond to problems there and decided to stay longer. He had critics in Corinth who were trying to discredit his life and ministry by saying that he was fickle and could not be counted on to do what he said.  Later in the letter we see Paul defending his ministry as an apostle, so we can assume that they also thought his ministry was fake.

Paul responded by saying "Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God" (2 Cor. 1:12).  Is that something that you can say? When people see you do they see a representative of Christ? None of us are perfect, but hopefully our lives are pointing people to Jesus through the way that we carry ourselves and the way that we treat others.  So, when Paul was facing criticism, he was able to remind them of how he actually was. In a sense, Paul was asking them, "Did you see a wishy washy person when I was with you? Did you see someone that you could not trust?"  Paul had a relationship with these people and he appealled to that.

He then appeals to the foundation of Jesus Himself in reminding them of the message that he preached. In verse 18, he says, "our message to you is not 'Yes' and 'No.'  For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not 'Yes' and 'No,' but in him it has always been 'Yes.' For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ." Then in verse 21-22, he says that he has been sealed with the Holy Spirit, just as they have.  So, Paul was not just trying to defend himself.  If he was seen to be flaky, then the message of the Gospel would be in doubt.  Paul reminds them of the integrity of his life and the truth of the message about Jesus that they received.

The point is, that when Paul faced criticism, he pointed to his life and asked if there was any falsehood.  He then pointed to the very message of Jesus that he preached to make sure that they knew that it was sure and that he was being guided by that message.  The message was steadfast and every promise of God was fulfilled in it.  Often, when we face criticism, it either destroys us or we go on the attack.  Perhaps, Paul is showing us that it is possible to stand firm in the Lord and allow Him to defend us.

Here is the handout from the 2 Corinthians class on Sunday.  We had a really good group and lots of discussion afterwards.  Thank Chuck and Alecia for bringing the food!  That was great!  I hope you all have a great week and remember that every negative experience that we face in life is just meant to bring us closer to the Lord - so that we will trust in Him instead of in ourselves.   A good resource concerning the reason behind suffering can be found here at the website of a Baptist church in England that deals with the topic.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 – The Purpose of Suffering

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

In our life, suffering produces a dependence on God, not upon ourselves.  It strips us of a sense that we can handle life and it drives us to the Lord.  Consider the following:

James 1:2-5

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Rom 5:1-5

5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Heb 5:7-10

7 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Ephesians 6:10 tells us to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  We can only learn to be strong in the Lord when we have ceased trying to be strong in our own strength.  We can only learn to trust God when we cease trusting in ourselves.  God uses suffering in our lives to help us trust in God at all times and to cause us to cling to Him.

Can you think of a time when suffering brought you closer to the Lord?

How did you learn to care for and love others more after what you went through?

How can you pray for each other to become strong in the Lord and to trust in Him in the midst of difficult times?

Here is the handout from the 2 Corinthians class that we just started on Sunday.  I am really excited about journeying through this book and really getting to know Paul better.  We had a really good class on Sunday and I feel like we are all going to grow from this experience.   If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to write in the comments section!

2 Corinthians 1

At least the fourth letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians

1. 1. Previous letter mentioned in 1 Cor. 5:9

   1. 2. I Cor. Itself

   2. 3. Severe letter mentioned in 2 Cor. 2:3-4

   3. 4. 2 Corinthians

   Date – A.D. 55 from Macedonia – 2 Cor. 2:13; 7:5

   Purpose:  This letter was a defense of Paul’s life and ministry.  He was under severe attack by opponents who were saying he was not a real apostle and his message was phony.  He has decided to come and pay them a long visit to minister to them and address problems.

   2 Cor. 1:1-11

   Vs. 1    Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God

   ·        Paul is declaring who he is

   ·        He then declares who they are – identity is important

   Vs. 2    Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ  -

               What else can we ask for?

   ·        We stand in grace and are saved by it (Rom. 5:2; Eph. 2:5,8)

   ·        And the peace of God guards and rules our hearts (Phil. 4:7; Col. 3:15)

   Vs. 3    Father of compassion and the God of all comfort

   ·        This is His character, His name.  If you are troubled, hope in God (Ps. 42:5,6).  He will comfort you.

   Vs. 4    He comforts us in all our troubles so we can comfort others with what you have received from God.  What receive from God, we are to give away to others

   ·        Matt. 10:8 – Freely you have received, freely give

   ·        Genesis 12:1-3 – You, just like Abraham, are blessed to be a blessing

   ·        Phil. 2:1-5 – If you have received anything from God, share it with others

   Vs. 5-7    The Christian life requires sharing in sufferings, but in the midst of that, God brings comfort (1 Cor. 4:9-13).

   We have come to believe the lie that everything in the Christian life will be easy, but the truth is that we suffer just as Christ suffered.  This world is not our home.  We do not get all we want out of this life.  But, God promises to comfort in the midst of suffering.  He is our hope and our reward. This comfort and compassion is so victorious that it heals us, pulls us out of the situation, and empowers us to minister it to others who are hurting – All of us learn patient endurance to wait on God and find hope in Him.

   Questions:

   • Have you ever received supernatural comfort from the Lord in the midst of suffering?  If so, how?
   • Do you need this now?  Pray for one another.