The New Testament
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Devotional
Weekly Bible Devotion By Books
Nov. 20-25, 2023
Enter the presence of the Lord-
(All) Trust in the Lord with all your heart
(M) and lean not on your own understanding
(W) in all your ways submit to him
(M) let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger
(W) Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
(M) the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
(All) And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
(James 1:19, Proverbs 3:5-8, Hebrew 12:14, James 3:17-18)
Confession
Lord of peace, grant us your wisdom, strengthen our heart to trust you more and more. Help us to pursue peace and righteousness in wherever we are. Thank you. Amen, In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray.
Scripture Reading 2 Corinthians
1:10-11a 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers.
1:20-22 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
5:14-15 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
5:17-21 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
6:4-7 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;
7:1 7 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Thoughts to Share: The Leadership in Ministry Conflict
In the book of 2 Corinthians, we overhear the dissatisfaction of Corinthian church over Paul- his person, his style, his appearance, his preaching content, his popularity, his motivation and most importantly, his identity and authority as an apostle. We can sense the intense emotions of jealousy, anger, arrogance flying around. The church members lost the respect, honor, longing, concern toward Paul. They were no longer humble and teachable to learn from him. They became confused and suspicious about Paul. They relentlessly attacked and criticized Paul.
Paul was in a triangle relation with super-apostles and a congregation that was tossed by the performance culture around them. How did Paul deal with such tough situation? How could he change that expectation gaps between them? How could he continue his leadership in the ministry conflict that centered on him? Paul perceived such a sticky situation as a pastoral opportunity to further mature these Corinthian Christians. So he opened up his work world to them. He knew that any follower of Christ might encounter the same thing one day.
Paul courageously, passionately and pastorally articulated, challenged, persuaded, exhorted and led the angry Corinthian Church in the conflict with him.
1) Paul led the church to see suffering as a part of being a minister of the Gospel
Paul started with the letter by mentioning his own suffering in the province of Asia for the sake of the gospel while he was absent from the Corinthian church. He shared more about his physical, emotional sufferings, travel troubles and pains from interpersonal relations because of his obedience of the call from the Lord.
Yet, Paul had great testimonies to share through his suffering experiences. He witnessed that the God he served was a God of comfort. (1:3-4) He discovered that the saving power in Christ was active on his past, present and future. (1:9-10). He learned that the grace of God was sufficient for him and his power was made perfect in his weakness. (12:9). He knew that the power of saints’ prayers and comfort. He valued the support from his co-workers.
2) Paul communicated about his goals and motivation for being a minister of the Gospel
Paul was very clear about his goals for Corinthian christ-believers. These goals include: to build them up (8:10; 12:19), to make them not to accept God’s grace in vain (6:1), to present them as a pure virgin to the Messiah, devoting to the Messiah sincerely and purely (6:2b, 3b), and to serve them (11:8).
Paul shared that his being a minister of the Gospel was motivated by the love and grace of Lord in Jesus Christ. (5: 14-19, 6:1). He clearly remmbered his calling (12:1-4). He understood his authority, his weakness, his duty (5:20-21). He saw himself as God’s co-worker and the servant of God. (6:1, 4).
3) Paul revealed his personal discipline and work ethics of being a minister of the Gospel
Paul was very conscious of his own living evidence in every way in every situation behind being a minister of the Gospel to the public. He communicated that
the minister of the Gospel was not a celebrity business. We hear
-“ you might have a second experience of grace…””…so that the grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God.( 1:15b, 4:15)
- “ We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by clear statements of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God. (4:2)
- We intend to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of people. (8:21)
- Now I myself, Paul, plead with you with the gentleness and kindness of the Messiah—I who am humble when I am face to face with you but forceful toward you when I am away! (10:1)
- For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you… (10:8)
- The person who boasts should boast in the Lord. (10:17)
- I did not take advantage of you through any of the men I sent you, did I? (12:13)
- The signs of an apostle were performed among you with utmost patience—signs, wonders, and powerful actions. (12:12)
4) Paul directed them to see their future: : Be restored! Be reconciled! Be focused!
To this divisive and angry Corinthian Church, Paul understood that its strife was not toward him personally but a distraction from the struggle between the Christ and culture. Paul
- appealed to the Corinthian church to make room in their hearts for Paul and his team (7:2)
- demanded the Corinthian christ-believers to examine themselves to see whether they were in the faith
- reminded that there was a power in them because Jesus Christ in them (13: 5)
- pointed them to a new vision “Keep on growing to maturity. Keep listening to my appeals. Continue agreeing with each other and living in peace.
Then the God of love and peace will be with you.” (13: 11)
5) Paul blessed them with threefold blessings
Paul continued to have confidence in Corinthian church because of his trust in the grace and power of Jesus Christ. He blessed them with “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” He trusted that the triune God would be active not only to save these Corinthian believers out of their illusion but also to cause them to grow into maturity.
The churches in our early 21st century lives in the wealthy, luxury, comfortable, tolerant and convenient digital visual culture. Believers continue the various challenges like the ones in Corinthian church. We tend to choose wealthy status (8:9), eye-pleasing appearance (5:16, 10:10b), charismatic and animated personality, and more eloquent and intellectual speech style (10:10b). We let consumer market determines our values.
In the eternal foreknowledge of God and in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the letter has been passed down to us. We can learn something valuable. Being called to be a minister of Gospel by the will of God is a holy and noble trust. Suffering and conflict are part of this calling. The Gospel ministers are to expect them and have wisdom to handle those moments. Paul demonstrated the gentle, assertive, and wise leadership during a controversial time in the ministry. He turned a crisis into a pastoral opportunity. He faithfully fulfilled his calling as a minister of the Gospel in challenging circumstances.
Prayer Suggestions
Lord of Church and Lord of the Gospel ministers, you have an eternal purpose and a glorious mission through your church and through your Gospel ministers. May the blessings of your grace, love and fellowship be with us. Help us strive to pursue agreement, live in peace and advance your work together. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Prayer Request
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