11:2-3 - Paul says he wanted to present them as a pure virgin to God, meaning that they had lived only for Him...given themselves completely to Him, but he sees that they are being deceived by the cunning lies of the serpent. From Paul's analogy, we can see how deadly serious it is to reject God for the lies of the serpent. If we as the church are the bride of Christ, then when we turn away we are committing spiritual adultery. When we buy in to the lies of this world we are taking the Spirit of God that lives within us and forcibly joining him with Satanic evil. That is a pretty serious warning to always keep on watch for deceptions that turn us away from the truth of God.
11:7-12 - It is possible that the false teachers were saying that Paul was a lesser man than them because he didn't ask for money. The traveling teachers of the time would ask for differing sums of money...the more eloquent and passionate the speaker was, the more money they would ask for. They were probably saying to the Corinthians, "Look at that Paul guy, who is he? He doesn't even ask for any money - he is nowhere near our level!" How often do we judge the effectiveness of someones ministry by worldly standards (numbers, popularity, etc.)? The life lived and the heart and the message of the person is what I believe drives their effectiveness int he kingdom. There are unpaid ministers all over every church that do incredibly powerful ministry day in and day out, and I think there will be some shock in heaven when we see the humble honored and the arrogant laid low.
11:20 - How often do I put up with something that enslaves me and takes advantage of me? Nearly every day. I allow systems of this world to mold who I am...I sit by and bring things into my eyes and ears that slowly, one step and a time move me away from God...make me numb to the things that God's heart burns because of. There is a war being fought every day...am I taking steps towards God or away...am I making concessions with the world that lead me from God? We have to choose a side.
11:30 - I love how Paul's boasting has nothing to do with what he did...it all revolves around how horrible things have gone for him. He has gotten beaten and nearly killed at every turn of his ministry...that doesn't sound like the greatest resume ever! He is weak and broken and faces trials and temptation every day and the only thing that gets him through it all is the power of God. The only thing that keeps him going is God. The only way he can continue to preach in the face of such danger is because God is with him.
12:9 - Paul revels in his weakness! He allows the hard things of life to drive him towards God instead of away from God. He praises God for his weakness because it forces him to rely completely on God. This is such a different picture from the normal Christian existence. God I want to be like this...I want you to show me my weaknesses - even the ones I try to constantly hide from everyone, including myself...I want to know that I am weak so that I can know that you are strong. I want to give you my weakness and failure and fall into the power of God to make something of my brokenness. That is what I want...that is what I want to chase after.
12:11-ff - It takes a true friend to call you out on sin in your life. I think we sometimes shy away from accountability, because we don't want to be the judgemental jerks that have out own sins to deal with, that are always calling out other peoples' sin. But if we waited til' we were perfect to hold people accountable and call each other to the life that God has told us to live...there would be no accountability. We will never be good enough. That is why I love the way Paul set this up...he goes with humility...he lays out his own weaknesses and faults before he moves on to theirs. That is how you confront your brothers and sisters in Christ...in humility and love. If we truly care about the people in our Christian family, we will say the hard things to them. How could it possibly be love to let someone turn their back on God and fall into destructive sin cycles? That is not love...that is apathetic weakness.
2 comments:
Two things on 11
1 – Paul warns us to watch out for these "super-apostles”, money-grubbing "preachers", a sorry bunch—pseudo-apostles, lying preachers, crooked workers (vs 5,12,13). Paul says how quick these new Christians are as a crowd to follow these guys with their half truths and pseudo gospel.
Look at the world today – how many turn away from the real deal because they can’t handle the truth – and they go where the crowds go – they follow which ever guy has the current bestseller book.
I thank our Lord when ministers (including the ones at Northside) follow Christ – not perfection – but just being consistent and doing the best they can. You don’t want the other – been there, done that, burned the t-shirt. Never again.
2 – Verses14-15. Ever make you wonder about who really showed up when someone talks about a visit from an angel of light? Two major non-Christian religions that I know of have this reference to their beginning – and they all claim to have the “real way” to God.
Test what they have to say against the Word – it always falls short – just like everything else from the enemy.
Jesus – the only way, truth, and life. No 12 step program. No rituals for this or that. Just the only Son of God, there for us – waiting for anyone who wants Him as Lord.
The only source of my peace here,
j
Thank you Father for making your perfection in my weakness! Thank you for not requiring this unattainable status for me to do what I do; for allowing me to do what I do in my weakness because you make me strong. Continue to build me up and make me better in my struggles, but for the times I fail and am not good enough, thank you for thinking of those times and covering them as well. I love you!
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