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2 Corinthians 10 - What Are You Thinking About???

2 Corinthians 10 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary Paul’s Defense of His Ministry 10 By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. The context of this passage was that the Corinthians were being swayed by those who were talking behind Paul's back and making disparaging comments about him. They we...
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2 Corinthians 9 - Why Should I Give Money to the Church?

2 Corinthians 9 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Generosity Encouraged 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:  “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;  their righteousness endures forever.”  10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This is the second chapter in a row, where Paul is admonishing the Corinthians to complet...
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2 Corinthians 8 - The Difference Between Equality and Socialism

2 Corinthians 8 - NIV What Does Equality Look Like? The Best Solution for True Economic Equality Today, Paul teaches the church on the "grace of giving". It is the best chapter on the reason, motivation, and way by which one should give generously to those in need, in response to all God has given us in Christ. It not only has relevance for the church 2,000 years ago but is equally true today.  Churches often have Stewardship Sunday, which usually caps off a month of emphasis on where the church is at financially and what it needs to do the things it wants to do the next year. Stewardship Sunday is when everyone puts their pledge commitments in the offering plates and the church gets an idea of the budget can sustain for the following year.  What some members of the church sometimes don't know is that most churches give outside their four walls to help the needs of the wider church and/or other Christian or charitable organizations. The churches I have pastored have alway...
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2 Corinthians 7 - What Is the Difference Between "Sorry" and "Godly Sorrow"!

2 Corinthians 7 Enduring Word Commentary 8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged. ...
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2 Corinthians 6 - How Can You Be In the World But Not of the World!

2 Corinthians 6 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Warning Against Idolatry 14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[b]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them     and walk among them, and I will be their God     and they will be my people.” One of the problems of the Corinthians is that they were still "worldly". Though they were a "new creation in Christ", they were tempted to go back to their old habits from before they accepted Christ. Paul says to them,  "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." Jesus used the term "yoke" to refer to his "easy yoke" he gave to his followers. The yoke was fixed to the oxen as the...
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2 Corinthians 5 - Are You Ready for Judgment Day?

2 Corinthians 5 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Paul describes our earthly body as an earthly tent. It is temporary. It provides a place of shelter. Like a regular tent it gets torn and tattered and eventually needs to be replaced. But our heavenly tent, which he also calls our "heavenly home", is our permanent and eternal dwelling place.  Though there are many great things about our earthly home, our heavenly home will be much better. Paul says that we groan now and desire to ...
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2 Corinthians 4 - Where O Death Is Your Sting?

2 Corinthians 4 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Many times when I am going through a tough time or troubling trial, it seems like I am the only one who has ever gone through this. I might be tempted to become dramatic and lose perspective on what is really happening and its severity. While at the time, this suffering is real for me, it is only when I look back am I able to put it into perspective and see it for what it was.This is not to diminish anyone's suffering, but Paul's teaching here helps us to put our light and momentary afflictions into perspective.   David Guzik gives some really helpful commentary on what Paul sa...
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