Friday, January 23, 2009

2 Corinthians 1:12-22

12Now this is our boast: 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. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace. 13For 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.
15Because I was confident of this, I planned to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. 17When I planned this, did I do it lightly? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say, "Yes, yes" and "No, no"?

18But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas[a] and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." 20For 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. 21Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.


The backstory: There were people who gained some influence in the Corinthian church who felt Paul was a threat, so they tried to discredit him. One of the things they said about Paul is that he wasn’t “eloquent” enough. Paul’s response is that you can sound very intelligent without having any clue what you are talking about.

The gospel is not merely words, he points out. When he preached it to them in his “simple” words, they understood it and their lives were changed by it. Had he used words that they couldn’t understand, then they would not have been changed.

More importantly, he points out, is that the way he lived his life was also part of the message. His integrity, which the Corinthian church was aware of, was proof of the power of the gospel. This “simplicity” that he was accused of was not something to be ashamed of, rather it was an opportunity for Jesus to shine instead of him.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

2 Corinthians 1:8-11

8We 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. 9Indeed, 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. 10He 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, 11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our[a] behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Personally, I am one who is fascinated by destiny. I love the idea that some things are “meant to be”. I draw comfort from trusting that God has known everything since eternity past, especially when life seems like a 5000-piece puzzle, jumbled in a heap. Today’s passage showed that even the apostle Paul had burdens so heavy that he despaired of life! Who else suffered like that? Jesus Christ, of course, who was crushed with our condemnation. The Good News is that, if we share in His sufferings, we also share in is glorious resurrection! How can we not? Do not lose hope when things are out of your hands. Instead, rejoice that our destiny always has been and always will be to be united with our beloved Father. Let us pray for those with burdens and despair – that God’s grace would be received by them, especially our brothers and sisters in persecution.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

—2 Corinthians 1.3–7—

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

God has not promised us that we will not face difficulty and suffering in our lives; however, he has promised us that he will give us comfort in our suffering. Therefore, if we are suffering, we should not complain or feel sorry for ourselves. Instead, we should pray and ask God to help us through the situation. We should also be sure to look for what God is trying to teach us. Otherwise, it will all have been for nothing.

In addition to this, we need to share God’s comfort with others. If we see that someone else is going through a hard time, we should offer them encouragement and share with them what we have learned from God through our own sufferings. In addition to the situations where we can share God’s comfort with others directly, there are also ways to share it more indirectly. If others see that we are using God’s comfort to get through a tough time, that observation in itself will be an encouragement to them to do the same.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

2 Corinthians 1.1-2

—2 Corinthians 1.1-2
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

It is always necessary for me to address myself by name when I communicate in some way, shape, or form. It is the small link to my identity. People call me by name and I am drawn to wherever it is called. However, there is an important lesson for all Christians when examining the method Paul uses to identify himself. Paul always opens by name and then a description of his relationship to Jesus Christ. He writes, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus…” In effect, Paul is not solely linked to his name and, therefore, himself. His self is only with regards to the service of Jesus Christ. It is more like saying, “I am Paul, but that means nothing. The only reason I have a legitimate identity is because I know the Christ.” Let us reflect now upon how we choose to identify ourselves. Is it on our own two feet or standing on the rock of Jesus?

Monday, January 19, 2009

CCF The Real Deal Devos

Greetings CCFers (Both Iowa and Iowa State).

Our Wednesday night theme this semester is "The Real Deal." It is a follow-up to last semester's series on the book of Hebrews. Hebrews used a lot of theology to show us why Jesus is worthy of being followed.

So, having explored why Jesus is worthy of being followed, this semester we are going to take a look at what following Jesus actually looks like. In doing so, we will be looking at parts of II Corinthians and Galatians.

To supplement our Wednesday night teaching, we have put together a daily devotional. This devotional is online at ccfdevos.blogspot.com. We have it set up to email to our CCF lists. Since it is a blog, you are able to make comments. Hopefully, a lot of discussion will take place.

The devotions are CCF origninals, written by CCF students, staff, and alumni. Our hope and prayer is that each of you are blessed, challenged, and encouraged by this project.

Peace,

Eric, Adam, Jaime, and Roger

Sunday, January 18, 2009

CCF: The Real Deal Devotions

Greetings CCFers (Both Iowa and Iowa State).

Our Wednesday night theme this semester is "The Real Deal." It is a follow-up to last semester's series on the book of Hebrews. Hebrews used a lot of theology to show us why Jesus is worthy of being followed.

So, having explored why Jesus is worthy of being followed, this semester we are going to take a look at what following Jesus actually looks like. In doing so, we will be looking at parts of II Corinthians and Galatians.

To supplement our Wednesday night teaching, we have put together a daily devotional. This devotional is online at ccfdevos.blogspot.com. We have it set up to email to our CCF lists. Since it is a blog, you are able to make comments. Hopefully, a lot of discussion will take place.

The devotions are CCF origninals, written by CCF students, staff, and alumni. Our hope and prayer is that each of you are blessed, challenged, and encouraged by this project.

Peace,

Eric, Adam, Jaime, and Roger