Omc: Family Chapel

To extinguish the boasting of the false teachers (who were boasting in their ethnic identity, ministry accomplishments, and spiritual experiences), Paul beats them at their own game. But more than boasting in his strength, Paul is eager to boast in his weakness - the frailty of human life in a fallen world. And the reason for that is two-fold: weakness humbles us out of our prideful delusion of self-sufficiency, and weakness invites us to rest in the grace and power of Christ's sufficiency. Through God's gift of weakness, we get to destroy pride and display Christ.

Paul calls out the false teachers in Corinth for what they are. While outwardly, they might shine and sparkle, they are actually fool's gold. They preach a different gospel, they are motivated by self-interest, and they operate out of an illegitimate authority. We would do well to heed Paul's warning since we too live in a world filled with false teachers peddling fool's gold. Let's seek to be discerning disciples who hold on to Christ, our true treasure.

We pivot away from the topic of collection and generosity/giving and move back into Paul's defense of his apostolic ministry and authority. He begins by speaking on his own validation through the power of the gospel. While his critics and opponents try to demean Paul and self-promote themselves, Paul asserts his validation is from the Lord and from his ministry as a minister of the gospel. True validation is from God. Freedom from the validation of the world is through the gospel.

As Paul wraps up his appeal to the Corinthians about contributing to the relief fund, we now see the fruit of generosity. We can generously give with confidence knowing that in God's Kingdom those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully. Not only does God guarantee the seed to sow, but He also guarantees the fruit to reap. And the fruit of generosity that we can enjoy include greater glory to God and strengthened unity in the church.

After wrapping up his appeal to the Corinthians, Paul now addresses the relief fund he is collecting from various churches to send over to the suffering Christians in Jerusalem and Judea. The Corinthians had begun to collect the funds, but with all the relational tension and presence of false teachers, they had stalled out. In this passage, Paul encourages them to resume the collection and to give generously. As Christians, we are driven to be generous, not out of a burdensome obligation, but by an overflow of God's grace. As such, generosity is our act of worship to God, a pathway to spiritual maturity, the appropriate response to the Gospel, and the means to bless others.

Paul is wrapping up this section of his letter in which he's been making his appeal to his friends in Corinth to be reconciled to him. And Paul has much reason to be comforted and joyful. He has received news from Titus that the Corinthians have responded well to his "sorrowful letter", which called on the Corinthians to repent. In this passage we see what true repentance looks like. True repentance is encouraged through loving relationships, it is spurred on by godly grief, it results in real life change, and it multiplies shared joy.

As Paul is continuing to make his appeal to the Corinthians to be reconciled with him, he now gives them the call to pursue holiness. The Corinthians had been compromising their faith by partnering with these traveling preachers who were bringing a false gospel and promoting the ways of the world. But rather than conforming to the world, Christians are to refuse engaging with the world in such a way that compromises their own Christian identity, worship, and witness. We are to hold on to holiness!

After explaining the powerful courage that the resurrection provides, Paul expounds upon what this living for Christ looks like through the ministry of reconciliation. Paul uses his unique situation and context with the Corinthians to address both theological truths as well as his personal endeavors for peace and restoration with the Corinthians. Paul explains that the ministry of reconciliation is a ministry that has been initiated by God and commissioned to us. Therefore, we are new creations where the ministry of reconciliation completely transforms how we regard life and one another.

Paul explains that the hope of resurrection is enjoying eternally redeemed life with God. Far from being irrelevant, this future hope provides present courage to be faithful in our everyday lives. More specifically, the hope of resurrection brings courage to live for Christ, to face the disapproval of others, and to die to self. Could it be that so much of the fear we feel in living for Christ is because we have forgotten this future hope? May we courageously press on here and now as we look ahead to our future resurrection.

As Paul continues to defend his apostolic ministry, he now directly addresses the main criticism levied against him - his weakness. But far from having his weakness disqualify him from ministry, Paul shows how his weakness is actually crucial to his ministry. Weakness is the pathway to express God's power and to experience God's glory. Following Jesus means that we will experience weakness, suffering, and even death. But we can take heart knowing that weakness is actually God's pathway to power and glory.

Due to the influence of other travelling teachers, the Corinthians have been seeking to turn back to the old covenant in order to secure glory for themselves. In response to that, Paul argues that the new covenant has greater glory because it leads to life, is eternal, and brings freedom. While we ourselves may not be in much danger of turning back to the old covenant, many of us are often tempted to seek out different pathways to glory. May we instead seek the greater glory that is found in Christ through the Gospel.

After calling for restoration with the offending brother, Paul pivots to defending his apostolic ministry. In order to correct the false notions of glory that the Corinthians held, Paul asserts that his apostleship and sufficiency comes from God. His confidence is in the power of the Gospel that gives off the fragrance of life and death. And the Corinthians themselves are the proof of the power and sufficiency of God. Paul's credentials are their transformed hearts. Much in the same way, our sufficiency, power, and glory is found in God and the Gospel he entrusts to us.

Church discipline often gets a bad rap, but it is an important part of building a healthy church community. Jesus has called his church to exercise discipline in calling fellow believers to repentance when they are caught in unrepentant, verifiable, and significant sin. The Apostle Paul also issues the call to engage in church discipline. Church discipline is necessary because sin impacts the whole community. Church discipline is ultimately aimed at restoration. Church discipline displays the grace that is found in the Gospel. And church discipline guards against Satan's schemes.

As we continue to walk in relationship with God, He will lead us into circumstances where our faith is tested. When our faith is called into question may we humbly trust that God will provide, that God will keep His promises, and that God is worthy of our worship.

There are inherent challenges to maintaining relationships in church community, such as disappointment, distrust, and disconnection. In light of those challenges, rather than seeking to rebuild community on whatever is convenient or even pragmatic, the Gospel serves as the foundation for our church community since it brings us deep unity. The Gospel unites us in our worship, fellowship, mission, and future. As such, we can rest on the solid foundation of the Gospel as we seek to rebuild church community.

As Kingdom citizens, we set our hope on Christ, rather than on the world or on our circumstances. We can especially rest in God's goodness and faithfulness through prayer, as we long for Christ in our waiting.

As Paul writes again to this troubled and issue-filled church, we will first explore the background, culture, and conflict with the Corinthian church. Then we will see that yet in the midst of this, the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort is with them. We will learn that because of Him, there is comfort in suffering, reason for suffering, and power for suffering.

Easter is the day that we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. But Jesus' resurrection is not merely a happy ending. Rather, Easter is the start of something new. Easter points to the astonishing reality in which God’s Kingdom, and presence, and power have broken into the world in such a game-changing way, which will ultimately culminate in the renewal of all things.

The calling given to us as the Church is too much for us to handle on our own. Thankfully, we are not meant to do this on our own. Rather, we have been given the Holy Spirit, who glorifies Christ, brings new life, sanctifies believers, and empowers for mission. As such, we can faithfully be the Church as we are driven by the Holy Spirit.

The main mission entrusted to the church is to make disciples. But there are some great challenges to discipleship in our day and age, especially as we find ourselves living in a post-Christian context, with new digital frontiers, and increasing polarization (the wild, wild West). How can the church point people to Christ in such a world? We can seek to help others to follow Jesus by engaging in pre-evangelism, building up an embodied community, and cultivating a compelling counter-culture.