Bible Reading Reflection from 2 Corinthians 8-13

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (SSEU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible] 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟠:𝟛-𝟜

"For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints."

Wow! The generosity of Macedonians!

ü  They were under affliction (v2). Most of us may skip giving or reduce our budget for giving. Macedonians didn't (v3).

ü  They gave beyond their means (v3), which startled even the Apostle Paul (v5).

ü  And they even begged Paul to take it (v4).

Indeed, nobody is too poor to not give. Everybody can afford to be generous, while most of us cannot afford to be luxurious. Generosity is not measured by comparison to others. Paul clearly stated it is when given beyond our means (v3).

Bill Gates pledging to give away 95% of his wealth is great. But he can afford that easily. 5% of what he has can still let him live luxuriously. On the other hand, our 10% giving of our monthly earnings may cost more than 95% of Bill Gates.

However, I think we all (including Bill Gates) should be giving more! That's why Paul was asking for more money from Corinthians at v8.

 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟡:𝟙𝟝

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

First of all, the indescribable gift is Jesus Christ. "His" is referring to God the Father.

Now,

1. The 𝔾ℝ𝔼𝔸𝕋𝔼𝕊𝕋 𝔾𝕀𝔽𝕋 anyone can give or receive is Jesus Christ.

2. The 𝔾ℝ𝔼𝔸𝕋𝔼𝕊𝕋 𝔾𝕀𝕍𝔼ℝ is God. No one has outgive God.

3. The 𝔾ℝ𝔼𝔸𝕋𝔼𝕊𝕋 𝔾ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀𝕋𝕌𝔻𝔼 is Thankfulness

Indeed, If the Greatest Giver has given us the Greatest Gift, then the Greatest Gratitude must be Thankfulness! [Steve Lawson]

And if God has given Jesus Christ, Corinthians can at least give some money to Paul for the purpose of the mission. And, so do I. For how many missionaries have I given/budgeted money this year? What about last year? Previous years? 🤔

 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟙𝟘:𝟚

"But I beg that when I am present I need not act so courageously with the confidence that I consider to daringly use against some, who consider us as if we walked according to the flesh. "

Paul was not a common man; he was a highly competent, influential, and popular man.  Paul was not an ordinary Christian; he was an Apostle of Jesus Christ. Yet, he didn't command the Corinthians here. He didn't command Philemon too. Rather, he begged!

I am a Comman Man, Ordinary Christian (CMOC), and yet I find it difficult to beg fellow Christians to mend their ways. Preachers are double beggars: begging God to grant repentance and begging people to repent! Commanding is easier than begging! To the extent that some people command/order God to bless them also! 😬😂

 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟙𝟙:𝟚

"For I am 𝕛𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕦𝕤 for you with a 𝕘𝕠𝕕𝕝𝕪 𝕛𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕪, for I betrothed you to one husband, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ."

God is a jealous God that He is a consuming fire! Both OT and NT confirm it.

Jesus is a zealous God. He cleansed the temple at least two times, overturning the tables of the money-changers and driving away their animals with whipcord.

Paul is a jealous missionary. And also, Apostle John is a jealous pastor!

Am I a jealous minister of God? Of course, not after people who have name, fame, and wealth, but for the purity of the church. That's important to clarify because there's such thing called sinful jealousy and godly jealousy!

The Bible compares godly jealousy to what a husband has for his wife. However, I grew up seeing couples arguing and even fighting because of jealousy. Well, that's not the kind of jealousy the Bible is talking about. I think that kind of jealousy is actually called ‘suspicion.’ And 1 Cor.13 says that love trusts all things!

And another jealousy between lovers, a boy and a girl, I don't know what's that! Stupidity? Insecurity? Infidelity? Whatever, I think, it's not godly jealousy!

 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟙𝟚:𝟡

"And He has said to me, "𝕄𝕪 𝕘𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕤𝕦𝕗𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦, 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕡𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 𝕚𝕤 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟 𝕨𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

This is a weighty verse. A weighty truth — "Sufficiency of His Grace!" I do not claim to know better than any Christian who has been walking with God longer than I do. But I have been walking with God earnestly, since 2005 (16 years).

I am surely sure that His Grace is sufficient to birth me into the Kingdom of God. I am surely sure that His Grace is sufficient to endure all things in this world as well!

For 7 years (2012-2019) I always wanted to die young. I wanted to be holy as God wanted me to be: to win every battle against all kinds of sin. Well, such desire, though godly it may be, God never grants such thing on this side of heaven. Rather, He grants the sufficiency of His grace to those who seek Him in their failing, weakness, and sins.

The pride of life, the desires of the eyes, the desires of the body, who has not gone through? Eve and Adam failed terribly on all counts. Jesus wasn't spared by the devil, but He went through triumphantly. No one will live a perfect life here on earth. But His Grace is sufficient in all things.

In the last 2 years, I haven't met many people, as you know lockdown is also in effect, but I think I am one of the most joyous people I know on earth. I wish to live 900 years on earth because I have come to know the sufficiency of His grace, not only to take me to glory but also to endure here on earth.

I just pray that this feeling will also endure till the end!

 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟙𝟛:𝟚

"I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that if I come again 𝕀 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕖,"

Sin must be confronted. Sin not only infects the one who practices but infects others also. In fact, it develops into multiple variants.

While it may seem unkind, unmerciful to the one who is punished/disciplined, and it may even look over-reaction or heavily paid more than required, however, nobody should underestimate sin. In fact, it was only one act of disobedience that plunged the whole world to damnation. It was just eating one fruit. Any sin is serious enough to get capital punishment.

While the Scriptures commanded us to do everything in love, we must also remember what love should really do! The most loving God is also the harshest God. I will never mind Eve for eating fruit, forget about damning the whole world! I look more loving than God. And there we see the shortcoming of the impulse of our love.

Bible Reading Reflection from 2 Corinthians 1-7

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (SSEU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible] 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟙:𝟙𝟘

"Who rescued us from so great a peril of death, and will rescue us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet rescue us."

Wow! What an assurance! Should not that be our confession at all times?

Paul looks back, recalls the faithfulness of God, sees the faithfulness of God in preserving him till the present, and sees the faithfulness of God in the future too. God's grace is a present help, as Ps. 46:1 echoes!

He is our hope. "He" (God) is the reason. Not because we are smart, lovely, or whatever.

 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟚:𝟙𝟝-𝟙𝟞

"For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is sufficient for these things?"

Wow! What a passage! The message of the Gospel is consequential: leading to justification, or to condemnation. If such power is in the Gospel, who is adequate to preach it?

When I was a young boy, somebody gave me a bundle of ₹50, 000 and instructed me to be careful until I reach home and safely deliver it to my dad. I was scared.

I may be old or young, wise or simple, prepared or unprepared, but the preaching of the Gospel is a fearful thing. After all, preachers are just earthen vessels with heavenly treasures.

 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟛:𝟜-𝟞

"And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Why am I a Pastor? Because of God. Why am I a teacher of God's word? Because of God. Why am I a Christian? Because of God.

Even if I give up my body for a burnt sacrifice, I cannot earn God's salvation. Even if I were to be richer than Jeff Bezos and give up everything, I cannot buy Salvation nor a position to teach or preach God's word.

Even as a redeemed Christian, on my own I cannot become a minister of the Gospel. Even as a minister of the Gospel, I cannot stay qualified, adequate, sufficient on my own. It's God who calls, who sanctifies, who qualifies a minister of God. It's God who let him remain qualified for the ministry.

It's like Moses, who saw the face (glory) of God and lived. It's like the disciples who saw the transfiguration of Christ and lived. They should have died for no sinner can withstand the glory of God, but God preserved them.

God's calling to preach the mystery of the Gospel, qualifies a minister of God, or else, there will be no preacher on earth except the Preacher Christ.

 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟜

This chapter has a lot of sobering truths, especially for a minister of the Gospel.

Repeatedly it says, "we do not lose heart" because Christian ministry is not cool as some people think so. Some people came to know that I am in the Gospel ministry and would often say, "Wow! That's great! It's the coolest profession in life!"

While ministers are ordinary, unprofitable, and made up of base things of the world — mud, an earthen vessel, a muddy vessel, we are given the heavenly treasure. Yet, this treasure certainly does not worth anything to those who are perishing.

And Paul renounced all hidden things of shame to be a worthy vessel for this treasure, which by the way is a mercy of God. No double life. No secret life. No hidden life. No Non-Disclosure-Agreement. No Dark Deeds. No Compromise.

Oh! The Mercy of God!  The Mercy of God!

 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟝:𝟙-𝟚

"For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this we 𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕒𝕟, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven."

Call me judgmental if it relieves you for saying that if a self-respecting Christian does not know v21 of this chapter, he should surely die. 😬😂 Having said that it relieves me to meditate on other verses from this chapter at last!

I am so glad to confirm from Apostle Paul about our Christian walk before the day of glory happens. Certainly, Paul wasn't laughing around. He used the word "groan," as he thought about life on earth and yonder. Surely, he was an old man, almost accomplishing all the works one can ask of a missionary, but far be it to say Paul was an escapist to think of an escape from physical pain or to say he was suicidal in wanting to be with Jesus.

And certainly, he struggled with sins in his own life (Romans 7), and he along with all the saints await for our body to be transformed, but he rejoices in his weakness because of the sufficiency of grace.

Thus, he was hard-pressed in Philippians 1, but he chose to live and suffer not only for the cause of Christ but also for the cause of the people whom he loved.

If I am living comfortably with what's going on in my heart, life, and the world, certainly my life is nowhere close to what Paul would expect of us. And interestingly, he doesn't write "I" but "we."

 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟞:𝟛-𝟜

"Giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, . . ."

We live in a time when almost everything is recorded digitally. Every word we speak, write, type, and even what was deleted can be recovered. Every place we go, GPS knows. Google knows almost everything about our habits, patterns, likes, and dislikes.

Last time, I read somebody testifying that Google knew about him more than he knew about himself to the extent of predicting a break-up with his girlfriend accurately. 😆😂

People can misconstrue our careless words, actions, etc. Oh! How we ought to be careful! Not to give any cause for offense in anything. What a minister builds over the years can be utterly shaken on the night of his fall!

Once, a minister of the Gospel is discredited, so is the ministry. If Paul warns us about discredited ministry, a minister of the Gospel must discipline himself to be a commendable servant!

 

𝕀𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟟:𝟙𝟘

"For godly sorrow produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death."

It's beautiful to see Christian weeping, sorrowful over sin! It's a virtue. I would go on to say the most spiritual people are most sorrowful about their sins. In Psalms, I see David panting for God, crying for God, day and night for God's forgiveness! That's the man after God's own heart!

And causing sorrow in people's life by means of rebuking, reproving, and even confronting is really not easy. But Paul did it, and didn't regret it (though he regretted it also 😶), and rejoiced for the sorrow he had caused them.

I haven't remembered crying day and night in repentance over anything! Well, I don't want to, in a sense, but I must sometimes. James 4:9 is serious: "Be miserable and mourn and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom."

Bible Reading Reflection from 1 Corinthians 11-16

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (SSEU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible] 

𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟙𝟙:𝟙  

"Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ."

How many times can we say this? Many seem to be saying the very opposite: “don't imitate me.”

I think it's good to read the word of God and share what we learn in a small group like this. It is just for a season. As you see I have done for Acts, Romans, and now, am in I Corinthians. I would, in the spirit of Paul, exhort you to imitate me, if and since you have affirmed it to be good. After the book of I Corinthians, I shall be doing the same in II Corinthians, perhaps the last book for this group. And I shall update no more!

 

𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟙𝟚:𝟚𝟞

"And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."

This describes the nature of the church. How each individual affects the church in a good way or a bad way. Actually, in every church I have been to, I have never seen this truth being practiced satisfactorily. I don't think there will be any church on planet earth for that matter. Of course, if it's small enough it could be.

What I see is some people, not each individual. Some big people or some nerds or some talkative people can make a scene in the church. But some people are always behind (left out/ignored).

Well, pastors and leaders aren't the Good Shepherd, we are just under-shepherds. We aren't wise enough, loving enough, powerful enough, of course. However, I see something to fervently ask upon the Lord!

 

𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟙𝟛:𝟞-𝟟 — 𝕃𝕆𝕍𝔼

I am an undistracted single. No special woman in my mind or eyes or even in my fantasy/dream. However, whenever I think about love between a man and a woman, I think of

v7 "it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

I don't know what couples think of love and what description of love in this passage will they choose. 🙂

Now, as a pastor, and especially in this season of my life when I think about love, verse 6 is more realistic (stands out) to me.

v6. "It does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth"

It takes love not to be rejoicing. It takes love to be hurtful. It takes love to weep. It takes love to care. It takes love to lose sleep.

Positively, love rejoices too, in truth, righteousness, godliness, Christlikeness. When someone does good, it is not jealous, it rejoices.

 

𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟙𝟜:𝟚𝟘

"Brothers, do not be children in your thinking; rather in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature."

In Thinking — don't act like children.

In Evil — be infants

Again,

In Thinking — Be mature

Interesting! Two commandments for thinking. A negative commandment. Then further clarified by a positive commandment.

Just one commandment for evil — a positive commandment, just don't even think of it!

I have a blog called "Help Think" because I want to help people think. I want to help people think through various issues of life.

Let us be thinking Christians! Let us be thinking leaders and leading thinkers too!

 

𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟙𝟝:𝟙𝟘

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me."

Chapter 15 is the biggest in I Corinthians. It is about the Gospel. And it centres on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from v12-58. However, I find the humility of Apostle Paul in response to this glorious truth expressed in v8-11 soul-searching.

Many people have used the famous line "I am what I am" from this verse in their testimony and their successes. And recently, CityAlight has come up with a great hymn from this verse using the line "Yet not I, but Christ in me."

And many organizations, including UESI has been familiar with a line from this verse "His grace not in vain." This verse is indeed an amazing and so influencing verse.

What seems to be left behind from this verse, often ignored, treated as Cinderella is of course, "I labored even more than all of them," and it seems obvious because we, normally don't want to work, that also working very hard, that also harder than the rest, that also than the rest of the apostles, Peter, James, and John and everyone.

ℍ𝔸ℝ𝔻 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕂, ℕ𝕆 ℂ𝕆𝕄ℙ𝕃𝔸ℂ𝔼ℕℂ𝕐

 

𝕀 ℂ𝕆ℝ𝕀ℕ𝕋ℍ𝕀𝔸ℕ𝕊 𝟙𝟞:𝟚

"On the first day of every week each one of you is to set something aside, saving whatever he has prospered, so that no collections be made when I come."

Top 5 observations:

1. Early churches gather on Sunday.

2. Offerings are collected regularly.

3. Offerings are used up for giving to others (missionary). It's not a contribution for food after church service.

4. Offerings are the outcome of settled principles, not an occasional impulse. Budgeting is implied.

5. Offerings are not one-time giving. It's a regular giving. So that in the end, offerings collected will be more than the one-time giving.

🅁🄴🄵🄻🄴🄲🅃🄸🄾🄽:

If I give an offering of ₹10 every Sunday, I will be giving a maximum amount of only ₹40 or ₹50 by the end of the month.

But, if a missionary shows up and collects an offering, I think I will be likely to give 100 rupees. If I do that, my one-time offering is more than my regular offering, which is the opposite of Paul's principle.

Paul's regular offering is to give more yet not to exhaust all our earnings. But many church members give offering without budgeting, without principles, without serious thought, and contrary to Paul's direction!