Hello hello!!!
Here I catch myself apologizing again for not continuuing to do my blogs...I'm sorry!!!
I hope all of you have started out a great summer! It's already been 1 full week!!!! Ahhhh!!!
I have already started working, since last Wednesday...booooooooooo. Anyways, today's blog is on 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, about Sowing Generously!
Sowing Generously~2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written, "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 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. You will be made rich in every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given to you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
So...yet another passage on joyful giving! haha!!!
Paul starts out this passage by giving an analogy to a farmer and his crops. Sowing and Reaping...if we are stingy in giving, then we will receive just as much as we gave, but if we're generous in giving, we will generously receive. Another point is to give generously, not under compulsion, but with a giving heart. Giving generously not only glorifies God, but also benefits us. We are able to share God's resources generously, we are able to be blessed by God, although it may not be materialistic things that we are given in return for our generosity, somehow we will receive an abundance of blessings from God. Paul also mentions that the more we give, the more God is able to reach us and bless us. The more stingy and selfish (Scrooge-like) we get, the less room for God to reach out to us, because we are less open to God. Furthermore, we can be more God-dependent instead of on ourselves, being self-sufficient. That is spiritually enriching. Finally, the end of the passage states, "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" That verse literally sums up the entire passage. God has already set the example of generously giving. And we need to take after His character of giving...we pray to become more and more like Jesus, like God. That means we need to follow after his characters, one being, a heart of giving. It's never too late, Scrooge was always a stingy, selfish, closed-in kinda guy, but he became a new person...he was able to see things through new eyes because he had a new heart. He started giving, and through that he warmed up, he was joyful, he was hopeful! We need to learn to give away ourselves and our resources for the joy/sake of others and to further the Kingdom of God!
2009-05-18
2009-05-05
May 5, 2009 Matthew 9:35-38
Missions! Go! Look!! Be Moved! Pray!
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News about the kingdom, and healing all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them because they were hurting and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus said to his followers, "There are many people to harvest, but only a few workers to help harvest them. Pray to the Lord, who owns the harvest, that he will send more workers to gather his harvest." ~Matthew 9:35-38~
This passage was ironic to me because I am actually going on missions for the first time this summer. So basically what this passage is talking about is Jesus, the missionary.
The first step to missions is: going! Verse 35 shows that Jesus went. No questions asked, He just went; Jesus never asks us to do anything that He hasn't already done. He only leads by example, so that should make it easier for us to just follow in His footsteps. Not only did Jesus go around and evangelize, he did missions! There is a difference between missions and evangelizing. Evangelizing is reaching out to the people who don't believe in Jesus. Missions, on the other hand, is reaching out to the people who do not know that Jesus exsits. Jesus did everything while on missions: teaching, preaching, healing, and ministering. We should be able to do those things also.
Verse 36 shows Jesus' heart as He goes on missions. Not only do we need to physically go, we need to have the heart to go, otherwise it's pointless. The NIV translation of verse 36 states, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Key part is that He had compassion...He saw, and He had compassion. To have compassion is to have your stomach tie into a knot. Either deep love or deep hate, in this case, deep love. Not only does this "Jesus say, He had compassion," come up in this verse, but it also shows up in four other passages throughout the bible. That shows how important it is. So at this point, we should ask ourselves, what makes our stomach tie into a knot?
Verse 37 talks about the harvest. "The harvest is plentiful," what does harvest symbolize? Harvest symbolizes us, believers. "The workers are few," what does workers symbolize? Workers symbolizes those believers called to missions. We're so privileged in the United States, that we sometimes forget how others may be suffering throughout the rest of the world. We're so privileged that we have so much harvest and we have plenty of workers just within the United States, but that's not where these workers are needed.
Finally verse 38 talks about prayer. Prayer to the one who owns all the harvest, God, to ask that He may send out more workers. Missions is hard work and it requires a lot. That is why we look to God for a calling to fulltime missions. Otherwise there are people who go on short summer missions and etc. Either way, we should pray, asking for God to send out His workers, and if that be us, that we may have that compassion and that heart. And although we may not be called out to missions, we still need to pray earnestly of those who have been called out. They don't receive enough recognition...we might not know them, we may never know them, but they're brothers and sisters doing God's work, just as we should be doing. Some are going through so much turmoil, there have been tragedies and devastations, but overall, our job is to further the Kingdom of God, no matter what it takes, and that's their mentalities. We need to always keep them in our prayers.
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News about the kingdom, and healing all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them because they were hurting and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus said to his followers, "There are many people to harvest, but only a few workers to help harvest them. Pray to the Lord, who owns the harvest, that he will send more workers to gather his harvest." ~Matthew 9:35-38~
This passage was ironic to me because I am actually going on missions for the first time this summer. So basically what this passage is talking about is Jesus, the missionary.
The first step to missions is: going! Verse 35 shows that Jesus went. No questions asked, He just went; Jesus never asks us to do anything that He hasn't already done. He only leads by example, so that should make it easier for us to just follow in His footsteps. Not only did Jesus go around and evangelize, he did missions! There is a difference between missions and evangelizing. Evangelizing is reaching out to the people who don't believe in Jesus. Missions, on the other hand, is reaching out to the people who do not know that Jesus exsits. Jesus did everything while on missions: teaching, preaching, healing, and ministering. We should be able to do those things also.
Verse 36 shows Jesus' heart as He goes on missions. Not only do we need to physically go, we need to have the heart to go, otherwise it's pointless. The NIV translation of verse 36 states, "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Key part is that He had compassion...He saw, and He had compassion. To have compassion is to have your stomach tie into a knot. Either deep love or deep hate, in this case, deep love. Not only does this "Jesus say, He had compassion," come up in this verse, but it also shows up in four other passages throughout the bible. That shows how important it is. So at this point, we should ask ourselves, what makes our stomach tie into a knot?
Verse 37 talks about the harvest. "The harvest is plentiful," what does harvest symbolize? Harvest symbolizes us, believers. "The workers are few," what does workers symbolize? Workers symbolizes those believers called to missions. We're so privileged in the United States, that we sometimes forget how others may be suffering throughout the rest of the world. We're so privileged that we have so much harvest and we have plenty of workers just within the United States, but that's not where these workers are needed.
Finally verse 38 talks about prayer. Prayer to the one who owns all the harvest, God, to ask that He may send out more workers. Missions is hard work and it requires a lot. That is why we look to God for a calling to fulltime missions. Otherwise there are people who go on short summer missions and etc. Either way, we should pray, asking for God to send out His workers, and if that be us, that we may have that compassion and that heart. And although we may not be called out to missions, we still need to pray earnestly of those who have been called out. They don't receive enough recognition...we might not know them, we may never know them, but they're brothers and sisters doing God's work, just as we should be doing. Some are going through so much turmoil, there have been tragedies and devastations, but overall, our job is to further the Kingdom of God, no matter what it takes, and that's their mentalities. We need to always keep them in our prayers.
2009-04-23
April 23, 2009 Psalm 95:6
"Christ alone is worthy of all our worship."
So yesterday was about prayer, today I would like to talk about worship.
Psalm 95:6 states, "Come, let's worship him and bow down. Let's kneel before the Lord who made us." This is also a verse in a song: "Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our God, our Maker, For He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, just the sheep of his hand, just the sheep of his hand."
Just like it says in the song and in the scripture, Jesus, Son of God, is worthy of all our praise/worship. Out of the abundance of our hearts, the mouth speaks, and what we say reveals what we are. A+B=C, our hearts reveal what we are. If we aren't praising/worshipping Him with all our hearts, then we are not being true to Him and to ourselves.
In John 12:1-6, Mary brings out very expensive perfume and washes Jesus' feet with that and her hair. That's how much she praised/worshipped Him. It's not wasting, it's worshipping. How much have we done? Because Jesus Christ is worthy of all our worship, true worship is costly worship. What is our worship costing us? We should be able to stand firm and say, "I will not offer to the Lord, that which costs me nothing." God gave us our lives and everything we have right now and in the future also. In return for that, what are we willing to give to Him?
So yesterday was about prayer, today I would like to talk about worship.
Psalm 95:6 states, "Come, let's worship him and bow down. Let's kneel before the Lord who made us." This is also a verse in a song: "Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our God, our Maker, For He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, just the sheep of his hand, just the sheep of his hand."
Just like it says in the song and in the scripture, Jesus, Son of God, is worthy of all our praise/worship. Out of the abundance of our hearts, the mouth speaks, and what we say reveals what we are. A+B=C, our hearts reveal what we are. If we aren't praising/worshipping Him with all our hearts, then we are not being true to Him and to ourselves.
In John 12:1-6, Mary brings out very expensive perfume and washes Jesus' feet with that and her hair. That's how much she praised/worshipped Him. It's not wasting, it's worshipping. How much have we done? Because Jesus Christ is worthy of all our worship, true worship is costly worship. What is our worship costing us? We should be able to stand firm and say, "I will not offer to the Lord, that which costs me nothing." God gave us our lives and everything we have right now and in the future also. In return for that, what are we willing to give to Him?
2009-04-22
April 22, 2009
Today, instead of doing it over a certain passage of the Bible, I just wanted to discuss a certain topic. PRAYER!!!
Reading the Bible is very important, but at the same time, praying is also equally important. Prayer is a time where we can really communicate with God. Although God knows everything, it's a time to really thank God, to ask for forgiveness and a change of heart, and to ask Him for the things we really need/seek. Of course we have short prayers before meals or before bed time or etc., but that's not what I want to focus on. I want to focus on a prayer-driven life.
A time of day where we put aside for just simply prayer. It's hard, but once we make a habit out of it, we won't be able to go about our days w/out doing it. That's how it should be. It should be so that we find a quiet place, alone, sit down and start praying, not knowing how much time has passed. For example: We can start out by praying about the broad topics: world, people we don't know, missionaries, and etc., anything outside the box, then move on to something a little more personal, for example: US, then home state, then Indiana, then campus, then college, then church...then move on to more personal topics: family, friends, brothers n sisters, then finally move on to praying about self. Then after that intimate time of prayer, we can sit there and reflect on our prayer topics, and really try to just listen! Meanwhile we could put some nice, calm music on also, so that it's not awkward. Of course this is just an example, not everyone goes about doing this, but it's one way to start!
Last Sunday, when I went back home, our youth jundosanim gave a sermon about prayer. That was his example of how he prays. He said that it was always hard for him to pray more than 10 minutes w/out thinking about how much time had passed. Then one day, he decided to make a prayer topic list and he did exactly what I said previously...after all that, when he looked at the time, it was already 2+ hours passed. He said that he felt amazing after all that prayer because he was so into it. Before I went into service, I was so tired, and didn't really care about anything that was going on...honestly I didn't really intend on paying so much attention to the sermon, especially because most of the time it's intended for way younger kids, but anyways...after he started talking about prayer, I started to listen and towards the end of it, I honestly felt guilty. I do my quiet times and blogs, but aside from short prayer there and prayer before meals, I rarely sit down and really pray for a longer period of time. After the sermon, I really felt convicted to make that time out of my day to do so.
I just wanted to share how important that was to me, and that I feel it should be as important to anyone else. Our jundosanim went over 2 topics: Prayer is not a "magic spell," and prayer is not a "spare tire." Prayer is not a "magic spell," means that just because we ask for things, doesn't mean that we get everything we want. Prayer is not a "spare tire," means that we shouldn't just go to prayer when in need of something, but we should constantly pray...as a matter of fact, prayer (God) should be our "steering wheel."
Lately there have been a lot of prayer requests and stuff so... That's all I wanted to share =)
Reading the Bible is very important, but at the same time, praying is also equally important. Prayer is a time where we can really communicate with God. Although God knows everything, it's a time to really thank God, to ask for forgiveness and a change of heart, and to ask Him for the things we really need/seek. Of course we have short prayers before meals or before bed time or etc., but that's not what I want to focus on. I want to focus on a prayer-driven life.
A time of day where we put aside for just simply prayer. It's hard, but once we make a habit out of it, we won't be able to go about our days w/out doing it. That's how it should be. It should be so that we find a quiet place, alone, sit down and start praying, not knowing how much time has passed. For example: We can start out by praying about the broad topics: world, people we don't know, missionaries, and etc., anything outside the box, then move on to something a little more personal, for example: US, then home state, then Indiana, then campus, then college, then church...then move on to more personal topics: family, friends, brothers n sisters, then finally move on to praying about self. Then after that intimate time of prayer, we can sit there and reflect on our prayer topics, and really try to just listen! Meanwhile we could put some nice, calm music on also, so that it's not awkward. Of course this is just an example, not everyone goes about doing this, but it's one way to start!
Last Sunday, when I went back home, our youth jundosanim gave a sermon about prayer. That was his example of how he prays. He said that it was always hard for him to pray more than 10 minutes w/out thinking about how much time had passed. Then one day, he decided to make a prayer topic list and he did exactly what I said previously...after all that, when he looked at the time, it was already 2+ hours passed. He said that he felt amazing after all that prayer because he was so into it. Before I went into service, I was so tired, and didn't really care about anything that was going on...honestly I didn't really intend on paying so much attention to the sermon, especially because most of the time it's intended for way younger kids, but anyways...after he started talking about prayer, I started to listen and towards the end of it, I honestly felt guilty. I do my quiet times and blogs, but aside from short prayer there and prayer before meals, I rarely sit down and really pray for a longer period of time. After the sermon, I really felt convicted to make that time out of my day to do so.
I just wanted to share how important that was to me, and that I feel it should be as important to anyone else. Our jundosanim went over 2 topics: Prayer is not a "magic spell," and prayer is not a "spare tire." Prayer is not a "magic spell," means that just because we ask for things, doesn't mean that we get everything we want. Prayer is not a "spare tire," means that we shouldn't just go to prayer when in need of something, but we should constantly pray...as a matter of fact, prayer (God) should be our "steering wheel."
Lately there have been a lot of prayer requests and stuff so... That's all I wanted to share =)
May 4, 2009 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
I just want to start off by apologizing to all of you, for neglecting to do my blogs. I have no excuses for not doing them, no matter how busy I was. Thanks for bearing with me =).
Christian Giving ~2 Corinthians 8:1-15~
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace God gave the churches in Macedonia. They have been tested by great troubles, and they are very poor. But they gave much because of their great joy. I can tell you that they gave as much as they were able and even more than they could afford. no one told them to do it. But they begged and pleaded with us to let them share in this service for God's people. And they gave in a way we did not expect: They first gave themselves tot he Lord and to us. This is what God wants. So we asked Titus to help youf inish this special work of grace since he is the one who started it. You are rich in everything--in faith, in speaking, in knowledge, in truly wanting to help, and in the love you learned from us. In the same way, be strong also in the grace of giving. I am not commanding you to give. But I want to see if your lvoe is true by comparing you with others that really want to help. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know that Christ was rich, but for you he became poor so that by his becoming poor you might become rich. This is what I think you should do: Last year you were the first to want to give, and youw ere the first who gave. So no finish the work you started. Then your "doing" will be equal to your "wanting to do." Give from what you have. If you want to give, your gift will be accepted. It will be judged by what you have, not by what you do not have. We do not want you to have troubles while other people are at ease, but we want everything to be equal. At this time you have plenty. What you owe can help others who are in need. Then later, when they have plenty, they can help you when you are in need, and all will be equal. As it is written in the Scriptures, "The person who gathered more did not have too much, nor did the person who gathered less have too little."
So...after Joe's sermon last Sunday on Money isn't everything, comes my blog on financial giving to the church. Giving to the church is important, Paul says. First off, we give in response to God's grace. Through his grace and mercy, we have been saved, and we are able to build up those treasures in Heaven, not here on Earth. So what we have here on Earth, we should use to advance the cause of Christ. Giving should be an acknowledgement that we are God's stewards. Furthermore, Paul says that giving is an essential part of Christian spirituality, not just financial giving, but also giving our time, our energy, our hearts. And finally, Paul says that whether we are poor or rich, we can give. Just like the song, "rich or poor, God I want you more than anything that glitters in this world, be my all, my all consuming fire." Whether we are rich or poor, if we give with the right heart, the right attitude, that accounts for our giving. It's not the quantity, but the quality. Zaccheus did not understand this at first, but Mary did when she poured that expensive perfume on Jesus' feet and washed them with her hair. From a previous blog, I mentioned, "I will not offer to the Lord, that which costs me nothing."
Christian Giving ~2 Corinthians 8:1-15~
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace God gave the churches in Macedonia. They have been tested by great troubles, and they are very poor. But they gave much because of their great joy. I can tell you that they gave as much as they were able and even more than they could afford. no one told them to do it. But they begged and pleaded with us to let them share in this service for God's people. And they gave in a way we did not expect: They first gave themselves tot he Lord and to us. This is what God wants. So we asked Titus to help youf inish this special work of grace since he is the one who started it. You are rich in everything--in faith, in speaking, in knowledge, in truly wanting to help, and in the love you learned from us. In the same way, be strong also in the grace of giving. I am not commanding you to give. But I want to see if your lvoe is true by comparing you with others that really want to help. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know that Christ was rich, but for you he became poor so that by his becoming poor you might become rich. This is what I think you should do: Last year you were the first to want to give, and youw ere the first who gave. So no finish the work you started. Then your "doing" will be equal to your "wanting to do." Give from what you have. If you want to give, your gift will be accepted. It will be judged by what you have, not by what you do not have. We do not want you to have troubles while other people are at ease, but we want everything to be equal. At this time you have plenty. What you owe can help others who are in need. Then later, when they have plenty, they can help you when you are in need, and all will be equal. As it is written in the Scriptures, "The person who gathered more did not have too much, nor did the person who gathered less have too little."
So...after Joe's sermon last Sunday on Money isn't everything, comes my blog on financial giving to the church. Giving to the church is important, Paul says. First off, we give in response to God's grace. Through his grace and mercy, we have been saved, and we are able to build up those treasures in Heaven, not here on Earth. So what we have here on Earth, we should use to advance the cause of Christ. Giving should be an acknowledgement that we are God's stewards. Furthermore, Paul says that giving is an essential part of Christian spirituality, not just financial giving, but also giving our time, our energy, our hearts. And finally, Paul says that whether we are poor or rich, we can give. Just like the song, "rich or poor, God I want you more than anything that glitters in this world, be my all, my all consuming fire." Whether we are rich or poor, if we give with the right heart, the right attitude, that accounts for our giving. It's not the quantity, but the quality. Zaccheus did not understand this at first, but Mary did when she poured that expensive perfume on Jesus' feet and washed them with her hair. From a previous blog, I mentioned, "I will not offer to the Lord, that which costs me nothing."
2009-04-20
April 20, 2009 2 Corinthians 7:2-16
Paul's Joy ~2 Corinthians 7:2-16~
Open your hearts to us. We have not done wrong to anyone, we have not ruined the faith of anyone, and we have not cheated anyone. I do not say this to blame you. I told you before that we love you so much we would live or die with you. I feel very sure of you and am very proud ofyou. You give me much comfort, and in all of our troubles I have great joy. When we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. We found trouble all around us. We had fighting on the oustide and fear on the inside. But God, who comforts those who are troubled, comforted us when Titus came. We were comforted, not only by his coming but also by the comfort you gave him. Titus told us about your wish to see me and that you are very sorry for what you did. He also told me about your great care for me, and when I heard this, I was much happier. Even if my letter made you sad, I am not sorry I wrote it. At first, I was sorry, because it made you sad, but you were sad only for a short time. Now I am happy, not becasue you were made sad, but because your sorrow made you change your lives. You became sad in the way God wanted you to, so you were not hurt by us in any way. The kind of sorrow God wants makes people change their hearts and lives. This leads to salvation, and you cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has brings death. See what this sorrow--the sorrow God wanted you to have--has done to you: It has made you very serious. It made you want to restore yourselves. It made you angry and afraid. It made you want to see me. It made you care. It made you want to do the right thin. In every way you have regained your innocence. I wrote that letter, not because of the one who did the wrong or because of the person who was hurt. I wrote the letter so you could see, before God, the great care you have for us. That is why we were comforted. Not only were we very comforted, we were even happier to see that Titus was so happy. All of you made him feel much better. I bragged to Titus about you, and you showed that I was right. Everything we said to you was true, and you have proved that what we bragged about to Titus is true. And his love for you is stronger when he remembers that you were all ready to obey. You welcomed him with respect and fear. I am very happy that I can trust you fully.
So the basis of this passage is about how to repent. Paul is showing the Corinthians how to repent by stating those things that have previously happened between them. The first step in teaching repentance is a clear conscience. Second step is not to condemn but to affirm. Then finally, after he sees repentance, Paul encourages them.
When we do something to hurt another, when we break a law, when we sin, we are aware of what we did. This guilty conscience causes us to be angry/upset at ourselves. Then we feel sorry to God, so we pray about it, and claim that we are repenting, but it's not true repentance until there is a change in attitude and a change in behavior. Until we are able to truly feel freedom and relief, we have not repented.
Paul mentions worldy sorrow vs. Godly sorrow. What does that mean? When someone wrongs us, we feel hurt, we get angry/upset. It's natural, but who are we doing it for? Ourselves...this sensitivity is only a selfish action. So one day, a man decided to act upon these feelings...when someone hurt him, instead of getting mad, he looked back onto it, and decided to think that the other person didn't mean to say those things...this brought a sense of freedom/relief to him. He has realized the truth through Godly sorrow. Paul is saying that Godly sorrow acknowledges the truth, leads to a change in behavior, then leads to a sense of freedom and relief. On the other hand, wordly sorrow only leads to more worse circumstances...scripture says "death."
The work of God's spirit in these matters, through Godly sorrow, shall bring joy to you and to those around you.
Open your hearts to us. We have not done wrong to anyone, we have not ruined the faith of anyone, and we have not cheated anyone. I do not say this to blame you. I told you before that we love you so much we would live or die with you. I feel very sure of you and am very proud ofyou. You give me much comfort, and in all of our troubles I have great joy. When we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. We found trouble all around us. We had fighting on the oustide and fear on the inside. But God, who comforts those who are troubled, comforted us when Titus came. We were comforted, not only by his coming but also by the comfort you gave him. Titus told us about your wish to see me and that you are very sorry for what you did. He also told me about your great care for me, and when I heard this, I was much happier. Even if my letter made you sad, I am not sorry I wrote it. At first, I was sorry, because it made you sad, but you were sad only for a short time. Now I am happy, not becasue you were made sad, but because your sorrow made you change your lives. You became sad in the way God wanted you to, so you were not hurt by us in any way. The kind of sorrow God wants makes people change their hearts and lives. This leads to salvation, and you cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has brings death. See what this sorrow--the sorrow God wanted you to have--has done to you: It has made you very serious. It made you want to restore yourselves. It made you angry and afraid. It made you want to see me. It made you care. It made you want to do the right thin. In every way you have regained your innocence. I wrote that letter, not because of the one who did the wrong or because of the person who was hurt. I wrote the letter so you could see, before God, the great care you have for us. That is why we were comforted. Not only were we very comforted, we were even happier to see that Titus was so happy. All of you made him feel much better. I bragged to Titus about you, and you showed that I was right. Everything we said to you was true, and you have proved that what we bragged about to Titus is true. And his love for you is stronger when he remembers that you were all ready to obey. You welcomed him with respect and fear. I am very happy that I can trust you fully.
So the basis of this passage is about how to repent. Paul is showing the Corinthians how to repent by stating those things that have previously happened between them. The first step in teaching repentance is a clear conscience. Second step is not to condemn but to affirm. Then finally, after he sees repentance, Paul encourages them.
When we do something to hurt another, when we break a law, when we sin, we are aware of what we did. This guilty conscience causes us to be angry/upset at ourselves. Then we feel sorry to God, so we pray about it, and claim that we are repenting, but it's not true repentance until there is a change in attitude and a change in behavior. Until we are able to truly feel freedom and relief, we have not repented.
Paul mentions worldy sorrow vs. Godly sorrow. What does that mean? When someone wrongs us, we feel hurt, we get angry/upset. It's natural, but who are we doing it for? Ourselves...this sensitivity is only a selfish action. So one day, a man decided to act upon these feelings...when someone hurt him, instead of getting mad, he looked back onto it, and decided to think that the other person didn't mean to say those things...this brought a sense of freedom/relief to him. He has realized the truth through Godly sorrow. Paul is saying that Godly sorrow acknowledges the truth, leads to a change in behavior, then leads to a sense of freedom and relief. On the other hand, wordly sorrow only leads to more worse circumstances...scripture says "death."
The work of God's spirit in these matters, through Godly sorrow, shall bring joy to you and to those around you.
2009-04-18
April 17, 2009 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
Warning About Non-Christians
You are not the same as those who do not believe. So do not join yourselves to them. Good and bad do not belong together. Light and darkness cannot share together. How can Christ and Belial, the devil, have any agreement? What can a believer have together with a non-believer? The temple of God cannot have any agreement with idols, and we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live with them and walk with them. And I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Leave those people, and be separate, says the Lord. Touch nothing that is unclean, and I will accept you." "I will be your father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Dear friends, we have these promises from God, so we should make ourselves pure--free from anything that makes body or soul unclean. We should try to become holy in the way we live, because we respect God. ~2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1~
So at first, I was confused as to what this passage was stating. The NIV version of verse 14 says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." What does that mean? In 1 Corinthians 5:9-10, Paul tells us that we must associate with those sinful people of the world, as long as they are not being fake. Now he's telling us to not be yoked with these people. What is he saying? Yoke is a term for the harness that animals wear to keep them together.
I believe what Paul is saying is that we must associate ourselves with the worldly people, but not yoke ourselves. There's a difference between associating and yoking. We should associate ourselves with the worldly people in order to keep them aware that we are believers, that there is a God. We need not to yoke ourselves with them so that we may not do what they do. By yoking ourselves to them, it may prevent us from being able to open up our hearts to God. We need to watch out what kind of fellowship we're having. We need to watch for relationships, dating, and marriage. Those are all things we need to consider when associating ourselves with those worldly people. But no matter what, we need not to be yoked together with those unbelievers. While we separate ourselves from those people, so that we may stay clean and safe, God will walk with them.
The question we need to ask ourselves is...looking back on our relationships, we need to ask if it's a healthy relationship, or if it's a hurtful relationship. Will the relationship with that person lead you closer to God or to fall further away from God?
You are not the same as those who do not believe. So do not join yourselves to them. Good and bad do not belong together. Light and darkness cannot share together. How can Christ and Belial, the devil, have any agreement? What can a believer have together with a non-believer? The temple of God cannot have any agreement with idols, and we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live with them and walk with them. And I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Leave those people, and be separate, says the Lord. Touch nothing that is unclean, and I will accept you." "I will be your father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Dear friends, we have these promises from God, so we should make ourselves pure--free from anything that makes body or soul unclean. We should try to become holy in the way we live, because we respect God. ~2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1~
So at first, I was confused as to what this passage was stating. The NIV version of verse 14 says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers." What does that mean? In 1 Corinthians 5:9-10, Paul tells us that we must associate with those sinful people of the world, as long as they are not being fake. Now he's telling us to not be yoked with these people. What is he saying? Yoke is a term for the harness that animals wear to keep them together.
I believe what Paul is saying is that we must associate ourselves with the worldly people, but not yoke ourselves. There's a difference between associating and yoking. We should associate ourselves with the worldly people in order to keep them aware that we are believers, that there is a God. We need not to yoke ourselves with them so that we may not do what they do. By yoking ourselves to them, it may prevent us from being able to open up our hearts to God. We need to watch out what kind of fellowship we're having. We need to watch for relationships, dating, and marriage. Those are all things we need to consider when associating ourselves with those worldly people. But no matter what, we need not to be yoked together with those unbelievers. While we separate ourselves from those people, so that we may stay clean and safe, God will walk with them.
The question we need to ask ourselves is...looking back on our relationships, we need to ask if it's a healthy relationship, or if it's a hurtful relationship. Will the relationship with that person lead you closer to God or to fall further away from God?
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