TheChapterBookSeries: One Thousand Years: (Genesage) "“Meeting a Biblical Legend”" (Chp 1:2)

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Genesage

Meeting a Biblical Legend” 

(Chap 1:2)

 

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Eben enjoyed the fact that water was finally returning to the barren places. In some places it was returning more quickly than others, like his lake. It had been filling up for quite awhile. Unlike the Old World which always seemed to have bodies of water drying up, this was filling.

 

It even overflowed.

 

He did recall when this lake was no more than a rock shelf without any water in it. Sixty years later he had a lake. Shallow lake to be sure, but still a body of water where once there had been none. Being that it was within walking distance, Eben was grateful.

                                                             

 Not long till dawn,

 

        He thought with water dripping from him. 

         

Splashing water on his face was a great wakeup call.  Eben did so every morning before dawn. He liked to take this time to walk the short distance to the lake. It was a good time to be alone with his thoughts. Walking and talking, singing and strolling, his morning jaunt seemed to set a pace for the day. Not unlike a “nature walk” where people used to “get in touch” with nature, this was natural for Eben.

 

He “felt touched” by all of Creation.

 

Morning routines were a lot different now in the Kingdom for Eben. No more “getting ready” to meet the day as in OLD DAYS before God rescued him. Now it was, ready or not, here I come. Each day a greeting of what experiences lay ahead.

 

No dread, just looking ahead.

It was a good day and alive to it.

 

Eben met the days with anticipation. A morning “splashdown” helped refresh that thought. Shaking his face a little from the water, he combed his beard with his fingers. Stroking his facial growth he tossed his wet head of hair back smiling at the sky. He was a little bemused by the water running down his beard to the ground.

 

Didn’t Aaron tell him he had oil run down his beard and that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be?

 

Thinking of all that oil that would have been dumped on Aaron, Eben looked at the face of the waters of the lake and thought.

That would have been olive oil. A lot of olive oil.  A lot of olive oil poured over his head and running down his beard. Enough oil running down to form a pool at his feet.

 

Eben shivered. 

                            

Hmmm, that would make it the first oil slick wouldn’t it?

 

Fortunately Eben thoughts were private, more or less, but once started, you never knew where they would go.

 

Still thinking along those lines as water rushed off his hair and beard he continued,

Would that make Aaron the first greaser? How……,

 

At the thought of the word “ironic” Eben paused.

 

He recalled the time he had met “the Aaron”.

 

He remembered his faux pas when he tried to ‘act’ less in awe of the man.  He had tried to comment on how Aaronic it was playing on the word “ironic”…., and…, failed miserably. SO BAD was his comment he couldn’t recall what he said. Aaron had stared at him ‘not getting’ the humor of it.

 

Eben realized saying nothing would have been better, blushed, and shut up.

 

It wasn’t the first time Eben had “blown it” in meeting someone from the Bible. 

It certainly wouldn’t be his last.

 

Something about generational, cultural, even “faith” gaps were evident when one started talking without thinking first. Since so many people came from a different setting and mindset, communication was interesting. Not to mentions the “ages” differences.  

 

Different also were the variety of personalities represented. At times what a person represented was dramatically different than the living, breathing, talking person in front of you. What you thought you knew about someone might not be the person you were speaking with.

 

A lot of people, including Eben, had to learn to “choose” their words wisely since not every word meant the same thing to everyone involved. It wasn’t about interpretation but representation. How and what you spoke in the Kingdom, was you.

 

Politically correct became less than that. It wasn’t about image here.  But more along the lines of words meaning what words were saying. Your words were your own to choose. So choosing wisely what you said was important.

 

Your words represented you.

 

What the words were is what the words meant.

 

No one in his day ever meant what they said, but in some places, words were all you meant. Now in the Kingdom of THE WORD…Well.

 

It was certainly different.

 

No innuendo’s or implied meaning. No subtleties or double meanings. If you said yes, it really did mean yes. No meant no also.

 

No question about it. The rest was adaptive. Everyone had a different way of looking at things. This was about telling someone else how you looked at it from your point of view. Literal now was genuinely literal.

 

If you said yes or no you better mean it.

Your Word was your Word.

 

At least that was what was being taught in the Kingdom. Of course the teachers were still learning that “truth” too. They like everyone else had to learn a new attitude. A new way to think; a better way to respond; a more accurate way to arrange your speech.

 

It made for some interesting conversations.

 

The learning curve had plenty of time to level the playing field out with a thousand years or so to go. For Ancients change came easy, for those born into the Kingdom it was all they knew. For everyone it was a matter of course and came as natural as learning to walk and talk.

 

But the Survivors…,well….,  that was a different story.

 

They had a complete set of issues all their own.

 

Learning communication and adapting to the Kingdom seemed to be challenging for them. Eben sometimes would rather talk to someone long dead, buried, then resurrected; than talk to those who had survived alive to enter the Kingdom of God by living through the Great Tribulation.

 

They just seemed to have this wild idea, sixty years later, that they were the head of the class being the last generation. Depending on which “old world” country they came from also played a factor in this “stubbornness” to adapt to the “New World” they now inhabited.

 

They seemed to think their way was best.

 

They were too smart or “intelligent” to realize they were back of the bus when it came to learning how to communicate correctly. Almost all Survivors had presumed their way was the “right” way. Some not only thought their way was the right way but almost acted as if it was the only way. Never mind the obvious, they had their way and of course, it was the only way.

 

Regardless of the challenges, they were learning to adapt, just slower than all the rest.

 

Those who thought to be so wise were allowed to keep thinking that even if no one else agreed with them. Survivors were an obstinate lot, some said stiff necked. So far, for the most part, they were tolerated as often time had a way of changing things.

 

Opposite to that were the Elders from the Scriptures.  It was pretty amazing looking at an ancient ancestor. Anyone of those thousands of heroes of the faith, or characters from the Bible, long dead before, was now alive in the Kingdom. Not all people from Scripture were there, but more than most people expected.

 

This was Inspiring till some of the illusions of imagining what they were like in real life wore off. They were different than what one wanted them to be or imagined how they would act. Imagination was often greater than observation of a person in day to day living.

 

Most ideas were like that. Idealistically they were great men and women come from Bible Times.

 

In your imagination they could appear to be bigger than life. After all they were Heroes of the Faith. Stories were told about them. Myths and legends had grown up around them. They were bigger than normal life after all.

 

They were “ALL CHRIST-LIKE HEROES”.

                                                                

“Yeah right”

 

Thought Eben combing his beard with his fingers.

              

The one to one interaction of everyday life in the everyday world was often left out of the “stories”. Sometimes they were included, but no one paid that close attention to that. It was obvious everyone had been a sinner at one time…..everyone.

 

The reality was the image of the person in one’s mind was easier to believe in than the person in flesh and blood. The idea of who that person was might be a lot greater than the person could actually be in person.  Sometimes it was hard to believe that these “saints” were just people too. It was too easy to have attached hopes of creating them into an image rather than a fact.

 

A fact that they were people with feelings and emotions.

 

They had successes and failures like everyone else. That was hard to swallow. It was easier to want them to be bigger than life. At least till you met with them a few times.

 

When you got to know them better it was easier to accept them as they are. Begin to meet with them personally and see how they dealt with this New Life. Share with them common experiences. Then it was good to enjoy them for who they really were. Appreciate the person that they were and see the being they were becoming.

 

Everyone was learning something.

 

Trying to relive their past life or past experiences as you interpreted it; as compared to the life the person remembered, well, that was like trying to put the baby back in the womb, it just didn’t fit grown up.

 

That was when the heroic came out of the fantasy.

 

Dealing with that taught Eben to watch his tongue and keep his “hero worship” in check.

 

Eben learned the hard way to keep quiet, sort of. It was challenging to keep the admiration down at times. Inspiration was where you found it, or He found you. Eben was easily inspired by the drop of a famous name or the song of a seagull, even the whispering in the breeze.

 

Singing often inspired him. When Aaron had led the singing with the Song of Moses back “in the Day”. Eben was immediately awe struck, temporarily. He just stood there with his mouth open till some of those marching through Jerusalem almost trampled him. He quickly got in step and sang too.

 

When it came time to sing the Song of Limmud, Aaron was first in line to sing with Eben picking up the words on the second time through. Songs were sung three times when led by the 144,000.  In order to familiarize, four more times were often sung by others with styles and variances mixed in.

 

It made for quite a choir as somehow even the variations harmonized in the Kingdom. There were a lot of singers here. Elvis certainly was in the building and singing was a national past time here. Everyone liked to sing, harmony came natural.

 

At times it was Heaven on Earth when singing led the way.

 

Apparently Aaron liked to sing, so did Eben. 

 

Eben had thought to comment to Aaron once on the golden calf incident making a joke about loving to party, but having already made one dumb mistake, he wasn’t about to confound it with two. Much later he told others of his thoughts and attempts at humor.

 

They didn’t laugh either.

 

Of course this didn’t slow Eben down, he laughed loud enough, long enough, and deep enough for three people, maybe four. When it came to the hero worship, he never told the people he met what he had previously thought about them. It was a little embarrassing to admit how elevated an idea could ruin a good friendship with them.

 

For Eben it was a good idea not to bring up the past too much.

Posted via email from The ChapterBook Series of Michael James Stone

ThruTheBible: J. Vernon McGee (Matthew Study) "A Key Book"

DailyHope: Are you ready to cross that line to live a passionate, messy, real relationship with a real Jesus who loves you?

Posted by Geoff Surratt
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” John 9:39 (NIV)

"This real relationship is with the real Jesus who hung on a cross for you."

Why is a real relationship with Jesus so difficult? Why is it so challenging? It is because we tend to create a quasi-relationship with a made-up Jesus.

We create a version of Jesus in our minds, one who makes few demands on us. This made-up Jesus basically does what we expect, and then leaves us alone.

Here’s the problem, this made-up Jesus doesn’t care about us. He doesn’t care if we succeed or fail, if we’re blind or able to see, if we live or die.

But the real Jesus cares deeply about you. He loves you passionately. He’s been pursuing you since the day you were born. You can ignore him; you can curse him; you can refuse to believe he exists. But Jesus he passionately pursues you.

Jesus says in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (NIV).

He loves you passionately. He doesn’t want a relationship of rote prayers, rule keeping and formulas. As the apostle Paul says, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Ephesians 3:19 NLT).

This is a messy, uncomfortable, passionate relationship. It’s rich and deep and ultimately fulfilling. That’s why Jesus won’t leave you alone, because he wants you to experience real and eternal life.

This real relationship is with the real Jesus who hung on a cross for you. Picture him there, looking across through time and into your eyes saying, “I love you. I’m willing to die for you. I’m willing to give everything so that you can know me and have a real life of passion, love and eternal life.”

Where are you at? Are you content to live the life that you’ve lived? Or are you ready to cross that line to live a passionate, messy, real relationship with a real Jesus who loves you?

Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest

RayStedman: "He found that he was trapped by sexual seductions."

Looking For Love

A devotion for February 16th
Read the Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:23-28
Ecclesiastes 7:23-28

23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,
"I am determined to be wise"—
but this was beyond me.

24 Whatever wisdom may be,
it is far off and most profound—
who can discover it?

25 So I turned my mind to understand,
to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
and the madness of folly.

26 I find more bitter than death
the woman who is a snare,
whose heart is a trap
and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
but the sinner she will ensnare.

27 "Look," says the Teacher, "this is what I have discovered:
"Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things-

28 while I was still searching
but not finding—
I found one upright man among a thousand,
but not one upright woman among them all.

New International Version

I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare (Ecclesiastes 7:26).

Verse 26 states a remarkable revelation of what a keenly intelligent and resourceful man found out about life. We must remember, Solomon is honestly recording his own experience.

He found that he was trapped by sexual seductions. Many men or women can echo what he is saying; He went looking for love and thought he would find it in a relationship with a woman. He went looking for that which would support him, strengthen him, and make him feel life was worth living, but what he found was nothing but a fleeting thrill. He found himself involved with a woman who did not give him what he was looking for at all; he still felt the same empty loneliness as before.

I read an article by a young woman who told about how she sought the answer to the hungers of her life in one relationship after another with men. She said she woke up one morning lying in bed with a man she had met just the night before. As she looked at this male sleeping beside her, she said she felt the most intense loneliness she had ever experienced. She realized then that her lifestyle was compounding, not solving, the emptiness and loneliness of her life. She went on to talk about how she found a relationship with God through the Lord Jesus and became a Christian and testified to the fullness she found in that relationship. What a confirmation her record is of what we have here in this passage.

The Searcher also honestly records the way of escape: The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare (Ecclesiastes 7:26b). We must remember that this is the man who had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines; he was involved with one thousand women. In all that experience, he found nothing to satisfy the searchings of his heart. But he did come to realize that the person who fears God, who understands God, whose eyes are opened and whose heart is taught by the Word of God, would escape this.

One of the most important lessons we must learn about life is that sex outside of marriage arrests the mutual process of discovery. I have seen this happen many times with young couples who were obviously growing in the Lord, who began to know one another, to love one another, to discover things they liked and disliked, and then suddenly the relationship soured, a weirdness set in, things went wrong, and they began to quarrel and fight. Invariably it turned out that they gave way to their temptations, canceling out every attempt to discover who the other one was.

Lord You know how easy it is for me to search for love in places that I have no business being. Teach me to heed Your warnings and keep my heart pure.

Life Application: The billion dollar industry of internet pornography is a snare today for many. Devoid of any relationship, it takes one away from the only relationship that truly satisfies.

Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest

GregLaurieVid: Antichrist, America and Armageddon

JonCourson: ““I don’t have to be as intense any more. I can sort of kick back"

 

February 16
 
And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.
Judges 1:26
 
This man was spared and saved - but what did he do? Did he join the people of God? No. After experiencing deliverance, he went into an area of present-day northern Syria, and built another city called Luz - just like the city that had been destroyed.

The same thing happens today. When people go through hard times, they receive the blessing, mercy, and forgiveness of God. But then they soon find themselves going back to the old areas, rebuilding the old cities, and doing the old things once again. If the Lord has touched your life, if He has called you into His Kingdom, if He has brought you into His family, when things start getting easier, don’t give in to the temptation of saying, “I don’t have to be as intense any more. I can sort of kick back. I can go back up to northern Syria where I came from and kind of rebuild old ways.”

Don’t do it! That’s what this man did. What happened to him? The Bible doesn’t say. His name isn’t mentioned; his deeds are not recorded from this point on. Thus, it seems his life didn’t count for much in the economy of God.

Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest

MikeMacIntosh: "I believe one of the weaknesses of the body of Christ worldwide is that very few are really exhausted from eliminating the enemy from their lives"

Today's Devotion

From Mike MacIntosh

When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit.
Judges 8:4

I believe one of the weaknesses of the body of Christ worldwide is that very few are really exhausted from eliminating the enemy from their lives, their families, and their churches. In fact, I doubt that many are truly still in pursuit, chasing the enemy down. Our spiritual senses have become dulled and we've given up the fight to be in the world but not of it.

I think that some Christians are over-exhausted from doing most of the work (2 Thessalonians 3:13). That shouldn't happen. The church needs everyone involved, doing his or her part, big or small, in evangelism and discipleship. If you're not involved in the church, now is the time to pick up your armor and go to battle, assisting your brothers and sisters in the Lord, and serving each other where you can. Some of you are gifted teachers and leaders, but have given up because of a small or even petty reason. Don't give up! The church needs you! Some of you have allowed the enemy to get the best of you and you're scared that Jesus or His church won't take you back in. That's baloney! The church needs you--everyone--to defeat the devil and to keep him out.

Jesus said that the harvest is huge but that the laborers are so few (Matthew 9:37). Don't be one who is being pursued by the devil; you take the Godly initiative. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can kick the enemy out of our families, our schools, our communities, our churches, and our nation! And we cannot do it without every single one of us pitching in doing our part.

Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest

StreamsInTheDesert: "When we learn to wait for our Lord's lead in everything"

Ordering the Stops

"In waiting, I waited, for the Lord" (Ps. 40:1, margin).

Waiting is much more difficult than walking. Waiting requires patience, and patience is a rare virtue. It is fine to know that God builds hedges around His people--when the hedge is looked at from the viewpoint of protection. But when the hedge is kept around one until it grows so high that he cannot see over the top, and wonders whether he is ever to get out of the little sphere of influence and service in which he is pent up, it is hard for him sometimes to understand why he may not have a larger environment--hard for him to "brighten the corner" where he is. But God has a purpose in all HIS holdups. "The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord," reads Psalm 37:23.

On the margin of his Bible at this verse George Mueller had a notation, "And the stops also." It is a sad mistake for men to break through God's hedges. It is a vital principle of guidance for a Christian never to move out of the place in which he is sure God has placed him, until the Pillar of Cloud moves.
--Sunday School Times

***

When we learn to wait for our Lord's lead in everything, we shall know the strength that finds its climax in an even, steady walk. Many of us are lacking in the strength we so covet. But God gives full power for every task He appoints. Waiting, holding oneself true to His lead--this is the secret of strength. And anything that falls out of the line of obedience is a waste of time and strength. Watch for His leading.--S. D. Gordon
Must life be a failure for one compelled to stand still in enforced inaction and see the great throbbing tides of life go by? No; victory is then to be gotten by standing still, by quiet waiting. It is a thousand times harder to do this than it was in the active days to rush on in the columns of stirring life. It requires a grander heroism to stand and wait and not lose heart and not lose hope, to submit to the will of God, to give up work and honors to others, to be quiet, confident and rejoicing, while the happy, busy multitude go on and away. It is the grandest life "having done all, to stand."
--J. R. Miller

Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest

DailyLight: "“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”."

 

 

 

Daily Light on the Daily Path
February 16

<< Feb 15 | Feb 16 | Feb 17 >>

Morning

Your name is oil poured out.
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.—So the honor is for you who believe.—Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.—For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”—God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.—The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.—And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.—“Immanuel” (which means, God with us).—His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.—The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
Song 1:3; Eph. 5:2; 1 Pet. 2:7; Phil. 2:9, 10; Col. 2:9; John 14:15; Rom. 5:5; John 12:3; Acts 4:13; Ps. 8:1; Matt. 1:23; Isa. 9:6; Prov. 18:10 (Read full verses...)

Evening

For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened.
O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. . . . For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.—Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
The whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.—Now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials.
The putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.—For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
2 Cor. 5:4; Ps. 38:9, 4; Rom. 7:24; Rom. 8:22, 23; 1 Pet. 1:6; 2 Pet. 1:14; 1 Cor. 15:53, 54 (Read full verses...)
<< Feb 15 | Feb 16 | Feb 17 >>

BobCaldwell: ""'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Wednesday, February 16, 2011 (top)

Real and False Apostles

(2 Corinthians 11:16-12:13)

 "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." -2 Corinthians 12:9

The personal attacks on Paul by false teachers had been extremely severe. They had clearly hurt Paul and put him in a very difficult position with the churches he had started in and around Corinth. The false apostles had elevated themselves in the eyes of the people, first, by tearing down Paul in about every way possible. Then they "showed" how they were far more spiritual and worthy of being considered as great men. Paul, they said, never sought such consideration because he knew that he was unworthy of it. Paul had already responded to some of these accusations with a bit of sarcasm, saying things like, "For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things. Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?" (2 Cor. 11:5-7).

He went on to address the attacks on his spiritual credibility by the false apostles by laying out some of his accomplishments, primarily pointing to the extreme suffering he had endured as an apostle (12:22-29). Even after referring to the visions of the "third Heaven" he had had, he said that it was nothing to be boasting about. He then teaches the secret that enabled him do more than all the other apostles. It was grace that God had abundantly given him in his weakness. He had come to live in a place where all he would honestly boast about was his weakness, a weakness that Jesus told him would be exchanged for enabling grace to do more than all the other apostles (1 Cor. 15:10).

This entire issue of having to defend yourself when you don't approach success according to our nature's prideful impulses is a challenge we all should face. For us to excel we must allow our weaknesses to become the platform of God's gracious, undeserved blessing and keep us from the poison of self-idolatry that made the most beautiful of angels, Lucifer, become the devil.

Let people misinterpret us and defame us. The fruit of God's grace through our lives and the success it produces will speak for itself of the glory of God's grace (Eph. 1:4-6).

NKJV Bible Text

2 Corinthians 11:16-12:13

 Reluctant Boasting

16 I say again, let no one think me a fool. If otherwise, at least receive me as a fool, that I also may boast a little. 17 What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast. 19 For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise! 20 For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. 21 To our shame I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also.

Reluctant Boasting

v. 16 A Fool – Paul stated in v. 1 that it was folly to be put into a position of having to validate himself before the Corinthians. After referring primarily to the faults of the false teachers, he now returns to his primary purpose in presenting his qualifications for having authority from God to minister to them.

v. 17 Not According To The Lord – Paul was not denying divine inspiration here. He was stating that the situation at Corinth that required he present his claims as a legitimate apostle were not the methods God uses to validate those He has ordained to ministry. But it was necessary in the eyes of the Corinthians. Paul's love for these believers and his deep concern for their spiritually precarious situation compelled him to do this in order to bring them back to sound doctrine and to Christ (v. 1-4).

v. 18 Boast According To The Flesh – This referred to natural rather than spiritual qualifications.

Fools Gladly – The boasting that Paul already described as "foolish" was something they had accepted from the false apostles as an esteemed quality.

Yourselves Are Wise – Paul used the tool of sarcasm to expose the wrong perception in their approach to this situation.

v. 20 You Put Up With – Paul graphically portrayed the illogical subjection to these religious tyrants.

v. 21 Too Weak For That – Paul continued the use of sarcasm, saying that he was too "weak" to treat them as a religious tyrant.

Suffering for Christ

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

Suffering For Christ

v. 22 Are They Hebrews – These false apostles were evidently Jewish and had used that as one of their qualifications to represent the Jewish Messiah, Jesus. The word Hebrew literally means "one from beyond," a term referring to Abraham, the first Jew, who came to Palestine from the foreign land of Ur of Chaldea.

Are They Israelites – Israel, named Jacob at birth, was a grandson of Abraham, the first Jew. It was Israel's 12 sons who founded the 12 tribes of the Jewish nation.

Seed Of Abraham – This was another way of identifying with the Jewish heritage.

v. 23 I Am More – Paul put a twist on the issue of pride based on the flesh, or the natural realm. He turned to all that his natural body suffered as a proof of his qualifications.

Labors More Abundant – Paul had earlier told them that by the grace of God he had done more than any other apostle to establish the first century church (1 Cor. 15:10).

Above Measure – Paul referred to the whippings he had received--so numerous he had lost count.

In Prisons – The book of Acts recorded one of these imprisonments prior to the writing of this letter (Acts. 16:23), indicating that Acts was only a brief sampling of all that went on during Paul's ministry.

In Deaths – Paul was often exposed to the threat of death. He also suffered beatings that brought him to the brink of death. Furthermore, he died to his own self interests time and time again (1 Cor. 15:31).

v. 24 Forty Stripes Minus One – The Old Testament laws limited punishment by whipping to 39 lashes.

v. 25 Beaten With Rods – The Romans used this form of punishment. The rods were flexible sticks tied together. (See Acts 16:22-23 for an example.)

Stoned – This referred to what happened at Lystra, as recorded in Acts 14:19.

v. 25 Suffered Shipwreck – Acts 13-20 recorded several accounts of Paul traveling by sea, any of which may be referred to here. The only recorded shipwreck in Acts occurred years after this letter was written (Acts 27).

In The Deep – One of the shipwrecks Paul referred to had destroyed the ship so badly that he floated for several hours clinging onto part of the wreckage.

v. 26 In Journeying – Paul gave a general listing of the broad range of difficulties that were a part of his constant travels. According to historians, Paul's trip to Pisidian from Perga was in an area where attacks on travelers were well known. And at flood season, rivers posed a serious threat to travelers.

v. 27 Weariness And Toil – Paul continued to list things he went through to fulfill his apostolic calling and that were manifested through the sufferings of his "flesh."

v. 28 Concern For All the Churches – Paul pointed out that the pressures on him to do all he could to serve the churches among the Gentiles had taken a great toll on him, not only emotionally but also physically.

v. 29 Who Is Weak – Paul gave two examples of how his concern for the church members affected him. His empathy for weak and struggling believers was so strong it caused him to internally experience what they were going through.

v. 29 Made To Stumble – When Paul saw believers fall spiritually because of the influence of false teachers or the forces of a fallen world, he was gripped with anguish and a godly anger.

30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.

v. 30 If I Must Boast – A review of the chapter reveals that Paul could never fully bring himself to list all of his accomplishments, which could have been honored by man. Thus he concluded that if he boasted, it would only in how God's power had brought success in his weakness.

v. 31 I Am Not Lying – Paul affirmed the truthfulness of the sufferings he had endured, as well as the power God had revealed through him in those sufferings.

v. 32 In Damascus – This event occurred soon after Paul's conversion (Acts 9:23-25). He saw it as a foretaste of what his life would be as he lived out the commission given to him by Jesus as the apostle to the Gentiles.

2 Corinthians 12

The Vision of Paradise

1 It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 5 Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. 6 For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.

Chapter 12

The Vision Of Paradise

v. 1 Not Profitable – Paul had felt he was forced into a position that required he establish his credibility before these believers (11:1; 16-21). This produced inner conflict because he saw no value in boasting about spiritual accomplishments. However, he felt compelled by a deep concern for their spiritual well being to regain a ministry influence with them (11:1-15).

Visions – This referred to the means whereby God reveals in a person's mind a scene that expresses something that God is or will do. Some examples of this in Paul's life are recorded in Acts 23:11; 9:12; 16:9-10; 18:9; 22:17- 18; 23:11; 27:23-24.

Revelation Of The Lord – Revelation at its root means, "to uncover." Here it referred to the removal of darkness, the lack of understanding of God. This revelation was not sourced simply in the process of mental pursuit. It was the illumination of the soul and spirit concerning God by God Himself.

v. 2 I Know A Man – Paul expressed his aversion to boasting by referring to himself in the third person.

In Christ – This is a glorious way to refer to any believer. A believer is seen as living within the riches of all that Jesus Christ is.

Fourteen Years Ago – It is generally held that 2 Corinthians was written in 58 A.D. Paul therefore referred to an event that occurred in 44 A.D. This seemed to coincide with Paul's experience in the temple when called by God to leave Jerusalem and go to minister to the Gentiles (Acts 22:17-21).

In The Body – The vision Paul referred to here was so "real" that it appeared to have been a literal physical experience rather than only an experience of the inner being.

God Knows – Paul admitted that only God knows the true character of mankind's experience in the realm of the Spirit. We are limited in this life to appreciate the full meaning of such experiences.

Third Heaven – The scriptures refer to the first heaven as earth's atmosphere (Gen. 8:2; Deut. 11:11; 1 Kings 8:35). The second would be references to other planets and stars (Gen. 15:5; Ps. 8:3; Is. 13:10). The third heaven is seen as the place of God's manifested presence (1 Kings 8:30; 2 Chron. 30:27; Ps. 123:1).

v. 3 Know Such a Man – Paul referred to himself in the third person because of his struggle with this appearing as spiritual pride and boasting.

v. 4 Paradise – "Paradise" is a term used to describe the place where believers go after physical death. Since the resurrection of Christ, this is a place in the presence of God, or the third heaven. Jesus referred to Paradise in Luke 23:43 as where he would be with the converted thief who had died alongside Him. In 1 Peter 3:18-20, we are told that at His death Jesus went to Sheol, the place of the departed dead. It seems from Luke 16:19-31 that this place had two parts: one part for those who died with faith in God and one for those who did not have faith in God. Those who died in faith did not enter the true presence of God until after Christ had atoned for sin on the cross. Therefore, in Ephesians 4:7-10, it refers to those who were on the "paradise" side of "Sheol" as ascending to heaven with Christ. Now Paradise is in heaven because by the atonement of Christ the believer goes directly to God's presence. That is why Paul could now say "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8).

Inexpressible Words – Paul saw things in heaven that human language would not be able to convey.

Not Lawful – Paul knew that if he sought to describe what he saw it would create more problems than blessing for others. He knew that such information would generate endless speculations and cause many to glory in Paul because of his experience.

v. 5 Yet Not Of Myself – Paul continued to try to restore his credibility without directing attention on himself.

My Infirmities – Paul introduced what will become the next major issues of proof of his true ministry: his trials, weaknesses, and suffering.

v. 6 Not Be A Fool – Paul stated here that for him to recount his many spiritual experiences would not be the actions of a fool because they were all true.

Think Of Me Above – Paul did not want their view of him to be based on experiences with God that cannot really be tested for authenticity. Instead, he desired that he be judged by what they could readily observe in his daily life and ministry.

The Thorn in the Flesh

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Thorn In The Flesh

v. 7 Exalted Above Measure – Paul explained to the people who questioned his calling and spirituality that the weaknesses they saw in him were, in fact, the direct result of having to counterbalance the many spiritual experiences he had had. He knew that God was using his various trials and weaknesses as a means to humility.

Thorn In The Flesh – Paul did not state the specific source of pain, so it was futile to give too much thought to what it was. However, we will be greatly benefited if we understand the purpose for which God allows pain and suffering to accompany the life of his servants.

Messenger Of Satan – The word "angellos" which means "messenger" in scripture appears 188 times. Of these, 180 are references to spirit beings. God used some force that originated in Satan's opposition of Paul in a secondary way for Paul's ultimate good. Just as God used Satan's attacks upon Job for Job's ultimate good, he also did so for Paul. We can see in this that God is able to use all things, even Satan's attacks on our flesh, for the ultimate good of His people.

Buffet Me – This referred to being treated in a way that causes pain. It can be either physical pain or the pain of the inner man, including one's emotions, mental states, etc.

v. 8 Pleaded With The Lord – Paul prayed to Jesus three times just as Jesus had prayed in Gethsemane three times for the Father to remove from Him the cup of judgment for the sin of humanity (Mark 14:32-41). This truth is a balancing concept for those who say all prayer is to be answered. Prayer is only to be answered when it is in harmony with God's will.

v. 9 My Grace Is Sufficient – God's grace is seen in the divine provisions He gives us apart from our personal merit. Paul declared that one of the main purposes of the believer is to become a living testimony of what God's grace can do in and through a person, even though he suffers from the results of living in a sin-cursed world.

Power Of Christ – Paul experienced the power of God not because he was without fault or weakness, but just the opposite. Because he was weak, it provided a platform to reveal the power of God that more than compensated for those weaknesses.

v. 10 Take Pleasure In Infirmities – Paul realized that enduring the severe troubles he went through would cause people to honor and glorify Christ as the source of his strength. It would be readily seen as a power that was obviously sourced in God, not Paul. Paul genuinely wanted people to see and glory in Christ rather than in him.

I Am Weak – As long as Paul acknowledged his weakness, he lived in the corresponding strength of Christ that replaced that weakness.

Signs of an Apostle

11 I have become a fool in boasting; you have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you; for in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing. 12 Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. 13 For what is it in which you were inferior to other churches, except that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong!

Signs Of An Apostle

v. 11 You Compelled Me – Paul saw no other way to reestablish his relationship with them.

Commended By You – The facts regarding this situation were such that Paul believed he had more than enough proof that was lived out before them of his call to be an apostle.

v. 12 Signs Of An Apostle – Paul reminded them of the validating proofs that were given through the ministry of the Spirit through him.

v. 13 Not Burdensome – The only thing that Paul saw that he did not do, but was common to an apostle, was to receive financial support from the Corinthians.

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