As we’ve been reading in 2 Corinthians, in Paul’s original plan, he wanted to travel from Ephesus to Macedonia to Corinth to Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Timothy was sent to Corinth on his behalf. Timothy discovers that the church was in turmoil, due to arrival of Paul’s opponents. We know the Corinthians were struggling with in continual struggle with impurity, sexual immorality and sensuality. At the same time, they also quarrelled over which leader to follow, displayed anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit and disorder. Paul immediately proceeds to Corinth to resolve the issues, and his visit turned out to be a very “painful” one due to the church’s open rebellion against him.

However, Paul adapted his plan. He decided it’s best to suffer humiliation and not visit them again on his return journey in order to extend mercy towards them and not cause more pain. Once back in Ephesus, Paul sent Titus back to Corinth with a tearful and severe letter (now lost and we do not have any copies), warning the church of God’s judgement if they did not repent.

To Paul’s great joy, the majority of the Corinthians did repent, which Paul discovered when he met Titus in Macedonia Paul decided to refrain from going back to Corinth on his return journey. This was to prevent causing them more pain.

Today’s passage tracks the response that the Corinthian church had when they received Paul’s letter.

We are now midway through the second letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. As we read these 8 verses, let us bear in mind the main melody that rings throughout the whole letter and joins each part together – the fellowship of the weak. Paul was writing to a church that looked at first like it would break fellowship and part ways. In this letter, he gives them a message that was given to him, invites them back and celebrates their return.

The gospel message – that God Himself would take on flesh, dwell among us, and suffer – was well-received by the Corinthian church. They loved the message, that is, until they found out that this would be their story too – then it gets challenging. How do we respond when we find ourselves weak and suffering?

Paul’s invitation to this young church is for us as well – if we are weary and need rest, if we mourn and long for comfort, if we sin and need a Saviour, God, through Paul, invites us to the fellowship of the weak, to know the risen Jesus Christ.

Today’s study picks up in the middle of the chapter, and prior to this, we read of how the church in Corinth doubted the credentials of Paul and the apostles, and therefore their message. In today’s passage, we’re going to read of how the Corinthians, like so many churches, was in the grip of worldliness. Holiness demands we be separate from the world.

In 2020, we spent twelve weeks going through 2 Cor 1-6. From these chapters, we see in this epistle more than anywhere else that Paul speaks in a very biographical way. He keeps going back to how weak he is and the Christian life cannot be lived without weakness. This is an incredibly important and apt lesson for 2020. 2020 has shown us how weak we are. That weakness is not malice or cruelty on God’s part, but it is grace.

Before we move on to study the rest of the letter, we are going to do a recap, so that we can understand the themes in the first half of the epistle that carries into the second half.

We will take a pause in 2 Cor after this study. In this first part of 2 Corinthians, Paul has been addressing the suspicions and accusations that he is not a real apostle because of the suffering and afflictions that he has faced! Paul is laying out a defence of the apostles’ ministry to those who do not believe. He is trying to show them how he is truly legitmate.

Who comes to your mind when you think about the people who taught you the Bible, who showed you the gospel, and who first helped you see, understand, and believe in Jesus? Your parents, pastors, or church leaders may come to mind. Now, think about how they first helped you fall in love with God’s Word.

This passage in 2 Corinthians describes the heart of every such person who genuinely laboured and gave of themselves to make Christ known to you through His Word. It represents their hopes and desires for you, from their heart to yours. In the example of Paul, we will look at their motivation, their model for ministry, and hear the message they so desperately want to communicate.

Paul has been speaking about suffering and affliction. Last week, we spoke about how Paul was like the ant or bug that just wouldn’t give up no matter how hard you press it against the wall or the table. Paul writes in 2 Cor 4:8 that he was afflicted in every way, but never crushed. After, Paul spoke about how he suffers for the sake of the Corinthians, for them to know the gospel/ We discussed about how Paul’s priority is in speaking the gospel (2 Cor 4: 13) so that God’s grace extends, and that in turn increases thanksgiving to God’s glory.

Paul concludes in 2 Cor 4:16 that Christians do not lose heart amidst suffering, even in intense suffering like his. And we ended by talking about the how even as our outer selves are wasting away, our inner selves are being renewed day by day. This happens as we look to things unseen and eternal as we suffer, knowing that our suffering (described as light and momentary) is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory.

What are these unseen things and how can we be like Paul? Today’s passage is a continuation of Paul’s arguments.

Our passage starts with a “But”, signalling a continuation of an argument/point made in the previous verses. In 2 Cor 4:4, Paul has just said that Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. In 2 Cor 4:6, Paul then says that for Christians, for believers: God has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Paul uses the language of creation to describe how one comes to Christ, that is why later in 2 Cor 5:17, we see that Paul describes those who are in Christ to be a new creation.

This idea and context is important in helping us to understand today’s passage!

Today’s study is a short passage, but as we read it, we will want to pay attention to observe Paul’s heart and drive in ministry.

In our passage today, Paul is defending his ministry: defining what ministry success means, and showing us what are some marks of a true and genuine gospel ministry.

We have been walking through the narrative and circumstances of Paul writing this letter to the Corinthian church. We have read of how he had heard of the distress, tension and sin in the church. He wrote 1 Cor to them and heard bad news. Then he went down and had a worse experience. There was a painful visit that left him grieved. Paul then left them and wrote them a severe letter which he wrote out of much affliction and anguish. To let them know the love he had for them. So tonight’s narrative comes after having written that letter, and having Titus deliver that letter to them. This is Paul waiting for Titus to bring back news.

In this study, we will read of Paul’s heart for the church.

In this study, we’re going to deal with the issue of church discipline. This may seem strange and foreign to some of us, but let’s see what God’s word has to say about this issue!

What does it mean to be a shepherd of the sheep? Today’s passage is about the heart of Christ for His people.

The Bible uses the word “comfort” in thirty-one places, and more than half appears in 2 Cor. In just today’s passage alone, it appears for ten instances. Paul is sharing with the church in Corinth about the true comfort he has experienced amidst his suffering.

Today’s passage is very practical, because we, or our friends might need comfort. Often, we struggle to comfort sufferers and we don’t know how to help or what to say to them. How do Christians comfort and suffer?