The Everyday Prayer

“The punishment of the majority is enough for such a person.”  (2 Corinthians 2:7)  It is a painful read.  Profitable, but painful nonetheless.  2 Corinthians 2 recalls a time in Corinth when an opponent “stands up” to challenge Paul’s integrity and the rest of the congregation comes to Paul’s defense by disciplining the brother who is spreading discord.  Not a happy moment!  Some scholars think this is the same brother who was sleeping with his father’s wife in 1 Corinthians 5.  True or not, the context of chapters 1 and 2 implies a personal challenge to Paul and the courage required of the church to stand with him.  Thank God for such a majority!  Pastors (as all believers) are “jars of clay”.  Apart from the steady and courageous support of the members, no pastor can stand against the constant and overwhelming criticism that comes.  Strange thought!  Pastors protect sheep.  Sheep also protect pastors.  We have to stand together or the outcomes are unfortunate for everyone concerned.

The Mission Statement of FBC reads, “FBC exists to follow our Lord Jesus Christ and to lead all other to a joyful life with Him.”  As we follow Christ (our first priority), we lead others (0ur second) and the desired outcome in joy!  Nehemiah says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10)  Nothing is more necessary in this dark and depressing day than joy.  Nothing is more persuasive.  The church needs joy like a body needs oxygen.  I appreciate the reminder from Paul.  In 2 Corinthians 1:23 he says of himself and his church-planting team “we are workers with you for your joy.”  What a beautiful statement of his objective in ministry.  May the hallways of this dear church ring out with the laughter of those who know the Lord!  “For the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace and patience. . .Maybe it is something we should work on as the Spirit of God shows us the way.  Bless you, friends!  Don

“Just as our sufferings are abundant in Christ, so is our comfort!” (2 Corinthians 1:5)  When Jesus promised to give us abundant life, did anyone consider that He would give us sufferings AND strength in large measure?  I was risk-averse before it was a word.  My tendency is to protect myself from pain and disappointment.  Jesus has a different life in mind for me.  Daily, He calls me into the daring adventure of Life in the Spirit.  He guarantees that I will be hurt, rejected and misunderstood.  He also guarantees that I will be abundantly strengthened!  I will be encouraged when I pray. . .inspired when I meet with a friend. . . instructed when I read the scripture.  Anyone hungry for abundant life?  Will you stop and pray right now for those in the First Baptist Family who need strength/wisdom at the present time?  His promise is that the comfort will be huge!  I am looking forward to seeing you in a few hours.  Don

“We had received the sentence of death so that we would not rely on ourselves but on God.” (2 Corinthians 1:9)  “To keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me–to keep me from exalting myself.”  (2 Corinthians 12:7)  I don’t trust easily or naturally.  I don’t know anyone who does.  Like Paul, most of us tend to trust only ourselves, listen only to our own counsel until God makes life “complicated” and forces a new approach.  Apart from problems/pains/pressures, many of us would never “drop our nets and follow Him”.  “Before I was afflicted,  I went astray.  Now I obey your word” (Psalm 119:67) The greek word for “problem” is a combination of two.  Pro + balein  literally means “to throw forward”.  Perhaps God never loves us more than when He makes us uncomfortable–uncomfortable enough to consider (need) a brand new way to live–a life of trust.  By throwing us forward, He is teaching us to trust.

“Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:9) Part of God’s purpose in moments of great pain is to teach us to rely on Him.  Pain is an effective tool for this purpose.  It strips us of all other confidences, persuades us that neither Drs, nor drugs, nor friends, nor self effort are sufficient solutions for our need.  Pain turns us to God .  It puts us on our knees.  See the story of Job.  Strange.  When my body is suffering, my soul may be “getting well’ in a way that I have always needed, but could not learn apart from suffering. Is this too harsh?  Not in God’s eternal economy!  When Jesus is all we have, we learn that He is all we need.  Pray today for those who are presently walking through the “valley of the shadow of death.” Someday, and this by God’s grace, we will all travel this helpful, painful road.

Arthur S. Way’s translation of 2 Corinthians1:4 is, “Blessed be he who in all my affliction comforts me so perfectly that I have comfort to spare.”  Beautiful!  Part of God’s purpose for letting us experience the crushing circumstances of life is to prepare us for ministry to others.  Help from heaven does not arrive via angelic messenger.  Not normally.  It is delivered to a broken heart via the voice of a person prepared for such ministry by the experience of similar heartbreak.  “Comfort one another with these words” says the Bible in 1 Thessalonians 4:18.  No one is more qualified to do this task than the person who KNOWS through personal experience both the affliction and the help that is available in Christ.  When we suffer with Christ (dealing with our anger and doubts, turning again and again to trust God) our hearts are changed and prepared for ministry in a broken world.  He gives us comfort to spare.

What does it feel like to be on death row?  What fills the mind and heart of a prisoner waiting for execution?  Paul says he knows.  In 2 Corinthians 1:9 he says, “we felt that we had received the sentence of death”.  What a picture of hopelessness!  We can only speculate on what caused a man like Paul to come to such a state.  Some say it was the constant opposition he faced.  Others think it was physical illness.  Perhaps it was a combination of things that finally became so overwhelming that Paul just lost hope.  The good news is that God raised him from the dead!  His hope and strength returned.  Resurrection is not just something that happens someday in heaven.  It is the work of God now.   “The God who raises the dead!” (vs 9)is His name.  One of the ways we learn to rely on Him is to go through times when we feel as hopeless and powerless as a prisoner on death row.

I really don’t like the new word.  It is a fairly recent innovation to translate 2 Corinthians 1:4 as “consolation”.  It sounds like consolation prize–something we give to losers to make them feel better.  Earlier translations were closer to the original thought.  They used the word “comfort”.  “He comforts us in all our afflictions, that we may comfort others.”  It means to strengthen or undergird.  It is a cognate (form) of the word Jesus used for the Holy Spirit.  Comforter is paraclete–0ne called alongside for the purpose of assistance.  When we are in trouble, God “calls out” whatever forces are necessary to insure our ability to meet the demands and duties of life in Him.  It is encouraging to consider the “alarms bells” of heaven sounding out when one of His children is in need of assistance.  He doesn’t criticize us, He sends help!  God accepts the responsiblity to provide all that we need for life and godliness, even in times of trouble. What a comforting thought!

Re Verse reading this week–2 Corinthians 1:1-11. “For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:5)  When Paul talked his abundant sufferings, he was not exaggerating.  The book of Acts is clear about the multiple occasions that Paul was beaten, “rumored” out of town, opposed, stoned, arrested or criticized.  Calling them the “sufferings of Christ” means that these particular troubles were CAUSED by his loyalty to Christ, or that they were COMPARABLE to the sufferings that Jesus experienced. (rejection, loneliness, persecution etc)  Paul is not unique.  None of us are promised a life that is easy, fair or pain-free.  Instead, the scripture teaches us that we should want to know “the fellowship of his sufferings”. (Philippians 3:10)  Rather than seeking safety, we are to desire the intimate friendship with Christ that comes only by walking with Him through the hard things of life.  Dear Lord, help me not complain when  life is unfair or I am misunderstood.  Teach me to find your comfort as I experience your sufferings.

“Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb. (John 20:1)  “When it was evening, the first day of the week.” (John 20″19)  “And on the first day of the week when we were gathered to break bread.” (Acts 20:7)  It is a FACT of history.  Early Christians gathered on the first day of the week (Sunday) to worship.  It is a SYMBOL of our doctrine–a celebration of the empty tomb and all that it means!  The resurrection of Jesus Christ is THE turning point of time and eternity!  His resurrection is the birth of the church.  His resurrection is what we believe and how we hope and why we worship.  Tomorrow is Sunday.  It is the first day of a new week.  We will study the resurrection of Christ. (1 Corinthians 15)  What possible reason could we give Jesus for not gathering and rejoicing and giving and worshiping?  I will see you in a few hours ,dear friends.  Because He lives!