2CORINTHIANS. 8-9 PAUL EXPLAINS THE COLLECTION+++

2CORINTHIANS THE MACEDONIAN EXAMPLE OF GIVING. PAUL THEN SPOKE OF THE OFFERING HE WAS TAKING FOR THE FAMINE STRICKEN CHURCH IN JERUSALEM(8-9 ALSO SEE ACTS.20;1-6)(HE BEGAN BY POINTING TO THE WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF THE MACEDONIAN BELIEVERS WHO,AFTER DEDICATING THEMSELVES TO GOD AND IN THE MIDST OF GREAT HARDSHIP, HAD COLLECTED A LARGE OFFERING. HE URGED THE CORINTHIANS TO DO LIKEWISE(8;7-8)(2COR.8-9 CHRIST'S EXAMPLE. OF COURSE, HISTORY'S GREATEST EXAMPLE OF SACRIFICAL LOVE WAS CHRIST HIMSELF.THOUGH RICH BEYOND IMAGINATION, HE CHOSE TO BECOME POOR TO MAKE US SPITITUALLY RICH.HE BECAME WHAT HE WAS NOT(POOR)THAT WE MIGHT BECOME WHAT WE WERE NOT(RICH) THE SINLESS SON OF GOD BECAME THE SON OF MAN SO THAT SINFUL SONS OF MEN MIGHT SONS OF GOD.)( 2COR,8;10-15 FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED' THE CORINTHIANS HAD BEGAN AN OFFERING FOR JERUSALEM A YEAR PREVIOUSLY BUT HAD LAPSED. PAUL URGED THEM TO RESUME THEIR EFFORT,NOT FEELING THEY HAD TO GIVE UP MORE THAN THEY WERE ABLE,BUTBUT SIMPLY DOING THEIR FAIR SHARE.)(2CORINTHIANS 8;16 9;5 I'VE BRAGGED ABOUT YOU SO DON'T LET ME DOWN' PAUL WOULD SEND TITUS AND TWO OTHER MEN,WHO COULD BE DEPENDED ON TO COLLECT AND DELIVER THEIR GIFTS(8;16-24)HE WAS SENDING THEM AHEAD OF TIME SO THAT THE CORINTHIANS WOULD HAVE THEIR GIFTS READYWHEN HE ARRIVED(9;5) PAUL HAD TOLD THE CHURCH IN MACEDONIA THAT THE CORINTHIANS HAD ALREADY BEGUN AN OFFERING(8;10) HE HOPED TITUS'S EARLY VISIT WOULD ENCOURAGE THEM TO INTENSIFY THEIR EFFORTS AND NOT LET HIM DOWN(9'14 ALSO SEE1COR.16;2)(2CORINTHIANS 9;6-15 SOW MUCH,REAP MUCH; SOW LITTLE REAP LITTLE. PAUL SPOKE OF THE BLESSEDNESS OF GIVING(9;6) ALSO SEE LUKE 6;38 AND ACTS 20;35)(OF HOW GIVING SHOULD BE DONE IN THE CHURCH,AND OF THE RESULTS OF GENEROUS GIVING; (RULES FOR GIVING' >#1. EACH INDIVIDUAL MUST DECIDE THE AMOUNT HE OR SHE GIVES(9;7). (#2. ALL GIVING SHOULD COME FROM THE HEART.(9;7)(+++ RESULTS OF GIVING; #1. GOD WILL MEET THE NEEDS OF THE GIVER(9;8-11)(#2. THE GIVING WILL MEET THE REAL NEEDS OF OF OTHERS(9;12)(#3.THE RECIPIENTS WILL PRAISE GOD AND PRAY FOR THE GIVER(9;12-14)( ''PAUL DEFENDS HIS AUTHORITY'' 10;1-6 TURNING HIS ATTENTION TO THOSE AT CORINTH WHO WERE CHALLENGING HIS AUTHORITY(SEE 11;5, 13)PAUL DEFENDED HIMSELF AGAINST THEIR ATTACKS(10;13) THOUGH PAUL AND HIS MINISTRY PARTNERS MAY HAVE NOT BEEN AS IMPRESSIVE IN PERSON AS WERE HIS OPPONETS(10;1-2)HE HAD ON HIS SIDE THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD. (COMPARE EPH.6;13)( WHICH COULD KNOCK DOWN THE DEVIL'S STRONGHOLDS,REFUTE ARROGANT ARGUMENTS, AND CHANGE REBELLIOUS HEARTS. IN DEFEATING SATAN,ONE CANNOT SIMPLY FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE' ONE MUST USE BLOOD THE BLOOD OF CHRIST(SEE REV.12;11) (2COR.10;7-11)(CALLING ATTENTION TO PAUL'S MILD DEMEANOR,HIS ENEMIES SOUGHT TO BELITTLE HIM BY POINTING OUT THAT ,WHILE HIS LETTERS SEEMED WEIGHTY AND FORCEFUL,IN PERSON HE WAS A POOR PUBLIC SPEAKER(10;7-10) PAULS ASSURED THEM THAT ON HIS NEXT VISIT HE WOULD BE AS STERN IN PERSON AS HE HAD BEEN IN HIS LETTERS.)(2CORINTHIANS 10;12-18 THE ONLY BASIS FOR BOASTING PAUL'S ENEMIES HAD BEEN TRYING TO WIN FOLLOWERS BY COMPARING THEMSELVES TO EACH OTHER AND TO PAUL(10;12-14)WHOSE WORK THEY WERE TRYING TO CLAIM AS THEIR OWN(10;15-16) PAUL HOWEVER WOULD SEEK ONLY GOD'S APPROVAL(10;17-18) (2CORINTHIANS 11;1-4 I WILL BOAST BECAUSE I'M JEALOUS MOVED BY THE JEALOUSY OF GOD HIMSELF' BORN OF HIS DESIRE TO KEEP THE CORINTHIANS FAITHFUL,PAUL ASKED THEM TO ALLOW HIM FOR A MOMENT THE '' FOOLISHNESS''(11;1, 11;16-19 12;11) OF COMPARING HIMSELF TO HIS OPPONETS (11;5 12;13) JEALOUSY IS NOT THE SAME AS ENVY.JEALOUSY IS THE DESIRE TO POSSESS ONE'S OWN THINGS. IT IS A GOOD AND NATUAL TRAIT.IF KEPT IN PROPER BOUNDS.ENVY IS THE DESIRE TO POSSESS THE THINGS OF ANOTHER. THIS IS ALWAYS WRONG.)(2CORINTHIANS (11;5-15 PAUL AND THE APOSTATES APOSTLES PAUL BEGAN HIS COMPARISON OF HIMSELF TO HIS OPPONETS BY NOTING THAT,THOUGH NOT AS GIFTED IN PUBLIC SPEAKING AS THEY WERE,HE WAS JUST AS KNOWLEDGEABLE(11;5-6) HE HAD MINISTERED TO THE CORINTHIANS WITHOUT CHARGE(11;7-9 ALSO 12;13, 16 ALSO SEE ACTS 18;117 ALSO 1COR.4;12)UNLIKE HIS OPPENETS (SEE 11;16-21) HE MADE SUCH COMPARISONS NOT OUT OF PRIDE BUT OUT OF FEAR THAT THESE'' FALSE APOSTLES''EMPOWERED BY SATAN HIMSELFWOULD LEAD THE CORINTHIANS ASTRAY THUS FRUSTRATING GOD'S GRACE AND PAUL'S MINISTRY(11;10-15) 2CORINTHIANS 11;16-21 THE CORINTHIAN BELIEVERS HAD ALLOWED THE GODLESS FALSE OPOSTLES TO MAKE THEM THEIR SPIRITUAL SLAVES,TAKING EVERYTHING THEY OWNED AND SHAMELESSLY EXPLOITING THEM.BEING MADE SLAVES(11;20) MAY REFER BOTH TO FINANCIAL EXPLOIATION AND TO THE LEGALISM PROMOTED BY THESE JUDAIZERS SEE 11;22-33) AND ON( THE BOOK OF GALATIANS BACKGROUND >AS PAUL PLANTED CHURCHES AMONG THE GENTILES OF GALATIA,OTHER TEACHERS CAME ALONG AND TRIED TO CONVINCE THE NEW BELIEVERS THAT,TO TRULY BE SAVED,THEY HAD TO KEEP THE LAW.THESE JUDAIZERS'' SOUGHT TO DISCREDIT NOT ONLY PAUL'S MESSAGE BUT ALSO HIS VERY CLAIM TO BE AN APOSTLE.IN GALATIANS,PAUL VINDICATED BOTH HIS APOSTLESHIP(1-2)AND HIS MESSAGE(3;6) SHOWING CONVINCINGLY THAT SALVATION IS +++BY GOD'S GRACE THROUGH FAITH'' APART FROM WORKS OF THE LAW. PRAISE' THE LORD' MAY GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU ALWAYS I ASK GOD TO HEAL THE SICK, AND BRING ALL THE BLESSINGS NEED FOR THIS MINISTRY AND MOVE ON THE GOVERMENT WHO HAVE TAKEN THE PLACE OF THOS THEY PUT IN JAIL FOR THE VERY THINGS THEY ARE NOW DOING, THEY FORGET GOD PLACED THEM IN POSITION, AND GOD KNOW WHAT THEY AREDOING TO BRING DOWN THIS COUNTRY, AND THE WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR BEING GREEDY, WHEN THE WRONG LEADERS ARE IN CHARGE THE PEOPLE SUFFER. THIS IS THE FUTURE' I ASK GOD TO MOVE ON ALL OF YOU WHO BRING DOWN THE PEOPLE WITH YOUR UNJUST WAYS, GOD PLACED A SYSTEM TO GO BY' WE ALL MUST DO RIGHT BY THIS SYSTEM JUST LIKE ONE GERM ENTERS INTO THE BODY AND LEFT UNTREATED HOW MUCH DAMAGE WILL IT DO IF LEFT UNTREATED. PRAY FOR GOD TO MAKE THE GOVERMENT WHOM HE CREATED TO OPERATE BY HIS STANDARDS. AND STOP LYING TO THE PEOPLE WE ALL SEE THE EFFECTS OF UNJUSTICE' UNFAIRNESS' STEALING, ROBBERY, TRICKERY, THE JAIL IS FULL OF PEOPLE WHO VIOLATED THE LAW WRONGNESS IS WRONGNESS NO MATTER WHO OR WHERE IT COMES FROM. WE AS PEOPLE OF GOD NEED TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST WRONGNESS, THE GOVERMENT IS STEALING MONEY FROM PEOPLE, IN BROAD DAY LIGHT. AND THE WHOLE WORLD JUST STAND BY AND DO NOTHING' GOD WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE YOU SEE WRONGNESS AND DO NOTHING ABOUT IT' THE PEOPLE SUFFER' BECAUSE NO ONE SPEAKS FOR THEM. SPEAK OUT AGAINST UNJUSTICE' STAND UP FOR THE POOR, AND NEEDY, THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESS, ALL PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING MISTREATED' THEY HAVE NO ONE BUT US' IF GOD IS WITH US' WE WILL BECOME VICTORIOUS' WE MUST STAND AGAINST THE WRONGNESS OF TODAY WHICH IS PURE EVIL'' AND HELL BOUND WRONG. A POISON HAS ENTERED AMERICA, AND JESUS IS THE ANTIDOTE' PRAY FOR THE GOVERMENT TO DO WHAT'S FAIR, FOR GOD SEES ALL THINGS, AND YOU WHO DO NOT' TAKE A GOOD LOOK AROUND''SERVANTGODGIVETH.