Celebrating Weakness

Reading:  2 Corinthians 12:1-10
    
    Since the Corinthians are enthralled with boastful pretenders to spiritual authority, Paul feels compelled to answer them in kind, with one exception:   “if I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness”(2 Cor 11:30).   His “boasting” highlights how inadequate he is for the task Jesus has given him.  “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven”(2 Cor 12:2).  Paul is unwilling to even admit that this happened to him, preferring to call himself a nameless “man in Christ”(see also v. 5, 7).  Yet he has received a tremendous vision of the domain of God and “heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter”(2 Cor 12:5).   Paul receives a life-altering vision and revelation.

    Yet even as this sounds like a sincere boasting, Paul adds a fascinating wrinkle.  “So to keep me from being conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited”(2 Cor 12:7).  Paul is weak; there is potential that he will grow proud because of what he has seen.  Satan sends him a thorn in his flesh—some physical ailment to torment him—and Jesus refuses to remove it (2 Cor 12:8).  Why?  “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is make perfect in weakness’”(2 Cor 12:9).  Jesus’ power shines most where our power fails.  So Paul is “content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong”(2 Cor 12:10).  If weakness gets me closer to Jesus, bring on the weakness.

    We tend to despise weakness.  We ridicule it in others and downplay it in ourselves.  Paul teaches us a different perspective.  When we feel strong, we feel little need for Jesus.  As humiliating and frustrating as it is, our weakness connects us more strongly to the power of Christ.  Christians celebrate weakness and allow it to drive us to the throne of Christ for strength and help.

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One Thing to Think About:  Is there a difference between celebrating weakness and refusing to grow?

One Thing to Pray For:  The courage to embrace my weakness and dependence on Jesus
 

The Credentials of an Apostle

Reading:  2 Corinthians 11:21-33
    
     Paul’s boasting reaches a crescendo here.  His words drip with irony.  He compares himself to his opponents in Corinth, who insist on bragging about their credentials.  “Are they Hebrews?  So am I.  Are they Israelites?  So am I?  Are they offspring of Abraham?  So am I.  Are they servants of Christ?  I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death”(2 Cor 11:22-23).  Paul matches their Jewish credentials but declares himself (in his sarcastic way of bragging) a “better” servant of Christ.  Why?  He has suffered more—far more.  

     What follows is a catalog of his sufferings for Christ.  “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.  Three times I was beaten with rods.  Once I was stoned”(2 Cor 11:24-25).  He goes on.  The life of a true apostle is not one of glamor and accolades but the cold reality of rejection and pain.  “And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak?  Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?”(2 Cor 12:28-29).  Paul’s suffering is also mental as he lives and dies with his brethren.  Every word from every corner of the world causes him to rejoice or lament.  This is Christian service.

     Paul does not speak this way to gain applause.  He is exposing the futility of comparing ourselves to other Christians and their service.  The powerful irony here is that the most downtrodden and overlooked are the most significant in God’s kingdom.  Even apostles do not derive their authority from great, impressive works.  Instead, they seem to suffer the most.  The lesson here is that we must humble ourselves—being willing to endure whatever we are called on to endure—in hopes of God’s exaltation.  Any effort to compare ourselves to others and show ourselves superior is doomed from the outset.
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One Thing to Think About:  Am I willing to suffer—to lack—to feel anxious—in my service to Jesus?

One Thing to Pray For:  Humility to endure what is before me without complaint
 

Disguises

Reading:  2 Corinthians 11:12-21
    
    Paul is about to “boast a little”(2 Cor 11:16) in order to combat the false boasting of his opponents in Corinth.  Some in the church there are posturing as “super-apostles”(2 Cor 11:5) and taking shots at Paul (2 Cor 10:10).  “And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.  For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ”(2 Cor 11:12-13).  The apostleship these men are claiming is illegitimate; it is a disguise.  In their efforts to make a name for themselves they have become deceitful.  They are hiding something more sinister.  “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  So it is no surprise if his servants, also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.  Their end will correspond to their deeds”(2 Cor 11:14-15).  This is a strong rebuke.    Paul is directly calling his opponents followers of Satan.  The way this will be known is by seeing their end, a restatement of Jesus’ principle that “you will recognize them by their fruits”(Matt 7:20).

    He begins to address their claims by arguing “as a fool”(2 Cor 11:16, 17).  “Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast”(2 Cor 11:17).  In this and the following sections, Paul will display his apostolic credentials by emphasizing his suffering and weakness.  If his opponents want to compare resumes, he stands ready—yet the resumes look different than most expect.  He also rebukes the Corinthians for accepting such worldly ways of thinking (2 Cor 11:20-21), since it means they reject apostles in favor of worldly people.

    Paul’s opponents act by “disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.”  Satan often uses disguises, capitalizing on the fact that people (and things) are not always what they appear to be.  Disguises allow him to gain influence subtly.  Wolves can come in sheep’s clothing, which means they can create more carnage when they drop the disguise.  Disciples need caution so that we can detect disguises and judge by works, not appearances.

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One Thing to Think About:  How have I observed people appearing to be something they were not?

One Thing to Pray For:  Discernment in dealing with others

A Divine Jealousy

Reading:  2 Corinthians 11:1-11
    
    Paul warns that he is about to engage in “a little foolishness”(2 Cor 11:1) by presenting his credentials as an apostle to combat the charges of his opponents in Corinth.  Why will he do this?  “For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ”(2 Cor 11:2).  He is jealous because he wants them to continue the commitment they have made to Jesus.  “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.  For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough”(2 Cor 11:3-4).  Paul is deeply concerned that the Corinthians are ready to leave the Lord for another Jesus, another spirit, even another gospel.  This irks him and leads him to argue from his “foolishness.”

    One of the accusations Paul faces is that he refused to accept pay from the Corinthians while working with them.  Somehow they view this as a slight rather than a blessing.  “Did I commit a sin” by doing this (2 Cor 11:7)?  “I robbed other churches”(2 Cor 11:8) by taking their support while in Corinth and even then, “I did not burden anyone” in Corinth (2 Cor 11:9).  “And why?  Because I do not love you?  God knows I do!”(2 Cor 11:11).  They see his refusal to accept money as a sign of his lack of love; Paul says it proves the opposite.

    Sometimes it is difficult to separate my concern for my brother from my personal hurt.  Paul has been hurt and personally attacked by the Corinthians, yet he insists that he has “a divine jealousy” for them.  This letter is less about justifying himself than ensuring that they remain faithful to Jesus.  Sometimes we will be hurt by others, but this is not the supreme issue.  “Divine jealousy” is appropriate.  I should have a passion for my brothers to continue faithful to Jesus no matter what.

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One Thing to Think About:  Do I ever struggle distinguishing personal hurt from concern from my brother?

One Thing to Pray For:  A divine jealousy for my brothers and sisters
 

The Sphere God Has Assigned Us

Reading:  2 Corinthians 10:13-18
    
    It is hard to miss Paul’s critics in the background of this section.  He defends himself against charges that he and his fellow-workers are “overextending ourselves”(2 Cor 10:14) by claiming them as his converts.  He insists that he does not “boast beyond limit in the labor of others”(2 Cor 10:15) and refuses to commend himself (2 Cor 10:18).  These critics have grown territorial, arguing that Paul has no right to claim authority among them (despite the fact that Paul helped start the church in Corinth) because this is not his sphere or “area of influence”(2 Cor 10:13, 15-16).  Perhaps these opponents also claim their own authority as apostles (2 Cor 11:5, 12).

    So Paul pushes back:  “But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.  For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you.  For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ”(2 Cor 10:13-14).  Paul has a sphere of influence God has assigned him which most certainly includes Corinth.  He reminds them that he was, by the work and assignment of God, the first to teach them about Jesus.  He also contends that he enjoys preaching in completely untouched places (see Rom 15:20).  But he also has a broader rebuke:  this is not about building a resume or gaining followers for himself.  “‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’  For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends”(2 Cor 10:17-18).  Jesus’ approval is what matters.

    Paul only boasts in “the area of influence God assigned to us.”  We have limits.  We cannot fix every problem, meet every need, and convert every person.  Yet God is not disappointed in our limits; he merely wants us to serve in the sphere he has given us.  In our homes and neighborhoods, in our workplaces and churches, with our friends and family, there is sufficient work to occupy us forever.  Rather than comparing with others or seeking to impress others, we must learn to accept our sphere and boast only in Jesus.

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One Thing to Think About:  What “sphere” has God assigned me?

One Thing to Pray For:  Freedom from the desire to impress others