CCF Sunday Messages

This week we enter chapter 12 of 2nd Corinthians covering verses 1-10. This passage is packed with both curiosity and familiarity!

Curiosity? In being forced to brag a bit, Paul meets the false teachers on the field of spiritual revelation and vision! Paul had his share of visions—you can read more about this in the book of Acts. It is curious that Paul talks about himself in the third person—as if he is speaking about someone else. And he tells of a vision of Paradise that is impossible to explain! Why does he talk about himself that way? What is Heaven like?

Familiarity? You have heard about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”. You have heard the verse, “My grace is sufficient?” The mighty miracle working Paul, who has healed others, is struggling as to why he is not being healed from this “thorn”. What is the thorn? Why doesn’t God answer Paul’s prayer by taking the thorn away?

Ultimately, Paul recognizes that bragging is useless and only valuable for self-promotion. He doesn’t want to manipulate people to think too highly of him. This is a fantastic passage and we’ll unpack it together! Listen in and see!

This week we enter chapter 12 of 2nd Corinthians covering verses 1-10. This passage is packed with both curiosity and familiarity!

Curiosity? In being forced to brag a bit, Paul meets the false teachers on the field of spiritual revelation and vision! Paul had his share of visions—you can read more about this in the book of Acts. It is curious that Paul talks about himself in the third person—as if he is speaking about someone else. And he tells of a vision of Paradise that is impossible to explain! Why does he talk about himself that way? What is Heaven like?

Familiarity? You have heard about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”. You have heard the verse, “My grace is sufficient?” The mighty miracle working Paul, who has healed others, is struggling as to why he is not being healed from this “thorn”. What is the thorn? Why doesn’t God answer Paul’s prayer by taking the thorn away?

Ultimately, Paul recognizes that bragging is useless and only valuable for self-promotion. He doesn’t want to manipulate people to think too highly of him. This is a fantastic passage and we’ll unpack it together! Listen in and see!

Continuing this intense section with Paul arguing against the false teachers in Corinth, this week we finish up chapter eleven, where Paul focuses on his suffering for the gospel’s sake. No one can disagree that Paul has withstood unbelievable trials and hardships for the gospel, and surely the church at Corinth could see the vast difference between the false teachers and the true devotion and love of their apostle Paul.

While Paul still is frustrated at the need to argue “in the flesh” with credentials and titles, he clearly shows his passion for the churches and his dedication to the gospel, even though he knows this is not the core of who he is. Instead, he finishes in v. 30 “If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.” He knew that the real power was evident where he was weak, and that it was God’s power, not his own that gave Paul authority in the Corinthian church.

Listen in as we finish chapter 11 and see Paul’s passion for the body of Christ and specifically the people at Corinth.

Continuing this intense section with Paul arguing against the false teachers in Corinth, this week we finish up chapter eleven, where Paul focuses on his suffering for the gospel’s sake. No one can disagree that Paul has withstood unbelievable trials and hardships for the gospel, and surely the church at Corinth could see the vast difference between the false teachers and the true devotion and love of their apostle Paul.

While Paul still is frustrated at the need to argue “in the flesh” with credentials and titles, he clearly shows his passion for the churches and his dedication to the gospel, even though he knows this is not the core of who he is. Instead, he finishes in v. 30 “If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.” He knew that the real power was evident where he was weak, and that it was God’s power, not his own that gave Paul authority in the Corinthian church.

Listen in as we finish chapter 11 and see Paul’s passion for the body of Christ and specifically the people at Corinth.

As we continue this intense section of 2nd Corinthians, we open chapter eleven where Paul finds himself being forced to meet his arrogant opponents with some of his own bragging and self defense. These chapters are filled with comments about bragging and boasting, and it makes Paul very uncomfortable!

Last week we discussed tearing down the stronghold of comparison—Paul refused to even try to even be in the same class with people who brag about what they have done and accomplished. Paul would rather brag about what Jesus has done. That’s humility at its finest, and it is the way out of the comparison trap.

But what next? That doesn’t really help the Corinthians who are being deceived by the lofty claims and loud mouth self promotion of the false teachers. People are being sucked in by their claims and trusting them as they run down the Apostle Paul in his absence.

So Paul has to tear down the stronghold of convincing lies—and those that tell them! Information is powerful, but only when it is received and believed and trusted. We are all aware of the power of fake news. Whatever you believe, even a lie, becomes true for you. It becomes the integrated information by which you live. What you say really doesn’t matter, it is what you believe in the depths of your heart that matters. Oh yes, they can be different things! The eyes of the heart are what really drives your life. What if you have believed a smoothly crafted lie? Just ask Eve!

Watch as Paul urges the Corinthians to look behind the veil! Behind these smooth talking, self promoting, Jewish-law-keeping teachers is an institution for whom they work and an agenda they are promoting. Who is their boss? What is the agenda? What and who do they want you to trust? Listen in as we look for answers to these questions in this powerful response by Paul to the false teachers.

As we continue this intense section of 2nd Corinthians, we open chapter eleven where Paul finds himself being forced to meet his arrogant opponents with some of his own bragging and self defense. These chapters are filled with comments about bragging and boasting, and it makes Paul very uncomfortable!

Last week we discussed tearing down the stronghold of comparison—Paul refused to even try to even be in the same class with people who brag about what they have done and accomplished. Paul would rather brag about what Jesus has done. That’s humility at its finest, and it is the way out of the comparison trap.

But what next? That doesn’t really help the Corinthians who are being deceived by the lofty claims and loud mouth self promotion of the false teachers. People are being sucked in by their claims and trusting them as they run down the Apostle Paul in his absence.

So Paul has to tear down the stronghold of convincing lies—and those that tell them! Information is powerful, but only when it is received and believed and trusted. We are all aware of the power of fake news. Whatever you believe, even a lie, becomes true for you. It becomes the integrated information by which you live. What you say really doesn’t matter, it is what you believe in the depths of your heart that matters. Oh yes, they can be different things! The eyes of the heart are what really drives your life. What if you have believed a smoothly crafted lie? Just ask Eve!

Watch as Paul urges the Corinthians to look behind the veil! Behind these smooth talking, self promoting, Jewish-law-keeping teachers is an institution for whom they work and an agenda they are promoting. Who is their boss? What is the agenda? What and who do they want you to trust? Listen in as we look for answers to these questions in this powerful response by Paul to the false teachers.

Personally, I believe that God’s people should be the wisest on planet earth! “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Yet, in some ways Christians can be the most susceptible to being taken advantage of! Why is that?

Christians who have the wrong perspective are easily led astray to their own destruction. Those who are enamored with the miraculous, focused on appearances, and believe someone is legit just because they carry a Bible and say they speak for Jesus, are ripe for the picking!

There is one (Satan) who is very crafty and very skilled in the art of deception. He has workers that infiltrate the world and even the church. Just like Satan, they are interested in wreaking havoc, causing division, and destroying ALL people as well as God’s plan. In fact, the whole world system is under his control!

To live successfully, and to not be taken advantage of, you need to know what to look for. In this next section, we will look at some real practical aspects of identifying spiritual phonies who should be avoided. They look “oh so good”, but they are “oh so dangerous!”

Personally, I believe that God’s people should be the wisest on planet earth! “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Yet, in some ways Christians can be the most susceptible to being taken advantage of! Why is that?

Christians who have the wrong perspective are easily led astray to their own destruction. Those who are enamored with the miraculous, focused on appearances, and believe someone is legit just because they carry a Bible and say they speak for Jesus, are ripe for the picking!

There is one (Satan) who is very crafty and very skilled in the art of deception. He has workers that infiltrate the world and even the church. Just like Satan, they are interested in wreaking havoc, causing division, and destroying ALL people as well as God’s plan. In fact, the whole world system is under his control!

To live successfully, and to not be taken advantage of, you need to know what to look for. In this next section, we will look at some real practical aspects of identifying spiritual phonies who should be avoided. They look “oh so good”, but they are “oh so dangerous!”

How many times have you been confronted with arguments like “The Bible is full of contradictions.” Or how about “God is just a myth created by man to explain the world.” With the growth of social media and the global internet, you can watch someone make a very convincing argument for the flatness of the earth or the fact that the lunar landing was a hoax! Some people are just really good at making a convincing argument—but does that mean they are right?

The next three chapters in our 2nd Corinthians study, chapters 10-13, form a very interesting section. Paul deals with people who are really convincing debaters! Bible scholars have spent much time trying to figure out exactly how this section fits in with the rest of this letter. For one, it has a much different tone and direction than the rest of 2 Corinthians. In these chapters we will see Paul battling to defend his apostleship against a faction in Corinth that are stealing people’s minds and leading them away from Christ! That is why Paul enters the fray.

We will step into the introduction to this section, set the backdrop, and discuss the war that is raging in Corinth. What kind of war is it? Who is Paul fighting against? How is it being fought? What is at stake? Is it worth fighting? These are all good questions we will try to answer as we step into 2 Corinthians 10 and learn some important lessons about “spiritual warfare!”

How many times have you been confronted with arguments like “The Bible is full of contradictions.” Or how about “God is just a myth created by man to explain the world.” With the growth of social media and the global internet, you can watch someone make a very convincing argument for the flatness of the earth or the fact that the lunar landing was a hoax! Some people are just really good at making a convincing argument—but does that mean they are right?

The next three chapters in our 2nd Corinthians study, chapters 10-13, form a very interesting section. Paul deals with people who are really convincing debaters! Bible scholars have spent much time trying to figure out exactly how this section fits in with the rest of this letter. For one, it has a much different tone and direction than the rest of 2 Corinthians. In these chapters we will see Paul battling to defend his apostleship against a faction in Corinth that are stealing people’s minds and leading them away from Christ! That is why Paul enters the fray.

We will step into the introduction to this section, set the backdrop, and discuss the war that is raging in Corinth. What kind of war is it? Who is Paul fighting against? How is it being fought? What is at stake? Is it worth fighting? These are all good questions we will try to answer as we step into 2 Corinthians 10 and learn some important lessons about “spiritual warfare!”