IBC Richmond

Application Questions:

What does it mean to “put on airs”? How do Christians unwittingly do this before unbelievers?

After reading through the Apostle Paul’s list of troubles (2 Corinthians 11:23-28), list your own series of afflictions. What has God taught you that could only be learned through difficulty?

Do you suffer from insomnia or anxiety? What can be learned from Paul’s experience about how a Christian should deal with the mind and emotions?

Why does Paul refer to churches as a burden? Who is responsible to bear the burdens of the church today?

How does a Christian who is sincerely and purely devoted to Christ live? Give characteristics, spiritual disciplines, and life habits. Be specific.

In what way are you susceptible to being deceived like Eve (see Genesis 3:1-7)?

What terms does the Apostle Paul use for false teachers in 2 Corinthians 11? How do these descriptive titles help you identify false teaching today?

Can deceived people discover their deception and change? How can Jesus (the light of the world) be distinguished from Satan (disguised as an angel of light)?

Think of a circumstance in which you have been unfairly and publicly criticized. How was the Apostle Paul being treated this way in Corinth?

Was there a difference between the way Paul spoke and wrote? Are you more likely to share criticism face-to-face, online, or by email? Should your words and tone be the same in all circumstances?

Does Paul use sarcasm in 2 Corinthians 10:1, 12? Is sarcasm appropriate either spoken or written?

When you are criticized, what is your natural reaction: run or retaliate? How might the Lord change your response?

Why does Paul insist that Christians must give willingly, not as a tax or paying dues?

What is the false prosperity Gospel? How does the sowing and reaping principle in 2 Corinthians 9:6 not lead to a prosperity Gospel?

What will increase your joy in giving?

2 Corinthians 9 ends with a generous God (2 Corinthians 9:15). How does God’s giving inform your giving?

Application Questions:

What offering does Paul challenge the church to give towards? What comparable gifts should churches give today?

What motivates generous Christians in 2 Corinthians 8? Make a list and determine if these influences compel your giving.

What does it mean to be generous? What principles guide your giving to church, to organizations, and to the needy?

How can a person give generously in the right way, for the right motive, and with the right outcome?

Application Questions:

What is the difference between godly grief and worldly grief? What does each type of grief produce?

Have you every written a letter like the Apostle Paul’s severe letter (2 Corinthians 7:8-9, 12)? How can rebuke be communicated clearly?

What role did Titus play between Paul and the Corinthians? What principles of sharing or withholding information can be learned from this story?

How do you personally react to pain and sorrow? What spiritual disciplines help process the emotional upheaval provoked by grief?

Application Questions:

What hinders moral and spiritual purity? How can a Christian cultivate holiness in the fear of the Lord as 2 Corinthians 7:1 commands?

What stood in the way between Paul and the Corinthian believers? How can you make room for someone in your heart? Who is the next person you need room to accept?

Describe Paul’s friendship with Titus. How did Titus encourage Paul? How can you encourage someone else in a similar way? Who plays the role of Titus in your life?

Application Questions:

What is the danger of receiving the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1)? How can this danger be avoided?

How should a Christian or Christian leader respond to opposition? How does the text address misrepresentations?

Is it comforting to know that spiritual leaders like Paul experience conflict, stress, and sleepless nights? What spiritual disciplines will sustain you through emotional distress?

What does it mean to “widen your hearts”? Can this be done alone or does it require the presence and involvement of a local church?

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

1. Why is the body described as a ‘jar of clay’ in 2 Corinthians 4:7? How should a Christian care for their body? How are Christians taught to think about declining health?

2. What similarities exist between Christ and a Christian in 2 Corinthians 4:7-18?

3. Have you been afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, or struck down? Are you still alive? How has God sustained you as he did the Apostle Paul?

4. What eternal promises does Scripture give to suffering saints that make it seem light and momentary by comparison? Note specific promises.