Today is a very exciting day because of the topic of repentance! In 2  Corinthians 7:8-11 we receive the most detailed account of how the Holy  Spirit draws us unto repentance. That we discover this is not something  that we do of our own accord, but an action we are drawn to by God  through the Holy Spirit! Thank you God for the blessing of true  repentance. At the beginning of the chapter though, we discover another  very important point as Paul writes, "Open your hearts..." This is one  of the scariest statements made in the Bible. How many years does it  take to achieve this request from Paul to the church? It is within our  nature to hold back, to not trust and be weary of others. Yet, Paul  reveals that believers are to trust the Holy Spirit, and trust others  who are filled by/with the Holy Spirit. By the time Paul finishes his  discourse on repentance we find, at the end of the chapter, his comfort  and confidence in this Corinthian church as recognizing the ways true  repentance changes people. From those dead works to serving the living  God. To be renewed in our minds to what is that good, acceptable, and  perfect will of God. There could be no greater joy than that for Paul  seeing this people excelling in the things of God! May God bless you  richly today with Pastor J!!!

First day back from being ill and it's been difficult! When much younger  I could bounce back from thing like this and in a couple days be right  as rain, but no longer! It takes time as I have discovered!  Nevertheless, today we dive into 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and discover 3  key principles to this chapter. 1) VANITY - Paul's worst fear for any  people he works with is they received not the grace of God in vain! Many  begin their journey well enough, looking for answers and not finding a  satisfaction in the World's answers so they give the church a listen.  For a time they come rejoicing in that which is new, till it becomes  common place to them once more. After this time God's message and house  become vain once more and they begin to fall away! This is the broken  heart of Paul!!! 2) SELF RESTRICTION - Its those pesky affections which  often keep us back from serving God! We may be veteran believers on  course of keeping up pretenses for the sake of the congregation, but our  affections often side-line us from being true to the work of God! We  limit those things of God from being accomplished in our lives because  of the many "affections" we have! 3) UNEQUALLY YOKED - This is a chain  of reasoning section to this chapter. If God's grace is made vain in  your heart because you've placed restrictions on your affections toward  the things of God, then you're not going to be yoked up properly and can  easily fall away! You've got to pay attention to your Christian walk!  You cannot serve God and Mammon! If you've fallen away, you must return  and repent!!! Now is the accepted time; Now is the day of salvation!

Time is so short when getting into such powerful truths as contained in  this chapter! Though I've selected 3 main points for our time together  today, I would suggest for you to take time through this weekend and  simply consider this chapter as you read it several times! Think on  every word and consider the ways God desires to change your life through  them. And now, on to our points: 1) Absent from the Body - This chapter  is one of the best explanations of the hope we have in the  resurrection! Recognizing this body of flesh as only a tent, a temporary  dwelling place, the Apostle Paul reveals that we shall soon be rid of  it and through Christ we can be prepared to enter our new, and eternal,  state. Paul also recognizes the hesitancy we have in making the  transition as this is the only body and life we've ever truly known  (that's where faith comes in!). We must also be very aware of the  judgment which is to come, which lead to our second point. 2) Knowing  the Terror of the LORD - In just about all evangelical churches today  the wrath of God, His judgment, and His holiness are rarely taught. What  is predominantly spoken of is His love, patients, forgiveness,  kindness, and gentleness. While these characteristics are very true of  our God, they are only true concerning His children! The world without  Christ is without God and outside the boundaries of His forgiveness,  love, gentleness, and kindness. They are found continually under God's  judgment because of His righteousness and justice which is applied  toward sin and they are continually facing His wrath as being children  of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-3). Ultimately, if they remain in their  state of rebellion they will be crushed under the weight of His  holiness, and so, they must repent! This lost world must keenly feel the  wrath of God in order to flee to Christ, which leads us to our final  point. 3) A New Creation - When the terror of the LORD is revealed and  accepted by the lost the beautiful transformation of regeneration  occurs! Receiving Jesus changes you. Your old nature (passions, desires,  directions in life) is to be surrendered and all things become new  (because everything you were was connected to your old nature). If you  are still satisfied with your old nature's ways then you have not been  saved! Your new life in Christ is meant to be as an ambassador of your  Father's kingdom and your message is to present the Gospel of  reconciliation, that Jesus took our sin and paid the penalty on our  behalf so He could set us free! Things to consider today as you travel  this chapter with Pastor J!!! God bless

Through our session in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 today we shall take in 3 initial points. 1) God commands the light to shine - From the beginning when God said, "Let there be light", to the reality of His Word, "In Him was light, and that light was the life of men" we find our LORD's desire in delivering us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. That we are no longer gripped by ignorance, but have come to the saving knowledge of His truth! 2) Death is working in us, but life in you. - This is the reality for true ministers of the Gospel! Never shall they be very popular, nor keenly appreciated. Those who are genuine to their faith know they shall be persecuted, mocked, struck down, and hard pressed on every side. In the face of all this they gladly accept such hardship and harsh treatment (often from those claiming to be "Christians") and take that death in themselves to be able to share the life of Jesus with others. 3) We Do Not Lose Heart - We believe therefore we speak! In that all things shared are for the sake of those who receive Christ, we do not lose heart. Though we may suffer physically as well as emotionally we do not quit. As we remain faithful to God's work He renews us and reminds us always to keep our heart's eyes fixed on that eternal prize, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory! So, may God bless you richly for gathering together with us on the Corner this day with Pastor J!

Usually this would be a Wisdom Wednesday broadcast, but this 3rd chapter  in 2 Corinthians was simply to good! Since the book of Proverbs isn't  going anywhere, we shall catch back up to it in the weeks ahead! Today  I've got 3 points for you in chapter 3: 1) You Are The Letter - You,  your life and your testimony in Christ, are the letters which God has  written to the world! Through the Holy Spirit you have the ability to  share your personal testimony of faith in Jesus and couple this together  with the Scriptures so the world around you may come to know the hope  we have in Christ and they may be led to repentance from their wicked  ways! 2) The Sufficiency of God - In that we are God's letters this is  not because of our own merit, ability, or sufficiency. In our salvation  we acknowledge our inability to honor or please God because of being in a  state of rebellion against Him. Praise be to God for when He saved us  He sealed us with His holiness through the Spirit and in Him we have  been made sufficient to share this hope and truth to others! 3) Their  minds are blinded - They have eyes, but do not see. Ears they have, but  they cannot hear. There are countless times in Scripture that God  reveals the condition of hardness that sin brings upon the hearts of  man. There can be a great discouragement within the hearts of God's  children in reaching out to this world that is gripped in rebellion.  Being mocked, yelled at, physically attacked or shunned can be a very  painful experience but we are not to lose our hope! May we, with God's  understanding in our hearts, continue to serve Him and share His message  to all understanding that they are blind and have need for the Great  Physician's healing! May God bless you richly today here on the Corner  with Pastor J.

In today's journey through 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 we shall receive;  1) Understanding that Perception is everything. It's not what was said,  but how it is said and the way received that make or breaks  relationships! 2) Forgiveness is the principle. Though punishment is  necessary for the correction of wrong doing forgiveness is equally  important in the church. Not to be as the world in writing people off,  but to be as our LORD who even sees the worth of such a wretched sinner  as Barabbas that our LORD would take his place on the cross and give up  His own life for Barabbas! 3) We are the fragrance of Christ. We are not  "peddlers" of some gospel out to make a quick buck! We are to be  revealers of Jesus Christ to the world; to those perishing we are the  message of eternal death, and to those living we are the joy of eternal  life!

Today we enter into the book of 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 and shall discover, 1) Vs's 4-5 - When we are settled in God's Word and become comforted in His presence we are then better able to share His comfort with others; 2) Vs's 8-10 - All the difficulties and trials the Apostles went through would have been impossible with the sentence of death still applied to their souls. Having been set free through the power of God's Yeshua (salvation) gives them the hope to carry on; 3) Vs's 21-23 - You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit never having to wonder if you will be with God in heaven or if you will be rejected! When you come to Christ you are sealed by God and shall never be rejected! May God bless you richly today as you hang out with Pastor J and study this excellent book!

We finish our time in the book of 1 Corinthians today with some rather  puzzling discoveries concerning the polity of the churches during Paul's  day, the day the church gathered, and special collections which may  need to be remembered by the churches today in order to be a blessing to  their communities! Even in the closing of a letter God brings forth the  most interesting things!!! Enjoy this day with Pastor J

In today's session we talk about the resurrection and the principles behind it! We travel through Old Testament passages as well as discover false teachings of other religions while we gain a deeper understanding of our connection with God through our LORD Jesus Christ, as well as understanding the blessing of His death for our sins coupled with His promise to raise us up again with Him as revealed in John 6:37-40! May God richly bless you with His Word today through Pastor J!!!

Today we dive into Proverbs 11:20-31 and finish the chapter  understanding the difference between the wicked who are perverse in  heart as being an abomination before the Lord, and the righteous who are  blameless in the Lord. Hang on tight as we fly through God's Word today  with Pastor J!!!