May 2013

The Greatest Thing Happening Today -- Part One

The Greatest Thing Happening Today
2 Corinthians 2:5 - 3:18
Theme: The glory of the Gospel.
This week’s lessons teach us about what God is doing in the world today.

Lesson

We are studying Paul's second letter to the Corinthians and our study brings us to chapter 2, verse 5. From this verse through to the end of chapter 3 is a very diverse portion of the letter. If you analyze it in terms of the type of material Paul presents, you find three different things... I find, however, as I look at this section and reflect on these three things, that they also describe what God is doing in the world. And because they speak of what God is doing in the world, they speak about the most important thing that is happening in the world today.

When God Reschedules Plans -- Part Five

When God Reschedules Plans
2 Corinthians 1:12-20
Theme: Criticism and Conscience.
This week’s lessons teach us why a conscience unguided by Scripture leads to destruction.

Lesson

He uses the word sealed which is often used for the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God's seal on us. A seal indicates ownership. When an important document was signed in antiquity it was often accompanied by a seal. A man would wear a ring that served as his own seal. When that man wrote a document he would seal it with wax and press the ring into the wax. That would indicate that the man who wears the ring stands behind the contents of the document.

When God Reschedules Plans -- Part Four

When God Reschedules Plans
2 Corinthians 1:12-20
Theme: Criticism and Conscience.
This week’s lessons teach us why a conscience unguided by Scripture leads to destruction.

Lesson

If we really are serious about following God’s will and going in the way he wants us to go, then we will surrender to his change of plans in our lives. We might say to God, "God, your way does not look like the shortest way. My way appears shorter. But if you attempt to do things your way, it will create a detour. God knows that you cannot see the path ahead. You do not know what is coming. But when he changes your path, it is because he knows that doing so is really the quickest way to get you where you are going. Paul had learned to follow God’s leading, even when it did not look like the right way to go. Paul knew that if God’s way did not look right to him, the trouble was his own perception.