Our Freedom to Be Bold in Christ.

Among a remnant in Corinth, a disrespect for Paul was growing because of religious people who taught that one needed to do religious works to be saved. As a result, the Corinthians distrusted Paul and his behavior and plans for ministry.

There have always been religious intruders in the church who seek to dethrone the sufficiency of Jesus. Beware of anyone who undermines the sufficiency of Christ in salvation and spiritual growth or who undermines a messenger of Christ’s sufficiency.

The Comparison of Glories.

God created the moon to be the lesser light of the night sky and the sun to rule the day (Genesis 1:16). When the sun comes up, the light of the moon no longer seems bright. Paul makes a similar comparison between the Old and New Covenant in 2 Corinthians 3:7-11, using a typical rabbinical comparison of the lesser to the greater.

The Greater Glory of the New Covenant.

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 compares a life lived under the Law with a life lived under grace. Paul knew the Corinthians had begun to lose their Gospel influence when they began embracing the false message of the Judaizers. The Law, even though divinely given, could not transform a person. No standard can change a heart. Its splendor is to convict.

A Ministry that Desires Integrity Must Be Trustworthy.

The best way to protect the church from religious racketeers is to compare the nature and practice of the false and genuine.

Ministry Progress in the Light of Difficulty, Part 2.

God always and in every place enables us to carry on effective ministry despite difficulties. 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 gives 4 truths we can use to maintain effective ministry as a church during these providentially difficult times. Last week, we looked at the first.

Ministry Progress in the Light of Difficulty.

God always and in every place enables us to carry on effective ministry despite difficulties.

Faith is of paramount interest to Jesus.

Ministry Integrity Requires Forgiveness.

The only way to minister with integrity is to have relationships continually maintained by God's Word. This must include forgiving those who have offended us.

How to Have a Word-Saturated Home, Part 2.

Growing deeper in understanding our faith naturally leads to living it out in a meaningful way.

How to Have a Word-Saturated Home.

We will take this week and next to study some practical ways to implement what we learned in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 two weeks ago. Any home, whether you are married or single, with or without children, must practice these things.

Surviving and Thriving While Living Out of the Depths.

The psalmbook of Israel was divided into 5 sections. Book 5 contains many anonymous psalms and some by David. A common theme of these authors is deriving hope from the guaranteed future for the nation of Israel. Their eschatological message is, "it's going to be okay."

Father's Day.

This week, we will find 3 ways dads can guide their homes to bring increased stability and spiritual progress to every soul in their family.

This Sunday, we heard from 2 missionary couples: Aruj and Patt Jugsujinda, missionaries to Thailand, and David and Naomi Minnick, missionaries to Australia.

How the Holy Spirit Bolsters Healthy Christian Relationships.

A lack of healthy Christian relationships grieves the Holy Spirit. When He is grieved, He won't do much with us to reach lost people. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 tells us 4 specific ways the Holy Spirit bolsters our activity inside and outside of the local church.

The Promises of God for Personal Relationships.

As we continue to study 2 Corinthians 1, we will see what Paul's ministry meant to interdependent relationships within the church. All the promises of God for personal relationships in the church are presented, received, and fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, Christian relationships can and should thrive in Him. This does not mean there will be no struggle; but healing and progress can always be found in the Gospel. The unwavering nature of the Gospel message helps us regain spiritual confidence after conflict.