You might think that laying bare the hard truth about his opponents as being nothing less than false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ, would have been more than enough to get the attention and concern of the Corinthian believers. But Paul knew better. He knew that the power, subtlety and attractiveness of their message, wrapped effectively as it was in Christian dress, wouldn’t be easily recognized, let alone eagerly rejected. And so he resorted to the skilled and pointed use of irony, in a passage that will come to be known through the Christian ages as his “Fool’s Speech”. He introduces that speech in verses 11:16-21, in a message entitled, “Playing the Fool for No Foolish Reason”. It is a revealing look at the times in which we live and the difficult challenge we face in speaking to those times.

For the better part of the first eleven chapters of this letter, Paul’s opponents have remained largely nameless, with only occasional allusions to their practices and characteristics, as in those who peddle the word of God for profit, those needing letters of recommendation to you or from you, those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart, and those who commend themselves. But having clearly identified the serious spiritual dangers of their work in 11:1-4, Paul, at last, exposes them for exactly who and what they were, in a message entitled, “Pulling Back the Curtain on Pseudo Ministry”. 2 Corinthians 11:5-15 is a cogent reminder of the important need and responsibility for spiritual discernment and watchcare, for our own sakes as well as the sake of others.

We return this morning to our study of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians.  The deep spiritual concern that undergirds the whole of the letter comes to an impassioned climax in chapters 11-13.  In 2 Cor. 11:1-4, Paul lays bare the heart of the matter, revealing the significant spiritual implications and consequences of their embrace of the opposing leadership’s ministry at Corinth, in a message entitled, “Losing Our Virtue”.  As we’ll see, an especially timely and needed word in our COVID-19 world.

 Many of the Corinthian believers had been quite taken with a high-powered group of church leaders, whose impressive abilities and relevant approach to ministry seemed to completely outshine both the message and manner of the Apostle Paul.  What probably seemed to them as nothing more than a needed change of leadership and updated direction for the church, in fact, revealed a glaring ignorance of the true nature and substance of Christian ministry.  In 2 Corinthians 10:12-18, Paul lays bare a crucial and fundamental difference that clearly distinguished himself from his opponents.  “The Measure of a Ministry” is a vital reminder of the single most important characteristic of the Lord’s work.

True spiritual leadership is never heavy-handed or domineering. God’s Shepherds never lord it over those entrusted to their care (1 Peter 5:3), rather they serve humbly, selflessly and by loving example. But that doesn’t mean that such leadership is meek and mild, especially in the face of error or falsehood. In 2 Corinthians 10:1-11, Paul serves notice on the opposing leadership by assuring them that he is fully prepared, if necessary, to act boldly toward them in the full authority the Lord had given him. What exactly was that authority? How was it to be exercised? And for what purpose? And how specifically does it apply to us today? The opening verses of the concluding section of the letter provide a rare but important introduction to “The Nature and Purpose of Spiritual Authority”.

The collection for the impoverished Church at Jerusalem was near and dear to Paul’s heart.  Not only because it was an opportunity for his Gentile converts to learn and develop the important grace of giving, but because it was also the occasion for the Lord to work in healing one of the deepest and longest-standing animosities of all time, the enmity between Jew and Gentile.  What Paul described in his own words as, the dividing wall of hostility (Eph. 2:14).  As much as we might like to believe that such prejudices suddenly vanish upon our conversion to Christ, the New Testament is sure witness to how pervasive and persistent they truly are, even among professing believers.  2 Corinthians 9:11-15 is a much-needed word for our times, as we look at one man’s tireless commitment and unyielding effort at “Bridging the Social and Ethnic Divide”.

It is not uncommon for our giving to be tied somehow to our getting. Whether it’s a premium in return for a donation, some kind of tangible honor or recognition in return for our support, or the confident assertion that God promises that we’ll always get more in return than we could ever possibly give to him. That giving to him is in fact the very pathway to getting. Why should we give? And what exactly are we promised when we do? Paul’s excursus on giving ends with a concluding exhortation in 2 Cor. 9:6-16 on “The True Riches of Generosity”. It is his most definitive answer as to what we can expect to get in return for what we give.

The reputation of the gospel has suffered some of its greatest harm through the financial improprieties of Churches and Christian ministries. One of the most frequently cited reasons the unchurched give for their unwillingness to attend our gatherings is that “the church only wants our money”. How unfortunate. Yet the fact is that we have a lot of responsibility to take when it comes to earning that reputation and we have no one to blame but ourselves. In 2 Corinthians 8:16 – 9:5 we’ll take a close and needed look at the painstaking lengths to which Paul went in order to ensure the highest levels of integrity and accountability in both his approach to giving, as well as his administration of what was given, in an important message entitled, “Avoiding the Pitfalls of Money and Ministry”.

Sincere faith has often proved to be a soft target for less than honest and truthful means of raising money.  Jesus on one occasion, point blank, specifically accused the religious leaders of his day of “devouring widows houses” (Lk. 20:47).  The spark that ignited the Protestant Reformation was the church’s selling of indulgences, whereby believers, through giving to the church, could purchase merit for their departed loved ones, thus lessening their time in purgatory and hurrying them on to heaven, which the Reformers rightly saw as an affront to the work of Christ on the cross, and spiritually debilitating to our understanding and experience of grace.  Many Protestant traditions have and continue to teach the obligation of storehouse tithing, the requirement to give a tenth of one’s income to the local church, ensuring that giving for missions and charitable causes is over and above that, a practice which simply lacks any scriptural warrant or basis.  Given all that, the question remains, “How Should We Then Give?”.  In 2 Corinthians 8:8-15 we’ll take a close look at Paul’s honest and truthful answer.