As we continue this intense section of 2nd Corinthians, we open chapter eleven where Paul finds himself being forced to meet his arrogant opponents with some of his own bragging and self defense. These chapters are filled with comments about bragging and boasting, and it makes Paul very uncomfortable! Last week we discussed tearing down…
Personally, I believe that God’s people should be the wisest on planet earth! “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Yet, in some ways Christians can be the most susceptible to being taken advantage of! Why is that? Christians who have the wrong perspective are easily led astray to their own…
How many times have you been confronted with arguments like “The Bible is full of contradictions.” Or how about “God is just a myth created by man to explain the world.” With the growth of social media and the global internet, you can watch someone make a very convincing argument for the flatness of the…
As we cover 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 today, we finish the discussion of Paul’s relief offering for the hurting Jerusalem church. That means one final week talking about generosity. We have a generous God and it is really impossible to appreciate His grace to us and to not express generosity to others. Paul is going…
If you have been around the church scene for any length of time, I would imagine you have experienced “pressured giving”. Have you? Have you, or someone you know, been turned off because the church is “just after our money?” I am so thankful that I don’t have to present to you a “law and…
Have you ever made a financial decision you looked back on regretfully? Sure you have! I think we all have! When it comes to financial management how we handle money can be emotional. It can be driven by sin, identity issues, discontentment, and fear. In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul uses the discussion of…
A few years back Helga and I had an interesting experience on one of our Florida trips! Cruising along, mile after mile, we had to take an exit for a different road near Ocala. The problem was that we weren’t really paying attention, so we took the exit that seemed right without thinking about it…
As me move into 2nd Corinthians chapter 6, we find ourselves in a short chapter that we will cover in one message, but as usual, this chapter includes some real gems of wisdom for us. Paul, desperate to see the Corinthian people’s lives changed by God’s message, is still battling against those that are negative…
Have you ever heard the expression, “Can a leopard change its spots?” Did you know that comes from the book of Jeremiah chapter 13? Basically, the idea is that a leopard has spotted skin and that is what identifies it as a leopard. No matter how hard the leopard tries, it is stuck with spotty…
If you have been around CCF for any length of time, you know that I often engage people in conversation by asking, “What do you think happens when you die?” Now most people will want to talk about almost anything else—largely because people spend most of their waking hours trying not to think about their…