2 Corinthians 13

2 I told you before, and fortell you as if I were present the second time and, being absent, now I write to those who heretofore have sinned, and to all others, that, if I come again, I will not spare --

3 since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which toward you is not weak, but is mighty in you.

4 For though He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.

5 Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith. Test your own selves. Know ye not yourselves how Jesus Christ is in you, unless ye be reprobates?

6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.

7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil, not that we should appear to be approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.

8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.

9 For we are glad when we are weak and ye are strong. And this also we wish: even your perfection.

10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest, were I present, I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me for edification, and not for destruction.

11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.

13 All the saints salute you.

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Tomorrow we will start in the book of Galatians.  Have a blessed day.

Alice   

2 Corinthians 12

2 I knew a man in Christ more than fourteen years ago (whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell -- God knoweth). Such a one was caught up to the third Heaven.

3 And I knew such a man (whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell -- God knoweth),

4 and how he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

5 Of such a one will I glory, yet of myself I will not glory, except in mine infirmities.

6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool, for I will say the truth. But now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or than he heareth of me.

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

8 For this thing, I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

9 And He said unto me, "My grace is sufficent for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore will I glory rather in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in privations, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong.

11 I have become a fool in glorying. Ye have compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you. For in nothing am I inferior to the very chiefest apostles, though I am nothing.

12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.

13 For in what are ye inferior to other churches, unless it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong!

14 Behold, for the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be burdensome to you, for I seek not yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

16 But be it so, I did not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.

17 Did I gain from you by any of those whom I sent unto you?

18 I desired Titus to go, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make any gain from you? Walked we not in the same spirit? Walked we not in the same steps?

19 Again, think you that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ; but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying.

20 For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found by you as ye would not, lest there be debates, envyings, wrath, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, boastings, tumults;

21 and lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many who have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

WHAT IS THE THIRD HEAVEN???  This is the first time I have heard of this and I am a bit confused as I thought there was only one heaven.  Can anyone explain this please?? 

2 Corinthians 11

2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy; for I have espoused you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

3 But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit which ye have not received, or another gospel which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

5 For I consider myself not a whit lower than the very chiefest apostles.

6 Though I am rude in speech, yet I am not in knowledge; for we have been made thoroughly manifest among you in all things.

7 Have I committed an offense in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the Gospel of God without charge?

8 I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to do you service.

9 And when I was present with you and was in want, I was burdensome to no man, for that which I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied; and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so will I keep myself.

10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.

11 Why so? Because I love you not? God knoweth!

12 But what I do, that I will continue to do, that I may cut off occasion from those who desire occasion, that wherein they glory they may be found even as we.

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

14 And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.

16 I say again, let no man think me a fool. But if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast of myself a little.

17 (That which I now speak, I speak it not from the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence as boasting.

18 Since many glory in the flesh, I will glory also.)

19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise!

20 For ye suffer if a man bring you into bondage, or if a man devour you, if a man take from you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.

21 I speak as reproached, as though we had been weak. However it be, whereinsoever anyone is bold (I speak foolishly), I am bold also.

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I.

23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more -- in labors more abundant, in stripes beyond measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often.

24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes less one.

25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned; thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day adrift in the deep;

26 in journeyings often, in perils from waters, in perils from robbers, in perils from mine own countrymen, in perils from the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

27 in weariness and painfulness, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

28 Besides those things which are external, there is that which cometh upon me daily: the care for all the churches!

29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not?

30 If I must glory, I will glory in the things which concern mine infirmities.

31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.

32 In Damascus, the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me;

33 but I was let down by the wall in a basket through a window, and escaped his hands.

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I oftened wondered why 2 Corinthians was not preached about in church much.  But I am beginning to think it would be hard to explain away the apostle Paul's boasting without some confusion.  We are told to not be boastful and yet it appears that Paul is doing just that.

I know a preacher who is quite boastful and after hearing a lot of "I did this and I did that", and me, me me's he'll add on to the end, "well, I mean God did those things through me", or something along those lines.  He does not sound very sincere in giving God the credit and I don't think Paul does in these writings either.  You have to re-read them a couple of times before you understand what he is saying.

I believe we really need to be extremely careful on how we say things.  That preacher could be very sincere in giving God credit even though he doesn't sound like it and so could Paul.

This has been a tough lesson for me to learn personally.  But I am trying harder to stop and think about EVERYTHING I say before I say it.  So many times we can be misunderstood and that misunderstanding could lead someone a stray, or severely hurt someone's faith.

Have you ever been accused of doing something wrong that wasn't true?  How bad did it hurt you?  I have been through that recently with a pastor's wife making accusations and inuendos that were not true.  It destroyed my trust in her and the pastor and hurt my faith a bit.  Luckily, I am stronger in faith in God because if I were a new Christian or weak in faith, I am sure it would have destroyed that faith.  She will have to answer to God for this and I do feel sorry for her for that.  She did not stop to think before she spoke.  We all need to learn to do that, think then speak.

May the Lord's word be a blessing on you today.

Blessings, Alice 

2 Corinthians 10

2 I beseech you that when I am present I need not be bold with that confidence with which I have in mind to be bold against some, who think of us as though we walked according to the flesh.

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds,

5 casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,

6 and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

7 Do ye look on things according to the outward appearance? If any man trust himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

8 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority (which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction), I should not be ashamed,

9 that I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.

10 "For his letters," say they, "are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible."

11 Let such a one think this: that as we are in word by letters when we are absent, so will we be also in deed when we are present.

12 For we dare not number ourselves, or compare ourselves, with some who commend themselves. For in measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, they are not wise.

13 But we will not boast of things beyond our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

14 For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you. For we have come as far as to you also in preaching the Gospel of Christ,

15 not boasting of things beyond our own measure, that is, of other men's labors; but having hope that, when your faith has increased, we shall be magnified in you according to our rule abundantly,

16 to preach the Gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's rule, which he made ready for our hand.

17 But "he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."

18 For it is not he that commendeth himself who is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

2 Corinthians 9

2 For I know the forwardness of your thinking, for which I boast of you to those of Macedonia that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath called forth very many.

3 Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you on this account should be in vain, that, as I said, ye may be ready;

4 lest it might happen, if those of Macedonia come with me and find you unprepared, that we (that we say not "ye") should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.

5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go ahead unto you and make up your bounty beforehand (whereof ye had notice beforehand), that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.

6 But this I say: He who soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he who soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

7 As every man purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly or out of compulsion; for God loveth the cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound in every good work.

9 As it is written: "He hath dispersed abroad, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness remaineth for ever."

10 Now may He that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness,

11 ye being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also in much thanksgiving unto God,

13 while by the experience of this ministration they glorify God for your freely declared subjection unto the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them and unto all men,

14 and by their prayer for you, they who long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.

15 Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!