The Anatomy of an Apostle An Introduction to 2 Corinthians Fall Quarter every heard Donald Trump reference. mentioned Two Corinthians?

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1 1. Introduction - Acts 18:1 The Anatomy of an Apostle An Introduction to 2 Corinthians Fall Quarter a. Welcome to this study entitled The Anatomy of an Apostle. a.i. It will be an examination of the only book of Bible I have every heard Donald Trump reference. a.ii. Do you remember back during the campaign the President mentioned Two Corinthians? b. His mistaken reference lead to a lot of jokes at his expense like Two Corinthians walked into a bar... Two Corinthians walked into a bar, And say to the barkeep, We come from afar. We re looking for Two Thessalonian chaps, And Wondering if you might have seen them perhaps. Maybe I have and Maybe I ve not. I ll have to reflect and give it some thought. In the meantime, what ll it be? Whiskey or rye or a glass of Chablis? They answered, Red wine with some bread--no, grape juice and a wafer. Keeping it Christian is bound to be safer. Who s this? said the bartender. Am I seeing things? Is this not Two Samuels and their friends, Two Kings? Low and behold, then

2 comes Two Chronicles and after these, Two Peters, Three Johns and Two Timothys. I m calling the cops, said the man tending bar. I don t care who you guys say you are. You re pulling my leg or just you re certifiable. Every one of you guys comes from the Bible. Then the Two Corinthians explained, No, after the election, we have just entered the twilight zone: Another dimension, where minds have been blown; It s all the fault of that man on the stump, That Bible Bungler, Donald J. Trump. c. What was the mistake that Trump made when he spoke of Two Corinthians? c.i. It let everyone know that he has no knowledge about this most important Book in the Bible. c.ii. I wonder, Do you? d. Close your Bibles. Tell me anything you know about Two Corinthians? Better known as Second Corinthians. e. What about 1 Corinthians? What can you tell me about that book? e.i. The letter known as 1 Corinthians is filled with drama, intrigue, miracles and their abuse, demons, drunkenness at

3 the Lord s Supper, open sexual immorality in the church, long haired men, women speaking in the assembly and one of the great chapters of the Bible where Paul tells us the meaning of true love in chapter 13. e.ii. We could sit and discuss First Corinthians for hours on end and yet when we start dipping out of the wells of our memory about Second Corinthians, our knowledge runs dry quickly. f. I read one commentator who said this: We Christians treat Second Corinthians like the ugly twin sister of 1 Corinthians. First Corinthians has it s poignant theology about challenging issues which attracts everyone s attention. Meanwhile, 2 Corinthians sits in the corner waiting for someone to ask it to dance! f.i. I chuckle every time I read that because it is absolutely true! f.ii. 1 Corinthians is on the Mt. Rushmore of Christianity and we treat 2 Corinthians like one of children s crafts they bring home from Vacation Bible School.

4 g. Brothers and sisters, as I have waded into this study, I have begun to see a beauty underneath that I had previously missed. h. Yet, I have also discovered, there is also some great ugliness underneath the pages of this letter that I also had not noticed. i. Some how we ve gotten the idea that when the Apostles wrote the New Testament, they were sitting in some ivory tower on a beautiful Christian college campus sipping sweet tea. i.i. We seem to think that these words from the Bible were written off the cuff as if God s men made up all these instructions out of thin air. i.ii. And we treat these letters as if they are merely dry theoretical teachings for the church to taste and see if we like them or not. j. When the reality is, these letters were often written by hurting men to hurting churches. j.i. The church of the first century was covered in the foul stench of sin and the Apostles were desperately working to correct it.

5 j.ii. And no where is that more true than Paul s dealing with the church at Corinth. j.iii. When you read Second Corinthians, you feel the heart of Paul breaking. k. Some of you are in the medical field and you ve spent your life studying the human body. k.i. It s amazing when you see all of the systems that work together like the skeletal system, the nervous system, the muscular system, the endocrine system, the digestive system, the reproductive system, the pulmonary system, the vascular system all working in perfect harmony k.ii. The human anatomy is truly one of the great wonders of the world. l. And yet, those of you who are in the medical field also know that things can go very wrong in the human body very quickly. l.i. This is why you have to know about all the systems and how they work together. l.ii. If you are going to fix what is wrong, you have to know what makes it work right.

6 m. The title for this study of 2 Corinthians is called The Anatomy of an Apostle. m.i. As we examine this book, you are going to see Paul in way that may be previously unknown to you. m.ii. This book reveals the great missionary Apostle s inner workings. m.iii. You see his raw nerves exposed by the trials Paul endured with this congregation that he birthed in Acts 18. m.iv. This is the book that speaks of Paul s thorn in the flesh in 12:7. m.v. It speaks of a painful visit he had to make to this church in 2:1. m.vi. We will see Paul mercilessly attacked by other preachers who accused him of being in it for the money! m.vii. He was attacked for his lack of skill in preaching and his unimpressive appearance. m.viii. And this church, which Paul started, did not come to his aid in the moment of crisis.

7 m.ix. It s no wonder he wrote in (2 Cor 11:28 N.V.) Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. n. One writer said, In this letter, we see Paul at his weakest, basest, most human moment. Yet, seeing him work through the truth of the Gospel in the midst of exasperating difficulties is enlightening. Paul s relationship with the Corinthians at this historical junction is ugly, and readers deserve to be warned about how disconcerting seeing this can be. o. Let s say that all that happened at Corinth with Paul, also happened at Bartlett Woods. o.i. Let s imagine that a group of preachers place membership with us and soon they begin ripping me limb from limb concerning my lack of pulpit ability. o.ii. They mock how I look and accuse me of just preaching for the money. o.iii. What s more, they also make very convincing arguments that I have not been preaching the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

8 o.iv. They do it by pointing out some very serious sins at Bartlett Woods that my preaching has not corrected. o.v. o.vi. o.vii. o.viii. These men are skilled speakers. In fact, much better than me. They are also handsome, winsome and very persuasive. To top it all, each of them have great hair on their heads unlike your preacher. p. What do you think would happen to this church in that moment of crisis? Be honest not flattering. q. This was the situation Paul faced in Corinth. r. Let s get some background for our study to lay the foundation for the next two quarters. 2. The City of Corinth a. It was a city of great wealth and prosperity. b. There may have been as many as one million residents. c. Map - Notice the strategic location of this city. c.i. It sits on an isthmus where ships traveling between Italy and Asia Minor where happy to pay the fee to coss the

9 Isthmus rather than sail the extra 200 miles south around the treacherous Cape Malae. c.ii. The city built a paved road between the two ports where small boats could be hauled on vehicles. c.iii. c.iv. It was called the Diolkos. Larger ships would be unloaded on to transport carts which were pushed across this paved travel way and then loaded on to ships on the other port. c.v. The major land route between the Greek mainland and the Peloponnesus also went through the city. c.vi. It was a major distribution point in the ancient world much as Memphis is today due to our strategic location on the Mississippi River, Fed Ex at the International Airport with two major interstates crossing here: I-55 running north and south and I-40 running east and west. d. The city of Corinth was also famous for the Isthmian Games which were second only to the Greek Olympics in importance. e. They were also famous for their sexual immorality.

10 e.i. One famous quote sums it up their fame, Not every man could afford a trip to Corinth. e.ii. In fact, women of ill repute in those days were also called Corinthian girls. f. Later, it became the first Greek city in the Roman Empire to hold bloodthirsty gladiatorial shows. g. In summary: Corinth was a large, metropolitan city with great wealth due to its focus on distribution and it had an intense interest in sporting events and sexual immorality. Sound familiar? h. Memphis and Corinth have a lot in common. i. Much of the problems of this church we are going to witnesses in this letter are simply lingering sins the church was not able to leave behind. j. Questions or comments? 3. The Church in Corinth a. We are first introduced to the city of Corinth in (Acts 18:1-3 N.V.) {1} After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. {2} There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius

11 had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, {3} and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. b. Paul was a vocational missionary as were Priscilla and Aquila who had been forced to leave Rome by the Emperor and they moved to Corinth according to v.2. b.i. b.ii. What is a vocational missionary? It is a Christian who has a full time job on a mission field as well as their duties of building the local church in a new area. c. Not only did he preach, but Paul also had a full time job as a tentmaker in v.3 c.i. All the Jews taught their sons a vocation and Paul had been taught tent making by his father. c.ii. Through the providence of God, Paul was perfectly engineered to be the vocational missionary to the Gentiles. d. Most of you know that we are supporting two vocational missionaries. Who are they? Gary and Michelle Ford

12 d.i. They are living in Thailand and their ultimate plan is to support themselves by operating a coffee shop in Bangkok. d.ii. They will use this operation as a means of meeting people and planting the seeds of the Gospel. d.iii. And, they will use the business as a meeting place for the church they plan to establish. e. True or False: the Bartlett Woods elders bought the coffee shop for the Fords. False e.i. It was purchased through donations from individuals; not the church. Why? e.ii. Because we have no Biblical authority for a church to buy a business. e.iii. You do not see churches buying businesses in the New Testament, therefore we don t do it. f. However, individual Christians were given the freedom to contribute towards the coffee shop in Thailand and many of us did. f.i. f.ii. This type of freedom in Christ is Biblical as well. Giving to this effort was strictly voluntary.

13 f.iii. We do support the Ford s by helping pay their living expenses and help with their mission work which is also Biblical. g. I see a lot of wisdom in the vocational model for missions like the Ford s coffee shop and Paul s making tents in Corinth. g.i. g.ii. Do you? What are some of the advantages? The Fords can do mission work and support themselves at the time. g.iii. It can move the church toward financial independence quickly. (g.iii.1) Why is that important? (g.iii.2) The quicker a church is independent, the quicker it matures. (g.iii.3) If they support their own work, it shows they truly believe in it. g.iv. This model will possibly help the Fords to be financially independent as well if the business is successful and we can take that money and start other mission work as well.

14 g.v. The vocational work gives the Fords daily opportunities to meet new people for Jesus Christ. g.vi. It helps them fit into the culture of Thailand which helps them build lifelong bonds with the people of that country. h. When Paul started the church in Corinth, he set up a tent making and selling booth in the city to begin developing contacts for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. h.i. Paul started with a vocational missionary model to support himself to start the church in Corinth. h.ii. And it worked beautifully. i. Let s look at the second step Paul took to establish the church in Corinth beginning in (Acts 18:4-9 N.V.) {4} Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. {5} When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. {6} But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles. {7} Then

15 Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. {8} Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized. {9} One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. j. Let s look at Paul strategy from birthing the church in Corinth to building the church in Corinth. What did he do first? j.i. First, Paul met people in the market place making and selling his tents. j.ii. Second, he went to the local Jewish synagogue to reason with them from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. (j.ii.1) (j.ii.2) This was a common technique that Paul employed. When he would enter a new city, he would frequently stop at the Jewish synagogue first. (j.ii.3) Why? The Jews knew the Scriptures, lived moral lives and were already religious. (j.ii.4) They were great prospects for the Gospel.

16 (j.ii.5) In fact, I believe that most of the first elders that were appointed in the New Testament church were Jewish men who had been converted to Christianity. (j.ii.6) It would take years for these pagan Gentile men to grow spiritually to the point to where they were ready to lead a congregation. j.iii. After Paul reasoned with the Jews for a period, some refused to believe and when that relationship became strained, Paul moved out of the synagogue next door to the home of Justus. j.iv. Here is were we see the church in Corinth was born and continue to build through the years. k. Each Sunday, Bartlett Woods will have about 525 people meet together in this place. k.i. Is there anyone here who would be willing for us to use your home for the church to meet next Sunday? Why not? k.ii. Your house is too small and the church is too big for all of us to meet in the home of just one family.

17 l. What do you think happened after the church began to grow in Corinth? Where would they meet? l.i. l.ii. They met in various homes throughout the city. History tells us that there were no church building for the first 300 years of Christianity. m. Do you see any advantages for the church to meet in people s homes rather than in a building like this one? What are they? m.i. m.ii. More intimate Guests may be more comfortable with coming to a house rather than a building like this one m.iii. m.iv. No cost for upkeep It would remind us that the church is the people and not this structure n. What might be some problems with a church of over 500 people meeting in homes rather than meeting in this building? n.i. n.ii. It may lead to divisions as it did in Corinth. (1 Cor 1:10-17 N.V.) I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and

18 that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. {11} My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. {12} What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas "; still another, "I follow Christ." {13} Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? {14} I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, {15} so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. {16} (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) {17} For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. n.iii. If the church doesn t meet together in the same place, they are not all hearing the same preaching or teaching. n.iv. It could lead to petty jealousies about who has the best meeting place and who has the best preacher.

19 n.v. If the church can t all meet together, how will elders know when problems arise if they don t see it? n.vi. I believe Satan used this situation in Corinth as a divide and conquer strategy against the church in it s early history. o. House churches have positives and negatives just as meeting in this building has both positives and negatives. o.i. It s every likely that Paul s enemies used it against him in Corinth. o.ii. Every time he visited this church and all it s meeting places it would be like the whack a mole game at an arcade. o.iii. o.iv. Do you know what that game looks like? The game has a flat surface with nine holes where a mole can pop out of each one of them. o.v. You have a mallet and you score by whacking the mole when he pops up. p. I can just see Paul running from one house to the next in Corinth with the hammer of the Gospel trying to whack the underground moles that were doing their best to undermine him.

20 q. Paul had preacher problems in Corinth during the entire life span of his seven year relationship with this church. q.i. It will be a major focus of our study as we examine the details of 2 Corinthians. q.ii. Some times Paul was attacked by other preachers in this city but sometimes problems arose when the members compared him to another preacher. q.iii. Let me give an example. r. As I read this about Apollos, pick out some of the positive attributes he had as a preacher. s. (Acts 18:24-28 N.V.) Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. {25} He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. {26} He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. {27} When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the

21 brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. {28} For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. (Acts 19:1 N.V.) While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. t. Now that you ve heard about Apollos, what were some of the positive attributes he had as a preacher? t.i. He was a learned man with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures in v.24. t.ii. We see in v.25 that Apollos spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately. t.iii. t.iv. V.26 says He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. V.28 says, For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. u. What was the one negative you saw about Apollos? u.i. He knew only the baptism of John. 25

22 u.ii. In v.26, Priscilla and Aquila corrected him in that error but he must have been teachable. That s good. v. Apollos was a gifted speaker. v.i. He could hold your attention in the palm of his hand and the Corinthian culture appreciated gifted oratory. v.ii. Do you know what these Corinthians were saying about Paul behind his back? v.iii. (2 Cor 10:10 N.V.) For some say, His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing. v.iv. What were the people saying about Apollos in Corinth? v.v. (1 Cor 1:12 N.V.) What I mean is this: One of you says, I follow Paul ; another, I follow Apollos. w. Who started the church in Corinth? Paul did. w.i. Now, this great speaker has rolled into town and some were jumping on the Apollos band wagon and were speaking despairingly of Paul. w.ii. We all enjoy great speakers and the Corinthians were no different.

23 w.iii. Yet, just because you like one preacher doesn t mean you have trash all the others...especially the man who lead you to faith in Christ in the first place. x. Yet, the insults and injuries to Paul s pride didn t end there. x.i. If you take out Paul s name from early Christianity, who do you think was the best known and highly esteemed leader in the early church? Peter x.ii. A good case can be made that Peter visited the church at Corinth at some point. x.iii. (1 Cor 1:12 N.V.) What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas "; still another, "I follow Christ." x.iv. Who was Cephas? That s Peter. y. There was Peter Party in Corinth as well. y.i. Who preached the first Gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost that lead the baptism of 3000 people? Peter y.ii. Who lead the first Gentile convert to Christ when Cornelius was baptized? Peter

24 y.iii. Who was it that walked with Jesus along the shore after the Lord s resurrection and was told to feed the sheep? Peter y.iv. Who walked with the Lord in the flesh for three and half years? Peter or Paul? Peter did. z. I think it was a common discussion among the Corinthians, Was Paul truly an Apostle like Peter? z.i. It reminds me of something Jesus said about His hometown of Nazareth. z.ii. (Mat 13:57 N.V.) And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor. z.iii. The church at Corinth was Paul s baby and yet he took more abuse from them than any other congregation he visited. z.iv. z.v. In Corinth, Paul was frequently a prophet without honor. He risked his life and his freedom to start this church. aa. In Acts 18:6, the Jews attacked Paul in Corinth and even took him to court to have locked up and thankfully, they failed. Acts 18:12-17

25 aa.i. After Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, he visited them again briefly in AD 54. aa.ii. The trip had disastrous results and Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 2:1 as the painful visit. aa.iii. He left angry and humiliated and went back to Macedonia to the church in Philippi where he was always warmly received. aa.iv. It was here that Paul would write another letter to the Corinthian congregation after the painful visit and he sent it by way of his friend Titus. aa.v. Paul spoke of it and said in (2 Cor 2:1-5 N.V.) So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. {2} For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? {3} I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. {4} For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for

26 you. {5} If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent--not to put it too severely. aa.vi. We do not have this severe letter Paul wrote to Corinth. ab. He wrote about how upset he was when he left Corinth humiliated and went to Macedonia in (2 Cor 7:5-13 N.V.) {5} For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn--conflicts on the outside, fears within. {6} But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, {7} and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever. {8} Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it--i see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while-- {9} yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. {10} Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation

27 and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. {11} See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. {12} So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. {13} By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. ac. Are you starting to understand the level of anguish Paul had with this congregation? ac.i. After he left humiliated and wrote them the severe letter, he was very afraid that it would destroy his relationship with this church he started because the letter was so harsh. ac.ii. There are times when preachers are afraid of the consequences of their own words.

28 ac.iii. ac.iv. Yet, there are truths that must be spoken. Even though the words may come with love, truth often cuts deep. ad. Why do preachers sometimes speak very harsh words that will make fellow believers very sad? ad.i. Paul explained why he did it in (2 Cor 7:9 N.V.) Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ad.ii. All through this book, you see Paul speaking of comfort and sorrow, pain and pleasure, angels and demons, apostles and false apostles, happiness and sadness. ad.iii. Like no other letter from Paul, 2 Corinthians truly reveals the complete Anatomy of an Apostle. 4. Conclusion a. What are some of the things you ve learned about this letter in this introductory lesson to Two Corinthians?

29 b. I hope you will be with us through the Fall and Winter Quarters as we study this great book. c. Prayer