2 Corinthians: Whose Ministry is It, Anyway? Tough Ministry Lesson Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2 HCSB

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1 March 8, Corinthians: Whose Ministry is It, Anyway? Tough Ministry Lesson Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2 HCSB Key Passage 2 Corinthians 2:5-17 Dig Deeper? You can do additional reading and research on 2 Corinthians 2 using the commentary at: Step by Step through the Week Monday: Begin your week of study by praying that the Holy Spirit would reveal God s truth to you and provide the wisdom you will need to obey God s word. Read 2 Corinthians 2 Read the following chapter summary: Paul explains why he wrote to them rather than visiting: he did not want to bring added sorrow over a conflict that surely would have developed if he had come in person. His previous letter had caused distress for some; his hope was that this letter would bring restoration. However, his love for them was his sole motivation for his actions. Paul s prayer was that those who caused grief in the church would be dealt with appropriately and then forgiven and restored (i.e. genuine church discipline). Moving on, the apostle told them about his recent travels. Although his plans did not work the way he hoped they would, he thanked God for always leading him in the right direction. For whenever God leads him in Christ, he is able to represent Jesus and preach the gospel to the saved and lost. Unlike those who serve with impure motives. Paul and his companions preach with integrity, as those who are sent directly from God! Identify key words or major ideas in the chapter. Reread the passage. What has the Spirit of God taught you after reading through this chapter?

2 Tuesday: Read 2 Corinthians 1. If possible, read the passage in two or three different versions of the Bible. Multiple versions are available at Observe: 2 Corinthians 2:1-4 Describe Paul s attitude or state of mind; use his words in your description. According to this passage, why was Paul concerned about visiting the Corinthians? What was Paul s goal in writing the letter to them? Examine: 2 Corinthians 2:1-4 THE PAINFUL VISIT : The events surrounding this painful visit can be reconstructed to a large extent from 1 and 2 Corinthians. It appears that the relationship between Paul and the Corinthians deteriorated when a group within the church began to question his authority. There were "some" who were arrogantly claiming that Paul was not coming back to Corinth (1 Cor 4:18). They were also becoming suspicious of him because he would not accept financial assistance but worked instead to support himself (1 Cor 9:1-18). Perhaps, they thought, this was because Paul was not truly an apostle. News of this deteriorating situation reached Paul and resulted in a visit that was painful for both him and the Corinthians. It seems that during his visit someone in the congregation publicly insulted him and challenged his authority, demanding proof that Christ was speaking through him (13:3). What was particularly hurtful for Paul was the fact that the church sat by and did nothing to support him. After issuing a strong word of warning (13:2), he returned to Ephesus, abandoning his plan to visit the Macedonian churches, revisit Corinth (1:16) and then go on to Jerusalem with the relief funds that had been collected from the Gentile churches. (adapted from IVP Commentary) Based on this understanding of Paul s painful visit, how is Paul trying to reconcile with the church? How do his words relate to his role as a spiritual leader?

3 Apply: 2 Corinthians 2:1-4 When someone hurts you, is your first thought about how you can hurt them (or at least make them feel guilty)? How can you express love to someone who has hurt you deeply? Wednesday: Read 2 Corinthians 2. If possible, read the passage in two or three different versions of the Bible. Multiple versions are available at Observe: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 Forgiveness is a key word in this passage. In your own words, summarize Paul s message about forgiveness between the church and a disciplined member. What might be the result if the punished man was not forgiven? What might be the result if Paul and the church do not forgive one another? Examine: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 CHURCH DISCIPLINE: One form of church discipline is excommunication : the formal removal of an individual from church membership and the informal separation

4 from that individual. In Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus gives the procedure and authority for a church to do this. Scripture offers an example of the necessity of excommunication in a local church in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. In this passage, the apostle Paul also gives some purposes behind the biblical use of excommunication. One reason (not directly found in the passage) is for the sake of the testimony of Christ Jesus (and His church) before unbelievers. A second reason is that sin is like a cancer; if allowed to exist, it spreads to those nearby (1 Cor 5:6-7). Also, Paul explains that Jesus saved us so that we might be set apart from sin (1 Cor 5:7-8). Excommunication is also for the long-term welfare of the one being disciplined by the church. In 1 Corinthians 5:5, Paul explains that excommunication can somehow involve God s using Satan (or one of his demons) as a disciplinary instrument to work in the sinner's life to bring about true repentance in his or her heart. The ultimate purpose in church discipline is to bring about godly sorrow and true repentance. When this occurs, the individual can be restored to fellowship. (Adapted from gotquestions.org) Read 1 Corinthians 5 for background on this passage. In his first letter, Paul identified the need for discipline in this situation. In 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, Paul is following up on his instructions. How did the sinful man (1 Cor 5) respond to the church s punishment? What do Paul s instructions in 2:5-11 indicate about the purpose of church discipline? Apply: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 What are the challenges to using church discipline in today s church? How could we overcome these challenges and stay true to the role of the church in maintaining discipline? Thursday: Read 2 Corinthians 2. If possible, read the passage from a different version of the Bible. Observe: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

5 Why does God put believers on display (or lead them in triumphal procession )? Note the occurrences of the words fragrance or aroma. What does Paul say about his fragrance to God? What about his aroma to unbelievers? How does Paul compare himself to those who minister for financial gain? Examine: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 PLEASING AROMA: On sixteen occasions in the book of Leviticus, an aroma is mentioned as something pleasing to the Lord. Specifically, the aroma of a sacrifice is important to God. The importance of a sacrifice s aroma is not the smell but what the smell represents the substitutionary atonement for sin. The very first mention of God smelling the aroma of burnt offering is found in Genesis 8:21. Noah offered a burnt offering of clean animals and birds after leaving the ark. In Leviticus, a pleasing aroma is mentioned in connection with the various offerings of Jewish tabernacle worship. Leviticus 1:9 states, The priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. As in the case of Noah s offering, what pleased the Lord was the commitment to offer worship in His name as He commanded. The pleasing aroma is also mentioned in Leviticus 1:9 and 13, emphasizing the action of propitiation rather than the actual smoke of the burnt offering. Even the larger sacrifice at the yearly Feast of Weeks focused on the redemption of sinners as the reason for the pleasing aroma (Lev 23:18). The New Testament reveals Christ as the final sacrifice for sin, the ultimate propitiation: Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph 5:2). Jesus, the Son of God, was the only One who could provide the eternally pleasing sacrifice. He alone is the One of whom the Father says, You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased (Mark 1:11). (adapted from gotquestions.org) Using Scripture (see above and 2 Corinthians 2:14-17), how would you explain the relationship between Jesus and the pleasing aroma?

6 Apply: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 What are some reasons why unbelievers criticize Christians and the church? Using Paul s principles in 2 Corinthians 2, what should we do to smell good to God and to a lost world? Friday: Read 2 Corinthians 2 and the following devotional from F.B. Meyer: We are a sweet savor of Christ unto God. The idea is borrowed from an ancient Roman triumph, which to the eyes of the world of that day was the most glorious spectacle which the imagination could conceive. The apostle compares himself first to one of the prisoners led in long chains behind the conquerors chariot; then to a servant bearing incense; and lastly to the incense itself that rose all along the line of the procession. Nothing touches the sense more quickly than sweet odors, unless it be noxious ones; and they almost instantly recall some scene of the past with which they were indissolubly associated. For instance, the scent of new-mown hay will carry us off to merry scenes in the far away days of childhood. Thus the apostle wished that his life might be a sweet perfume, floating on the air, reminding men, and above all reminding God, of Christ. It was as though he said, I desire so to live that I may perpetually remind God of the obedience, sacrifice, and devotion of the Lord Jesus, so that my words and deeds may recall to His heart similar ones in the earthly life of Jesus. A sweet savor of Christ! It does not consist so much in what we do, but in our manner of doing it; not so much in our words or deeds, as in an indefinable sweetness, tenderness, courtesy, unselfishness, and desire to please others to their edification. It is the breath and fragrance of a life hidden with Christ in God, and deriving its aroma from fellowship with Him. Wrap the habits of your soul in the sweet lavender of your Lord s character. The secret of abounding joy in self-sacrifice is the happy consciousness, such as Enoch had, that we have pleased God. To have this is to secure deliverance from selfconsciousness.