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Hello everyone, this is Ainsley Earhart. Thank you for joining me for this 37th episode of the 52 episode podcast series the Life of Jesus. This podcast picks up with the second chapter of 2 Corinthians. Paul exhorts the Corinthian church to put feet and hands into their care for one another. Pretty words are well and good, but they mean nothing if not backed up by action. Let's listen in as Paul composes his letter to the Corinthians who want to do things right but keep getting them wrong. You're listening to the Life of Jesus.
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For I made up my mind not to make you another painful visit, for if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you that my joy would be the joy of you all. For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart, and with many tears, not to cause you pain but but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. But if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure not to put it too severely to you all, for such a one this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him, for this is why I wrote that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ to keep Satan from gaining the advantage over us, for we are not ignorant of his designs. When I came to Troas to preach the Gospel of Christ, a door was opened for me in the Lord, but my mind could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To one, a fragrance from death to death, to the other, a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not like so many peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God. In the sight of God, we speak in Christ. Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts to be known and read by all men. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. Not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything is coming from us. Our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code, but in the Spirit. For the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now, if the dispensation of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such splendor that the Israelites could not look at Moses face because of its brightness, fading as this was, will not the dispensation of the Spirit be attended with greater splendor? For if there was splendor in the dispensation of condemnation, the dispensation of righteousness must far exceed it in splendor. Indeed, in this case, what once had splendor has come to have no splendor at all, because of the splendor that surpasses it. For if what faded away came with splendor, what is permanent must have much more splendor. Since we have such a hope, we are very bold. Not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not see the end of the fading splendor. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old Covenant, that same veil remains unlifted. Because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day, whenever Moses is red, a veil lies over their minds. But when a man turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from The Lord who is the Spirit. Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word. But by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel, of. Of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants, for Jesus sake. For it is the God who said, let light shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not driven to despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed. Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had. Who wrote, I believed and so I spoke? We too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with youh into his presence. For it is all for your sake. So that as grace extends to more and more people, it may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Because we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Here indeed we groan and long to put on our heavenly dwelling, so that by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent we sigh with anxiety, not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil according to what he has done in the body. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who pride themselves on a man's position and not on his heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. If we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us. Because we are convinced that one has died for all. Therefore all have died. And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him, who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view. Even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that is in Christ. God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We beseech you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God for our sake. He made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God, Working together with Him. Then we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, at the acceptable time, I have listened to you and helped you on the day of salvation. Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry. But as Servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way, through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God with the weapons of righteousness. For the right hand and for the left, in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors and yet are true, as unknown and yet well known, as dying. And behold, we live as punished and yet not killed. As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything. Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians. Our heart is wide. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return, I speak as to children. Widen your hearts also. Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What. What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, as God said. I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean. Then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God. Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one. We have corrupted no one. We have taken advantage of no one. I do not say this to condemn you. For I said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. I have great confidence in you. I have great pride in you. I am filled with comfort. With all our affliction. I am overjoyed. For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn, fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus. And not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you. As he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you. What eagerness to clear yourselves all. What indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment. At every point you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your zeal for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort we rejoice still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by you all. For if I have expressed to him some pride in you, I was not put to shame. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting before Titus has proved true. And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of you all and the fear and trembling with which you received him. I rejoice because I have perfect confidence in you. We want you to know, brethren, about the grace of God which has been shown in the churches of Macedonia. For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy in their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of liberality on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. And this not as we expected. But first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. Accordingly, we have urged Titus that as he had already made a beginning, he should also complete among you this gracious work. Now, as you excel in everything, in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in your love for us, see that you excel in this gracious work also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I give my advice. It is best for you now to comply what a year ago you began not only to do, but to desire, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have for if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he has not. I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of equality, your abundance at the present time should supply their want, so that their abundance may supply your want, that there may be equality. As it is written, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack. But thanks be to God, who who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus, for he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he is going to you of his own accord. With him we are sending the brother who was famous among all the churches for his preaching of the Gospel, and not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work which we are carrying on for the glory of the Lord, and to show our good will. We intend that no one should blame us about this liberal gift which we are administering, for we aim at what is honorable, not only in the Lord's sight, but also in the sight of men. And with them we are sending our brother, whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker in your service. And as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men. Foreign.
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I'm Shannon Bream, host of the Live in the Bream podcast and author of the Love Stories of the Bible Speak. We'll be back with more from the Life of Jesus podcast series after this.
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We see want and need throughout the world. Hunger and disease run rampant in nations that lack resources and power. A multitude of benevolent organizations and philanthropic foundations make every effort to alleviate the suffering. Yet the poverty and suffering continue. I wonder what would happen if all the Christians in the world, all 2.4 billion of them, were to take to heart what Paul says and cheerfully give to those in need. 1 in 11 people worldwide are food insecure. 733 million people in this world are starving. The elderly, the mamas, the babies, and a good portion of the world to wipe out hunger would require $37 billion per year until 2030. This sounds like an exorbitant amount of money until you realize there are 2.4 billion professing Christians worldwide. This means that if every Christian in the world gave a mere $15.50 per year for five years, hunger could cease to be a reality anywhere on earth. This is why Christians are told to be cheerful givers. If the Christian church lived as Scripture tells us, if we took the Golden Rule seriously, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The world could be an entirely different place. We could change the world. But it must start with me and you, Father. Give me a heart for the world around me. Help me put my resources to work for your kingdom. Teach me to love in real and practical ways. Thank you for listening to this 37th episode of this 52 episode podcast series, the Life of Jesus. Make sure to spread the word. Listen ad free with a Fox News Podcast plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. Amazon prime members can listen ad free on the Amazon Music Appliance.