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  • In Defense of the Ministry (Part 3b - Paul's Challenge)

    In Defense of the Ministry (Part 3b - Paul's Challenge)
    2020/05/24
    This is the 17th, and final, message in this series on Paul's second epistle to the church of Corinth. We began studying this epistle in January and, specifically, this last section of Paul’s letter at the end of March. Over the past three weeks we have been considering Paul's defense of his ministry and how that applies to our own ministries. We have considered Paul's call and his credentials. In those messages, we saw how Paul continually pointed the Corinthians to Christ. A truly called minister of God would seek to glorify God by guiding those in his sphere of influence according to the truth of God. Hence, Paul warned them regarding false ministers who proclaim a false Jesus, have a false spirit, and teach a false gospel. These false ministers seek to enslave believers in legalism, devour their resources, divide the true church, exalt themselves, and intimidate believers into obeying them. The true minister seeks to emulate Christ in his ministry. Last week, we began considering Paul's final challenge to the Corinthians: a challenge to test the genuineness of everything according to the standard of God - His truth. Paul addresses this challenge in a two-fold manner: first, to consider his genuineness and, secondly, to consider their own enuineness! This message was presented on May 24, 2020 by Bob Corbin.
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  • In Defense of the Ministry (Part 3a - Paul's Challenge)

    In Defense of the Ministry (Part 3a - Paul's Challenge)
    2020/05/17
    This is the 16th message in this series on Paul's second epistle to the church of Corinth; we began studying this last section of Paul's letter at the end of March. Over the past two weeks we have been considering Paul's defense of his ministry and how that applies to our own ministries. We have considered Paul's call and his credentials. In those messages, we saw how Paul continually pointed the Corinthians to Christ. A truly called minister of God would seek to glorify God by guiding those in his sphere of influence according to the truth of God. Hence, Paul warned them regarding false ministers who proclaim a false Jesus, have a false spirit, and teach a false gospel. These false ministers seek to enslave believers in legalism, devour their resources, divide the true church, exalt themselves, and intimidate believers into obeying them. The true minister seeks to emulate Christ in his ministry. Today, as we close this epistle, we will consider Paul's final challenge to the Corinthians: a challenge to test the genuineness of everything according to the standard of God - His truth. Paul addresses this challenge in a two-fold manner: first, to consider his genuineness and, secondly, to consider their own genuineness! Due to the system wide issues with Zoom, we only considered the first part of this challenge in this message. This message was presented on May 17, 2020 by Bob Corbin.
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  • In Defense of the Ministry (Part 2 - Paul's Credentials)

    In Defense of the Ministry (Part 2 - Paul's Credentials)
    2020/05/10
    This last section of Paul's second epistle to the Corinthians deals specifically with the affliction that comes with "spiritual warfare." As we seek to serve Christ we will experience opposition. We are told in God's Word that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Eph 6:12) As we have seen, this battle is primarily directed against the glory of God by attacking the truth of His Word. This attack is two-fold: attacking the message itself and then, also the messenger. We considered first, the attack on God’s message and our responsibility to clothe ourselves with the armor of God, the weapons of our warfare, in order to defend the truth and to disarm the attacks against it. Last week, we began considering the attack upon the messenger of the truth. If Satan can silence the messenger, he hinders the proclamation of the truth. As our ministry is attacked, how should we respond? Paul provides an example in these final four chapters of this letter. Last week, we considered "Paul's Calling" and it's application to our lives. Today, we will consider "Paul's Credentials" ... what bore witness of the validity of his ministry and calling This message was presented on May 10, 2020 by Bob Corbin.
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  • In Defense of the Ministry (Part 1 - Paul's Calling)

    In Defense of the Ministry (Part 1 - Paul's Calling)
    2020/05/03
    Approximately one month ago, we began considering this last section of Paul's second epistle to the church of Corinth. This last section deals specifically with the affliction that comes with "spiritual warfare." We are told in God's Word that we "do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Eph 6:12) As we have seen, this battle is primarily directed against the glory of God by attacking the truth of His Word. This attack is two-fold: attacking the message itself and then, also the messenger. We have considered the attack on God's message and our responsibility to clothe ourselves with the armor of God, the weapons of our warfare, in order to defend the truth and to disarm the attacks against it. Today, we begin to consider the attack upon the messenger of the truth. If Satan can silence the messenger, he hinders the proclamation of the truth. In warfare, the first two targets are the communication lines and the supply lines. Individually, that is prayer and reading God's Word. As a body, that is the preaching of His Word and the provoking of one-another in the body. As our ministry is attacked, how should we respond? Paul provides an example in these final four chapters of this letter. This message was presented on May 3, 2020 by Bob Corbin.
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  • The Weapons of our Warfare (Part 4 - A Practical Application)

    The Weapons of our Warfare (Part 4 - A Practical Application)
    2020/04/26
    This message was presented using Zoom Teleconferencing as the 6th of our "Worship from a Distance" during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Over the past three messages in our study of Paul's 2nd letter to the Corinthians, we have been considering Paul's discussion of spiritual afflictions. The first, and foremost, of these Spiritual Afflictions is the attack upon the Truth of God's Word. In that battle, as Paul reminds the Corinthians, "we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God ..." We began by identifying those weapons, considering prayer and fasting, and the Armor of God (Ephesians 6). As we considered the description of the armor, we noted that it revolved around truth - the truth of God's Word, and was infused with power through prayer. Paul continued by revealing four areas in which these weapons of our warfare are supposed to be utilized: For Pulling Down Strongholds; For Casting Down Arguments; For Bringing Every Thought into Captivity to the obedience of Christ; and For Preparing Justice ... being ready to punish all disobedience. In the Spiritual War, Satan's tactic is twofold: 1) attack the message of truth, and 2) attack the messenger of truth. In chapters 10-13, Paul is intertwining a defense of both truth and his apostleship. Today, we want to conclude our study of his exhortation regarding the importance of knowing, and defending, the truth by jumping forward into chapter 11. In chapter 11, Paul presents a practical application to the Corinthians regarding how this spiritual warfare should be pertinent to them. This message was presented on April 26, 2020 by Bob Corbin.
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  • The Weapons of our Warfare (Part 3 - Pulling Down Strongholds)

    The Weapons of our Warfare (Part 3 - Pulling Down Strongholds)
    2020/04/19
    This message was presented using Zoom Teleconferencing as the 5th of our "Worship from a Distance" during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In our study of Paul's 2nd letter to the Corinthians, we have been studying Paul's transition into a consideration of spiritual afflictions. Paul is reminding the believers of Corinth that the ultimate war that we are in is a spiritual war. Hence, we do not war according to the flesh. Prior to our week of Prayer and Fasting, we considered the spiritual discipline of fasting and the spiritual power that is derived from "true fasting." We then considered the "Armor of God" that Paul describes in Ephesians 6. Two weeks ago, we began examining the utilization of these spiritual weapons of warfare by considering the first, of four items, against which which we battle: Strongholds. We are told that these spiritual weapons are to be used for the Pulling Down of Strongholds. During that message, we considered four strongholds that we fight against: Ignorance, Idolatry, Iniquity, and Intimidation. Today, we want to consider the other three items against which Paul states we battle. This message was presented on April 19, 2020 by Bob Corbin.
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  • The Weapons of our Warfare (Part 2 - Pulling Down Strongholds)

    The Weapons of our Warfare (Part 2 - Pulling Down Strongholds)
    2020/04/05
    This message was presented using Zoom Teleconferencing as the 3rd of our "Worship from a Distance" during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Last week, we began focusing on the next section of Paul's 2nd letter to the Corinthians. Throughout the letter, Paul has built his exhortations and encouragements around the central theme of believers living their lives within an atmosphere of afflictions. He began his letter discussing the purpose of afflictions and then sharing from his own life. He then provided encouragement, by reminding the believers of their new standing in Christ and how they are being continually changed from glory to glory. God, as the Master Sculptor, is chiseling away on us - His new creations! He who began the good work in us IS CONTINUING to perform it ... UNTIL the day of Christ! He is molding us and conforming us to the image of His blessed Son - according to His promise and plan! As that work is being accomplished, there will be opposition in the spiritual realm. As we considered the "Weapons of our Warfare" last week, we saw that, again, that God's primary desire is for ALL people to come to the knowledge of the truth. Hence, He has given us this word of truth in the Scriptures, has given a charge to the church to be the pillar and foundation of that truth, and has challenged believers to see it as the first element of the armor which He has given to us to use in the spiritual war. There has been opposition to the truth of the Word of God from the beginning. Just as Eve was deceived by the serpent, so also do many individuals fall to the wiles of the devil as he attacks the validity and sufficiency of the Word of God. His goal is to get us to detract from ... or add to ... God's Word, in order that we might not live in obedience to it. Today, we begin considering how we are to utilize the "Weapons of our Warfare" ... for they ARE to be used! Today, we want to examine the first of the four areas listed by Paul - "For pulling down strongholds." This message was presented on April 5, 2020 by Bob Corbin.
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  • The Weapons of our Warfare (Part 1)

    The Weapons of our Warfare (Part 1)
    2020/03/29
    This message was presented using Zoom Teleconferencing as the 2nd of our "Worship from a Distance" during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We have spent the last two Sundays considering the subject of fasting and have spent this past week in a special time of prayer and fasting. As mentioned in those messages, what originally seemed to be hiatus from our series actually was an addition to our series. For today, we come to the portion of Paul's 2nd letter to the Corinthians where he will begin to take on probably the greatest affliction that we can face - spiritual affliction in the form of attacks against the truth of the Scriptures and the obedience to that truth. Paul begins this portion by declaring his desire to exhort them in meekness and gentleness, rather than in boldness. However, there were some - false teachers - who were challenging his authority and the message which God had given him to share. When you begin to share the truth of God's Word, and begin to seek to live according to it's standards, you will find that there are many in the world who do not care to hear the message. Sadly, there are many false teachers in the world as well. Lord willing, we will consider this portion of Paul's discussion after our Resurrection Day celebration. Today, we want to continue our consideration of the weapons of our warfare. The word for "weapons" would be better translated "accoutrements." These accoutrements are listed by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. We will take another week to discuss these weapons before discussing their utilization. This message was presented on March 29, 2020 by Bob Corbin.
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