“Hallelujah, Anyhow!”
This review is brought to you by the Kentucky First Jurisdiction
Church of God in Christ Sunday
School Department.
LESSON AIM: By the end of the lesson, we will; recount what Paul says about
the value of speaking in tongues; realize the importance of speaking plainly in
the company of others; and reaffirm strategies for effectively communicating
the Gospel to both believers and unbelievers.
BIBLE TRUTH: Whatever you do in worship should edify other believers as well
as yourself.
2 Corinthians 1:3-11 | King James Version (KJV)
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we
may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith
we ourselves are comforted of God.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so
our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your
consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same
sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your
consolation and salvation.
7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as
ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of
our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure,
above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves,
that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth
deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
11 Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift
bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on
our behalf.
Paul is focusing on the comfort and consolation that God gives
His people throughout their trials and tribulations. Throughout this set of
scriptures, “comfort” is actually pointing to “encouragement”. This is truly a
letter of encouragement.
Who better than to testify of God’s amazing consolation for the
afflicted, through times of trouble, than Paul? He doesn't go into specifics
here, but we should think about some of the things he experienced.
Shipwrecked, attacked by murderous mobs, beaten,
starved, imprisoned, and betrayed by friends… all to serve the one thing the
Apostle Paul at one time sought to destroy…Christianity.
Persecuted for Jesus Christ, Paul was:
·
Stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19)
·
Beaten with rods three times (2 Corinthians 11:25)
·
Whipped with 39 lashes five times (2 Corinthians
11:24)
·
Attacked by an angry mob (Acts 16:22)
·
Many death threats (Acts 9:20-23)
·
Shipwrecked three times and floated for 24 hours (2
Corinthians 11:22-33)
·
Under arrest for two years without a trial (Acts 24:27)
·
Bitten by a viper (Acts 28:3)
Wow! Paul was definitely practicing what he was preaching. In
verse 4, he explains that the comfort (encouragement) that as we receive
comfort (encouragement) from God, we should pass it along to others. Verse 5 says, with your trials and tests, God will send comfort
to you. He will send you encouragement. Many times, we will never fully know what a person is going through. They may never audibly share it with another person.
SIDE NOTE: Have you ever gone through a test of trial for the sake of
Christ and from the least likely place found encouragement? Someone you don’t
even know, or someone you haven’t heard from for forever drops a word in your
life. Or, God allows you to see a situation, which brings a revelation to your
understanding, which offers comfort and encouragement. This is God’s promise to
Christians as we experience life’s trials and tribulations. Always look for the
comfort. Always expect the encouragement. It’s there!
Paul is giving the Corinthians a “heads up” that as they grow
and become more mature in Christ…expect suffering. It comes with the package
when you choose to live (and die) for Christ. In fact, the Bible declares that
we share in the suffering of Christ (1 Peter 4:13). We are Christ’s ambassadors
to the whole world! And, when the world looks upon us and sees that we have
maintained joy in suffering and optimism through our rough times, this gets
their attention as it leads to effective witnessing. In verse 7, Paul says he
hopes that the believer can remain steadfast. Be still and hold on. Proverbs
4:25-27 goes on to say, “don’t turn to the left or right”…hang in there.
SIDE NOTE: As Christians, we are being watched. It’s a proven fact that
people pay attention to “drama”. Why do you think we have so many reality shows
focusing on the misfortunes and mishaps of real people? Looking at someone who
is suffering is interesting. The viewer can only imagine what THEY would do in
the same situation. Most minds would gravitate to a carnal disposition…”If that
happened to me…I would (you can fill in
the blank with something carnal)”. So, for a Christian to “endure hardness
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3), it’s not usually what is
expected. The Christian is calm, cool, and collected. This is not what is
expected. It piques the curiosity of the onlooker, especially if they are not
saved. They’ll want to know…”How can you deal with this crazy situation so
calmly…and YET have a spirit of encouragement towards others?” And, so then you
have effectively opened the door to introduce another life to Christ.
All of these things come from the confidence of knowing that God
is faithful to deliver and to comfort His people…ALWAYS. Paul explains that no
matter what we are going through, hope is to be in and of Christ. God is the
deliverer. He delivered in the past, He delivers in the present, He will
deliver in the future, AND He will continue to deliver in the more distant
future (He will yet deliver us).
Paul is highlighting that one of the advantages of suffering is
to experience the comfort and encouragement of God. Witnessing the delivering
power of God and how He answers our prayers is also fulfilling and builds up
our faith each time. But in all these things, we are not meant to keep this
comfort to ourselves, rather pass it along to others as they experience
suffering. It was designed to be a perpetual cycle of sharing and strengthening
one another, through Jesus Christ.
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