II Corinthians 11 2Co 11:1 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. Hope you will put up with my foolishness a little more and bear with me. (1 Corinthians 1:21, 3:18, 4:10) 2Co 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. Jealous when you mess with false gods and teachers. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband Christ. (Romans 7:4, 1 Corinthians 4:15), You may have thousands of instructors, but our Heavenly Father gives us the one true Word. He sent Christ to be the only Savior. (Paul became like their father in Christ). 2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. Paul was worried that they would be beguiled (holy seduced). Your undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted just like Eve was deceived by the serpent. (Hebrews 13:9, 1 John 4:1, Revelation 12:9) 2Co 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. You fall for anything that someone tells you. They preach a different Jesus and you fall for it. They tell you about a different spirit other than the holy Spirit and you grab onto it. (Ephesians 4:4-5). You accept a different gospel rather than the one you believe. (Galatians 1:7-8), You are being fooled and listen to those who twist and change the Gospel of Christ. (Acts 15:1). Quit listening to false preachers and traditions of men. 2Co 11:5 For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. I am not inferior in any way to these super apostles who teach these things. The same goes for today. A true Christian and teacher of the Word should never feel inferior to these super preachers of today. 2Co 11:6 But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things. Paul is saying that he may be unskilled as a speaker, but he is not lacking in knowledge. You dont need to be a smooth speaker to be knowledgeable in the Word of God. If you dont want to be a speaker of the Word, you can write about it and get the same results. Like here at the Good News Ministry. (Ephesians 3:4) 2Co 11:7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by telling you about the Good News without expecting anything in return? (1 Thessalonians 2:9, 2 Thessalonians 3:8), You do not need be a beggar when teaching Gods Word. Here at the Good News Ministry, we do not require tithing or beg for donations. (Trust in God and you can make it on your own)! Not only that, but when you dont depend on people to support you, the truth is much easier to teach. You dont need to always please those supporting your ministry by giving them what they want to hear. (All churches do it). If not, they would lose most of their support. 2Co 11:8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. Paul didnt literally rob the other churches. He was talking about accepting gifts from the other churches to help him live on so he could serve them at Corinth. (i.e. he wasnt even supported by those who he was teaching at the time). Even today, everyone wants everything for nothing. Another reason we dont beg for money at the Good News Ministry. (Most people wont support you anyway)! God will reward the just and those who teach the truth in the end. 2Co 11:9 And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. Paul was a tent maker and he was not in the ministry for money or to be deceiving people. Same here at the Good News Ministry, I am a service tech by trade, and a teacher of Gods Word because I was called to do so. (This ministry is self-supported and God always provides). 2Co 11:10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. No man can stop me from boasting about this. (Paul told it like it was)! 2Co 11:11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. Is it because I dont love you? Not at all, God knows that I do. 2Co 11:12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. I will continue to do what I have always done. I will always try to prove the super preachers wrong. Those who say they are teaching the truth, but are teaching false doctrine and traditions of men. (These super preachers need to be challenged today also). Set straight if you will! 2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. These people are false teachers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. (Matthew 24, Mark 13). 2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Don’t be surprised about Satan who disguises himself as an angel of light. (Revelation 12:9, 13:11, II Thessalonians 2:1-13) 2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. It is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. You know how good Satan is at doing impressions of God, so Satans servants are also very good at impersonating Gods servants. They look and sound so holy. (Matthew 7:15) Their day is coming in the end! 2Co 11:16 I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little. This may sound foolish to you, but you better believe it because it is true. (i.e. If you believe a fool, you should at least believe me). 2Co 11:17 That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. Boasting is not of God, I am just boasting like a fool. 2Co 11:18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also. The fools boast about their human achievements, so I will too. However, I boast about Gods work. 2Co 11:19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. You think you are so wise, but you fall for the fools and traditions of men. 2Co 11:20 For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. You let them enslave you and take advantage of you. Your in bondage and let them control your lives. (Romans 16:17-18). It goes on in so many churches today. They want to know everything about you and they want you to live according to their ways. This is not freedom! 2Co 11:21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. Paul is being a little sarcastic in comparing himself to these false apostles to show them what a big mistake it is to listen to these rip-offs! 2Co 11:22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they Hebrews and descendants of Abraham? So am I. (Romans 11:1), They worked their way in and are not of Abraham. (John 8:33-39), Christ knew they werent and weeded them out! 2Co 11:23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Paul tells them that he faced death every day bringing you them truth. Now Paul is going to tell them what being a servant of Christ is all about. (Lets see how you would stack-up). 2Co 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. The legal limit for the Jews was to give only 39 stripes. (The Romans had no limit). 2Co 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; Three times Paul was beaten with rods. Once he was stoned, and he was ship wrecked at least three times. 2Co 11:26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In Pauls travels, he faced many dangers along the way. Robbers, danger form his own people the Jews, danger from the gentiles, danger in the cities, desert, and the seas. But mostly, danger from those who claim to be Christian, but were just false teachers. (Its a jungle out there)! 2Co 11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Enduring sleepless nights, no food or drink at times, shivered in the cold without the proper clothing. You know, this also includes the fact that Paul worked hard as a tent maker so that he would not be a burden to the churches. (He supported himself). When you work for a living in the real world without the church supporting you, it gets tough at times. (Most preachers dont know how good they really have it when their income comes mainly form the church). Especially the super preachers. (Swimming pools, movie stars, fine living and fancy cars). 2Co 11:28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Besides all these burdens, I still have the daily burden of my concern for the churches. 2Co 11:29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? When the church needs help I bring the help, and I correct the one who bring the false teachings in the church. (Romans 15:1, Galatians 6:2) 2Co 11:30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. If I must boast, I would rather boast that when I am weak, God sees me through. 2Co 11:31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. God knows that I am not lying Paul is saying. (Paul was never accused of being dishonest by the brethren). 2Co 11:32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: When in Damascus the governor under king Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch Paul. This Aretas was an Arabian king, and the father-in-law of Herod Antipas, upon whom he made war in consequence of his having divorced his daughter. Herod applied to Tiberius for help, who sent Vitellius to reduce Aretas, and to bring him alive or dead to Rome. By some means or other Vitellius delayed his operations, and in the mean time Tiberius died; and it is probable that Aretas, who was thus snatched from ruin, availed himself of the favorable state of things, and seized on Damascus, which had belonged to his ancestors. 2Co 11:33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands. After Paul was struck down in Damascus by the Lord and was converted, he was lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape the governor. (Acts 9:19-25) goodnewsministry/books_of_the_bible/2corinthians.htm
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 05:39:19 +0000
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