Paul’s Closing Plea to the Corinthians It has been said that the body of Christ is the most glorious dysfunctional family on planet earth. The people of God are at one and the same time a perfectly redeemed people who also dwell in an imperfect body that is still flawed because of the remaining corruption of sin in our flesh. Such was the case in Corinth, and certainly, such is the case here at Koinonia. Paul prayed for their perfection, or their progressive maturity in The Lord. The Christian life is a life of growth in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. We grow in Christ by remembering who we are in Jesus, and by yielding to The Holy Spirit. We grow in Christ by the way that we interact with one another as a community of believers as well. Paul exhorts this congregation of saints (yes, saints; see 1:1 and 13:13) to “be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” What do these words say to you and me personally? What do you think that should look like congregationally? Beloved, each one of us is working out (not for!!) our own salvation with fear and trembling. But as Paul states at the end of this letter, we are given divine resources to empower and encourage us. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”

Paul’s Pastoral Plea Paul has been under attack from those who sought to undermine his apostolic authority and the sincerity of his love for the Corinthians. He apologetically wrote in defense of the validity of his calling and ministry as an apostle. He now proceeds to write about his love for them, and the concerns that he has for their spiritual condition. With the flaming darts of slander and accusations sticking out of his back, from deep in his heart he calls them “dearly beloved” (2 Corinthians 12:19). To call them beloved is a remarkable evidence of the love of God shed abroad in his heart towards them. He proceeds to tell them that the more he loved them, the less he was loved. How painful it is when the love you pour out to others and into others is despised or rejected. But Paul is driven by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14). He was accused of ripping the Corinthians off because he did not take any money from them like the false, pseudo teachers were doing. All that he did was for their edification. Because Paul told them things in his letters and previous visits that they did not want to hear, he was accused of being unloving and uncaring. Thus, in advance of a third visit, Paul tells them that he is concerned about their ungodly behavior. He is grieved over the fact that many of them have remained defiant in their sin, and ignored his apostolic admonitions of the need to repent. The sins that Paul lists in 2 Corinthians 12, verses 20 and 21 are sins that grieve The Spirit of God. Lord Jesus, give us ears to hear and obey Your voice. Selah

A Real Basket Case Have you ever heard the saying, he or she is a real “basket case”? In our study this morning, the apostle Paul ends his credentials of being a genuine follower of Jesus Christ by referring to the time when he was let down the side of a wall in a basket to escape the wrath of those who wanted to do him in. From the very outset of his ministry to the end, there was never any letup to the afflictions and opposition he faced in his ministry of preaching the gospel and making disciples. You and I may not be called by God to face the same degree of challenges and opposition that Paul did, but we are all called to deny ourselves daily, pick up our crosses and follow Him. We are all called to endure difficulties and forgo conveniences for the cause of Christ and to care for one another. The vast majority of Christendom today is far removed from the biblical example of sacrifice and care that was exhibited by the early followers of Jesus. If there is one word that is sorely lacking in today's church, it is the word sacrifice. It is both a noun and a verb. It describes the action of being a living sacrifice, of giving up oneself, for the cause of Christ and for the sake of others. All of Paul’s “credentials” were incidental things that he faced in the pursuit of the spreading the gospel and the daily care of all the churches. Because Paul knew the sacrificial love of Christ for him, he sacrificially cared for Christ’s bride, the Church. What are your sacrificial credentials of being a follower of Jesus Christ? Selah

From the Garden of Eden to the present hour, the biblical truth of God regarding Jesus Christ and the gospel has been redefined, twisted, or simply called outrageous. Satan has his own "evangelists" who proclaim a counterfeit Jesus and a counterfeit gospel under the inspiration of a demonic spirit who transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Spiritual warfare is part of the normal Christian life. Because we live in a fallen world and still dwell in a body that is corrupted by the influence of sin, the battle for what we think is the key to living a life of victory as a Christian. And where does the battle begin? It begins in the mind.