2 Corinthians (Program #47) – Paul’s Vindication of His Apostolic Authority (2)

In the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, he was very bold and at times quite strong in dealing with the many problems that had risen in the church there.  Due to this, he was quite concerned about how the believers in Corinth received his word of loving discipline.  But upon hearing their open and repented heart, he began 2 Corinthians with nine very tender,intimate and pleasant chapters.  But following this, his tone once again become severe.  For in the final four chapters of the book, he is forced to make a defense, even a vindication of his apostleship.  Why did Paul, the clarion of the New Testament economy need to lower himself in such a way before this church which he himself established?   The answer may surprises but it will most definitely enlighten us.

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Leviticus (Program #37) – The Sabbath Year and the Jubilee (1)

The gospel of Luke chapter 4 has a wonderful and often quoted passage: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to announce the gospel of the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away in release those who are oppressed/ To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of jubilee.” The Lord Jesus was actually quoting from Isaiah in this passage but the reference to the year of jubilee is found in Leviticus chapter 25. This is perhaps the best known chapter in this entire book and the spiritual significance of it will become, not just a good Bible teaching, but become the source of our shouting for joy, our jubilee!

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2 Corinthians (Program #46) – Paul’s Vindication of His Apostolic Authority (1)

The last section of 2 Corinthians beginning at chapter 10, marks a strong contrast to the first nine chapters of this book.  The apostle Paul throughout most of the book was pleasant, intimate and very tender  with the Corinthians believers.  But in this final segment, he is forced to vindicate his own apostolic authority, because both he himself personally as well as his ministry and work had been severely undermined by other so call Christian workers who had come in to distract, damage  and confuse the Corinthians.  Just how does Paul approach this delicate and difficult situation?  Actually seeing the apostle dealing with such a problem is a marvelous window for all of us to see what it is to be a person one with  and living Christ.

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Leviticus (Program #36) – The Festivals (2)

The day of Pentecost is recorded in the book of Acts, is looked upon by many Christians as being a landmark event in the history of Christianity.  And rightly so, as it is associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  But Pentecost also coincide with the Jewish festival known as the Feast of Weeks as initiated in the book of Leviticus.  From the light of the Old Testament types and pictures we have been getting in the book of Leviticus, it bears even more significance for us today.  We want to look at Pentecost on today’s program from a very new and a very fresh perspective.

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2 Corinthians (Program #45) – The Apostle’s Fellowship Concerning the Needy Saints (4)

2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 are often used in campaigns for money-raising for various Christian causes or ministries.  But it’s interesting, although they both deal with the matter of giving, they don’t focus on the word “giving”.  In chapter 8, Paul refers to our giving as a kind of gathering, as the children of Israel gathered manna each day for their daily supply.   In chapter 9, our giving is called sowing, as a farmer sow seeds in order to produce a crop, in order to meet his family’s daily need.  Gathering and sowing, this is the renewed thought concerning the offering of material items to meet the needs in the Body of Christ.

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Leviticus (Program #35) – The Festivals (1)

Festivals, feasts and holidays are special time for all humans.  They are always associated with rest and enjoyment and they are only satisfying when enjoyed with others.  In other words they are mean to be corporate events.  The Bibles records 7 annual festivals or feasts that were very much part of the Old Testament economy and these are found in the book of Leviticus chapter 23.  God’s people eagerly anticipated all of them.  Though we as God’s New Testament people are not bonded to celebrate or hold these festivals outwardly today, they each have tremendous insight and spiritual application to every child of God.  Stay with us today, as we look at the feasts in Leviticus 23 in our life study of the Bible program.

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2 Corinthians (Program #44) – The Apostle’s Fellowship Concerning the Needy Saints (3)

The apostle Paul devoted two chapters in 2 Corinthians to  the matter of taking collections for the needy saints in Judea.  It must have been something weighing heavily upon him to devote the better part of two whole chapters.  But actually these two chapters present all believers with some very profound principles that should guide and direct the matter of giving.

In chapter 8, Paul liken our giving to the gathering of manna in Exodus 16.  In chapter 8 verse 15 he writes “..He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no lack.”  Then in chapter 9, our giving is liken a farmer, sowing seeds to produce a crop.  Chapter 9 verse 6, “now this I say, He who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully;”  But the verse that follows is the concluding word for both of these portions; chapter 9 verse 7, “Each one as he has purposed in his heart, not out of sorrow or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

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Leviticus (Program #34) – The Holy Living of the Holy People — Putting Off the Old Life and Putting On the New

A wonderful passage familiar to many Christians in the New Testament is found in Ephesians 4  “This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk in the vanity of their mind. That you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit.  And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.”  This marvelous passage in the new testament inspires us all but have you ever thought the Old Testament passage that parallels this one. Well, in fact there is such a passage and it is found surprisingly in the book of Leviticus.  We want to explore these two parallel passages one from the Old Testament and one from the New today.

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2 Corinthians (Program #43) – The Apostle’s Fellowship Concerning the Needy Saints (2)

2 Corinthians chapter 8 and 9 deal with one of the most treacherous of all topics in the Bible – money.  These are chapters that can be very helpful in seeing what the Bible has to say about the principle of giving.  But if we read carefully we will also see that they can be a marvelous window into the way to handle the whole issue of money and finance.

We all know that money, to a believer represents the most evil, corrupt and sinful elements of the world.  Yet God’s people have to deal with money and financial matters continually.  Therefore the rare opportunity that 2 Corinthian 8 gives us should indeed attract our full attention.  For here we see apostle Paul himself not teaching us but as our living pattern, on the proper way to handle money and the proper attitude that we all should have towards it.

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Leviticus (Program #33) – The Holiness in Enjoying the Holy Things

Leviticus 24 is a chapter talking about the lampstand and the showbread table within the tabernacle.  It goes into great detail regarding how the priests were to attend to the care and arrangement of these two important items in the tabernacle. In order to serve God as priests, we also need to take care of two things; the divine light and the divine food.  How the levitical priests conducted themselves show us great deal about how we can have a deeper and more meaningful experience of Christ in this age.

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