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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2 Corinthians (Program #42) – The Apostle’s Fellowship Concerning the Needy Saints (1)

Fund raising is apparently the subject of 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and 9.  Many preachers today use these verses for their campaigns to raise money.   But we will see in today’s life study from 2 Corinthians that there is much more going on in the apostle Paul’s heart.

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Leviticus (Program #32) – The Propitiation (1) & (2)

If you were asked to divulge what is the biggest problem between you and God, what would you say?  Well, then if you were asked what is the solution to that problem what would you say? The bible tells us that no matter what our problem with God is the solution is one thing and one thing only that is called propitiation.  Well, what is propitiation? We would like to look at propitiation and how it clears all of our problems with God.

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2 Corinthians (Program #41) – The Minister’s of the New Covenant (14)

The intimate concern of the apostle’s ministering life.  This is what we see in 2 Corinthians chapter 7.   It’s our second program on this important topic today on the life study from 2 Corinthians.

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Leviticus (Program #31) – The Cleansing of the Discharges from Within Man’s and Woman’s Body

The book of Leviticus tells us in clear and very vivid pictures the way for us as God’s holy people to live a holy life.  There are so many helpful and practical items here that can impact our spiritual life and they are depicted in these chapters in these life study messages.  We have to say that this has been an immeasurable insight into the meaning of these passages.  We come into another remarkable portion today from Leviticus chapter 15.

The Old testament is so helpful because what we have in the Old Testament is the types, the pictures of Christ and of the spiritual life that can help us so much live the christian life…..

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2 Corinthians (Program #40) – The Minister’s of the New Covenant (13)

2 Corinthians chapter seven is very unique in the New Testament. It’s hard to find even a thread of teaching or doctrine in this chapter. But rather we are allowed into Paul’s heart to touch the deep and intimate feelings that he has regarding the believers in Corinth.

7: 3…”you are in our hearts...”
7:4… “I am filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our affliction.”

This is the apostle, fully restoring and fully reconciling those whom he had previously rebuke for their many failures and sins in his first epistle to the Corinthian church.

Although we may only see his tender emotional feelings been expressed here. Under all is his strong desire for the church in Corinth even all the believers and the entire body of Christ to be brought up to the standard that he revealed in another of his epistle, Ephesians. Ephesians 4:16

16 “..all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.”

To see this link between 2 Corinthians 7 and God’s eternal purpose in Ephesians is rare glimpse into the depth of the riches in God’s word.

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Leviticus (Program #30) – The Cleansing of the Leper (1) & (2)

The clear and proper understanding of Old Testament books such as Leviticus shows us pictures that portray graphically and vividly man’s true condition contaminated by sin and death.  Unclean from natural birth and leprous within and without.  This is surely man’s condition apart from God’s intervention but motivated by His great love and desire for man to be His eventual eternal counterpart. God does not leave us in such a condition.

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