2 Corinthians (Program #31) – The Manifestation of Life Through the Killing of the Cross (2)

2 Corinthians
4:1 “Therefore having this ministry as we have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart;”

What is this ministry described in 2 Corinthians 4:1?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Corinthians (Program #30) – The Manifestation of Life Through the Killing of the Cross (1)

What kind of life did the apostles have in the New Testament?   The apostle Paul described it in 2 Corinthians chapter 4.  We are going to discuss that life in today’s life study program.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Corinthians (Program #29) – The Minister and the Ministry Becoming One

What is the difference between the New Testament Minister and the New Testament Ministry? According what we see so often today there is apparently a discrepancy. But according to the revelation of 2 Corinthians, they are actually the same.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Corinthians (Program #28) – The Ministry of the Spirit as the Life Supply, and of Righteousness as God’s Expression (1)

What is the ministry of the Spirit that is described in 2 Corinthians 3:8?   To best to understand this we need to consider some key verses from Romans Chapter 8.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Corinthians (Program #27) – The Ministry of the Spirit as the Life Supply, and of Righteousness as God’s Expression (2)

2 Corinthians 3:9 says
9: “the ministry of righteousness abounds with glory.”

5: 21 says “Him who did not know sin He made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Today’s life study of 2 Corinthians is going to give the unique definition of righteousness that many people especially Christians had never heard.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Corinthians (Program #26) – The Ministry of the Spirit as the Life Supply, and of Righteousness as God’s Expression (1)

The Old Testament had one unique ministry beginning with Moses and his receiving and delivering to the children of Israel the law or commandments. The ministry of the law commands and continues until the coming of Christ. But the coming of Christ usher in another ministry, the ministry of the New Covenant. Actually these two are the only ministries spoken of in the Bible.

Acts chapter 1 makes it very clear that not withstanding the current situation, there is a reality of only one ministry. Listen to verse 17 and 25 of Acts chapter 1,

17 “For he was numbered among us and was allotted his portion of this ministry.”
25 “To take the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

The ministry of the New Covenant is a very great matter that we dare not take lightly, neither should we take it into our own hand to try to put it into practice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Corinthians (Program #25) – The Essence of the New Covenant Ministry (2)

It’s always interesting and most often enlightening when we compare what’s become the common practice in the realm of Christian work to the Bible itself. It’s natural to take many things for granted, simply because it has become common or ordinary. But one of the things that we try to do on this program is to challenge the common and ordinary thought and to check ourselves and our concepts with the Bible.

For example today it’s quite common to speak of the varies ministries. In fact we all become comfortable with this or that Christian worker speaking about his or her ministry. But if you check carefully in the pages of the New Testament this thought is just not present.

Yes, there is such a thing as ministry but it is called the ministry or this ministry and only once in the entire New Testament do we find the term ministries. So what is this ministry and in what sense does the Bible refer to the plural term ministries?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Corinthians (Program #24) – The Essence of the New Covenant Ministry (1)

The apostle Paul’s writings in the New Testament are rich with the use of metaphors. He frequently used metaphors to help convey the deep and profound meaning of the highest spiritual truths contain in scriptures.

Two such metaphors are found in 2 Corinthians chapter 3. In this chapter we, the believers are first liken to letters, letters of Christ been written or inscribed by the apostles with the Holy Spirit as the ink. How about that?

Later in chapter 3 we become mirrors that both behold and reflect the glory of the Lord. Metaphors like these inspired by the Spirit Himself do help unlock the unsearchable riches of Christ both in our experience and in the working out of God’s great plan, a full salvation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Corinthians (Program #23) – Transformed into the Image of the Lord by Beholding and Reflecting (2)

There are many marvelous word pictures or metaphors in the Bible. Without which the task of comprehending many of the deeper truths and thoughts of scriptures would be difficult indeed. But most of those whom were used by the Holy Spirit to bring God’s divine revelation to man were very adapt at the used of such metaphors and for those of us who love the Bible, the riches that it contains. We come to love the types and shadows and metaphors as well.

2 Corinthians, Paul’s autobiography in a sense is a book that is replead with such metaphors. And as we’ve seen in chapter 3 are among the most significant.

Listen once again to Paul’s word again in 2 Corinthians 3:

16 “But whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”

17 “And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

18 “But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.”

Just how is it that we can be transformed as spoken of in these verses?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

2 Corinthians (Program #22) – Transformed into the Image of the Lord by Beholding and Reflecting (1)

The teachings of Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher were quite outstanding in their moral and ethical standard. In fact many early missionaries in China commented that the teachings of Confucius were just like the teachings of the Bible. But to compare the Bible to the writings of Confucius or any other philosophical or religious writings is like comparing gold to brass or copper.

All the philosophy or religious teachings can do is to improve our human behavior. But the intrinsic focus of the Bible is not about modifying our behavior is about transforming us gradually into the image of Christ.  2 Corinthians chapter 3:18 says it,

“But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS