II Corinthians 13: In the Faith

Paul says "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves." Paul is encouraging us here to examine our lives and make sure that what we believe is being shown through our actions. It is hard sometimes to have a "looking-glass self", in other words, to see ourselves how other people might see us. But really, guys, we know how we are doing spiritually. We know if we are dropping the ball with doing God's will and being faithful to the work of His kingdom. Paul says to examine ourselves. Examine does not mean glance over, but to dig deep and find the messy, smelly parts of our lives that are keeping us from being closer to God and "in the faith"

Be in the faith. Being in the faith, though a somewhat ambiguous phrase, among other things means to make sure that Christ is really shining through your behavior. Paul is encouraging them to ask "Am I truly saved?" and if I am, "What am I doing to make that obvious to others?" I think it means that if a stranger was put in a room with you for a half an hour, what you do and say would make it clear that you passionately love Jesus and are faithful to God. Be in the faith. By being in the faith, we have a responsibility of carrying the whole Christian truth with us everywhere we go. Think of yourselves as constant beacons for the love of God. Daniel 12:3 says "And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to rightesousness, like the stars for ever and ever." Even children in Sunday School learn outdated songs like 'Rise and Shine and give God the glory, glory." As Christians, that is our responsibility. Accepting God's gift of salvation is not a ticket to apathy for the rest of our lives, but it is an understanding that from here on out, we will be in the faith, passionate followers of God who act according to our beliefs.

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith." I want to be in the faith.

~ Ben

2 Corinthians 11: Are you letting the truth be heard?

So many people just assume that those who call themselves Christian’s are truthful and following God’s word to the ‘T’ but there are those who twist God’s word for their own gain. Those who go around and preach that God says -this- about the world, and to the world but it doesn’t match up. We all have heard of these people. Just think about Westboro Baptist Church that has been showed countless times on the news they speak solely of God’s wrath and completely some type of fate.They go around, disaster to disaster preaching of destruction not out of the love, as Jesus says Christians meant to portray. If you don’t remember look up the story of the little girl that was killed during a shooting of a woman politician. She was around 10 years old and was born on September 11th. She had nothing to do with what the politician was saying, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. After her death, Westboro took it upon themselves to picket the girls funeral saying it was a fulfillment of God’s plan. I wonder how anyone could ever say that about a little girl and get away with it.

In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul warns the church of those people. He worries of their faith being swayed from God to follow what the false prophets profess to be true. He wanders how they can be so blind as to listen and let that even pass through our minds. And yes, I said ‘our’. Because this is not something that once happened this is something is happening now. Christians are shying away and no longer preaching God’s love. Instead we are letting churches like Westboro poison the minds of those who do not know the word. We are listening and letting that pollute us. And if that doesn’t hit home enough for you what about our teachers in classrooms and the student. We say, “Oh, well it was a open discussion it is up to interpretation.” But is that really true. I wonder just like Paul why are we sitting back and just taking it. Letting them put that in the mind of the others. Why can’t we stand up against them not out of hate but out of love and show them what God says. Not overbearing, not resentfully but through complete love. The love Jesus told us to have for every sinner and every saint. We should show that light that God put inside of us. And we will be looking at as something different from those false prophets. We will be like a breathe of fresh untainted air. Showing God to all who are near. We should be as Paul, being battled for showing our faith. instead of shying away or opening our ears to what is not true.

So Flood just encourage you that God is with you. God is the word, the truth, and the way. God will be there right beside you holding your hand in the battle when you are standing up for his word. You’ll never know, you standing up could mean someone becoming saved. But it always means that you planted a seed.


I love you all,

Cat

II Corinthians CH7

Hey Flooders, as we've been reading through first and second Corinthians, I can't help but notice an increase in concentration or focus on Jesus that I've experienced in my own life. These letters that Paul wrote are excellent in educating ourselves on how to handle different situations in life while respecting God and the church. In chapter seven, Paul continues explaining that we are the temple of the living God and we must pursue holiness and rid ourselves of things that break down the body and the spirit. I feel like many Christians including me sometimes don't pursue holiness. Its very easy to let things into your life that aren't necessarily bad but can separate you from God. Attitudes and thoughts may seem small and harmless, but with enough time and attention these things can grow into uncontrollable emotions toward each other and God that weigh down on our lives and take us into worldly sorrows. Paul also explains that Godly sorrows lead to repentance and perfection, but worldly sorrows lead to spiritual death. This is something that I've learned to be very true. If we must insist on holding the things that separate us from God, we will certainly be broken down time and time again until our spirit is depleted. I've had small thoughts that have grown into monsters and had the potential to take me, but when we look to Jesus and view the convictions on our hearts we truly find God. He begins to perfect us and renew us. So don't find yourselves stumpling over the things that separate, but look at the convictions that God lays on us to perfect us, to make us holy; A Godly form of sorrow which leads us to repentance and salvation.

With Love,
Gabriel

2 Corinthians 10

Yesterday Lauren and I along with a few other Flooders had the awesome privilege to meet a wonderful man named John. He was very smart, sweet, kind, greeted us with a smile on his face, talked about how he loves to read…but John is a homeless man who lives under a bridge in downtown New Orleans. He isn’t homeless because he was lazy, a drug addict, alcoholic, or because he chooses to be. He is homeless because six months ago he lost his job and he has no family left to help him. He only receives seventy five dollars a week in unemployment and that is just barely enough to get him food for the week. Most people’s first thought when they see a homeless person is they think they are lazy and are just trying to scam you out of a few bucks, but in reality we are no better than they are. The only thing that separates us from them is our circumstances. John mentioned to Lauren and me that most Christians he encountered weren’t as nice to him as we had been. When I heard those words come out of his mouth my heart sunk. That is exactly what Paul is warning us against in chapter ten.
Paul says in verse seven- “You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do” We are all equally undeserving, yet receiving, of Christ love and mercy and no one is better than any other- Christian or not. Lauren prayed the sinner’s prayer with John as I prayed along with him. John is now our brother in Christ and although the world may look down upon him, he’ll be standing side by side with us as equals in heaven. Let’s all remember we’re all the same in God’s eyes. God doesn’t see the material things that we have, all He sees is our hearts and willingness to serve Him. Just remember the next time we see someone that may not meet social norms or standards, that he or she is loved just as much by God as we are.

Love you all!
Laura

2 Corinthians 8

Paul is writing the church to prepare them for what is going on in the next few months. He starts by telling them about the church of Macedonia which was very poor. However, regardless of their financial standings, the church of Macedonia had already decided to completely commit to God....that meant staying committed even when things got rough. It says that they gave generously more than they could afford to give. That says to me that these people had some serious faith. They believed that if they sowed into the Word that God would supply all of their needs, and God did just that. He provided and they took that opportunity to help the poor. Paul uses this story to encourage the church to get a hold of that same passion as the church of Macedonia. We can all take a lesson from the church of Macedonia. We are all struggling college students. We know all about poor, yet that shouldn't limit us from sowing into the Kingdom. The Bible says that they were desperately poor but incredibly happy. When you give to God, don't look at it like the government taking your taxes. It should be a pleasure for us to invest in the Kingdom of God. God is faithful to provide so take a leap of faith and let Him prove it.

From the NO- Bri

2 Corinthians 6

About a week ago my mom came home and asked if Laura and I could pray for one of her best friends that was unsaved and very ill. She has an inoperable tumor in her colon and her prognosis is very poor. Even as she was in the hospital dying from cancer she told my mom she was unsure of being saved because she was afraid people would think she only got saved because she was dying. As I was reading the first part of chapter 6 I was immediately reminded of the situation with my mom’s friend. “For he says ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” The next day she came to know Jesus as her Savior. I say all that to say this, we shouldn’t put off the things that God has for us at the risk of losing whatever chance or opportunity He has for us right now. Whenever we feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit to do something for Him right we shouldn't put it off, but run with it, and God will use us in ways we couldn't even possibly imagine.
Paul goes on to describe all the things he's gone through, beatings, hunger, sorrow and just all these things that just cements the fact that the Christian walk means a blessed and amazing life, but not an easy one. Many people believe that when they become saved they’re not going to have to work, they’re not going to have to go through hardship, that life suddenly becomes easy, but when we trust God in those hardships and when we're broken that's when God can use us with an intensity that only that situation warrants. Paul also goes on to say that we should be set apart from unbelievers, that people that aren’t saved should be able to definitively tell the difference between us and the world. Christians become complacent in where they’re at with God and they begin to justify and compromise things that the Bible clearly says are sin. When this happens the royal Priesthood we belong to, the holy anointing we have been given becomes watered down in our lives, and the distinction we have from the rest of the world becomes blurred, and as disciples of Christ we become ineffective. Let’s never compromise or become complacent in where we are in Christ, and to rejoice when we endure hardship and not stand idly by when God is clearly telling us to move.

Love you guys,
Tyler


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2 Corinthians: 5- Quit Yer Bellyachin’!

Hey gang! Seth here to let you in on some awesome stuff from the pages of 2 Corinthians 5! We are a bunch of complainers! Often times we complain and make excuses so well one might think we were being paid to do it. This is the view of the world. The worldly view is that we NEVER have enough and we ALWAYS have problems and deadlines and blah, blah, blah. The fact of the matter is that we have been given the Spirit as a deposit! We have a guarantee that we will have this magnificent place in heaven and we should be glorifying God in ALL things that happen to us and come from us. As Christians we live by faith, not by sight.
​We are all new creations when we accept God into our hearts, meaning we are expected to know His power and understand his passion for greatness. A greatness He wants for us. God has so much in store for us and we often don’t have even an inkling about what it is. See life not through worldly eyes, but through the eyes of a new creation in Christ. Stop being greedy in what you seek, but remember that our God died for our sins and the sins of every single person that takes breath today. I know this is a quick entry, but it’s a simple one. REMEMBER. Remember that you are a child of God and that He loves you. He wants you to do great things, but He wants those great things you do to be for His glory. We are already victorious people! Share the wealth!