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Read for This Week’s Study

2 Corinthians 8:1-24; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15; John 3:16; John 17:5; Luke 9:58; Revelation 13:8; Romans 12:8; Romans 15:26-27.

Memory Text:

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9, NKJV).

2 Corinthians 8:1-24 and 9 show that Paul gave the Corinthians the opportunity to serve their brothers and sisters in Judea. This passage shows that giving is a privilege that God grants us, so that we can emulate the self-giving character of Christ. The language of heaven is one of giving. Notice these remarkable words: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16, NKJV; emphasis supplied).

Furthermore, John 3:16 clearly expresses God’s purpose in giving Jesus, so that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (NKJV). Stewardship and mission go together in this passage. They are as inseparable as the two sides of a coin. It is no wonder that Paul identifies himself and his fellow workers as “stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1, NKJV). We, too, are stewards in the same sense.

This week we will see that the concepts of stewardship and mission are deeply rooted in the example of Jesus. Indeed, stewardship and mission are inseparable. Stewardship provides the church with financial and human resources to fulfill God’s mission.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 12.

Sunday–>

The name of the church planter has been changed, and the region where he works has been withheld to protect his ministry.

Jake, a church planter, knew there was one thing he couldn’t miss in his daily life now that he and his wife were living in a country where Christians were scarce: prayer. He decided to write down all his prayer requests each month and to see how God answered them.

Jake and a group of members at his church plant were each responsible for discipling one or two new attendees. The group gathered each day of the week to pray for these new believers and reserved one day for fasting.

During one house church meeting, a member introduced Jake to Omar, a cook who had discovered Jesus many years ago. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Jake started a conversation with Omar, and soon, the two men promised to meet.

A few days later, Omar visited Jake and shared his testimony of discover­ing Jesus through the Bible. For the past 15 years, he had followed his faith cautiously, avoiding too much contact with other believers to avoid risking his life. His family and friends didn’t know about his beliefs. Jake listened intently as Omar expressed his desire to be baptized.

From that moment on, Jake and Omar met almost daily to study the Bible.

During that same month, Jake met Wassim, a young man who had lived as a refugee in a Western country for some years. Having left his homeland disillusioned, he had wrestled with questions that led him further away from his past beliefs. Wassim began exploring Christianity alone, finding a sense of peace he had never known. Upon returning to his country, he searched online for other local believers and was introduced to Jake’s house church.

To Jake’s delight, he learned that Wassim also desired baptism. Jake met weekly with Wassim, delving into subjects such as faith, Jesus Christ, and eternity.

As Jake completed the first month of his prayer journey, he was overcome with a profound admiration for God’s responses. He had asked the Lord to help him give Bible studies, and now he had two eager students.

As Jake prepares to step into the second month of his prayer journey, his heart is filled with amazement and anticipation. He knows that his journey has only begun, and he feels the strength of God leading him forward.

To learn about the church-planting ministry of Global Mission pioneers, visit bit.ly/GMPioneers.

Read Ellen G. White, “The Message Heeded,” Pages 323–334, in The Acts of the Apostles.

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Last week, we read the above cited passage in The Acts of the Apostles. It is worth rereading it. This time, dwell a little bit more on the parts referring to Paul’s severe letter, his feelings upon writing it, and his joy upon receiving the good news about the sincere repentance of the addressees. Then, reflect on what this tells us about the authenticity of Paul’s ministry and what lessons we can apply to our work for Christ.

“We are to reveal to the universe, to the world fallen and to worlds unfallen, that there is forgiveness with God, that through the love of God we may be reconciled to God. Man repents, becomes contrite in heart, believes in Christ as his atoning sacrifice, and realizes that God is reconciled to him.”—Ellen G. White, Special Testimonies On Education, p. 223.

“As a church, we have received great light. This light the Lord has entrusted to us for the benefit and blessing of the world. To us has been given the ministry of reconciliation. With power from on high we are to beseech men to be reconciled to God.”—White, Letter 32, 1903.

Once reconciled to God, people must seek holiness. Commenting on 2 Corinthians 7:1, Ellen G. White hints at what Paul meant by “perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1, NKJV). She says Paul sought to help the new converts “to become self-reliant, growing Christians, strong in faith, ardent in zeal, and wholehearted in their consecration to God and to the work of advancing His kingdom.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 201.

Discussion Questions

<–Thursday

How much love flows from the words “You are in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 7:3, NKJV; see also 2 Corinthians 6:11). In his deep desire to have his love reciprocated, Paul also says, “Make room in your hearts for us” (2 Corinthians 7:2, ESV). While the phrase “in your hearts” is not in the Greek text, most English versions supply it, which is correct because the context supports it.

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Indeed, the Corinthians opened their hearts to Paul and his fellow workers. This is why verse 4 is a burst of joy. Paul’s words express how positive his feelings are at this moment: “Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 7:4, NKJV). Paul is filled with comfort and joy. How much comfort and joy our churches can bring to the hearts of their ministers by faithfully committing themselves to Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 7:5-16, Paul further explains the reason for his comfort and joy. These two concepts dominate the passage. The verb parakaleō (“to comfort”) or the noun paraklēsis (“comfort”) occurs together a total of seven times in 2 Corinthians 7:1-16. This section of the letter ends the same way it began, namely, with much comfort in God (2 Corinthians 1:3-7). Paul’s comfort in 2 Corinthians 7:1-16 comes from the relief he experienced because the severe letter produced the effect he intended for it.

Although this relief is the result of Titus’s positive report, ultimately, God is the agent of the comfort Paul experienced (2 Corinthians 7:6). God is indeed the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NKJV).

Interestingly, while Paul is “filled with comfort,” he is “exceedingly joyful” (2 Corinthians 7:4,7,13). Although his painful letter had caused much sadness, that was a sadness according to God’s will with repentance intended (2 Corinthians 7:9-11, NASB). The Corinthians “sorrowed in a godly manner” (2 Corinthians 7:11, NKJV), a sorrow producing “repentance leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10, NKJV). What else could bring more joy to the heart of an authentic minister of God?

<–Wednesday Friday–>

In 2 Corinthians 6:3-10, Paul keeps encouraging the Corinthians to be reconciled to God. He presents a long list of hardships and triumphs to show what it means to be a follower of Christ and a minister of God. In short, he lists difficult situations (2 Corinthians 6:4-5), virtues of character (2 Corinthians 6:6), equipment for ministry (2 Corinthians 6:7), and vicissitudes of ministry (2 Corinthians 6:8-10). After instructing the members in Corinth to be reconciled to God, Paul appeals for them to live a holy life, and to do so by separating themselves from the harmful influence of unbelievers and from unclean things (2 Corinthians 6:14-17).

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Paul emphasizes in this passage the importance of affection and love within the church (1 Corinthians 6:11-13). The evidence that people have been reconciled to God is that they seek reconciliation with one another. Indeed, they become, as it were, agents of horizontal reconciliation.

Next, the call to holiness is given by means of six appeals, namely, (1) “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14, NKJV); (2) “ ‘Come out from among them’ ” (2 Corinthians 6:17, NKJV); (3) “ ‘Be separate’ ” (2 Corinthians 6:17, NKJV); (4) “ ‘Do not touch what is unclean’ ” (2 Corinthians 6:17, NKJV); (5) “Let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit” (2 Corinthians 7:1, ESV); (6) “Make holiness perfect in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1, RSV; emphasis supplied). These exhortations show that a holy God requires a holy life and separation from idolatry.

On the other hand, the passage also brings seven promises that highlight the role of the Christian church as a holy temple: (1) “ ‘I will dwell in them’ ”; (2) “ ‘[I will] walk among them’ ”; (3) “ ‘I will be their God’ ”; (4) “ ‘They shall be My people’ ”; (5) “ ‘I will receive you’ ”; (6) “ ‘I will be a Father to you’ ”; (7) “ ‘You shall be My sons and daughters’ ” (2 Corinthians 6:16-18, NKJV).

Notice that the four promises in 2 Corinthians 6:16 are the basis for the three imperatives in 2 Corinthians 6:17 (see the word “therefore” at the beginning of 2 Corinthians 6:17). This demonstrates that holiness is not the result of one’s efforts but the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. Although holiness results from God, believers must do their part and reject idolatry and every impure practice.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>