Peter Oakes is the Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester. His recent monograph, titled, Empire, Economics, and the New Testament, provides a couple of resources for generosity that I wanted to share in light of the study of 2 Corinthians 8-9. I hope this will shed some light on…
Rich Generosity (2 Corinthians 8:1-2)
“Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.” – 2 Corinthians 8:1-2 The apostle Paul…
Progress, Not Perfection (2 Corinthians 7:5-16)
“When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside. But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. His presence was a joy, but so was the news he brought of the encouragement…
Limits and Litmus Tests (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:3)
Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the…
Hearts Open Wide (2 Corinthians 6:3-13)
We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry…
Today! (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)
As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:1-2, NLT) The opening…
When Evangelism Goes Too Far (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)
“And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we…
More Broken Than Bad (2 Corinthians 5:16-17)
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2…
Jesus? Yes! The Church? Not so much…
Earlier this month, the Barna Report published a study on American’s response to Jesus, citing a favorable view from those polled.. The “Church,” on the other hand, did not fare as well, as non faith respondents cited several reasons for concerns. Their reasons should not be a surprise. The “ah-ha” moment in the survey is…
When You Feel Alone in Ministry (2 Corinthians 5:11-15)
Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a…
