The Devotional – 1108 – Foot Steps in Second Corinthians, On Going

The Devotional – 1108 – Foot Steps in Second Corinthians, On Going

I sometimes feel that I am the only one who walks out on the limb to see if it will break. So far as I know, the LORD has kept me safe and so I trust Him to continue. It is never comfortable going against the wind of the day and treading in areas where something can send you grasping for safety. I have only been in fear of my physical life once that I can recall and this was during a moment seeking to shut down a diesel generator that was speeding out of control. Even some of the firemen on scene did not know what to do! Yet remembering some things of my past tours on submarines we were able to bring the generator under control, but not before I felt the urge to panic and run away. Sometimes when looking into the Living Word of God and understanding the present condition of Christendom today, the urge to panic spiritually is nearly as real as the physical event I just shared. In my mind, many in churches have never had the experience of having the Spirit of God on them, yet they know they have the Spirit of God in them. Hopefully I can qualify that last sentence this morning, don’t you hope so too?

CHALLENGES & COMMENTS – 2 Corinthians 12:1-6

Now it only takes one negative comment about someone, or the ministry of someone to turn away thousands of would be followers. A negative comment is never justified, an example would be that many have turned a deaf ear to great men of God because of statements made by them regarding a “Spirit led life”, I will not mention any current ones, but people like Watchmen Nee, Andrew Murray and Arthur Pink and many others who wrote about the inner spiritual life of the believer.

Now there is more than one reason (spirituality) that these folks received a deaf ear from most of Christendom, such as the era in which they wrote or the words that they used to express a point of truth. I am convinced that the words written by anyone can easily be picked apart and trampled on just as easily as The Constitution of our great land is being trampled on by educated yet unpatriotic men today who are anxiously seeking to destroy the freedoms of the United States of America.

Well what does the above have to do with 2 Corinthians 12:1-6 – God’s Constitution for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in his children is that we have been freed from indwelling sin, we have a Father/Son relationship with God through His indwelling Spirit, we have the power of God in us to suffer in this present time all the way to Glory and we have the everlasting love of God in us via the Spirit of God. And while we are considered as sheep for the slaughter we know that neither death nor life… or any other created thing shall separate us from the love God and Jesus Christ our LORD, all of this is found in Romans 8:1-39.

The believer who is knowledgeable of this God ordained power in us, can use the power of God and still rightly divide the Word and Glorify God in the process. He or she will not exalt their own personal life or the ministry in which they are in. Notice that even while the apostle Paul understands his vision of heaven, he remains as much out of the picture (lime light) as possible, yet some scold him even for this vision.

Verse 3: And I know such a man – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. I read this as (this was not my plan or will to be in heaven, it was God’s and how He got me there is God's business not his, but bodily or spiritually that man was there, he have no doubt).

Verse 4: how he was caught up into Paradise and how he heard inexpressible things (no choice) in other words the apostle is not bragging or boasting in his own merit as if he had something to do with this, he did not! Yet for God his purpose was clear to Paul at a later moment in time, which we should look at tomorrow. The things Paul heard were not to be repeated in his ministry or shared with on a one on one conversation. It was as he says “unlawful” for him to speak of the things which he knew.

Yet and I think we miss this point, he was able to boast about the experience, he just could not reveal what he heard in heaven, that would be foolish as he says in verse 5 and 6. It is much more profitable to boast in our infirmities since in doing this therein lies the safety net, lest anyone think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.

Certainly the epistle of 2 Corinthians is one of the most difficult epistle to converse about, but in passages such at this, the epistle makes or builds an excitement of the Spirit led life that most believers in Jesus Christ today have NO KNOWLEDGE of. Some are ignorant and some have been taught to be ignorant. Yet in the heart of many missionaries is stored the visions of the power and glory of God which is a common outworking of God the Holy Spirit in their lives. Without this truth these folks could not survive and it is also true of all of Christendom, yet Christians especially those in the United States struggle to survive. Far too many of us seek to be entertained by the spirit and not indwelt or caught up by the SPIRIT of God.