[:en]SCRIPTURE; 2 CORINTHIANS 10
“Let him who boasts, boasts in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (v2 Corinthians 10:17-18)
PAUL’S DEFENSE OF HIS MINISTRY (vs. 1-8)
Some Corinthians believers did not consider Paul as a true apostle because he lacked credentials from the Jerusalem church. They accused him of insincere motive and not fulfilling his promise. He deserved no respect because his letter was bold but he is weak in person. False teachers had visited Corinth and won over some church members with their false doctrines.
PAUL’S REPLY TO THEIR ACCUSATIONS:
- Christ is my example (v. 1). I am not weak. I am following Christ’s meekness and humility.
- My weapons are spiritual, not fleshly (vs. 2-6). I use the Word of God and prayer as my weapon in my battle against Satan.
- I am not ashamed to be unimpressive or lack of physical stamina and oratorical power (vs. 7-11). For I love to please God, not men.
- God is the one to commend (vs. 12-18). I risk my life to start the church in Corinth. But the Judaizers had come along after the hard work is done and criticizing the founder to take all the glory. So, I leave the matter of commendation to the Lord alone.
SUMMARY:
ADVICES TO THE BELIEVERS:
- Do not be influenced by impressive look or physical charisma.
- Beware of those who were promoting themselves with theatrical programs and physical displays to grab popular attention. They are attracting crowd not building the church.
- Let God be the judge.
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