Delve Into Luke-Acts & Paul's LettersSample

DAY 8 – 2 CORINTHIANS 

When Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth to answer some of their questions, he told them he was going to stay in Ephesus a little while longer and then visit the churches in Macedonia. He would pick up the offering those churches had collected for the poor and then continue on to Achaia for the offering that had been collected there. The Corinthians were surprised, therefore, when Paul came to Corinth before going to Macedonia. They were also embarrassed, because they hadn’t been setting aside money regularly and their offering wasn’t ready. It seems that they defensively accused Paul of not being true to his word—of saying one thing and then doing another. One man in particular appears to have offered a sharp challenge to his leadership. Paul left abruptly, saying he would return to Corinth before going to Macedonia for its offering.

Paul went back to Ephesus and sent Titus, one of his coworkers, to Corinth with a sharp letter of rebuke, demanding that the man who’d challenged him be disciplined. Titus was supposed to bring back word of the Corinthians’ response. But then Paul had to change his travel plans once again. A riot broke out in Ephesus against Jesus’ messengers there. Paul had to go into hiding for his own safety. When he was finally able to travel, he went to Troas, where he’d arranged to meet Titus. But when he couldn’t find him there, he continued on to Macedonia. There he met Titus and learned that the Corinthians had reaffirmed their respect for his authority and disciplined the man who challenged him. 

But Titus also reported a new threat. Some traveling Jewish- Christian teachers had arrived in Corinth, bearing impressive letters of introduction. They called themselves “super-apostles” and were beginning to win a following. They were demanding that Paul demonstrate his own credentials. 

So Paul had several challenges to address before he returned to Corinth. He had to assure the Corinthians that all was now forgiven. He had to explain why he’d changed his travel plans yet again. He still needed to help them arrange for the offering. And finally, he had to respond to the self-described “super-apostles.” He did all of these things in the letter we know as 2 Corinthians.

The main body of this letter has four parts. Each is introduced by a reference to a place: 

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia.”

“Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there.”

“For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn – conflicts on the outside, fears within.”

“I beg you that when I come [to Corinth] I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.”

PRAYER: I praise you, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. Comfort me in my troubles so that I can comfort those in trouble.