Thorns and the Christian

Thorns and the Christian
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.
Here in 2 Corinthians we have the apostle Paul admitting he has a problem, “a thorn in the flesh”. The majority of commentators I’ve read believe it was a physical ailment of some kind. Many think eye trouble but no one is one hundred percent certain.
What the problem however is immaterial to the fact that the Apostle Paul had an on going ailment. That he interpreted the ailment as being allowed by God to keep him from becoming conceited.
It’s very easy for great men, or for anyone, to become conceited. To take all the credit for their success.
Paul was a great evangelist a great servant of God. Paul could have taken all the credit for the success of his ministry, when in fact it was God working through him.
Over the years I’ve heard false teachers claiming to be Christian saying that Christians should be completely healthy all the time. That they should be wealthy. Yet this was not the case with Paul.
Paul wrote,
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  
I can do everything through him who gives me strength” Philippians 4:12,13.
The apostle Paul one of the greatest Christians leaders ever to live knew what it was like to be hungry, to be in need, and to have plenty. All of that in addition to having his “thorn in the flesh”.
Just because we are Christians does not exclude us from getting sick or being in need, or hungry or for that matter being wealthy.
We live in a world that throws a lot at us good and bad at us, but through it all we should be drawing closer to God.
Especially in the bad times we should echo the words or Paul who said, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength”.
Even in the good times we should be thanking God for what we have. All too often Christians fail to do that.
I know many people who are in wheelchairs, have mental health issues, or chronic problems of various types that serve the God faithfully.
Yes at times what they can do for God may be limited but they still serve him faithfully. Giving God the praise for all that is done. Something all who claim to be Christians should do.
Please think about it.

Corinthians a church with problems

Corinthians a church with problems part one

I thought that as the new year dawns I’d enter into 2015 with a look at the Corinthian Church. So for the next little while I’ll be presenting a brief study into a book that is very relevant to the church today.
The Corinthian church had many of the problems of the church today. It was in a very “worldly” city.
It was a thriving city the chief city of Greece both commercially and politically. It contained at least 12 temple although it is unknown whether they were all in use during the time of Paul.
One of the most famous temples was dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love whose worshippers practised religious prostitution.
Just outside the city was a temple to Asclepius the god of healing and in the middle of the city a temple to Apollo.
There was also a well established synagogue.
Like any large city it had a great deal of immorality. In the temple of Aphrodite at one point there were 1,000 priestess prostitutes that served in the temple.
It’s immorality was so rampant that the Greek verb “to Corinthianize” came to mean “to practice immorality’.
Set in a setting such as this, is it any wonder that the church at Corinth had so many problems. Which in a way is fortunate for us as Paul wrote about such problem and about correcting them.
The church in Corinth had the same sins around them as the church today. And like Corinth we in the twenty-first century at times let the immorality and sins slip into our congregations.
Paul starts with a word of praise,
“I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  
For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—  because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.  
Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.  He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  
God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”
                                                                                                     1 Corinthians 1-9.
Paul points out that their lives have been enriched changed in a positive way because of Christ. That they lack no spiritual gift as they wait upon Christ. That God will keep them strong to the end and blameless on the day of Christ’s return.
He reminds them that God is faithful to them. At the same time he notes that divisions have started to arise among them writing,
"I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.  
My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.  
What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas’”; still another, “I follow Christ.” 
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?  
I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,  so no one can say that you were baptized into my name.  
(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.)  
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” 
                                      1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Such decisions do happen today. Just look around the Christian world especially here in North America.
We have many people who say “I follow this or that evangelist” or “such and such a pastor or evangelist says this or that.” and there are just as many who disagree with them.
We should not be having disagreements over which earthly evangelist or pastor we follow. We should be following Christ. We should be studying the scriptures and seeing that if those evangelist, pastors and teachers we are listening to are presenting the gospel correctly.
The scriptures make it clear the only one we should be following is Christ.
No pastor, evangelist, or teacher is perfect they all make mistakes. Many have sinned and fallen quite often with dramatic results.
Sadly when they’ve fallen they’ve taken people with them. People who’ve seen them fall and turned away from Christ.
As Christians we need to avoid divisions. That’s not to say we can’t disagree with someone on some minor point subject to interpretation that doesn’t take away from the salvation message.
A healthy discussion of the word of God is a good thing. It brings things to light and makes us stronger as believers.
Still we must be careful not to follow “a man”. We must study the scriptures on our own and with others to ensure that we are doing what Christ and Christ alone is saying to us.
Think about it.