Tonight we try sitting outside. This should be a fun experiment. And worship was a little…lackluster. Moving right along to the fun run of the mill announcements…yay!

Second Corinthians chapter Ten is the start of the new section of the book. Paul start with defending his apostleship. He didn’t want to build on anyones foundation but God’s. Why would he of all people need defending? Well, when some people start a “movement” they feel they need to tear down the old to make way for the new. In a word…WRONG. Paul also didn’t want people to feel he was commercializing the church. As such he didn’t like to take money from a new work. Paul didn’t want to just come with authority, he wanted to come in love and as a servant. In short, fight spiritual battles with spiritual weapons. (2Cor 10:4)

Where are the places that Satan has a stronghold on your life? Where do you constantly succumb? This leads to frustration, which leads to anger, which leads to the dark side…er…or professorship? Inside joke, you had to be there, please don’t take that seriously. In all honesty, there is a side of this that leads to challenging the authority of the Scriptures. Cut to today, and you’ve got the “emergent church” that has come out of the “modernism” movement, basically they deny the atonement of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This isn’t really new, they were exalting themselves against the knowledge of God back in Corinth. (2Cor 10:1-10)

As an aside, when thoughts that start to enter your mind that shouldn’t be there, start singing Worship songs and have God sort out what you should and shouldn’t be thinking about.

Paul continues on and reminds them all that when he gets there he will take it all on in the Lord. Paul’s idea is that building you up is better than tearing you down (2Cor 10:8). Our standard of comparison is between ourselves and other people (2Cor 10:12). The false teachers in Corinth her all about the tearing down via comparisson between people, the righ tthing is to compare yourself to the Lord (2Cor 10:17). To receive the Lords commendation is the goal of things really (2Cor 10:18).

Chapter 11 moves on to Paul not wanting people to start taking advantage of the relationship that the people have with God (11:2). He wanted to make sure that they weren’t following a “different jesus.” (11:4) Paul is well aware that they feel that he is a secondary Apostle (11:5), but reminds them both before and after verse five what his credentials are. He continues on with boasting that he hasn’t taken money from them, for Paul loves ministering to them that much. If all those false teachers want to prove themselves, then have them serve you freely (2Cor 11:10-15). False teachers have a way of bringing you into bondage, that we stand on the merits of ourselves and not on God…which is wrong for we live under God’s mercy and grace (2Cor 11:15-20).

Speaking of living in God’s mercy, Paul went through many horrible things while serving, but God also had mercy on him (2Cor 11:20-27). But those are nothing compared to the daly calling of worrying about the state of the Church (11:28). Thus, if I’m going to boast I will boast in my downfalls, pitfalls, and infirmities (11:30). The final aside, without Paul, we really wouldn’t understand the great mercy of the Lord, God.

Upon walking onto the church grounds at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa I was a little amazed at how relatively small it seemed. This actually made me feel a little better, it wasn’t much like my old church (Anaheim Vineyard) at all. Upon further inspection, there was also a hill on either side of the “main” sanctuary with screens that people can watch. A hill you ask, and yes, a hill I say, a bit like a mini amphitheater…something I will need to check out later, that’s for sure!

A few minutes after we had sat down, we were asked to stand for the first song. The music was an interesting mix of Johnny Cash (musically, especially chord progression wise) and someone that fancied themselves a neo Big Band singer from the 50’s. Not too shabby really, it was an enjoyable change from what I’ve typically heard at a Service, but not something I’d want every week. Followed up by this was a bit of a solo from someone who had been an old fashion do-wop artist. At this point, queue Pastor Chuck Smith for the study in 2Cor 8-9.

The Church in Jerusalem was in financial trouble. They thought that Jesus was coming back immediately to setup the millennial kingdom. This caused many people to just sell what they had, give it to the church, and not worry about it. When Anonias and his wife died, that practice was put to a stop.

The Jerusalem Church was primarily Jews, and they distrusted Gentiles. Additionally, they kept on to many of their old ways. Going so far as to keep onto their anti-Gentile bias. Paul, being the apostle to the Gentiles, and being a previous Jewish Scholar, tried to help the Jews attitude a bit. Paul had the Gentiles take an offering and send the money to Jerusalem, to show that the Church was one. A good way to explain his goal is a Church “where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. (Col. 3:11)”

Second Corinthians, written about a year after First Corinthians, expands on these ideas. Tonight’s main study was in Chapter 8. Paul starts his letter off talking about how poor the Macedonian church is, but they are so in Love with God that they willingly give all that they have. They point out in a really real way that gimmicks aren’t how you get people to give to the Lord. What people need to do is submit themselves to God first, and then do what you can. (2Cor 8:5) Insert stories about Chuck Smith’s past here, how money is never an issue because “when God is guiding, God will provide.” Morale of the story, is that people should give out of a willing heart. God wants you, he doesn’t want your money.

Paul continues and suggest to them that as they are in Christ, they are rich! “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Rom. 8:17)” He continues on mentioning how God was gracious enough to go from rich to poor (2Cor 8:9), and given how rich Corinth was it should look inward and figure out what they should be doing. Usually we count based on the amount of what is give, God counts it based on the cost of giving. Verses 11-15 talk about a Communist style of government from within the church.

Paul would travel with an entourage. Many church would help by sending out a few people (2Cor 8:19), Paul takes the time to mention these behind the scenes people. Part of this was to make sure that no one suspected him of taking some of the offering (8:20). He continues on mentioning that he does this for the sight men because he was already doing in the sight of the Lord (8:21).

In chapter nine Paul talks about how their boasting of the offering that Corinth had started the year before (2Cor. 9:3). Because hey, seeing people that aren’t how they were described is embarrassing (2Cor. 9:4). If the Corinthians take the collection before hand, they people can’t accuse Paul and they will retain their good standing. Continuing, if you sow in a small matter you’ll get very little, if you go out and sow quite bit, you get quite a bit. It’s the give to get to give to get principle. But take heed, do not give grudgingly necessity, give with a cheerful heart (2Cor. 9:7). Better to not give when it’s begrudgingly, it just “spoils the treasury.” When you give, it gets given, and that produces thanksgiving to God (2Cor 9:11). Of cource, that leads to the ultimate gift that leads to thanksgiving to God, John 3:16.

Wrapping things up I started looking around at the people. I started getting flashbacks of Arizona and China all at once. The people, young and old alike, seemed settled, not in a bad way, but in the same way that a new stone statue looks old. The people, like the building, looked established. Maybe it’s a reflection on the aura that this neighborhood gives off, or the way the lights shine on the odd indoor amphitheater inspired bowl that we’re sitting in. My guess is that it’s a combination of all the above. Whatever it is, the low population and intimacy of the settled inhabitants makes me want to return to the Sunday Night service at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.