Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / September 23 - 2 Corinthians 13

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September 23 - 2 Corinthians 13 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends. It's Sean here.
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  It's Monday. It's the 23rd of September, I'm
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  drinking a cup of tea and I hope you are going well.
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  Nothing says it's a new week like sitting down with a hot cup
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  of tea to read the Bible, so I hope that you are well.
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  Thank you for tapping on play and inviting me into your day so
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  that you and I together can finish off this book of Second
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  Corinthians. Yes, this is the last chapter
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  we're going to read today as we hear Paul's final advice and his
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  greeting to his friends there. And then from tomorrow, we are
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  going to go back in time to hear about the story as Israel
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  returns to their homeland, rebuilding things and trying to
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  find out what does life look like after you've been exiled on
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  the other side of the known world.
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  But that friends, more about tomorrow, today, right now, we
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  are going to hear from Paul as we read together Second
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  Corinthians chapter 13. This is the third time I'm
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  coming to visit you. And as the scriptures say, the
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  facts of every case must be established by the testimony of
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  two or three witnesses. I have already warned those who
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  have been sinning when I was there on my second visit.
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  Now I again warned them and all others, just as I did before,
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  that next time I will not spare them.
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  I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks
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  through me. Christ is not weak when he deals
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  with you. He is powerful among you.
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  Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the
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  power of God. We too are weak, just as Christ
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  was. But when we deal with you, we
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  will be alive with him, and we'll have God's power.
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  Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine.
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  Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus
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  Christ is among you. If not, you have failed the test
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  of genuine faith. As you test yourselves, I hope
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  you will recognise that we have not failed the test of Apostolic
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  authority. We pray to God that you will not
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  do what is wrong by refusing our correction.
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  I hope we won't need to demonstrate our authority when
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  we arrive. Do the right thing before we
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  come, even if that makes it look like we have failed to
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  demonstrate our authority, for we cannot oppose the truth, but
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  must always stand for the truth. We are glad to seem weak if it
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  helps show that you are actually strong.
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  We pray that you will become mature.
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  I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won't need
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  to deal severely with you when I do come, for I want to use the
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  authority the Lord has given me to strengthen you, not to tear
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  you down. Dear brothers and sisters, I
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  close my letter with these last words.
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  Be joyful, grow to maturity, encourage each other, live in
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  harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace
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  will be with you. Greet each other with a sacred
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  kiss. All of God's people here send
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  you their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus
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  Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be
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  with you all. Lord Jesus, we come before you
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  so aware that, ah, we get it wrong so often in our Christian
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  life. We try to live your way.
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  We try to live for you. We try to be faithful to your
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  calling to us, and we make mistake after mistake.
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  But here in these final greetings from Paul, we hear
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  your will for us is that You want us as we grow in maturity
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  in you, to be filled with joy and encouragement and harmony
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  and peace. Our Lord, that you would grow
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  these things in us so that as our hearts grow more to be like
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  yours and you align our spirit and our mentality with you.
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  The way we know this is happening is because we
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  experience more joy and encouragement and harmony and
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  peace. What a wonderful gift it is that
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  you give us. And so, Lord, we do pray that
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  your grace and the love of the Father and the fellowship of the
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  Holy Spirit stays with us today and every day.
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  Amen.