Dear Student of the Word,
It's time once again for your weekly dose of God's word. I enjoyed working on this week's study; for some reason, insight came quickly and easily this week. That isn't anything I did; it's the grace of God. Yet we have to make ourselves available to the Word if the Word is going to speak to us. I hope that these studies help you do just that. It is so unimportant what I say in these studies; it is so important to heed what God says to you from these studies.
If these studies have been helpful to you, why not go to the site where they are posted and enroll some friends? Why not start a Bible study using the notes I send you?
This week I wrote:
v. 15 – Paul understood that God had used him to start the work in Corinth. If the work was to expand, however, it would require that those in Corinth help make that happen. Their faith would need to grow if the work was to increase. I know many church leaders, and I was among them, who worked harder and harder to get results. As I did, the church became increasingly dependent on my efforts. Instead of equipping the saints for ministry, I was doing the ministry for the saints! I was borderline burned-out my entire time as a pastor.
What’s the answer? I think it is team ministry. Paul had already written about this to the Corinthians in his first letter:
What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church (1 Corinthians 14:26-27).
I don’t think this principle only pertains to the public meetings of the church. People have something to say, do and contribute no matter what the job or meeting. The pastor and leaders are only one among many members of the body of Christ. They are not the body of Christ in its entirety.
Are you doing your part to see God’s work expand in your fellowship? As a leader, are you doing all you can to incorporate others in the work of the ministry?
Remember that the Bible study archives of 14 other New Testament studies can be found on my website along with The Faith Files, a study of every verse on faith in the New Testament. You can unsubscribe by clicking on the link below. You can give a gift subscription by going to the site where these studies are posted every week.
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Download this week's study: Download 2_corinthians_study_8.doc
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