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<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center">“<font size="3"><b>TWO
ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><font size="3"><b>Jim
& Marie Watt</b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><b><font size="3">Tel:
253.874.4265 -- Email: <a href="mailto:jmbetter@gmail.com">jmbetter@gmail.com</a></font></b></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><b><font size="3">Web:
<a href="http://www.2rbetter.org/">www.2rbetter.org</a></font></b></p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><font size="3"><u><b>2
CORINTHIANS - OVERVIEW - T3301R</b></u></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><font size="3"><u><b>GOD'S
COMFORT THROUGH HIS MINISTER</b></u></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b>1. 1:3-4 (1-2) PAUL'S MINISTRY. “Blessed the God
and Father of our :Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of :mercies and God
of all :comfort; <font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1">4</font> who
comforts us in all our :affliction, that we be able to comfort those
in any :affliction, through the comfort by which we ourselves are
comforted of :God.” </b><span style="">Righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit is Your Kingdom, O Father! What a
Kingdom of comfort and compassion! </span><b><i>Hallowed be your
:name.</i></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b>2. 5:18-19 (3-5) PAUL'S MOTIVE. “But all the
<i>things</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> are of :God, who
reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave to us the ministry
of :reconciliation; </span><font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1"><span style="font-style: normal;">19
</span></font><span style="font-style: normal;">to wit, that </span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u>God
was in Christ reconciling the world to himself</u></span><span style="font-style: normal;">,
not reckoning to them their :trespasses, and having committed to us
the word of :reconciliation.” </span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">Again
we see Your heart, O Father! We respond in love to You, because You
first loved us. Thank You for Your gift of Reconciliation in Christ.
</span></span><b><i>Your :kingdom come.</i></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b><span style="font-style: normal;">3. 6:11-12 (6-7)
PAUL'S EXAMPLE. “Our mouth is open unto you, Corinthians, our
:heart enlarged. </span><font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1"><span style="font-style: normal;">12</span></font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="font-style: normal;">
</span></font><span style="font-style: normal;">You are not straitened
in us, but you are straitened in your :affections.” </span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">We
see Your heart expressed, O Father, through Paul and his fellow
workers. We know what You are like through Christ and Paul. You are
so compassionate! We respond by enlarging our hearts to You. </span></span><b><i>Your
:will be done, As in heaven, so on earth.</i></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b><span style="font-style: normal;">4. 8:5; 9:15 (8-9)
PAUL ON GIVING. “And not as we had hoped, </span><i>the
Macedonians</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> first gave their own
selves to the Lord, and to us through God's will. </span><font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1"><span style="font-style: normal;">9:15
</span></font><span style="font-style: normal;">Thanks to :God for his
</span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u>unspeakable :gift</u></span><span style="font-style: normal;">.”
</span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">This
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="">gift</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">,
is the “d</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="">o</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">-reA”,
the artesian well of John 4:10. It is used 11 times in the NT, and 10
times clearly refers to the Holy Spirit. The verse using it here
normally refers it to Christ. But if 10 use it for the Spirit,
shouldn't we see the Spirit here too? The fact that Paul calls Him
“unspeakable”, is because words can't adequately express the
wonder of what He does for us through giving. Our Prayer Language
alone can express Him. </span></span><b><i>Our :daily :bread, Give
us this day.</i></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b><span style="font-style: normal;">5. 10:3-5 (10:1-18)
PAUL ON WARFARE. “For though we walk in </span><i>the </i><span style="font-style: normal;">flesh,
we do not war according to </span><i>the</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
flesh, </span><font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1"><span style="font-style: normal;">4</span></font><font style="font-size: 11pt;" size="2"><span style="font-style: normal;">
</span></font><span style="font-style: normal;">(for the weapons of
our :warfare are not of flesh, but mighty before :God unto casting
down of strongholds); </span><font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1"><span style="font-style: normal;">5</span></font><span style="font-style: normal;">
casting down </span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u>reasonings</u></span><span style="font-style: normal;">,
and every high </span><i>thing</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
that is exalted against the knowledge of :God, and bringing </span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u>every
thought</u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"> into captivity to
the obedience of the Christ.” </span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">Father,
we thank You for this warfare truth. </span></span><b><i>And forgive
us our :debts, As we also have forgiven our :debtors.</i></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b><span style="font-style: normal;">6. 11:2 (11:1-15)
PAUL'S AIM. “For I am zealous over you with a zeal of God; for I
espoused you to one husband, that I might present </span><i>you</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
a pure virgin to the Christ.” </span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">The
Zeal of God possessed Paul on behalf of these carnal Corinthians. He
knew that if Your people would only serve Christ faithfully in Your
fear. that with joy You would perfect them in Him, Father! </span></span><b><i>And
bring us not into temptation.</i></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b><span style="font-style: normal;">7. 12:8-9a
(11:16-13:14) PAUL'S WEAKNESS: FURTHERS THE GOSPEL. “Concerning
this I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. </span><font style="font-size: 8pt;" size="1"><span style="font-style: normal;">9a
</span></font><span style="font-style: normal;">And he said to me, My
:grace is sufficient for you: for the power is made perfect in
weakness.” </span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">How
marvelous and wise Your ways on our behalf, O Father! You do </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="">all</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">
things well! </span></span><b><i>But deliver us from the evil </i><span style="font-style: normal;">one.</span></b></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><b><span style="font-style: normal;"><u>NOTE</u></span><span style="font-style: normal;">:
</span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">“The
God of All Comfort” is a famous and well-known book that has
brought </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="">comfort</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">
to multitudes of God's people. And - it </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="">was</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">
indeed based on this letter by the apostle Paul. </span></span></font>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3">Notice how “gently” Paul treats these weak and
carnal Christians. Here is a true servant and apostle at work. There
are some self-styled apostles who show anything but this spirit in
their ministry. But God has set forth apostles like Paul and Peter as
true Plumblines for what true apostles ought to measure up to. </font>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3">Just as God chose George Muller, a profligate candidate
for the ministry in Germany - and then brought him into His Kingdom
at the age of 20 - and then shaped and molded him for 10 years - and
at the same age as Jesus, launched him into one of the most
extraordinary examples of faith and prayer that perhaps the world has
ever seen. So God chose this persecuting Pharisee - feared by all
believers in those days - and transformed him into a suffering
servant in the spirit of Jesus - and used him as demonstrated in this
epistle, as one of the most extraordinary ministries - measuring up
to a Moses, and reminding hearers of Jesus Himself; because Paul was
so transformed that he remarkably allowed the full will and Spirit
and example of Jesus to shine through him!</font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3">Imagine! God used Paul to author 14 of the 27 New
Testament books, and found 14 City Churches. Seven of these churches,
including the City Church of Corinth, he specifically addressed with
personal letters.</font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;" align="left">
<font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">So
- let us humbly, searchingly and earnestly search out the Spirit-led
writings of this man - </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="">meditate</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">
upon them as he exhorted Timothy (1 Timothy 4:15), and </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="">find</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="">
the fruitfulness of “God's Comfort” promised in this second
letter of Paul to Corinth.</span></span></font></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"></p><p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"></p><p style="margin-top: 0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;" align="center"><br>
</p>
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</p>
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