Commissioned

Q2. (2 Corinthians 11:1-5) What does it feel like when a congregation loses its pure devotion to Jesus Christ, and instead takes on other motivations for its religious observance? When a congregation loses its pure devotion to Jesus Christ, and instead takes on other motivations for its religious observance it begins to lose love for God and the things of God. In what ways is this like the church at Ephesus losing its “first love” (Revelation 2:4)? They have been led astray by the material things of the world. The have forsaken their first love. How can this purity of devotion be restored? This purity of devotion can be restored with a humble return to Christ and forsaking the pleasures of the world.

Q1. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) Why does Paul liken his dealing with his opponents in Corinth with reducing a city wall by siege and then taking its citizens captive? Is Paul talking about a victory by the use of incisive logic or is there a spiritual stronghold here, one that derives its power from Satan’s kingdom? Paul is using fugurative speech here, he is talking about spiritual strongholds the can only be overcomed by spiritual force.

Q4. (2 Corinthians 9:12-15) Why should our giving prompt thanksgiving? We should always give God thanks for His blessings that enables you to be able to give. How is our giving a demonstration of God’s grace? God's grace freely gives to us the best gift. When we give we demonstrate the grace of God. Why is God’s gift of Jesus termed “surpassing”? It exceeds any thing imaginable. Why is God’s gift of Jesus termed “indescribable”? Indescribable because of the amazing love that gave the gift.

Q3. (2 Corinthians 9:10-11) According to these verses, what is the purpose of God increasing your “store of seed”? God increases the "store of seed" so that there is plenty for yourself and more to give generously to others. How do greed and generosity differ from each other? Greedy people hoards, generous people gives freely. What is God’s promise here to generous givers? God promises to bless the generous giver.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 9:7) Why do you think pastors or other church leaders use guilt to try to compel people to give more? They deny the power of the Word of God. If they teach the pure Word of God on giving, the congregation would be generous in their giving. Can greed be behind their pressure? If it is, it is a misplaced guilt. Why is pressure incompatible with worship? Worship is an inward response of love for God, Pastors could tie the worship to God with giving. What does cheerfulness while giving say bout the condition of a person’s heart? The cheerful giver is giving from the heart. This is the heart God seeks.

Q1. (2 Corinthians 9:6) Does the Scripture teach that material blessing results from giving generously to God’s work? Yes the Scripture does promise material blessings when the giving is done generously. Why are we so careful to reinterpret this as referring mainly to spiritual blessing? We are careful to reinterpret the blessing that is a result of generous giving because for the most part we seek the material blessings. If you compared your own actual giving to God’s work to a tithe (10%) of your income, would it look generous? Yes, it would.

Q4. (2 Corinthians 8:21-22) What is the balance between living our lives wholly before God without being men-pleasers, and doing what is right in the sight of men The balance between living our lives wholly before God without being men-pleasers, and doing what is right in the sight of men by demonstrating love and living the gospel message.

Q3. (2 Corinthians 8:9) What riches did Christ have according to this verse? Christ possessed spiritual riches not material. How did he become poor? He became poor when He emptied Himself of divine perogative to become poor for us. In what way were we poor? We were poor of Spiritual richness. In what way have we become rich? We become rich when we are born again and accepts Jesus Christ as Savior.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 8:4, 7-9, 19) What does grace have to do with giving? When giving it is Grace that frees the heart to be favorable to others. What does giving look like when it isn’t accompanied by grace? . When grace does not accompany giving the act is joyless. What does it look like when grace prompts your giving? When giving with grace the recipient is blessed and experiences the favor of the giver.

Q1. (2 Corinthians 8:1-5) Why is it so difficult to give when we are stressed by circumstances and bills and pressures? We fail to trust that God will provide for our needs. What can we learn from the example of the Macedonians and the poor widow? The Macedonians and the poor widow teaches us that in severe trials we are still to be generous to the work of the Kingdom. Their abundance in giving brings joy. They got caugt up in the joy of giving. How will this lesson affect your own giving? This lesson influences me to be generous in my giving.

Q4. (2 Corinthians 7:5) What are the distinctions between fear, faith, and courage? Faith enables the Believer to have the courage to face fear. Why is being honest about our fears better than pretending we don’t have any fears? Being honest about our fears will enable us to face our fears and deal with it. How did Paul deal with his fears? Paul dealt with his fears by not allowing it to cripple him.

Q3. (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1) What kind of separation is Paul calling the Corinthians to? Paul is calling the Corinthians to separate themselves from thos people who caused them to sin. How can they strike a balance between separating themselves from sinful practices that mess up their spiritual lives while at the same time maintaining friendships with pagan neighbors and co-workers? They can strike a balance between separating themselves from sinful practices that mess up their spiritual lives while at the same time maintaining friendships with pagan neighbors and co-workers by leading the pagans to denounce their sinful practices and repent of sins.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) What are the reasons Paul gives us – both in his letter and by quoting Old Testament scriptures – that we should live holy lives? Paul's reasons for quoting from the Old Testament to the Corinthians because the Christians in Corinth had similar temptations – and similar promises from God as did the Israelites before them. What kinds of temptations did the Corinthians face in their notorious city. The Corinthians faced temptations of sexual immorality.

Q1. (2 Corinthians 6:3-13) Why do you think Paul shares so much about his various struggles with the Corinthians? Paul shared so much about his various struggles with the Corinthians so that they may not become discouraged when hardship come their way. How does this help them accept his apostleship as authentic? This helps the accept his apostleship as authentic becaus they saw him fully trusting God and living what he taught. Have you ever complained about what you’ve had to put up with in your ministry? Yes, I certainly have. How does it compare to what Paul faced? It pales in light of what the Apostle Paul went through.

Q4. (2 Corinthians 5:18-6:2) If you, then, are called to be an urgent agent of reconciliation, how is this likely to affect your daily life? We must recognize the urgency to get the message of reconcilation out. How will it affect how people perceive you? It will affect how people perceive us because they will see in us the Spirit of God calling them to Him. How will it affect how God perceives you? It will affect how God perceives us in that He will continuously emppower us to continue sharing the message of reconciliation as we walk in obedience, following His command to us.

Q3. (2 Corinthians 5:21) In what sense did Jesus “become sin” on our behalf? Jesus became "sin" on our behalf in that He took upon Him the sin of mankind. In what sense do we “become righteousness”? When we accept Jesus as Savior we take on His righteousness because He took on our sin. It's an exchange.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) How have we humans been reconciled to God? We have reconciled to God throught the death of Jesus, who took upon himself our sins. What did God do so that reconciliation could take place? God placed our sins on His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we may be reconcilied to Him. In what sense are you an Ambassador of the Kingdom of God? On behalf of Christ we, who have been given the message of reconciliation, are His representative in this world. In what sense are you a Minister of Reconciliation for Jesus Christ? We are Christ ministers to proclaim the message of reconciliation of the Kingdom to this present world.

Q1. (2 Corinthians 5:16-17) What does verse 17 teach us about the nature of a new believer? Verse 17 teaches us that old nature of a new believer has been renewed. What changes in a person when he puts his faith in Christ? The inner man of a person changes when he puts his faith in Christ. The Spirit of God is now within and set you on a new course. Why don’t old habits disappear immediately if everything has become new? Even though you have been set you on a new course, and changed on the inside, every old habit will begin to dissapear who you fully cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that the change on the inside will alter your outward life as well. It is a process and it takes time. But the beginning creative work of the Holy Spirit has begun.

Q4. (2 Corinthians 5:10-11a) How does Paul’s mention of the Judgment Seat of Christ fit the context here? Paul’s mention of the Judgment Seat of Christ fits the context here because it will be the next event, after death, that we all must participate in before the finally receiving our just reward. How should our belief that we Christians will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to be judged for our works affect (1) our desire to please him (2) Our motivation to persuade people to receive Christ? (1) We should consciously live to honor God in all that we do, obeying all that He has commanded us. (2) We should tell others of the rewards they will receive after death; eternal life if they accept Jesus Christ as Savior or eternal torment in the lake of fire if they refuse salvation.

Q3. (2 Corinthians 5:7) What does it mean to walk by faith, not by sight? It means that we fully trust God to fully complete His divine will and that His word to me is absolute. Why can’t nonbelievers understand this kind of living? Nonbelievers cannot understand this kind of living because they do know know God and do not allow the Spirit of God to reveal truth to them. What aspects of your life are guided by your senses rather than by your faith? One aspect of my life that is guided by my senses rather than by my faith, is fear of flying, but it only last until I've prayed and commit the flight to Him. How can you bring a faith perspective into these areas? I can bring a faith perspective into this area by fully trusting in God and keeping an active and strong relationship with Him.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8) How do Paul’s words comfort you when you consider your death? Paul’s words comfort me when I consider death because I have confidence that when I die I will immediately be with the Lord. What do Christians believe happens when we die? Christians believe that when they die they are immediately in the presence of the Lord. What will happen to us if we die before Christ returns? If we die before Christ returns, our spirit immediately goes to be with the Lord. What will happen to us when Christ returns? When Christ returns, those of us who are alive will join the others who died and are in the presence of the Lord.

Q1. (2 Corinthians 5:1-5) In what sense are our bodies like tents? If we were to truly look forward to our “house not made with hands,” how would it affect our daily lives here? Our bodies are like tents in the sense of it being a temporary dwelling place, it is the mortal . If we were to truly look forward to our "house not made with hands," in our daily lives here on earth we would be anxious for what is to come while at the same time understanding the fraility of our present dwelling, the mortal housing we live in.

Q5. (2 Corinthians 4:15-18) In what way do problems and physical deterioration help us toward “an eternal weight of glory”? Why is it so easy to focus on temporal matters to the exclusion of eternal things? Why is a focus on eternal things so important to our spiritual growth? What can we do to help shift our focus? Problems and physical deterioration helps us toward "an eternal weight of glory" because they keep us focus on the prize that is before us rather than the present conditions. It is easy to focus on temporal matters to the exclusion of eternal things because they are all around us in the present. It takes faith to override our thoughts and focus on those things eternal. As our faith increases, so do we grow spiritually. Spending time studying, meditating on the Word of God and spending time with Him help to keep our focus on things eternal.

Q4. (2 Corinthians 4:8-12) How does it encourage you to know that Paul went through tremendous stress and pressure? What effect did these sufferings have on the way people could see Christ in Paul? Why is pain necessary to spiritual growth? How does our pain allow others to assess our authenticity as Christians? Knowing the tremendous stress and pressure that the Apostle Paul suffered encourages me because he is an example of what it means to suffer for Christ. In the early church, as with us today, people could see Christ in Paul because he exhibited the meekness of the Lord Jesus and did the will of God who sent him. Pain is necessary for spiritual growth as it rids the sould of the stain of sin. The washing away of our sinful nature, many times is painful, but as the blood of Christ cleanses us it become evident to those around us as they begin to see the righteousness of Christ being revealed as we reflect His image. Then and only then would they see the authenticity of Christians.

Q5. (2 Corinthians 4:15-18) In what way do problems and physical deterioration help us toward “an eternal weight of glory”? Why is it so easy to focus on temporal matters to the exclusion of eternal things? Why is a focus on eternal things so important to our spiritual growth? What can we do to help shift our focus? Problems and physical deterioration helps us toward "an eternal weight of glory" because they keep us focus on the prize that is before us rather than the present conditions. It is easy to focus on temporal matters to the exclusion of eternal things because they are all around us in the present. It takes faith to override our thoughts and focus on those things eternal. As our faith increases, so do we grow spiritually. Spending time studying, meditating on the Word of God and spending time with Him help to keep our focus on things eternal.