Spiritual Training

Spiritual Training X2

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November 11 - Morning

"For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever. Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance...By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you." - Second Corinthians 7:5-9, 13

Paul's Mood Swing in Macedonia between Ephesus' Riot and Corinthian's Rebellion


In Second Corinthians 7 Paul writes the Corinthians concerning his present situation and the emotional swings he has been enduring. Paul and his ministry team had just left Ephesus after being driven from the city by a riot after three years of teaching daily in city. While writing from Macedonia, Paul speaks of having "no rest," being "harassed at every turn," dealing with "conflicts on the outside," and "fears within." What would people say if a minister today admitted such things? Or, what would a minister say to a believer today if they admitted such things? Would anyone be willing to admit that their Christian service was creating conflicts and they were being harassed while they constantly dealt with lack of sleep and fear? Would we question their faith? Would we question the validity of their ministry?
Paul writes that in the midst of this external opposition and internal fear God did provide comfort when Titus was reunited with Paul's ministry team in Macedonia on his way from Corinth intending to return to Paul in Ephesus. Titus had previously been sent to Corinth with a letter from Paul. This letter that Titus carried is a letter we do not have a copy of today. Timothy was sent to Corinth with the letter we call First Corinthians. But, things did not improve in Corinth after Timothy arrived with First Corinthians. In fact, things got worse, and Timothy returned to Ephesus as a failure in ministry, leaving a disaster behind in the Corinthian church. That is when Paul ripped of the letter that we do not have a copy of and sent it with Titus. We can read in our text above that this was a letter that hit the Corinthians hard and Paul's words left a mark on the church. Paul goes on to describe this letter:
"Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it - I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while - yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance." - 2 Cor. 7:8-9

Before being reunited with Titus unintentionally in Macedonia, Paul had been deeply concerned about Titus and his ministry in Corinth. The Corinthians had chewed Timothy up and sent him back to Paul in a package of broken frustration (possibly referred to in 2 Tim. 1:4). But, to Paul's delight Titus had managed to break through to the Corinthians and they repented and were willing to receive Paul and his teaching back into their church. Paul says that Titus' report about the Corinthian's desire to restore fellowship with Paul gave him joy that was "greater than ever":
"He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever."

Besides saying "my joy was greater than ever," when Paul heard Titus' report he also says that he was "comforted" by Titus, "now I am happy," "by all this we are encouraged," and "we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was." Indeed, quite a mood swing simply because God brought Paul a good report through an unplanned reunion with Titus in Macedonia!
Natsal (Hb) - Delivered (Eng) - the Hebrew word natsal is equivalent to the concept of salvation or deliverance. In fact, the Hebrew word natsal means "to deliver," "to rescue," "to save." It is used repeatedly in the Old Testament in reference to Israel's deliverance, or natsal, from Egypt. It has the connotation of "to snatch away" in order to deliver.
I will look for God to bring good reports joy, encouragement, comfort, happiness and delight.
And, I will be the one to bring others joy, encouragement, comfort, happiness and delight with my words, reports, example and deeds.



Bible Reading Descriptions Here

Narrative

Complete Text

General Text




Personal

Changed to be like Jesus

Church

Manifestation of Gifts
of the Holy Spirit
Middle class
Suriname - church is growing; half of population confesses Christ, but has little understanding



Agricultural tools used in New Testament times.
Details of Agrippa II's palace at Panais, north of Galilee.




Someone to Quote

"The only way to keep a broken vessel full is to keep it always under the tap."
- Billy Sunday

Something to Ponder

In 1521 church leaders denounced Martin Luther's rebellion and put him on trial. Luther responded by demanding that the church provide scriptural support to prove his rebellious teaching was in error. (Indeed, Luther's teaching was "rebellious" towards church practice, but was it rebellious towards scripture?) Luther said the Bible was the authority and not the pope or any other church leader.
"I am bound by the scriptures...and my conscience is captive to the Word of God," Luther would say at his trial.

Here’s a Fact

Archaeologists have uncovered remains from the Samaritan temple built in 388 BC by the Samaritans in response to the Jews returning from Babylon to rebuild their temple. John Hyrcanus destroyed this Samaritan Temple on Mount Gerizim in 128 BC. The Samaritan woman at the well stood in the shadow of Mount Gerizim and asked Jesus if people were to worship "on this mountain” (Mount Gerizim) or in Jerusalem. The remains of this temple have been excavated. (Photos here and here)

Proverb

"The truly righteous man attains life, but he who pursues evil goes to his death."
Proverbs 11:19

Coach’s Corner

Tell someone why you appreciate them.

2 Timothy 1:4
New International Version (NIV)
Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
John 8
New International Version (NIV)

but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Dispute Over Jesus’ Testimony
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”
14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”
19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”
“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”
20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.
Dispute Over Who Jesus Is
21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”
23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
25 “Who are you?” they asked.
“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied.
26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”
27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.
Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”
39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.
“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did.
40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
Jesus’ Claims About Himself
48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Romans 3
New International Version (NIV)
God’s Faithfulness
What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.
What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:
“So that you may be proved right when you speak     and prevail when you judge.”
But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!
No One Is Righteous
What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 
    there is no one who understands;     there is no one who seeks God.
12 
All have turned away,     they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good,     not even one.”
13 
“Their throats are open graves;     their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 
    “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 
    ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 
and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 
    “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Righteousness Through Faith
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
John 17
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Prays to Be Glorified
17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”


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