DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
SPEC UK
HTML https://specuk2019.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: Assignment 1
*****************************************************
#Post#: 19--------------------------------------------------
Assignment 1
By: daniel.harvey Date: February 13, 2019, 1:35 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I think one of the main points of the 2 chapters is the first
verse of chapter 6. God has given us His Grace, and we should
never receive this in vain. As evangelists, we must always
remember that we are working with God Himself, and this is the
greatest honour. Therefore, God is asking us to not take His
Grace in vain by being unfaithful servants. We cannot go
teaching and preaching when we do not live the words we teach.
We cannot fill others if we ourselves are not full.
St Paul moves on to discuss two lists: a list of pain and a list
of virtues. The list of pain: We should train ourselves as
servants of God to get through and tolerate tribulations. If
others were to see us complaining at every tribulation that we
face, they might say ‘if God is this strict on His servants,
then why should I bother?” We need to participate in carrying
Christ’s Cross being content and thankful that He is helping us
through the pain. We do not need to rely on our own strength,
but on His power. St Paul is speaking from his own personal
experience, he went through this list. The list of virtues: when
we endure these tribulations as servants, we gain so many
virtues. We gain spiritual knowledge, purity, kindness, love and
the Holy Spirit will be working within us towards our service.
There is a 3rd list that St Paul lists, a list of
“contradictories” (each explained by Abouna Daoud Lamei):
⁃
get glory, but at other times you get insulted/made fun
of/humiliated etc - and you should go through both without it
affecting your service, for it is God’s Grace. We taste both and
we don’t care. One day Paul was considered a God (and people
wanted to offer him a sacrifice, but he said “I’m human like
you”) and suddenly in the same day he was stoned. He got used to
it; he doesn’t matter if he was glorified or humiliated.
⁃
be great and sometimes it can be very good. Do not stop service
if people talk bad about you “ما
تخلي
الخدمة
تجبلك
الكلام" do you want to lose
your eternal life for a few reports? God knows the truth.
⁃
things we didn’t do, just remember that all that matters is that
God knows what actually happened.
⁃
servant, he entered some countries as a complete stranger and
was criticised and tortured/kicked out. God knows him, the
church knows him and love him, but others don’t!
⁃
almost dead, all day getting tortured/humiliated, yet we live by
the Grace of Our Lord.
⁃
tribulations and humiliations - but actually through the
humiliation we rejoice with the Grace of God.
⁃
because we get humiliated, when actually we make others rich by
letting God enter their hearts.
⁃
at us might say “service has made this guy lose everything” when
actually service has made us win everything; the Kingdom of
Heaven.
As evangelists we should always have an “open mouth” as well as
a “heart wide open”.
St Paul then moves on and says that there is no co-existence
between light and darkness. We cannot serve 2 masters at once.
In chapter 7, St Paul is worried that his message might have
been too strict and might have upset the Corinthians. He says,
“For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret
it; though I did regret it”. The Holy Spirit guided him in
writing this epistle, and therefore he does not feel guilty
because he did what was asked of him. However, his human
emotions made him feel guilty and was afraid that he might have
caused more damage than good. Titus then came telling him that
his epistle was a success. They were upset for a while, but
“their sorrow led to repentance”. This type of sorrow leads to
repentance and hence salvation, unlike the sorrow of the world
which leads to death. The world will make us feel guilty and
shameful. When we commit a sin, yes we should feel sorry for
sinning, but God doesn’t want to make us feel guilty or
shameful. He wants us to have Godly sorrow which will lead to
repentance and reformation.
#Post#: 21--------------------------------------------------
Re: Assignment 1
By: minaminou Date: February 15, 2019, 4:42 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Great sharing and quite profound...Thanks Daniel.
I feel that one focal point for us to go through these
contradictions is this one "Having nothing yet possessing all
things". To have our eyes opened to see eternal things; as Saint
Paul mentioned in Chapter 4, verse 18: "while we do not look at
the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things
which are not seen are eternal.".
It's crucial that we look above having confidence in Him and all
His promises.
*****************************************************