Repentance literally means:  a change of mind (meta*noia)    It is to stop thinking one way, and to begin thinking another way. Mostly it is to stop thinking that I am going to do better, try harder, improve next time; finally become who I’ve always known I could become. Repentance is not saying to God: “I really mean it this time. I’m going…

    God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. This theme runs every where throughout Scripture. So, are there some principles we can learn? Not commands, the Bible is full of commands, but actual principles for perfecting His power in our weakness?     Orville and Wilbur Wright spent four year of painstaking observation, study and then pure experimental method to discover the…

Paul was ‘given’ a thorn in order to keep him from becoming conceited (2 Cor. 12:7). Did you get that – GOD gave the thorn to Paul to address a character flaw.  Should we be surprised that God uses ‘troubles’ and hardships in our lives as a catalyst for spiritual growth? Should we be surprised that the Spirit’s work of transforming us…

WEAKNESS  is the self-distrustful, conscious recognition of our weakness in spiritual things. We are not Ironmen, we are not Triathletes, we do not ‘go the distance’, we fall short: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. It is received by faith, not…

2 Cor. 3 is supposed to lead us to “not lose heart”. Paul had uber-confidence in the ministry of the Spirit. Eschatology, not ecclesiology shaped his thinking: he was living in the new age, the age of the outpoured Spirit. The new covenant ministry of the Spirit was more glorious because it superceded the ministry of the Law that came through Moses.…

     Do you see the image? The Roman Triumphal Procession was a lavish spectacle. Think St. Patricks Day Parade in Chicago -.rich fabrics, polished horses and chariots, music, dancers, incense, ceremony. The conquering general  is out in front surrounded by his first lieutenants. Behind him are wagon loads of plunder from the land he has conquered, and then long lines of the…

      Last week we introduced the theme of this great letter of 2 CORINTHIANS: God’s Strength in our Weakness. “My grace is sufficient for you for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (12:9,10).  I want to begin using the word DISMANTLE to capture that theme in one word. The word ‘dismantle’ means to take something apart systematically – piece by piece.…