Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule:
2 Corinthians 6-8
In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul and his company appealed to the Corinthians as God’s fellow workers. Because they spoke the true gospel as God ambassadors, the Corinthians should have received and honored them, especially in light of their petition to the Corinthians to be reconciled to God.
To support his appeal, Paul referred to Isaiah 49:8. This prophecy focused on the restoration of God’s people after the exile. As a result, Paul pressed the significance of this prophecy to the Corinthian situation. The days in which they lived were not to be ignored or taken for granted. Those days were, as our own days are, the time of God’s favor and the day of salvation. When Christ came to earth, He began to restore God’s people from exile. After Christ ascended into the heavenly places, we continue to see Him fulfilling the hopes of restoration. Christ will complete His saving work when He returns in glory. In the meantime, everyone must recognize the urgency of the times in which we live.
We are in the day of great opportunity because the final saving work of God has come to earth. Yet, we are in a day of great danger because failing to receive this salvation will bring a severe judgment. The New Testament age is the climax of history. There will be no possibility of salvation beyond the New Testament. Paul wanted the Corinthians to prove faithful because of the critical moment in history that they occupied. The question for us is, “Are we faithful in our critical time in history, and occupying until He comes?”
Prayer Requests:
Personal
- Lord, please help me to grasp the urgency of the moment to be the gospel witness God wants me to be.
- Lord, please help me to be faithful in the critical moment in history in which I live.
- Lord, please help me to express my thankfulness for your ministry of restoration and reconciliation.
Political
- Representative Sarah Anthony – District 068 – Lansing
- Senator Tom Barrett – District 024 – Pottersville
- Senator Rosemary Bayer – District 012 – Auburn Hills