Comfort One Another

Jimmy Kallam

Paul founded the church in Corinth (Acts 18:1-17). When he arrived, he began to teach and reason in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy arrived, Paul began to preach more. He spent one and half years in Corinth. Many rejected his teaching because he didn’t look like what the people thought a leader should look like. Paul was poor and seemed to have no speaking gift. Second Corinthians was written out of difficult circumstances.

The Apostle Paul concludes the book of 2 Corinthians by using the word “finally” in verse 11. Even though the word “finally” is used, what follows is extremely important. He listed five commands that were an expression of God’s grace and not effort on our part. Paul writes that the Corinthian Christians were to rejoice, aim for restoration, comfort each other, agree with each other, and to live in peace.

Paul’s instruction was to rejoice even in difficult times. Our obedience to rejoice will flow out of a relationship with Christ and others. Just as our justification and sanctification are works of God’s unmerited favor, so is our growth in the rhythm of rejoicing. No matter the circumstances we can rejoice that God is our Father, Jesus is our Savior, and the Spirit is our strength.

We are also told to aim for restoration. It is a healthy practice to work hard towards mending relationships. Strive for unity and agreement in the essential elements of the faith while exercising grace and patience in secondary issues. Remember, a secondary issue does not mean it is unimportant. We are to strive together in community.

One of the greatest works of Christianity is to comfort one another. We see hurting people everywhere. Loss, death, brokenness, and unwise choices war against the soul. Comfort can be defined as coming alongside others and offering practical hope. Practical hope usually occurs by:

1. Seeing the need in a person’s life.
2. Praying for that person who needs hope.
3. Showing up and being present. We don’t have to say anything. Our presence will encourage them.
4. Listening to them share. Listen to their heart.
5. Taking action if needed. God has comforted you so you can comfort others. This is living out the gospel.

Agree with one another. Strive to be of the same mind so that our unity and love for each other will display the love of Christ within us.

Finally, we are to live in peace. The hope of the church is not in a new program filled with empty promises. Hope comes about as the result of the invasion of God. Paul prayed for these characteristics for himself and we are to adapt them into our lives as well.

Questions to Consider

1. In what ways is rejoicing in difficult times a challenge? Describe a time when your rejoicing in the Lord has changed your perspective.
2. How has the Lord restored you after a difficult time?
3. What are some practical ways you can comfort someone in need?
4. Is peace with others worth striving for? Why? What are the consequences of ignoring the hard work of achieving peace?

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Forgive One Another

Student Teaching Pastor Jason Salyer

Forgiveness begins with the foundational truth of the gospel reality that God has canceled our ultimate debt of sin through the cross (Col 2:14). As God's chosen, holy, and beloved children, we must first recognize our own profound need for grace and forgiveness from God (Psalm 51). Only then will we recognize that peace (wholeness) does not come from looking inward for self-forgiveness, but from looking to Christ. Forgiveness is like a mirror in that when we forgive others, we see the reflection of God's vertical grace working through our horizontal relationships. We often hear things like hurting people hurt people, but the gospel can change this narrative where the defining marker of followers of Christ is that forgiven people forgive people. Ultimately, forgiveness is a means to an end, a right and restored relationship.

Gospel driven forgiveness takes place eternally (between God and us), internally (within our hearts), and externally (between us and others).

Because we live in an imperfect world, the Bible paints a realistic picture that people will fail you, and you will fail others. Scripture commands us to actively "bear with" one another and forgive complaints, which is impossible to practice in isolation from a church community (Col 3:13). We are called to turn from bitterness and live with compassionate hearts.

Forgiving others is a direct command from God, not an optional suggestion. We cannot wait until we "feel" like forgiving, instead we must actively "put on" compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (Col 3:12). Forgiveness is also an essential characteristic of God’s people that must be put into practice. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9), and that gift must compel us to extend the same mercy to those around us.

Believers must put on love, which serves as the outer garment that binds everything together in perfect harmony (Col 3:14). The culture is about cancelling others when they wrong others, but we look to the cross that has cancelled our sin debt and redeemed us in Christ. (Col 2:14). Jesus speaks at length about this reality in Matthew 18, including a parable showing us that the forgiveness we offer others will never outweigh the far greater forgiveness we receive from God. In the Lord’s Supper, we are called to examine the body of Christ which not only speaks to the physical death of Jesus, but also addresses pursuing unity and turning from divisions or unforgiveness in the local church. (1 Corinthians 11:23-31).

Reflection Questions:

• Where do you need to seek forgiveness from God? From others?
• Where do you need to forgive someone else?
• Where do you need to pursue reconciliation in a relationship?

Discussion Questions:

• How does truly understanding and receiving God’s forgiveness help us to forgive others?
• What does it look like to practically "bear with" one another to move beyond the complaints and differences we have with other people?
• How can you move toward a gospel driven reflection of forgiveness internally in your heart and/or externally in relationship with others?

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Love One Another

Guest Speaker Milt Jones

There is a backstory to love, and it begins before creation. In John 17:24, Jesus is praying to God when He says, "because you loved me before the foundation of the world." There is love inside the Trinity because God is one, and there is love between the Trinity because God is three. In the same prayer, Jesus also prays about "the glory I had with you before the world existed." Glory can be defined as "beauty that is manifested".(17:5) There is also "eternal life" or "lifey-ness" in God. His nature is to give life. Finally, there is joy between the Father, Son, and Spirit.

God didn't need anything.

He created so He could give more

love, glory, eternal life, and joy away.

John 13:34-35 says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

"A new commandment" speaks to something different than what was taught for centuries. Deut 6 and Lev 19 speak of loving God and others. Jesus makes this personal and teaches the disciples to look at Him as the pattern. When He says, "as I have loved you", He shows them how to love.

• Jesus loved His disciples "to the end" of His life and His plan for redeeming mankind. (John 13:1)

• Jesus loved them by serving them. He washed their feet as He was teaching them this Truth. Not only was foot-washing a very humbling thing to do, but it was also a practical love that needed to happen.

• Jesus loved them by mending the broken relationship between God the Father and mankind. Remember, Jesus is the pattern for how we have relationships with one another.

Jesus' pattern of love is

practical and proactive.

Jesus goes on to say, "by this all men will know that you are my disciples, of you have love for one another." There is something life-giving when we love like Jesus. In John 15, Jesus speaks about being the vine that we are connected to. He says, "apart from me, you can do nothing". This is a different expression than volunteering at a shelter or giving to the United Way. When we abide in Christ, there is something life-giving about our love for others. The only way to have the love of Jesus is to have the life of Jesus.

Not only does Christ give us

the humble, practical pattern of love,

but He also gives us the power of love.

As members of Christ's body and God's family, we need to show the world what God is like by loving each other well, by following Jesus' pattern, and acting in His power.

Questions to Consider:

1. What are some ways you can show others practical love?
2. What relationship do you need to mend?
3. What is something you can "give up" for a few minutes or hours that will give you time and attention to love someone else well?
4. Philippians 2:14-15 says, "do all things without grumbling or disputing...in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." What does it look like for you to "shepherd your attitude"? Why is it important to be in biblical community with others in light of this Truth?

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