Verses 1-4
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We are betrothed to Christ, waiting for Him to return from heaven to receive us to Himself. And God is jealous for us. We commit adultery against Him if we fall to the sins and deceptions of the world.
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So, keep your focus on the simple and true message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
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If you're not careful, and don't know the truth really well, the enemy can deceive you into following after false gospels and dangerous preachers.
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Verses 5-11
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Verses 5-6. Paul had great knowledge, but he wasn't as eloquent in his speaking as many of the speakers (false apostles) that the Corinthians had heard. He was not inferior. He was a true and godly leader because he fully gave his life, not just his preaching, to the Corinthians. How so?
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Verses 7-11. Paul gave his time and efforts to the Corinthians without charging them any money for his labors because he would not be a financial burden to them. He let other churches, which had more resources, provide what the Corinthians could not.
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Some people thought this was wrong of him to do, or that it somehow made him inferior, but he was doing it out of love and humility.
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Paul would gladly speak about his habit of not demanding money for his ministry because it proved his love! It was known that he only wanted to help people. He wasn't looking to get anything out of it.
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In the same way, serve people because you love them, and don't expect them to serve you back in any way or giving you something in return.
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This is important for a good reputation and making sure that no one feels burdened by you.
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Verses 12-15
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The fact that Paul, as a true apostle and servant of God, freely and selflessly gave his life to people is precisely what exposed false apostles, who worked only for selfish gain and boasted in their self-proclaimed authority.
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Just like Satan appears as an angel, to trick people, false apostles try to appear as real leaders.
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Don't be fooled. Just because something appears spiritual, angelic, or Christian doesn't make it genuine.
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Real servants of God will preach the truth, and they will give their lives to serve others regardless of whether or not they are paid in return.
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Verses 16-33
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Verses 16-21. At this time, the Corinthians were putting up with the abuses of some foolish and arrogant false apostles—ones who boasted of their so called “achievements”—and only because they were deceived by them. And they began to see Paul as “weak” because he wasn't domineering like these false apostles were.
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So, in a moment of sarcasm, Paul stoops to their level and says that he will boast like their false apostles for a moment. What does Paul have to boast of?
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Verses 22-33. Paul had a harder life than all of these oh-so-great apostles combined.
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He suffered more than most of us could ever imagine, both from persecutions and perils of all kinds. And leaving all that aside, his greatest concern was the wellbeing of the believers he so deeply loved.
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So he says, “If I must boast, I will boast about the things which concern my infirmity” (verse 30).
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True apostles, true leaders, true ministers of Christ...these are known by how much they're willing to suffer and still labor for the benefit of Christ and His church.
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Therefore, if a person has to talk about themselves in order to show an example of godly leadership, as to expose ungodly leadership by comparison (something Paul had to do), they should talk about their sufferings for the sake of love. They should not boast of their achievements—ungodly leaders do this often.
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Know a godly leader by their love—their willingness to be inconvenienced, persecuted, and harmed—still preaching the truth, helping, and providing for others without expecting anything in return.
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If you're a leader, be that kind leader!
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