JESUS today YOU will SAVE me.
Eat This Book
Read Proverbs Chapter 13
2 Corinthians 13
1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
2 I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare:
3 Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.
4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.
10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.
11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.
13 All the saints salute you.
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
The POFW Daily Bible Reading 
8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. KJV
8For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. NLT
This scripture tells it all in a very few words. For we can not oppose the truth and we must always stand for the truth. Our promise from God is that the truth will always set us free. We will be more likely to win more times than nought if we would only speak the truth.
Our country was founded on the principles of truth just like our walk with God is founded on the principles of truth.
The Bible speaks it like this in Numbers 23
19God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
I have always learned in my time in the ministry the best policy is always honesty. We do not build the kingdom of God in empty promises, therefore we should continue to preach the truth even when people won’t listen or can’t handle the truth. We have to speak it very plainly and very clear. We have to preach it from the roof tops.
I love the Kingdom!
4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
This chapter talks about examining/testing yourself. The first part of verse 5 AMP says “Test and evaluate yourselves to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers…..”. In the CEV the same verse says “Test yourselves and find out if you really are true to your faith”. It also continues on to say “If you pass the test, you will discover that Christ is living in you……”. When getting refills or prescriptions the doctors and/or the insurance will not pay if you don’t have your yearly checkup to make sure nothing has changed in your health; so how much MORE should we examine our spiritual health??? Time for a checkup!
Verse 11 AMP says “Finally, believers, rejoice! Be made complete [be what you should be], be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace [enjoy the spiritual well-being experienced by believers who walk closely with God]; and the God of love and peace [the source of lovingkindness] will be with you.” God is with us.
Verse 5 appears to set the tone of the message, inwhich Paul states that we should examine and prove are self, to see if we are in the faith. Often new believers are covinced of their salvation because they have recited a sinners prayer. However many converts have simply decieved themselves into thinking that salvation is only a mental ascent. Verse 5 challenges converts to rise to a higher level of consciousness and consider if their faith has brought them into the body of Christ. True soul saving faith is more than a belief, it is a relationship with Christ and his body, which is the church.
10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction. 11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
The power that God has given us is the power to uplift not destroy. God has already destroyed the enemy it is up to us to advance the Kingdom. Destroying one another will not advance the Kingdom but lifting each other up will.
2 Corinthians 13:5 (Amp) Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves [ not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize and know [ thoroughly by an ever- increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you unless you are [ counter – feits] disapproved on trail and rejected ? You know when you go to the doctor, You go to a physical , The doctor tell you pass the test. It’s time for a spiritual test ? Lord search my heart and my soul.
Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11 KJV
What a prayer for our church!! ‘Be of one mind, and live in peace.’ We all think, speak, and live ‘First the Kingdom!’ And when we do….all have peace. Glory and honor only to GOD, as we are ONE!!
11. Finally, brothers and sisters, keep rejoicing and repair whatever is broken. Encourage each other, think as one, and live at peace; and God, the Author of love and peace, will remain with you. Voice
Once again, he is encouraging unity among the brethren. Unity is so vital to the Kingdom that we must keep it at the forefront of our thoughts. It doesn’t happen on it’s own; we are all humans with different thoughts and opinions, so we must actively work together to keep division at bay.
Luke 11:17
But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. KJV
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Check yourself daily. Make sure you are seeking the Kingdom first.
Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
2 Corinthians 13:3-5 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/2co.13.3-5.KJV
I can recall a couple times Pastor would say that people would question weather he is really operating in the Holy Ghost, or is He the Only one God uses to speak to us! I believe that if we doubt the Man of God then first we need to examine ourselves, what am I doing or Not doing, If I go and talk to pastor about ANYTHING, WE ALWAYS END UP IN THE WORD, God isn’t going to allow us to be deceived! Everything that is spoken over the Pulpit is confirmed through the word or prayer, We can’t doubt if it’s a word if we don’t read or pray, because we will never know if it’s from God or man, but Everything My Pastor has spoke to me has been confirmed and if I didn’t listen it went so bad. but if I listened and sought God everything fell into place! And the only time I didn’t listen is when I wasn’t Praying, blogging or reading!
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5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
I pray always that we will do the right thing and live a righteous and honest life.without God we are nothing you can do nothing.
8 For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. (NLT)
Stand for truth. Believe the truth. Demonstrate the truth. Share the truth. Preach the truth.
People should never have to question who we are, what we do, or what we believe. Everyone should know we are children of truth!
iLove the Kingdom
Wow, look at these scriptures! Powerful in Jesus Name. Check this out.
4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
I know most of us just breeze over this scripture without much thought, however, this caught my attention because it fits into the context of the previous chapter. In yesterday’s blog, Paul talks about his weaknesses and even uses the word “infirmities”. Today when we think of infirmities we think of sickness, but in the context of what Paul is saying he never mentions sickness, he only mentions things like getting beat with rods, getting lashed, being shipwrecked, ect. These are the things that Paul asked deliverance from however, we must remember what God told Ananias, Acts 9:15 “But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
You see, before Saul ever became Paul God ordained him to suffer for the Kingdom. God made him weak, however it never says Paul was sick. The context of the word “infirmity” was used as weakness through persecution, not sickness.
Brother Morgan, why is that important for today’s blog? That’s a good question.
The answer is because verse 4 of today’s blog says “Jesus was crucified though weakness”. The word “weakness” is the same word as Paul used for infirmity in yesterday’s blog!!! What does that mean??? We know…we know… we should all know that Jesus was NOT sick… But look at the defination of the Word “weakness”.
G769 astheneia
From G772; feebleness (of body or mind); by implication malady; moral frailty: – disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness.
Conclusion:
Paul’s “infirmity” from yesterday’s blog in context does not refer to a sickness just as the same word used for Jesus’ weakness does not refer to a sickness. We must rightly divide the Word of God. Jesus and Paul were both persecuted severely and this is what brought the weakness. They both have and had dominion over sickness. BOOM
2 Corinthians 13
9 Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise.
Regular Checkups
During our Endtime Classes we have 4 classes on Salvation. For some these classes are repeat classes for them for others it is a new revelation of who Jesus Christ is . I like to call it a regular check up. Making sure I’m keeping the truth abound in
my. I have to know the word in order to be solid in my faith. I have to know why there are certain places I won’t go or certain things I will not look at. I have to do a check up on my attitude. How do I do that get with someone who does not like me or may have something against me . Then I do the check up . I start asking myself a bunch of questions just like the doctor would do but in reality it’s Doctor Jesus and His Word doing the check up. Finally if I fail the test in what ever area I have to go right back and take it again. You will eventually pass it . I promise ;if you want to. It’s like this something really irks you ask yourself why? Then I like to go to 1 Corinthians 13 The Love Chapter to use as my Test . Pretty soon I have to find a place and repent and thankfully I’m forgiven for an attitude that was not right and I go take the rest again determined I will pass. So keeping a regular check up spiritually is what Paul was admonishing the church . How ironic in a sense he ends with Greeting your brother with a kiss . A kiss can be life or deadly depending on what it is meant for. Think on that. Do we finally on greeting one another do it with sincerity or habitual.
The test is ours to take to keep us solid in the faith. Faith of truth Faith of the Word .
2Timothy 2:15
5 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Knowing assuredly what we believe.
The world has a lot of questions why we believe what we do we must be able to live by example and share the truth . Test yourself as Paul says.
I pray we all pass.
“Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.”
2 Corinthians 13:11 NLT
Encourage each other. That sticks out the most to me.
We should be doing this every day with our brother and sisters in the Lord. Build them up and encourage them, God can take care of conviction there’s no need for us to try and put that matter in our own hands. As soon as we do that it’s no longer conviction but condemnation. So be strong in the Lord and encourage one another in Jesus name.
In this chapter we find some thinking the man of God is wrong or weak. They also said Jesus was weak because he died on the cross. V3-4 Paul was trying to get themy to understand is Jesus the God robed in flesh wasn’t weak he was showing his power and anuothity by submitting to death and then raising again. When we are weak he is strong. It is okay to be weak in this body because if we are living right God can make us strong.
Paul also goes on to say in v5 examine yourself whether you be ofree the faith prove yourself. Instead of trying to find fault in others how about you prove yourself. Make sure you are living right. Put your self to the test. Ask yourself do I have the faith? Do I believe like God wants me to and that is with all my heart not holding anything back.
It’s okay to lock yourself in a room with the bible and just begin to read the word and then put your life right beside it and see dose my life really line up with his word?
We can find fault probably in everyone if we look long enough but the truth is everyone is in the same boat called life trying to reach the shores of glory. So instead of trying to question other faith how about we work together to prove our faith. Pro 27:17 Iron sharpens iron. We need to help one other not trying to knock there legs out from other them but help one another.
Amen
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
One definition of a reprobate is a person without morals or one who is condemned to hell. An example of a reprobate is a person who constantly commits crimes. One rejected of God. We must examine ourselves thoroughly, looking inward where no one else can see but you and God. It’s better to be hard on yourself now while you can change things rather than wait and be judged by God. Don’t harden your heart to the word and the preaching…soften it and allow it to shape and mold you. BTW, great preaching last night on Prayer! Thank you Pastor for showing us how to have our prayers answered by praying and travailing for the lost.
AMP 11 Finally, believers, rejoice! Be made complete [be what you should be], be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace [enjoy the spiritual well-being experienced by believers who walk closely with God]; and the God of love and peace [the source of lovingkindness] will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a [a]holy kiss. 13 All [b]God’s people greet you.
Be made complete — how are we completed? I believe we are completed when we have aligned ourselves with the word of God and are living that word out everyday. Earlier in the chapter it said to examine ourselves and see if we be of the faith….. if we examine ourselves daily with the plumb line of His word, we will find that we can enjoy spiritual well being – prospering as our soul prospers.
11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.
13 All the saints salute you.
It was customary in those time to share burdens and greet one another as family. One of the greatest attacks against the church is disunity and Paul gives more instruction on the body working as one unit then he does almost any other topic because of the vital importance and what can be done when the body of Christ works together
But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.
– 2 Corinthians 13:7 ESV
Leaders can show you the correct path to take but it’s up to you to walk on it. It’s like Pastor said last night, if you’re lost, it’s your fault. Jesus is a gentleman, He’s not going to force you to something you don’t want to. God will give you a nudge once in a while to remind you what the truth is, but He will never force you to follow His commandments. He wants us to worship Him willingly with all of our hearts.
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Examine yourselves.
Sometimes I find myself in an endless loop of just doing or just being. Not living the life God expects me to live, but getting caught in an endless loop of reality.
When my eye become open to where I stand, I stop and think “whether ye be in faith”. I don’t think exactly that but I usually think… Am I where God wants me? Is my mindset the same as His? If no, Repent and move towards Him once again.
Thank you Jesus for my special birthday!
FIRST THE KINGDOM
TRUTH
8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
TRUTH is an absolute. TRUTH is TRUTH just as FIRST is FIRST. There is no denying in our lives what is FIRST. Our words, passions and actions reveal for all to witness what is FIRST.
TRUTH is the same; TRUTH is TRUTH. We can do nothing against the TRUTH. No one can change the absolute, settled WORD of GOD. However we can do things for the TRUTH.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
JESUS is TRUTH. We can do nothing against the TRUTH, we can however do something for the TRUTH. Tell IT, Share IT, Live IT, Declare IT, Love IT.
THY KINGDOM COME and FIRST THE KINGDOM are to me about putting The TRUTH FIRST.
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10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.
We can do everything just right and be of edification but then we can do this one thing and it all becomes to destruction…….
It’s like when a parent has told their child that they love them their whole life and then a certain circumstance happens or a mistake made and they will somehow doubt the love towards them. So even if they are told and shown love their whole life that one circumstance destroys it all….until the parent somehow shows proof of love…….. it could have been just a word since the tongue is the most powerful………unto life or death
Examining ourselves seeking him First , truth is a powerful Word . and we ought to Live by his Word
5 Examining yourselves, wether ye be in the Faith; prove your own selves , know ye not your own selves , how that jesus Christ is in you , except ye be reprobates .
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Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you ; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction…
2 Corinthians 13:5, 7 NLT
He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
Proverbs 15:32 KJV
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Hebrews 12:5-8 KJV
Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Hebrews 5:8-9 KJV
If we cannot accept correction from an elder, leader, pastor, boss, parent, and all others whom the Lord uses to reprove, rebuke, and discipline us; then we fail the test of genuine faith. True faith brings a hunger for righteousness and a love for those who instruct us in the ways of righteousness. A true believer develops a humble attitude and a teachable spirit.
If Jesus had to learn to be obedient, then there is no excuse for a lack of submission in us. Resisting authority and correction provides evidence of a proud spirit that has not yet been crucified—thus not truly given over to Christ. We should test our own reactions to correction to see if we are standing against it or yeilding to it. If we are resisting, then we are working against our own souls and must pray that God bring us to a place of genuine repentance. We must travail again until the nature of Christ can be formed in us and we can humble ourselves before all godly authority.
Jesus is only the Author of Salvation in those who are receiving correction and learning to obey all righteousness.
One more verse:
Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
Job 5:17 KJV
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
We are often all too ready to examine and test others. Instead of doing that, we must FIRST examine ourselves.
If we don’t examine ourselves and test ourselves now, we may find that we ultimately don’t pass the test and are disqualified.
What are we to look for when we examine and test ourselves? We are to see if Jesus Christ is in us. Even though we are all striving for perfection, we are not to look for perfection in others because we will be disappointed every time, but we should see real evidence of Jesus Christ truly living in us.
Know where you stand
5-7 Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.
There is a program that I enjoy viewing when time allows; Forged in Fire. It is a knife making show. Contestants are given varying circumstances and materials to produce a functional knife. There are many failures. Some contestants are surprised by the failures. Others, expect their failures and understand when the knife fails. There are a few contestants who test for failures and weaknesses early in the build process. This makes the most sense to me. I would rather the product fail early to allow me time to correct the issues rather than all the fit and finish be complete only to realize the weaknesses.
The same should be done in our relationship with God. Ask God to reveal our weaknesses. We can then work to strengthen these areas of our lives. It would be a tragedy to reach the end of our race only to stumble on something we could have overcome a long time back. Knowing our weaknesses can also help us to avoid pitfalls. If we are weak to abstain from smoking or drinking we can limit our exposure to these temptations. If we find ourselves in a situation we cannot avoid we can call upon a brother or sister in Christ for strength to overcome.
Ask. Search. Determine where we are weak. No one is perfect and we all fall short of the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 13:11 (nlt)
“Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow in maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.”
I Love To Worship The Lord
Paul concludes with a warning. Apostolic authority is real. Christ is speaking through Paul. If they do not respond to Christ the Lord who is powerful among you will Himself discpline them. The believers must examine themselfs now. If not when Paul comes punishment will surely follow. His appeal uttered the apostle says a good-bye.
11 Finally, brethren, farewell, become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. KINGDOM FIRST!
4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
We need the power of God in our Lives. We must make his Kingdom First in our lives. First the Kingdom.
“For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.”
2 Corinthians 13:4, 9 KJV
http://bible.com/1/2co.13.4,9.kjv
Even when I am weak I am also strong threw the power of the Holy Ghost! No need to pitty our selves with Jesus Christ we have all power and authority! Our down falls are only their to show us what we we are coming from!
[2Co 13:11 NLT] 11 Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
What a fitting way to end this second epistle to the Corinthian church. My last words to you guys are: 1. Be JOYFUL (because somewhere along the way you lost it). 2. GROW to MATURITY (because like I said in my first letter to you, I could only address you as babes). 3. ENCOURAGE each other (because you have been tearing each other down). 4. Live in HARMONY and PEACE (because you have divided yourself into factions and have envy and strife toward each other!) THEN…the God of LOVE and PEACE will be with you!
Parenthesis are mine of course!
“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise. We don’t just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.”
2 Corinthians 13:5-9 MSG
Let’s Test ourselves
7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.
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The Bible clearly declares that we are to work out our own salvation.. This begins with the words of Paul to ‘Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you…’ If we don’t take the time to examine ourselves, how will we know if God is truly pleased? His expectations are still the same and they demand a fullness of commitment on our part, to truly prove ourselves!
Paul’s parting greeting reinforces this. ‘Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.’ That word perfect could be translated as spiritually mature… the type of maturity that comes from continuing to examine ourselves and allowing God to bring about the changes he desires within. Those changes are what allow his unity and peace to continue to flourish in our lives and in the body. His love is offered to all who choose to answer his call, and that love will continue to work upon our lives to bring about a peace that truly surpasses our own understanding!
amine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Being King of Kings, and the creator of the world, it is safe to say that we are not proving ourselves to Jesus, but rather to ourselves.
Sometimes when I read verses don’t pop, but I get a thought about the whole chapter. I always persecuted myself. I was tough on myself; sometimes to the point that I thought I was dead to God. Then He reminded me that I was going through a test. I failed a lot; but through those failures came victories. Yes there is still a long road that I must travel, but it is getting clearer the longer I walk on this road. God knows where I’m at and what I must do to to finish my journey home. Thank you Jesus for opening my eyes to the clear path.
2Corinthians 13:4
For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he livith by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
II Corinthians 13:5 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/2co.13.5.NKJV
The hardest person to be accountable to is ourselves. So this is a disciple that we must build and ensure we are checking upon.
1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
Good council, never speak in secret a decree. Or establish something without having proper witness.
“And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello.”
2 Corinthians 13:11-13 MSG
It’s unity and the love of God. These thing promote Jesus and his name being glorified. They help to further the kingdom and harvest. This is how we put the kingdom first with one another. Don’t hold things against other. But show yourself friendly.
2I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others.
Every time we hear the Word being preached we are being warned. How many times does one have to hear the Word to accept Jesus as their savior?
10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.
Here it is interesting, that Paul wrote this to avoid sharpness, or severely or curtness. This sharpness Paul tried to avoid, so that he could build up and edify rather than tear down and destroy. Which is more interesting because sharpness or severely, does not even raise to the level of rudeness, yelling or temper tantrums. Paul was trying just to avoid being sharp. Just so that sharpness or curtness would not ruin the work that God created. Knowing that in building up words and demeanors matter. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. May I not offend