2 Corinthians 7:2-4 

²Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. ³I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. ⁴I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.

Excited

         When you’re excited, how do you normally express it? Do you shout, cry or jump? A billiard player defeated his greatest challenger, and he won a championship game. Right after the game, he jumped on top of the billiard table. He raised his cue stick and shouted with gladness. Yaahh!

         There’s also an older person who won multiple championships. He is considered as the greatest player in billiard. Every time he won a game, he just smile in appreciation. He never jumped on top of a billiard table. Surely, he is glad to win but he just keeps his gladness deep inside his heart.

         The manner we express excitement may define gladness we sense in our heart, but anyone can fake their smile. They can laugh out loudly as they want. But if joy comes out deep from our heart there’s no pretension. Winning games or not, we can be joyful. Let’s reflect on Psalm 119:1-2.

            ¹Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. ²Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.

         We can be joyful when we follow the instructions of the Lord, how? Our loving heavenly Father designed his commands as guideline toward blessed life. God is the source of joy. Prayerfully obey his instructions, you will joyfully experience blessings from him. And, it’s by faith we follow him. Seriously reflect on what it declares in Psalm 119:103-104, ¹⁰³How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! ¹⁰⁴I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

         What food do you prefer to eat: Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, Filipino food? The food we eat becomes part of us. King David may have tasted the best cuisine available in his generation, but he tasted the word of God as sweeter than honey. Honey has delightful nourishing elements. The word of God is more delightful spiritual nourishments that satisfies our soul.

         We pray that government officials will love the word of God like King David. If they follow the law of the Lord, will they stop being corrupt?

1. Corrupt

       ²Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. 

         Does it sound like Apostle Paul was defensive in his letter to Corinth?

         Some Corinthians rejected Paul as apostle. Paul traveled to many places with his mission team and started churches. When they visited the churches they planted, they found out that corrupt leaders exploited naïve believers. They used their authority for their personal gains. The church in Corinth may have troubles of such sad reality of corrupt leaders.

Mission Agency

         Is it possible that corruption had infected some Christian churches even mission agencies? Someone inquired about possibility to join as missionary from certain mission agency. The contact person explained that the mission agency provides training and programs, but before applicants are accepted as missionary, they should solicit certain amount for their financial support.

         Mission agencies are non-profit organization, and they depend on donations to be functional. In short, mission agencies take charge of the administrative aspects of mission endeavor. But donors may hesitate to donate their money, if they hear reports of corruption in mission agencies.

         Listen: When you give to the church or mission agency, be prayerful. You pray that your donation be used appropriately. Wherever you prefer to donate money, and whether they use the money responsibly or not, God appropriately recompenses you. You earned your treasures in heaven.

         Interestingly, Apostle Paul and his team were still effective even with no help from mission agencies. If it’s the Lord’s will for you to join mission,  be prayerful. The physical, educational, spiritual and other requirements for possible mission endeavor are practical concerns to be prayerful about.

         If you’re praying to be missionary and partner with a mission agency, you should agree with their requirements. The issue of soliciting mission support may have sparked various opinions from the Corinthians. Apostle Paul testified that he did not exploit anyone for monetary supports.

         The Corinthians may have wealthy church attendees, but Paul never exploited the churches they planted for financial supports. Let’s reflect on what he explained in 1 Corinthians 9:10-12, ¹⁰Whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. ¹¹If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? ¹²If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

         Apostle Paul worked as tentmaker to support his missionary projects.

He could have solicited for financial support, and many would be willing to support his ministry. Possibly, Philemon, the family of Gaius, the Philippian church regularly sent their financial support to Paul. Other believers may have preferred to send anonymously their financial support to Paul.

         Actually, when my family served the Lord in Asian missions, there’re churches and individuals who shared their abundance in support to our mission journey. I believed that those who financially supported us, prayed also for us so that their generosity might result in thanksgiving to God.

         Intentionally, Apostle Paul did not want to ask the Corinthians for any support. He avoided any possible criticism or condemnation of their effort.

2.  Condemnation

      ³I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. 

         Apostle Paul implied that he truly cared for the Corinthians. He wrote that: they have wronged no one, they have corrupted no one, or they have exploited no one in Corinth. And he did not intend to condemn them. But what was his reason that he emphasized it? He precluded a possibility that those who opposed him may interpret negatively what he mentioned.

         Apostle Paul wrote that they wronged no one. Oppositions may argue  that Paul implied that they wronged someone. When Paul wrote that they have corrupted no one, they have exploited no one, the opposition may argue that Paul implied that they corrupted and exploited naïve Corinthians.

         Most often, the Holy Spirit will warn us when we are deviating or not from doing the will of God. But for listeners who’re not ready to change their ways will negatively interpret sermons as indirect personal attack for them.

Naaman

         Let’s learn when Naaman the commander of Aramean army sought healing from Prophet Elisha. It narrated in 2 Kings 5:10-12, ¹⁰Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” ¹¹But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹²Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

         Naaman said that Damascus rivers were better than all Israel waters.

         Possibly, Naaman interpreted that Elisha mocked him for his illness.

He expected Elisha to come out and call God and wave his hand over his illness for healing. He has preconceived idea how healing rituals should be.

         Yet, Elisha sent messenger to instruct Naaman to wash himself in the Jordan. Naaman was commander of Aramean army. It insulted him to wash in the dirty river of Jordan. Anyway, Naaman was blessed that his servant implored him in 2 Kings 5:13-14,¹³“My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” ¹⁴So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

         Many Christians missed the will of God when they interpret his word to satisfy their indulgences. The Lord Jesus came for us to have life in its fullness. If you’ve explored the abundant life that Christ promised us, you testify for its reality. How do you assess your life now? Do you live the best life in Christ abundantly to its fullness? Don’t be satisfied with mediocrity.

         Christ came for us to have abundant life in him. Prayerfully discern

Romans 5:17, ¹⁷Receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

         Prayerfully accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and you receive his abundant provision of grace and righteousness. Explore that reality and you’ll praise and thank God. Listen attentively when the Holy Spirit lovingly speaks to you. When you hear God’s command and you sense some sort of hesitation or resistance, that is your chance to explore the grace of God.

         When God speaks, we can clearly hear and understand what step we may practically take. Our natural reaction is to resist. But pray that the Lord encourages you to explore great adventures he designed for our wellbeing.

3.  Courage

            ⁴I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. 

         I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.

         Apostle Paul was confident and greatly encouraged to keep on their mission journey despite difficult troubles. He joyfully sensed it that their spiritual work among the Corinthians was bearing good fruits. Joy in the ministry is eternally priceless. It can never be valued by material things.

         Ministry attracts opposition from different angles, but the joy of seeing good results is never replaced by anything that this world may offer.

         The Corinthian church may have financially wealthy attendees. They could have all the material abundance available at that time. Yet, Apostle Paul never mentioned any hint of envy of their worldly possession.

         Certainly, most people in North America could be envious of things that money could buy. You could have travel tour in your bucket list. Or you may have been saving money for the latest gadget. Others want to have their next brand new sports car. We want a reliable vehicle. Why not?

         It you wish to go long-driving this summer, it is preferrable to have a reliable vehicle. You do not want to be waiting for help in the middle of nowhere and be scared of possible wild beasts or bad elements attacks.

Western Movie

         An old western movie featured a group of families who travelled to find a place they could call their land. They packed all their precious things in their wagons and carried guns with them. They expected bandits along the way. Indeed in the middle of nowhere, a group of bandits on horses attacked the caravan. They did their best to drive their horses faster, but their wagons were too heavy for the horses to pull. Some wagons failed.

         We may have good intentions to live good lives but nobody knows what may be waiting for us. Reflect on what it declares Ecclesiastes 9:2,

            ²All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good,  so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.

         We may not know what happens next. But we gather as a church to encourage one another. Why? Jesus Christ our Lord will return and take us into heaven. We need to be prepared always and not caught off guard. We also want to store up treasures for ourselves in heaven. Again why?

         Someone may ask, “Why do I need to store up for myself treasures in heaven? Don’t we expect no crying, pain, sickness, mourning in heaven?” That’s right but we are instructed not to slack or be idle. Christ instructed in Matthew 6:20-21, ²⁰Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

         Storing up treasures in heaven practically confirm our eternal destiny. Joyful peace serving God is the Holy Spirit’s affirmation we enter heaven. Joy in Christ knows no bound. It defies human logic. Prayerfully serve God.

><))’> ><))’> tmec\ltsii\2026 <‘((>< <‘((><