368 - Les Feldick Bible Study Lesson 2 - Part 4 - Book 31 - 2 Corinthians 6:1 - 8:6 - Part 2

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 2 * PART 4 * BOOK 31 2 CORINTHIANS 6:1 - 8:6 - PART 2 It's still the Word of God - absolutely it is. It was written to the Jews under the Law. I said, "No, because God just changed programs. Remember Jesus came to the Nation of Israel under the Law. Today the message of salvation is "Believe the Gospel" as Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:1-4, and Romans 10:9-10. So Chapters 8 and 9 are instructions on Christian Grace Age Giving! Now you want to remember that these early churches met in homes. Galatians Chapter 2, and from our last teachings this is the Jerusalem counsel at about 51 or 52 AD. Well as we know, and as we'll see when we study Galatians, Paul did go to Jerusalem and withstood them to their face. So Peter said, "I guess Paul's right," and so the believing Jews gave in. That's in Galatians Chapter 2 which is a sister chapter to Acts 15. Galatians 2:9 God's changing the program, but the Twelve didn't realize that. that we should go unto the heathen, (Gentiles) and they unto the circumcision. (or Israel, Acts 11:19) "Ok Paul, you continue your ministry among the Gentiles, and we'll no longer try to force you to practice legalism, and circumcision. You preach your Gospel and we'll continue dealing with the Jews. Galatians 2:10 "Only they would (that is Peter, James, and John) that we (Paul and Barnabas) should remember the poor;..." What poor? Well the poor Jews who were now stranded financially in Jerusalem. Now people don't stop to think about that. Here we are, 52 AD, and that's 20-some years after the crucifixion, and Pentecost, and the main concern of Peter, James, and John is that Paul not forget these poor Jews in Jerusalem. How come they were so poor? I teach believe the Gospel for salvation because you can't mix Law and Grace. I also showed her how Israel continued to reject Him in the early chapters of Acts and when that happened then God raised up this other apostle and sent him (Paul) to the Gentiles with the Gospel of the Grace of God. Now with the work of the Cross completed God could pour out His Grace on the whole human family, not just Israel. But where we've turned to here in Acts it is God still just dealing with the Nation of Israel, there are no Gentiles involved. Now come down to verse 42, and remember we are looking for, "Who are the poor in Jerusalem?" Now let's move on to Chapter 4:32, and remember these are all Jews in Jerusalem. I get so many phone calls from people who are in churches that are dividing. 33. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all. Remember as soon as all Israel believed, the King and kingdom would come! Acts 3:19 So here they are, they're caught in Jerusalem. But remember, God is just! Paul just barely touches on it here compared to II Corinthians where he spends 2 chapters on the subject. I Corinthians 16:1-3 "Now concerning the collection for the saints, (this will be for the poor Jerusalem saints) as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. So what God is now laying on the hearts of these Gentile believers is the necessity of those Jewish believers who got caught in the fact that the King and the Kingdom didn't come so they were poor, they were destitute. Romans 15:25,26 "But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. (Paul didn't have a ministry among the Jews so he wasn't talking about preaching to them.) Romans 15:27 Now in light of all that let's turn to II Corinthians Chapter 8. II Corinthians 8:1 "Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;" Remember Macedonia is Northern Greece and Achaia was in Southern Greece, all of Greece is mountainous, and when you have a rough mountainous countryside back when most people eked out a living agriculturally, how much material wealth did most of these people have? II Corinthians 8:2a People were happy. II Corinthians 8:2 Now verse 3: II Corinthians 8:3 II Corinthians 8:4a As poor as these believers were in Greece they actually begged Paul for the opportunity to give to those saints at Jerusalem. II Corinthians 8:4b,5 (in Jerusalem) 5. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, (in other words they stepped into God's saving Grace) and unto us by the will of God." (They opened themselves to Paul and his ministry.) God doesn't need it, God doesn't want it, and God can get along just fine without it. Now verse 6: II Corinthians 8:6 In other words Titus is picking up the mantle from the apostle Paul to gather these offerings for the poor saints in Jerusalem. #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible