Phone in: 1-312-626-6799 
Meeting ID: 318-485-688

Welcome to Thursday Night Online

Welcome to our Meetup on Thursday Night. 

Matthew 5:32 (CSB)
32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Matthew 5:27–32 (CSB)

ADULTERY BEGINS IN THE HEART

27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery., 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

DIVORCE PRACTICES CENSURED

31 “It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

2 Corinthians 1:1–24 (CSB)

GREETING

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother:
To the church of God at Corinth, with all the saints who are throughout Achaia.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

THE GOD OF COMFORT

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort.
8 We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again 11 while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.

A CLEAR CONSCIENCE

12 Indeed, this is our boast: The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with godly sincerity and purity, not by human wisdom but by God’s grace. 13 For we are writing nothing to you other than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely—14 just as you have partially understood us—that we are your reason for pride, just as you also are ours in the day of our Lord Jesus.

A VISIT POSTPONED

15 Because of this confidence, I planned to come to you first, so that you could have a second benefit, 16 and to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and then come to you again from Macedonia and be helped by you on my journey to Judea. 17 Now when I planned this, was I of two minds? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely human, way so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes and no.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you—Silvanus, Timothy, and I—did not become “Yes and no.” On the contrary, in him it is always “Yes.” 20 For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen” to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointed us. 22 He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

23 I call on God as a witness, on my life, that it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth. 24 I do not mean that we lord it over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in your faith.

2 Corinthians 2:1–17 (CSB)

In fact, I made up my mind about this: I would not come to you on another painful visit. 2 For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one being hurt by me? 3 I wrote this very thing so that when I came I wouldn’t have pain from those who ought to give me joy, because I am confident about all of you that my joy will also be yours. 4 For I wrote to you with many tears out of an extremely troubled and anguished heart—not to cause you pain, but that you should know the abundant love I have for you.

A SINNER FORGIVEN

5 If anyone has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree—not to exaggerate—to all of you. 6 This punishment by the majority is sufficient for that person. 7 As a result, you should instead forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. 9 I wrote for this purpose: to test your character to see if you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

A TRIP TO MACEDONIA

12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord opened a door for me, 13 I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus. Instead, I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia.

A MINISTRY OF LIFE OR DEATH

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. 15 For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. Who is adequate for these things? 17 For we do not market the word of God for profit like so many. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God

Read and Journal  – 2 Corinthians 1-2

Pick 1-3 sections of scripture that get your attention. In other words, what do you notice as you read the text, i.e. certain words, phrases, images, persons, the storyline? 

Uncover what God is telling you through His word.

  • Read each of the sections you chose 2-3 times (maybe in different versions).
  • What is the passage about?
  • What do you learn about God? What has He done? 
  • What do you learn about people? Yourself?
  • How are you going to obey this passage (“I will…”)?
  • Who is a Person of Peace (POP) God is putting on your heart to share this with?
  • What do you need from God to move forward with what you have learned (i.e. repentance, boldness, forgiveness, provision, guidance, etc.)? Ask in prayer…

Prayer

Please fill out the form below with your prayer requests so we can pray about them during our meeting together. Also, any updates you might have for answered prayer or announcements can go here. Thanks.

See you there!

Prayer Requests & Needs

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2 Comments

  1. Here are three sections that stuck out for me in Chapter 1.

    4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

    God brings us into an experience.

    20 For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen” to the glory of God.

    God’s promises come through abiding in Christ.

    21 Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointed us. 22 He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

    As we abide in Christ, God strengthens, anoints, places His seal on us, and puts His Spirit in our hearts.

  2. I too, was struck by the first verses concerning comfort. God is the source of comfort. When we are in affliction, His comfort is there. When others are suffering, we can share in comforting them because of the comfort He has shown us in our suffering. By understanding and experiencing God’s comfort in our sufferings, something that we share with Christ, we are also learning how to patiently endure those afflictions because of the comfort He gives. This is definitely a good Word to have in the current circumstances as we are living in very unsettling times

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