Good
morning. So Paul says that he didn’t come with an arrogant attitude but: I was
with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my
preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of man,
but on the power of God. When you read Paul’s words in all of his letters, he
doesn’t sound like he was in fear and in much trembling; and he even mentions
that fact specifically later. He didn’t just have a bunch of pretty words; but
he had words ignited by the Holy Spirit that produced salvation in the
listeners, confirmed with power. My Bible says that the Greek word translated
demonstration is used of producing proofs in an argument in court. I guess you
could say that Paul was the Perry Mason of the gospel. Father help us to have
Your words and not ours when we speak to others about salvation. Go with your
people during the coming storm. Move and control it so that it does not harm
them or their property.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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