Kelly Minter "All Things New" - Session 1

These are my notes from Session 1 of "All Things New" by Bible teacher Kelly Minter.

To get the most out of this study, I would encourage you to purchase the workbook.  This workbook contains much more information and further study for each chapter of 2 Corinthians than in the actual teaching sessions.

In the introduction, Kelly says that all the things she didn't know about 2 Corinthians is what moved her and changed her.  She gives us a bit of history and context.

History
Paul wrote 2 Corinthians from Macedonia in AD 54 or 55.  Approximately 80,000 people lived in ancient Corinth at the time of Paul's writing.  On the outskirts, about 20,000 more people lived.

Corinth sat on an isthmus, meaning there were two harbors.  You can imagine how busy this city was with ships, trade, buying and selling goods of every kind.

At this time, a lot of dark things were going on:

• Slavery
• Prostitution
• Corruption
• Immorality

Context

Paul wrote this letter to a group of believers who had great opposition towards Paul:

• They were judging him
• They were questioning his integrity
• They questioned his apostleship
• They found their own apostles (super apostles)
• They paid great attention to social status, wealth, power
• They compared themselves amongst themselves
• They judged according to the world's standards

The Corinth church was upset with Paul because he didn't come visit them when he said he would come.  They questioned, also, his integrity and his message about Christ.  Their hearts were withdrawing from him.

Second Corinthians was written out of great desperation and grief.  Everything in this book Paul writes out of a place of pain:

• Relational hardship
• Dissension

This is Kelly's introductory statement for 2 Corinthians:

Second Corinthians is a letter to a church in a city, written out of weakness, with an open heart about a new ministry that changes lives because Jesus has made all things new."

She starts with 2 Corinthians 1:1-2 (please read).  Notice: "to the church of God in Corinth." Kelly asks this question: "how can the church of God be thriving in Corinth?"  Her answer: Because the gospel of Christ is made for real life.  We need the power of the gospel.

She shares 5 points from this introductory statement:

We'll discover that the church of God is meant to thrive in real life. Thrive in hardships, difficulties, complexities of life, pain, struggles and messiness of life.

Second Corinthians was written out of weakness.  Paul has endured much suffering and much pain over the broken relationship of the Corinth church.  Kelly says this "we will come to love our weakness because of what Christ can do through our weakness."

Second Corinthians 4:7 says this "but we have this precious treasure (the good news of salvation) in earthen vessels (of human fraility), so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be (shown to be) from God (His sufficiency) and not from ourselves."

Notice: "jars of clay" (earthen vessels).  Paul didn't mean we were not valuable.  Possibly he was meaning jars of clay are fragile, weak.  The treasure inside that jar of clay (earthen vessel), when that comes shining through, it is glorious knowing that it comes from God and not ourselves.

Paul will talk a lot about our weakness.  In our weakness, the power of Christ shines through (2 Cor. 12:9).  Our weakness does not have to be our greatest consternation.  It will be our blessing.  Why? Because we will embrace and not resist it and know that's when the power of Christ rests upon us.

Written with an open heart. Chapter 6 of second Corinthians verses 11 and 12 speak of his open heart.  Admist all the attacks from the Corinth church, Paul is able to keep an open heart. This literally means for the heart to be stretched open.  

Do we keep our hearts open when we are attacked?  Do we withdrawal our heart or retaliate?

Paul has challenged us.  Let's be determined to keep our hearts stretched open as well.

A new ministry that changes lives.  The scripture used here chapter 3:6 He has qualified us (making us sufficient) as ministers of a new covenant (of salvation through Christ), not of the letter (of a written code) but of the Spirit; for the letter (of the law) kills (by revealing sin and demanding obedience), but the Spirit gives life.

Paul will take four chapters to explain what Christian ministry looks like and what it is - chapters 3-6.  In these chapters, Paul talks about:

• What the power of the gospel is
• What ministry looks like 

It's a new covenant of the Spirit, not of the Law.  Kelly mentioned some other points she will talk about because of the New Covenant.

We are more poised for ministry than we ever thought we were.

Our competency comes from God alone.  Why is that true?  Because Jesus Christ came to make all things new (2 Cor. 5:17).

This covers what Kelly will be talking about in this 8-week DVD series on 2 Corinthians.

Please see notes on "Session 2"

All Things New - Online Bible Study/Kelly Minter Session 2 "The God of all Comfort"

Welcome to session 2 of Kelly Minter's "All Things New."

These are my notes from this DVD-driven Bible study. A more in-depth study is provided in Kelly Minter's weekly workbook.  I would encourage you to purchase this workbook to dive deeper into the 2 Corinthians chapters.  Kelly gives amazing insight into 2 Corinthians in the workbook you will not want to miss.

Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-11.

Notice firstly, "Father of compassion."  The Greek word for this word "compassion" is oyktirmos - the seat of our emotions.  The bowels of our emotions.  This is how God feels about us.  He's the source of this compassion.

Secondly, notice the word "comfort." The Greek word for this is paraklesis. The God who helps you. It's like God is saying "you can do it."  

We tend to forget these two words in our suffering, in our troubles.

When we are suffering, Kelly says, "everything is below the clouds.  We've got to get the ice off of our wings for us to see above the clouds." (referring to an airplane story she told).

How do we get the "ice" off of our wings?

• Go to God's Word
• What does He say about suffering?

When we do this, we get to see what God sees.

What does Paul say about Christian suffering:

Suffering is never without purpose.

As believers, we don't suffer as the world suffers.  Verse 4 says "we comfort others with the comfort we've received.

It's not the suffering that makes you a good comforter, Kelly says, rather it's the comfort you receive from Jesus in the midst of your suffering that makes you a good comforter.

Verse 6 says "it creates in us a patient endurance."  This is not a valued quality in our culture, says Kelly.

Look at Romans 5:3-5 - there's a chain reaction here.  How about Hebrews 5:8.  Jesus learned obedience through suffering.  Have we?

In 2 Corinthians 1:9, we shift from relying on ourselves to relying on God.  Suffering can get us to the end of ourselves rather quickly.  We run out of our resources and must rely on God's resources.

Suffering never flows apart from God's comfort.

In verse 5, abundance in suffering but also abundance in comfort.

They flow together.  Are we receiving the comfort God offers?

Suffering connects us to others in ways no other experience can.

Verse 7 - we share in each others sufferings.  Look also at I Corinthians 12:26 "and if one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering".  We have a deeper empathy with others.  When we've gone through similar sufferings, use that investment of suffering to reach out to someone else.

Suffering is the means to a unique sharing in relationship with Jesus.

Philippians 3:10 "so that I may know Him (becoming more thoroughly acquainted) with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings"....

Through Christ our comfort overflows (2 Corinthians 1:5):

• Sufferings flow over us into our lives
• Comfort of God flows through Jesus into our lives

Next Session 3: "A New Ministry"

Beth Moore Entrusted Session 6 "Face to Face

Welcome to the last session of this DVD series Entrusted.  We've had quite the journey through 2 Timothy with Beth Moore.

The Apostle Paul forthrightly encourages and inspires us about our future life in the chapters of 2 Timothy.  His earthly life is coming to a close in this second letter of Timothy.  We will read and reflect on some of those important encouragements he gives us in chapter 4.

Beth, firstly, encourages us to do something with the knowledge we have been acquiring during this study, and to ramp up our effectiveness as mighty servants of God.

Our theme chapter for this session was 2 Timothy chapter 4.  She gives us 6 reflection statements to ponder from 2 Timothy 4:6-8 written by Paul that tell us something to expect on the other side of this life:

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will aware to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing."

Paul had an unapologetic expectancy of reward
God is our reward; but He wants to also reward us.  Hebrews 11:6 tells us what it takes to please God - faith.  He wants us to walk in faith.  Those who do so will be rewarded.

Paul anticipated direct interaction with Christ
Notice in verse 8 this phrase "award to me" - direct interaction.

Paul anticipated exceedingly vivacious existence in a kingdom
We are a kingdom of priests of our God to serve our God.  We are going into a kingdom with a greater reality than we have ever experienced here on earth.

Paul never equated "heavenly" with translucent
This earth is the vapor.  Heaven is the reality.  James 4:14
"......what is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

To see that face would be to fully know as he'd been known
We will see Jesus face-to-face and be fully known.

Paul knew what we must know to thrive: not one ounce of our labor will ever be in vain.

What a tremendous session to end this study.  Our home isn't here on earth.  We have a future, permanent home.  The hope of a heavenly home to come.

Beth Moore "Entrusted" Session 5: Fulfill Your Ministry

Session 5 of the Entrusted series suspended us right between the third and fourth chapters of 2 Timothy.  We looked at the complexity and camaraderie of a servant's life.

What we talked about in this session was "something very special to the apostle Paul and very important to us ramping up our effectiveness as mighty servants of God."

Wouldn't sanctification be so much easier if there weren't a lot of people in our life?  Beth says, "we would do so much better under the steeple without some of those people."

We began chapter 3 of 2 Timothy with Paul telling us that not only will it be perilous times because of circumstances around us, but the last days would be perilous times because of people.

He talks about what people will be like.  Read 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

We're right in the middle of Paul telling us all the things that are going to go array and 2 Timothy chapter 4 tells us things that have gone array with people because of relationships.  He ends it up with such a tenderness and love.  You realize how much people have meant to apostle Paul.

We see something amazing about Paul - something that we must reflect in our own life, if we're going to have joy while here on this journey.

We read Romans 16:1-16 (which is a letter by Paul as well).  We see 27 names of associates of apostle Paul that he is sending greetings to.  These names reveal an "authentic holy networking."

Many women were mentioned in this list of names.

Beth reminded us that if we are going to ramp up our effectivness, we also need to ramp up our connectedness.  In these verses are revealed many connections with people.  Many of these people are also mentioned in other NT books.

We are so much stronger together.  We're meant to encourage one another across the generations.

Beth mentioned that "in our culture today, it's unfortunate that we tear each other down in a public place".  Facebook, twitter etc.

We must stand together as one body of believers - servants of Christ.  

In I Corinthians 4:1 the word "servant" in Greek means "under rower".  Servant: subordinate, servant, attendant, or assistant in general.  The subordinate official who waits to accomplish the commands of his superior. 

Beth went on to give us four points about the under rower:

1.  Rowers don't build up and maintain muscle by rowing downstream.

We can be spiritual steroids to one another.

2. Staying in rhythm and sync with a team takes concentrated effort.

We don't always get to choose our fellow rowers.  Iron sharpening iron.  Getting through conflict and reaching the other side can sharpen us and make us stronger.  Are we willing to work through conflict and not just walk away?

3.  Rowing also necessitates a certain amount of repetition.

Expect repetition.  It can be tedious, but we have "boat songs": every worship service we sing our "boat songs".

4. Rowers have each other's backs.

Satan know that if he can come between those rowers (us), he can get the boat off course.

Have we slandered our brothers and sisters in Christ?  Have we been faithful behind their backs?  Have we affirmed the slander of others by remaining silent?

We have been with "rowers" who are not safe with us behind their back.  We must repent.  

"Life is hard enough for our brothers and sisters - let's have their backs."

Next session: "Face to Face

Beth Moore "Entrusted" Session 4: Difficult Times, Difficult People

We're nearing the end of our study of "Entrusted" by Beth Moore.  What a journey we've had these last four weeks.  Only two more sessions to finish.

Pre-Session
In the pre-session talk, a question was asked about how to know our calling.  This is Beth's answer:

• Say "yes" to God
• Ask Him to bring you to the place where you know Him
• Start walking it out
• Let Him plan the course
• The Word of God will give you just enough light to know where to take the next step

It was also said that "so many times we think there is one calling and we need to find it.  There isn't one specific thing we're trying to figure out.  It's a matter of being sensitive to where God is leading us."

Session 4

In this session, Beth weaved in bits and pieces of her own story. She shared with us her biggest eye-openers of the last 40 years of ministry.

Our scripture was 2 Timothy 2:20-26.  We focused more on verse 26 in this chapter:

"and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." ESV

Beth emphasized two thoughts here:

• God has a will for our life
• Satan has a will for our life

"It's not archaic thinking to know that there is a demonic world.  We need to know and believe there is a kingdom of darkness."

Beth strongly instructed us to not leave sound doctrine.  

Biggest Eye-Openers

1. The forces of evil are meaner and abler than most of us ever pictured.

• We had better be ready for attacks.  Second Thessalonians 2:8 says this "God will breathe on the man of lawlessness."  The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness are not equal, but they are two opposing forces
• The enemy has great wrath.  He wants to touch God's children (Revelation 12:7-12)
• The enemy wants to prove us unfaithful.  The most effective thing the enemy can do is to entangle us to prove us unfaithful.
• The more entangled we are, the less faithful we will be with what has been entrusted to us
• We are not our own worst enemy, but we are our own worst enemy's accomplice
• We can have a sincere and pure devotion to Christ and be completely seduced by the devil
• Regular warfare is hard ball.  Seduction is curve ball.  The enemy is an artist at seduction

2.  This faith-life is a fight from beginning to end.

• The enemy will minimize what Christ has done and then destruct us. But we must "take hold" (I Timothy 6:11-12)
• We must wrestle it out (Acts 14:22) - learn to fight
• Our cloud of witnesses is cheering us on

3. Even amid the evil that beleaguers (surrounds) or befalls us, God is continually and mercifully after our good.

• Luke 22:31-32 was used to reveal to us that Peter had something that needed sifting
• We cannot hide what needs to be sifted in us.  It must be defeated in us
• The thorn stands as a guard over our life

4.  God purposely set up the system where it demands dialogue and dependency to function properly.

• Jesus is after an invasive relationship with us
• He's pushing the envelope of our communication with Him continually
• Complete dependency
• Invasion of God
• We can't walk in the gray zone
• You will be delivered.  Your life is just beginning after going through it

5.  Jesus. Is. The. Best. Part.

Anything entangling us from knowing that Jesus is the prize, you will want to deal with.

Session 5: "Fulfill Your Ministry"

Beth Moore "Entrusted" - Session 3 "Strong in the Grace"

Welcome to session 3 of the Beth Moore "Entrusted" series.  Session 3 was called "Strong in the Grace."

We're halfway through this series with only 3 more sessions to view.

A question was posed to Beth Moore: How do we know what the will of God is for us to do?  Her answer was this: when we're exhausted but energized by what we do.

She encouraged us to stay the course and live lives of faithfulness.  She also discussed in the pre session that we need to have portions of people poured into our lives - teachers, mentors.

Part One
Beth dissected our theme scripture for this session in 2 Timothy 1:6-7:

"Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment."

"Fan into Flame" - this is something that is active and requires motivation from us to rev up the flames in our life.

"The gift of God" - it's supernatural. He gives the unction. To do what exactly? To fulfill the divine purpose we have during our earthly stay. 

"You've got to have God to serve God."

Beth described some things that help her to "fan into flame" her gift and spiritual fervor:

• Getting trained
• Scripture
• Prayer
• Music
• Exposing herself to people who are on fire

We are enormously gifted.  Start praying for what that gift is.  Scriptures used:

• I Corinthians 12
• Romans 12
• I Peter 4
• I Corinthians 14:1 - earnestly desire

In using scripture to "fan the flame" or be quickened by the Holy Spirit, we turned to:

• Jeremiah 23:29
• Jeremiah 20:9

Some ways to "fan the flame" in prayer:

• Colossians 4:2
• I Kings 18:44

Expect it.  Watch for it to come.  

Listen to and read the teaching of people "who are a lot of fire" - Hebrews 10:24-25:

"And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works - not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near." - HCSB

Timothy had prophecies made over him about his gifts for ministry.  He was officially publicly recognized when Paul and the elders laid hands on him - I Timothy 4:14.

But in 2 Timothy, this is a private letter, and Paul's personal role in Timothy's commissioning is appropriately mentioned here.  He was officially ordained.

Part Two

Dissecting 2 Timothy 1:7

"For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment."

In this context, "a spirit of fear" means cowardice.

It also can produce a perversion of all three of the components mentioned above in verse 7.

• Perversion of power = powerlessness or abuse of power
• Perversion of love = lust or hate
• Perversion of self-control = a drive to control others

Beth discussed also with us the word "power" in verse 7 as well.  Greek word used is dunamis meaning power, especially achieving power.  

She discussed the word meaning from duna meaning able or capable.  What's the difference?

Able meaning you possibly could do it if you wanted to.

Capable meaning you sieze the power and use it.  It. Is. Mine.

Moving on, Beth gave us different versions of the last word in verse 7:

• ESV - self control
• NIV - self-discipline
• NKJV - sound mind
• HCSB - sound judgment

Self-control used here in the Greek sophronismos - to discipline, correct; sound mind, sober judgment.

We were reminded that we're in a war and we need to have a lot of backbone.  We've not been given a spirit of fear.....

Next: Session 4 "Difficult Times, Difficult People"

Beth Moore "Entrusted" - Session 2: Purpose and Grace

Beth Moore has been using the context of 2 Timothy to teach us about the relationship between Paul and Timothy and to "guard the deposit that was entrusted to you", which is the gospel of Jesus Christ and the giftings given by the Holy Spirit.

In session 2, Beth reminds us of the goal of this series once again:

Mighy servants of God turned loose on this globe to fulfill our callings in the great name of Jesus.

To do:

• What we are called to do
• And what we are put on this planet to live out

Some of our effectiveness will be wrapped up in our connectedness.  In our generational connectedness (elder/younger), we must remember that we who are older must not hover over our "little sisters" so they can't complete their calling.

With this generational connectedness, we must give others the freedom to be who they are and to learn at their own pace.  It also depends on our relationship with younger women how much correcting we can speak into their life.  Relationship is key.

As Paul and Timothy were generationally connected in a healthy relationship, so can we do the same.

Timothy and Paul's relationship merges in I Timothy.  He leaves Timothy in Ephesus to shepherd the church.

We also learned that there are three books in the NT that comprise the "Pastoral Epistles:"

• I Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus

These are the young men that Paul has left in charge to shepherd the early congregration of believers.  Paul is stressing through these letters that "this is the way to pastor this church, the way to raise them up."

In I Timothy 3:14-15, Paul writes to Timothy, who is probably in his early to mid 30s (I Timothy 4:12), about the way a believer ought to behave in "God's household."  In 2 Timothy, she says, more personal language is directed towards Timothy than in I Timothy and Titus.

Paul has been mentor to both Timothy and Titus, nurturing them along.

In I Timothy 1:1-19 notice the phrase "my true child of the faith."  And then in verses 3-19, the key words here are entrusted and entrust.

The word in verse 11 that is used for entrust or entrusted is the same Greek word that translates for us "Faith" (pistis), Beth says.

God is saying this to us:

"Can I trust you with what I've called you to?"

There are two things that have been entrusted to us as was entrusted to Timothy:

• The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
• And the gifting God has given us to share

We are to share the story correctly:

• What He came for
• What He fulfilled
• What He has done for us
• What a difference that makes for us

We must pass this down correctly and soundly.

We personalized this phrase from I Timothy 6:20:

Oh _____ (your name), guard the deposit entrusted to you!

Notice that we do the guarding.

In 2 Timothy 1:12-14, the word entrusted in this passage is a different Greek word than in I Timothy which is "Phylasso" - guard or protect.

Two points Beth gave to us:

1. We don't effectively guard what we don't highly esteem.

2.  If we can't stand to be questioned, we will be too childish to stand guard.

Younger women, you must keep the charge entrusted to you because us older women will be gone.  What is that charge:  to teach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ exactly as it is with the giftings given to you.

The word "charge" means to declare, to tell, to give the charge like a military man would do to those under him.  Nine times in these two letters to Timothy, Paul says to him "I charge you."

Closing:

Until you have the opportunity to do what you are called to do, just do what you are needed to do.

Next: Session 3 "Strong in the Grace"