Prayer of Thanksgiving: Give thanks to God for the Holy Spirit who guides us and leads us into obedience.

Prayer of Supplication: Ask God to watch over our little children and for volunteers for children ministries.

Bible reading and commentary:

Read: 2 Corinthians 1:1-2

Paul’s opening greeting and introduction have four truths and principles behind them. They reveal how God was at the center of Paul’s life. (1). God’s will determines our service and function in the church. By the will of God Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ. But Paul was more than one just sent in the normal use of the word apostle, which means someone who is sent by someone else. Jesus, himself, appointed the Twelve Apostles. They were chosen, called and sent forth by Christ himself; they were witnesses to his resurrection. They knew in a special way the help of the Holy Spirit, who led them into all truth. God confirmed the value of their work by signs and miracles. They have no successors. Although Paul was not an eyewitness of Jesus’ resurrection, the Lord Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and commissioned him. Paul’s purpose in life became obedience to Jesus and his ambition was to honor him and to see him honored by others.

Paul may have begun his letter with this emphasis because some at Corinth cast doubt on his apostleship for their own misguided motives. Paul reminds them right at the beginning that his position in Christ is God’s choice not his own self-designation.

(2). The gift of spiritual life brings about our membership in God’s family. Paul carefully associates Timothy with his letter to the Corinthians by calling Timothy our brother. Paul recognizes Timothy to be his brother through the new birth (2 Timothy 1:5, see also 2 Tim. 1:2 and 2 Tim. 3:15); we are all brought into the kingdom of God this way.

(3). God’s purpose determines how we should think of the church. Paul addresses his letter to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia’ (v. 1). Achaia was a province of southern Greece, governed by Corinth.

The church is used in two ways in the Bible. It can describe the whole body of Christ, including its members in heaven (the invisible church) and it can be used to mean a local body of believers (the visible church). What Paul has made known here is that the church, either visible or invisible, is God’s possession. It belongs to him and is his creation. It is the fruit of his Son’s saving work. Note: there may be unbelievers in the visible church

Not only does the church belong to God, but it consists of those whom called has set apart for himself and whom he is sanctifying, the saints. All Christians, though still sinners, are saints and it is always used in the plural and points to believers as a group and clearly identifies God’s purpose: his purpose is to make us holy like himself (1Pet 1:15-16)

(4) Grace and peace are our greatest need and God’s most appropriate gifts. The greeting in verse two reminds us that our fellowship is with the Father and the Son, the essence of eternal life. The Holy Spirit brings us into this intimate relationship at our new birth. The Bible does not teach the universal fatherhood of God, except in the physical sense that God is creator of all. He is the Father of his own people who through faith in Jesus have become members of the family of God, the church. No privilege is greater than this: through Jesus we may come to the Father and call him ‘Abba Father’ (Romans 8:15)!

The Father and the Son take pleasure in giving the best gifts and grace and peace are our greatest daily needs. ‘Grace’ originates from the Old Testament term ‘to bend’ or ‘to stoop’. It points to God’s condescension and kindness. His grace is His sovereign determination to bless the undeserving. Grace is synonymous with forgiveness which through His Son provides us with daily forgiveness of our sins as we confess them to him. Grace is also synonymous with help and strength, freely given by God.

It is always grace before peace. Only as we know the grace of God’s forgiveness may we know the renewal of his peace in our lives. Peace is well-being and includes freedom from anxiety. In relationships, peace is good will and harmony, the opposite of conflict. Because Jesus has peace with the Father, so we may too have peace with God.

God’s grace and peace is constantly renewed to us, moment by moment, and we need it that often. The more we enjoy God’s grace and peace, the more, like Paul, we respond in gratitude and put God at the center of our lives.