Hi and welcome to
His Words Are Life.
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I'm Kelly Mowrer. When we were
together last we were reading
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Paul's second letter to
the church at Corinth and
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he was thanking the church for
their generosity, for their zeal
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in collecting and giving and how
that had encouraged Titus and
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brought joy to Titus and through
Titus to Paul. As we pray now
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and as we begin to read this,
let's look to our brothers and
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sisters in that long ago church
as an example of how we can
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ask God's blessings on our
life, not that we may hoard
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them to ourselves, but that
we may with great generosity
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share what we
receive. Let's pray together.
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Dear Jesus, thank you so much
for these words that come to us
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to encourage us, but to set
forth also an example of what
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is pleasing to You. And You told
us it is more blessed to give
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than to receive. As we
read about the huge generosity
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of Corinth, please open
our hearts to how we can be
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more generous to those around
us not just with finances,
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but generous with ourselves.
We received everything from You
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You gave everything to us. You
held back nothing. You gave us
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Your own Son. Help us now to
hold back nothing that we are
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able to give to serve others
for You. We love You, Amen.
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I am reading from II Corinthians
in the King James Version
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We left off at chapter 9 and
we'll now beginning reading with
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verse twelve. For the
administration of this service,
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not only supplies the want of
the saints, but is abundant also
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by many thanksgivings unto God.
Whiles by the experiment of this
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ministration may glorify God
for your professed subjection
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unto the gospel of Christ, and
for your liberal distribution
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unto them and unto all
men; And by their prayer for you
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which long after you for the
exceeding grace of God in you.
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Thanks be unto God
for His unspeakable gift.
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Continuing in chapter ten.
Now I, Paul, myself, beseech you
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by the meekness and gentleness
of Christ, who in presence
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am base among you, but
being absent am bold toward you:
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but I beseech you that I may not
not be bold when I am present
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with that confidence, wherewith
I think to be bold against some,
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which think of us as if we
walked according to the flesh.
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For though we walk in the flesh,
we do not war after the flesh.
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For the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal, but mighty
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through God to the
pulling down of strong holds;
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Casting down imaginations and
every high thing that exalteth
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itself against the knowledge of
God, and bringing into captivity
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every thought to
the obedience of Christ;
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and having in a readiness
to revenge all disobedience,
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when your obedience is
fulfilled. Do ye look on things
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after the outward appearance?
If any man trust to himself
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that he is Christ's, let
him of himself think this again,
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that, as he is Christ's,
even so are we Christ's.
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For though I should boast
somewhat more of our authority,
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which the Lord has
given us for edification,
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and not for your destruction,
I should not be ashamed:
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that I may not seem as if I
would terrify you by letters.
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For his letters, say
they, are weighty and powerful;
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but his bodily presence is weak,
and his speech contemptible.
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Let such an one think this,
that, such as we are in word by
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letters when we are absent,
such will we be also in deed
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when we are present. For we dare
not make ourselves of the number
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or compare ourselves with
some that commend themselves:
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but they measuring
themselves by themselves,
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and comparing themselves
among themselves are not wise.
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But we will not boast of
things without our measure,
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but according to the measure
of the rule which God hath
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distributed to us, a
measure to reach even unto you.
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For we stretch not ourselves
beyond our measure, as though
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we reached not unto you: for we
are come as far as to you also
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in preaching the gospel of
Christ: Not boasting of things
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without our measure, that
is of other men's labours;
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but having hope when your faith
is increased, that we shall be
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enlarged by you according
to our rule abundantly,
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to preach the gospel in the
regions beyond you, and not to
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boast in another man's line of
things made ready to our hand.
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But he that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord.
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For not he that
commendeth himself is approved,
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but whom the Lord commendeth.
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Continuing to
read in II Corinthians,
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This is the King James Version.
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beginning chapter eleven.
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Would to God ye could bear
with me a little in my folly:
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and indeed bear with me,
for I am jealous over you
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with godly jealousy: for I have
espoused you to one husband,
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that I may present you as
a chaste virgin to Christ.
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But I fear, lest by any means,
as the serpent beguiled Eve
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through his subtlety, so
your minds should be corrupted
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from the
simplicity that is in Christ.
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For if he that cometh preached
another Jesus, whom we have not
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preached, or if ye
receive another spirit,
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which ye have not
received, or another gospel,
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which ye have not accepted,
ye might well bear with him.
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For I suppose I was not a
whit behind the very chiefest
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apostles, but
though I be rude in speech,
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yet not in knowledge; but
we have been throughly made
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manifest among you in all things
Have I committed an offence
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in abasing myself
that ye might be exalted,
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because I have preached to
you the gospel of God freely?
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I robbed other churches, taking
wages of them to do you service.
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And when I was present with
you and wanted, I was chargeable
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to no man: for that which
was lacking to me the brethren
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which came from
Macedonia supplied.
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and in all things I have kept
myself from being burdensome
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unto you, and so
will I keep myself.
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As the truth of Christ is
in me, no man shall stop me
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of this boasting in the
regions of Achaia. Wherefore?
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because I love
you not? God knoweth.
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But what I do, that I will
do, that I may cut off occasion
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from them which desire occasion;
that wherein they glory,
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they may be found even as
we. For such are false apostles,
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deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into apostles
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of Christ. And no marvel;
for Satan himself is transformed
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into an angel of light.
Therefore it is no great thing
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if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of
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righteousness; whose end shall
be according to their works.
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I say again, let mo man
think me a fool; if otherwise,
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yet as a fool receive me, that
I may boast myself a little.
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That which I speak, I
speak it not after the Lord,
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but as it were foolishly,
in this confidence of boasting.
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seeing that many glory after
the flesh, I will glory also.
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For ye suffer fools gladly,
seeing ye yourselves are wise.
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For ye suffer, if a man
bring you into bondage, if a man
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devour you, if a man take
of you, if a man exalt himself,
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if a man smite you on the face.
I speak as concerning reproach,
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as though we had been
weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any
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is bold - I speak
foolishly - I am bold also.
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Are they Hebrews? So am I.
Are they Israelites? so am I.
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Are they the seed
of Abraham? So am I.
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Are they ministers of Christ?
- I speak as a fool - I am more;
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in labours more abundant,
in stripes above measure,
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in prison more
frequent, in deaths oft.
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Of the Jews, five times
received I 40 stripes save one.
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Thrice was I beaten
with rods, once I was stoned,
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thrice I suffered shipwreck,
a night and a day have I been in
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the deep; in journeyings
often, in perils of waters,
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in perils of robbers, in
perils by mine own countrymen,
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in perils by the
heathen, in perils in the city,
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in perils of the wilderness,
in perils in the sea,
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in perils among false brethren,
in weariness and painfulness,
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in watchings often, in hunger
and thirst, in fastings often,
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in cold and nakedness, beside
those things that are without,
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that which cometh upon me daily,
the care of all the churches.
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Who is weak and I am not weak?
Who is offended and I burn not?
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If I must needs glory,
I will glory of the things
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which concern mine infirmities.
The God and Father of our Lord
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Jesus Christ, which is
blessed for evermore, knoweth
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that I lie not. In Damascus the
governor under Aretas the king
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kept the city of the Damascenes
with a garrison, desirous
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to apprehend me: And
through a window in a basket
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was I let down by the
wall, and escaped his hands.
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Continuing in II
Corinthians, chapter twelve.
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It is not expedient
for me doubtless to glory.
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I will come to visions
and revelations of the Lord.
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I knew a man in Christ
above fourteen years ago,
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whether in the body, I cannot
tell; or whether out of the body
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I cannot tell: God
knoweth; such an one caught up
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to the third heaven. And I knew
such a man, whether in the body
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or out of the body, I
cannot tell: God knoweth
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how that he was caught up into
paradise and heard unspeakable
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words which it is not
lawful for any man to utter.
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Of such an one will I glory:
yet of myself I will not glory,
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but in mine infirmities, for
though I would desire to glory
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I shall not be a fool;
for I will say the truth;
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but now I forbear, lest any
man should think of me above
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that which he seeth me to
be, or that he heareth of me.
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And lest I should be exalted
above measure through the
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abundance of the revelations,
there was given to me a thorn
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in the flesh, the
messenger of Satan to buffet me,
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lest I should be
exalted above measure,
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For this thing I besought
the Lord thrice, that it might
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depart from me. And he said
unto me, My grace is sufficient
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for thee: for my strength
is made perfect in weakness.
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Most gladly therefore will I
rather glory in my infirmities,
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that the power of
Christ may rest upon me.
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Therefore I take pleasure
in infirmities, in reproaches,
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in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ's sake:
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for when I am
weak, then am I strong.
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I am become a fool in
glorying; ye have compelled me:
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for I ought to have
been commended of you:
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for in nothing am I behind
the very chiefest apostles,
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though I be nothing. Truly the
signs of an apostle were wrought
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among you in all
patience, in signs, and wonders,
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and mighty deeds. For what is
it wherein ye were inferior to
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other churches, except it
be that I, myself, was not
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burdensome to you?
forgive me this wrong.
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Behold the third time I am ready
to come to you; and I will not
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be burdensome to you: for
I seek not yours, but you:
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for the children ought
not to lay up for the parents,
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but the parents for the children
and I will very gladly spend
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and be spent for you; though
the more abundantly I love you,
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the less I be loved. But be
it so, I did not burden you:
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nevertheless, being
crafty, I caught you with guile.
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Did I make a gain of you by any
of them whom I sent unto you?
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I desired Titus, and
with him I sent a brother.
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Did Titus make a gain of
you? Walked we not in the
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same spirit? walked
we not in the same steps?
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Again, think ye that we
excuse ourselves unto you?
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we speak before God in
Christ: but we do all things,
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dearly beloved, for your
edifying, for I fear, lest,
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when I come, I shall not
find you such as I would,
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and that I shall be found
unto you such as ye would not:
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lest there be debates, envyings,
wraths, strifes, backbitings,
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and whisperings, swellings,
tumults: And lest, when I come
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again my God will humble
me among you, and that I shall
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bewail many which have sinned
already, and have not repented
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of the uncleanness and
fornication and lasciviousness
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which they have committed.
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We are reading II
Corinthians, chapter 13.
00:13:14.77\00:13:18.05
This is the third
time I am coming to you.
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In the mouth of two or
three witnesses shall every word
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be established. I told
you before, and foretell you
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as if I were present, the
2nd time; and being absent now I
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write to them which heretofore
have sinned, and to all other,
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that if I come
again, I will not spare:
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Since ye seek a proof
of Christ speaking in me,
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which to youward is not
weak, but is mighty in you.
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For though he was
crucified through weakness,
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yet he liveth by the power of
God. For we also are weak in him
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but we shall live with him
by the power of God toward you.
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Examine yourselves,
whether ye be in the faith;
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prove your own selves.
Know ye not your own selves,
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how that Jesus Christ is in
you, except ye be reprobates?
00:14:07.15\00:14:10.98
But I trust that ye shall
know that we are not reprobates.
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Now I pray to God that ye
do no evil; not that we should
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appear approved, but that ye
should do that which is honest,
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though we be as reprobates,
for we can do nothing against
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the truth, but for the truth.
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Please join me again next
time to read the word of God.
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and to be a blessing to you.
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