True Apostles, and False - Himalayan Heights – July 4 Readings: 2 Corinthians 12:11-13 – Paul the Apostle

2 Corinthians 11-12: God is Strong in Our Weakness

All Scripture is God-breathed and useful, but there are some Scriptures that we can consider the Himalayan mountaintops of the Bible. In the next few months, we will be looking at a series of great texts that inspire and move us - the "Himalayan Heights" of God's Word.

Today's Reading:  2 Corinthians 12:11-13 

The Corinthians were Paul's problem church. In chapters 11-12, he defended his apostleship and shows us the value of weakness and humility.

Through the Bible Readings: 2 Chronicles 25-26, Acts 7:41–60, Psalm 78:54–60, Proverbs16:22–24

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional:  True Apostles, and False   

There are two kinds of leaders in God's church and it is often hard to tell them apart. Paul, in this short passage, uses sarcasm (again) to defend his status as an apostle, not for his own sake or his status, but for the sake of the gospel and the spiritual good of the people.

Paul was an apostle called by God who devoted his life to the good of the people. He did not burden them or seek to fleece them for his own financial gain but served them in the name of Christ. He demonstrated the power of God among them, doing the things that an apostle should. There was a special gifting given to apostles, the ability to perform "signs, wonders, and miracles" in a way that others did not do. Paul worked with "unfailing endurance" to proclaim Christ among them.

These are the marks of the true man (or woman) of God.

• He lives for the good of the people of God. 
• He endures in doing good, even when things get hard. 
• He demonstrates the power and presence of God in his actions - in accord with the calling and gifting of God. 
• He seeks to glorify Christ in all he does, not himself. 

There was a second kind of leader in evidence in this passage. Paul calls them "super-apostles," a derogatory term referring to those who set themselves up in high positions of honor that God did not give them. They are self-appointed and self-aggrandizing. The implication is that these men fleeced the church and used its people to get what they wanted. 

The marks of the false apostles, false teachers are easier to state than to see in real life. Those who are false teachers do not label themselves clearly. They hide their true motives.

• False men set themselves up in positions of honor and glory. 
• They work in the power of the flesh, often not having the character that matches their public actions. 
• They glorify themselves as they preach Christ, using their position in the church to advance themselves. 

\Counterfeiters do all they can to make their money look like the real thing. Only experts or people with the right equipment can tell a good counterfeit from the real thing. The Holy Spirit enables us, through the word of God, to discern the true from the false, but how they behave, but the service they give the Body of Christ, and by whether they live to glorify themselves or Christ. 

Father, help me to be genuine every day of my life, and may our church be faithful in discerning what is true from what is false. 

Think and Pray:

Reflect on the differences between true men of God and false. What characteristics stand out most prominently?
Are you careful in discerning truth from error, and those who conform to Christ from those who do not?