Treasures From Paul 2nd Corinthians

By Ken Chant

The essence of Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth is summarised in the expression “changed from glory to glory”. (2 Co 3:18) The entire letter is, in one way or another, a description of what that transformation means and how it is achieved for us in Christ. May that be your experience as you read the following pages, and especially as you search the scriptures, to which I will constantly draw your attention.

And one further explanation. You may wonder why there is no comment in this book upon several significant passages contained in 2 Corinthians? The reason is simple: I have already expounded those verses in other books. Then again, if you discover in this book things that you have read in one or more of my other books, you may wonder about the repetition. That too is simply explained. I felt the material was too significant to be omitted. And it seldom does us any harm to be reminded even of what we already know!

Perhaps the greatest orator the church has ever known was John, Archbishop of Constantinople, who flourished during the latter part of the 4th century. He is today called “Chrysostom” – a Greek word that means “the golden-voice”. It is said that he could make his vast congregation roar with laughter one moment and convulse with tears the next. On one occasion, he preached so eloquently against people who applauded his sermons that he received a standing ovation!

His style of preaching followed a consistent pattern. He would start with a text, or a passage of scripture, and begin to expound it carefully and sequentially. But then, in the middle of his exposition, a thought would enflame his soul, stir his imagination, and rouse him to glorious eloquence. He would then roam far and wide, developing this thought in manifold and amazing ways. Even after many centuries, and often dull translation, his sermons still ring with passion and conviction.
Martin Luther (the great 16th century German Reformer), in his writings, followed much the same pattern. He begins with a text, expounds it, but then wanders to all parts of the Bible seeking explanation and illustration − in a word, treasures!
Why do I mention Chrysostom and Luther? Simply to justify my style in this present book! It is not a sequential commentary on Corinthians. On the contrary, following the wonderful example of the great men just mentioned, I too begin with an idea from the letter, then travel throughout the Bible finding ways to explain and apply that idea.

Of course, I make no claim to their greatness; but I am not embarrassed by following their pattern. Indeed, I had thought to begin this introduction with the cry of the patriarch –

Would that my words might be written down, that they might be engraved in an inscription, incised with an iron tool and filled with lead, carved in rock as a witness! (Jb 19:23-24, WEB)

But that seemed too much like claiming a level of inspiration akin to the divine, to which I have not the smallest pre-tension. But I do hope the words you will find here are worth reading and remembering and will be life changing. Even more, may the scriptures, whose ambassadors they are, truly capture your heart and mind, and, if your steps have become hesitant, propel you irresistibly onward to Paradise!

Perhaps a more useful quotation is this, from Proverbs –

One has joy from an apt response; a word in season, how good it is! (15:23, NABRE)

For it is indeed my prayer that you will find in these pages useful expositions and applications of scripture, but even more, that reading in the providence of God you will find many a “word in season” – that is, may the book truly speak to you in your present situation and possible need.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vision Colleges
• Release date: Nov 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005197292

Ken Chant

Dr. Ken Chant (M.R.E. Th.D), is the President of Vision Christian College (Australia) and is on the International Board of Directors for Vision International University (USA).Dr Ken Chant is an Australian pentecostal pastor who was ordained in Melbourne in 1954. He has been actively involved in Christian ministry for over 50 years (ten of which he and his family spent in the USA). A brief summary of his ministry would include the following -He has pioneered eight churches and Pastored several others, including serving for five years as the associate pastor of what was then Australia's largest Pentecostal church (the Adelaide Crusade Centre).For several years he was the editor of two of Australia's most successful charismatic/Pentecostal journals.He has been the principal of four Bible colleges (in Australia and the USA), has taught at Christ for the Nations (Dallas), Oral Roberts University (Tulsa), Youth With a Mission (Hawaii), and spoken at crusades, conferences, and seminars in Australia, the UK, the USA, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, and New Zealand.Dr. Chant is the author of many of Vision's textbooks on Christian life, Doctrine and Theology.

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From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia. (2 Co 1:1)

Preface

What an adventure we are about to begin! Sadly, Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians is not so well known as some of his other letters, hence many Christian people live their entire lives without realising what treasure they have missed! But we are about to explore at least some of those amazing riches. I wish I could present them all to you; but that would make this book too unwieldy.

Of course, nothing prevents you from reading the letter yourself, and praying over it, and around it, and through it, until its delights become embedded in your soul, enhancing you spiritually for ever. Yet, I still pray that what you read in these pages will add to your joy, and give you cause to praise the Lord even more heartily!

Introduction

For a Christian, there can be only one definition of success: find the will of God and do it. Yet people often ask: How can I find the will of God? How can I be sure that I’m doing the right thing? Those questions raise some others –

Does God even have a purpose for my life?

Can I get guidance day by day?

Is guidance available for particular situations, or only in general matters?

King David can help us here.

David had been declared an outlaw by Saul and found himself at risk of being trapped in the walled city of Keilah. (1 Sa 23:1-13) Would the people protect him, or would they deliver him up to Saul? He knew that he had to get an answer from God.

So, David asked Abiathar the priest to bring an ephod, (1) hoping that divine guidance would be given to him. Then David prayed (vs. 10-12),

O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has learned that Saul is planning to come to Keilah and will attack the city because I am here. … Will the people of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come here, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant. And the Lord said, He will come down. Then David asked again, Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will surrender you.

Like David, we may sometimes find ourselves facing peril, or an impossible barrier. But just when you think you are doomed, God has a word to speak, and a solution to offer! Here are some of the principles David observed –

Servant

David (in the passage just cited) twice called himself a servant of God. He depended entirely upon the Lord. At once we face a challenge. We Christians are sometimes accused of needing the crutch of religion to get through life. But the analogy is wrong!

Our faith is no mere prop to hold us up – rather, it is the breath of life, the heartbeat of all our hope! By contrast, King Saul depended solely upon human counsel and was defeated (vs. 7). We prefer the wisdom of David (who constantly sought divine guidance), and of Jeremiah –

I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. (Je 10:23, NIV).

But does that mean we should despise earthly counsel? No, for there are many places where seeking advice from the right people is commended (Pr 11:14; 15:22; 24:6; etc.) And remember, too, there are times when your own heart will guide you better than seven watchmen on a tower! (Sir 37:14) But always, first and last, seek the Word of the Lord, as a person who is committed to serve God.

Obedience

David had many faults, and made many mistakes, but this was always true of him: he obeyed the Word of God. Yet he must have been surprised by the answer he received from the Lord. He would not have expected an affirmative response to his question about the rulers of Keilah giving him into the hands of Saul. He thought they were his friends. But, improbable as the warning may have seemed, he obeyed God.

There comes a time for every Christian when the Lord asks us to do something daring. The modern term is being pushed out of your comfort zone! Or, to go back to scripture –

The Lord is like an eagle teaching its young to fly, pushing them out of the nest, yet always ready to swoop down and catch them on its back. (De 32:11)

So, when you seek divine guidance, be ready for the unexpected, but no less ready to obey!

Power

David trusted the power of God. Twice in his prayer, he addressed God as Yahweh, the God of Israel! That was a way of expressing his confidence in the providence and power of the Almighty. Indeed, there can be no hope of true guidance from the Lord unless we implicitly believe that he is able to

speak to us

break down every barrier and open every door; and

carry us successfully to the goal.

So, as James said –

If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So, don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all. (Ja 1:5-8, CEV)

Method

David used the proper method, which in his day required him to call for the ephod. However, even before the time of Christ, consulting God through an ephod had been discarded, probably because it proved unreliable and was open to abuse by dishonest priests. For example, Sirach (circa B.C. 170) admonished his readers: A sensible person will trust the scriptures, for they will prove to be more faithful than any oracle. (33:3) (2)

So, we should be wary of omens, signs, casting lots, fleeces, or any other kind of divination. Why? Because we have the mind of Christ – that is, the Word of God − the Holy Spirit – and direct access to the Throne of God in prayer; therefore, we have no need of magic to find guidance. Even if the Lord should choose to speak through such tools, we should not depend upon them unless they agree with scripture. Many have been deceived, thinking they had a word from God, when in fact the Lord had not spoken to them. They were deluded or allowing themselves to be deluded.

Many voices are speaking in this world, and their loud clamour can sometimes stifle the still, small voice of God (1 Kg 19:12). So, John gives a stern warning –

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 Jn 4:1, NET)

And we might add to the false prophets many false oracles, so called words that do not have any heavenly origin.

How can we test the spirits ? John answers:

By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh is from God. (vs. 2)

To which we may add the encouraging word of the Master –

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (Jn 10:27, KJV)

So, get close to Christ and stay there. You will then be sure to hear his voice when he speaks!

High Priest

David followed the custom in Israel, which was for petitioners to stand in front of the High Priest when the Urim and Thummim were cast. Likewise, we too are commanded to come boldly up to the throne of God, and to present our requests face to face in the name of Jesus −

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, … and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. … (And) let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (He 10:19-23)

Or, think about these bold words –

In Christ Jesus our Lord, we have boldness and access with confidence (to the throne of God) through our faith in him. (Ep 3:11-12)

Conclusion

So, the answers to our opening questions are −

Does God have a purpose for my life? − YES!

Is guidance available for particular things? − YES!

Can I get guidance day by day? − YES!

But never forget that true and eternal wisdom emerges from the continual study of scripture. The better you know the Word of God the surer you will be of discovering the Will of God.

So, heed the example of Paul (in our opening text), who knew both his true identity (an apostle) and his true calling (by the will of God). We should all possess the same boldness of living in the purpose of God and assurance of doing his will. Yet always remember that sometimes the Lord chooses to remain silent. In such times, he wishes to assess your ability to walk by faith alone, without sight or sound. Just keep trusting that the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you, and will surely, even if unseen and unfelt, keep guiding you firmly in the path you should follow. (2 Co 5:7)

Finale

Somewhere I have read that in 1956, some five years before he was elected President of the USA, John F Kennedy went on vacation to the Riviera in Europe. One day, when he was dozing in the sun, a friend came by and asked him, Why on earth do you want to be president? with his eyes still closed, Jack replied, I guess it’s the only thing I can do!

That is how we should feel. In good times or bad, whether life is easy or hard, peaceful or persecuted, we can do no other than discover and do the will of the Father. We can walk no path other than the one Christ has set before us. We must heed the Spirit’s purpose and, empowered by him, press on toward the prize set before us in the high calling of God in Christ (Ph 3:14).

Chapter Two

Church

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From Paul, … to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia. (2 Co 1:1)

I once came across a pamphlet, which dealt with house churches, and it made this claim: Where two or more people meet together in the name of Christ, there is a church (referring to Matthew 18:20).

But is that really so?

No doubt there is a vital place for small fellowships of Christians who convene in houses, offices, and the like, and equally surely some of those fellowships may meet the requirements of a church. No doubt, too, Christ is present with them, just as he promised.

But in the end, a mere assembly of Christians, whether large or small, does not make a church. Before any company of believers, even though Christ is among them, can rightly call itself a church (in the biblical usage of the word), several other things must be present, such as –

Union

To create a recognisable church, the first essential is for a group of Christians to unite themselves formally as a worshipping body. That implies a stated time and place of assembly, a certain degree of structure and order, and an agreed set of principles and practices. An informal fellowship of Christians, whether few or many, does not meet that requirement (cp. He 10:23-25; and 1 Co 14:26-33,40).

Preaching

A fellowship of Christians does not become a church unless that fellowship exists primarily as a forum in which the preaching of the Word of God has pre-eminence.

A church that gives itself only to prayer and praise, that considers fellowship or even worship to be its primary task, thus minimising the preaching office, or that values debate and dialogue above proclamation, has fallen away from its God-given identity.

Christians who come together in formal union, to create a church, should do so with the primary aim of promoting in every way possible the preaching of the Word of God. Authority in the church stems from the Word of God, especially when it is preached. If preaching decays, then authority will fail with it.

Sacraments

The sacraments of baptism and holy communion (3) are an integral part of the life of every local church. No true church can exist without at least those two sacraments.

Have you ever realised that there are few things Christ commanded his church to do as a church? He gave numerous instructions to his disciples individually; but to the whole church, acting as the church, he gave few instructions. Probably the most important are: preach the word, heal the sick, baptise those who believe, and observe the eucharist (Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15; Lu 9:1-6; 10:1,9; 1 Co 11:23-26; Ja 5:14-15).

Virtually all that Jesus said to the church is comprehended in those four; and of them the greatest is the first: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

Word and sacrament are closely linked. Neither of them should be separated from the other.

Preaching is vitally important for the sacraments; for it is out of the proclamation of the Word of God that authority arises to practise the sacraments.

But then the faithful observance of the sacraments indicates that a company of Christians have in fact formed themselves into a church in which the Word can be preached.

If the sacraments are absent, then no church is present; if the Word is absent, then the eucharist may have no validity; if the eucharist is missing, then the Word lacks its beating heart. Both word and sacrament are essential for a properly formed church.

Oversight

Since a church consists initially of a group of Christians who have come into formal union as a worshipping body, it follows that a pattern of oversight must be established. Various churches have adopted different methods of government, both at local and national levels. But each system is an extension or adaptation of the basic pattern given in the NT.

The early churches, we are told, were governed by bishops and deacons (Ph 1:1). Whatever else that may mean, it certainly shows that –

God has established levels of authority within the church; he has not left it leaderless.

the leaders of the church are people who fulfil certain conditions, who possess certain abilities, and who are recognised by the congregation as being gifted and chosen by God to serve him in the church (see the letters to Timothy and Titus).

these people comprise a divinely ordained oversight within the church, and they are the channels through whom God will both reveal his will for the church and manifest his authority over it.

a gathering of Christians cannot truly be described as a church until this divinely appointed oversight has either been raised up from among the people or brought to them.

no matter what method is adopted to recognise and appoint this oversight, once appointed, it should be accepted by the people as representing the authority of God within the church.

Discipline

The "bishops and deacons" (that is, the oversight of the local church) are given responsibility by God to rule the church in his name. Responsibility means authority, and the ultimate expression of authority is discipline.

If the sanctions of the overseers cannot be enforced, or if the members of the church refuse to acknowledge them, then the rule of God in the church is destroyed.

Thus, the existence of effective discipline reveals a true church (cp. De 17:10-13; Mt 16:19; 18:15-18; 1 Co 4:19, 21; 16:22; 2 Co 13:1, 2, 10; 2 Th 3:6, 14, 15; 1 Ti 1:19, 20; 5:1, 2, 19, 20; 6:3-5; Tit 1:13; 2:15; 3:10, 11).

Pastoral Care

There is no true church unless a programme of faithful and compassionate pastoral care has been established in the congregation. Jesus, that Good Shepherd of the sheep, does not leave his flock defenceless before the wolves. The care of the sheep is one of the imperatives of the church (Ac 20:28).

Those, then, are some of the factors that turn a company of Christians into a church. I cannot see how a small group of people gathering only for fellowship and Bible study can be said to fulfil those criteria.

Each local church should measure itself against those benchmarks (and perhaps also two or three others), and thus determine how closely it is demonstrating the biblical pattern.

Chapter Three

Paraklesis

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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. (2 Co 1:3-7, ESV)

Back in 1979 the American comic strip artist Bill Griffith used one of his characters, Zippy the Pinhead, to coin the satirical question, Are we having fun yet?

It soon passed into common parlance, and has been adopted throughout the English-speaking world: Are we having fun yet? Of course, if you ask yourself whether or not you are happy, then you probably are not! And even if you are happy, but then ask yourself, Am I happy? ‒ you will probably no longer be so!

But at least we Christians should be happy, as scripture says ‒

Happy is that people whose God is the Lord!" (Ps 144:15)

Even secular research confirms this ‒

People who attend religious services weekly or more are happier (43% are very happy) than those who attend monthly or less (31% just happy); or seldom or never (26%). … This correlation between happiness and frequency of church attendance has been a consistent finding in the General Social Surveys taken over the years. (4)

The Bible, of course, has much to say about happiness. Scores of verses use the words happy, happiness, and their cognates (among which I include comfort). Many of those verses promise happiness to the righteous.

Saved by the lord

Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! (De 33:29)

Moses promises three wonderful things ‒

Salvation ‒ Saved by the Lord.

Hence, we may indeed demand: Who then is like us? Do we not bask in the favour of God? Are we not promised an abundant life? Do we not have a power of holiness at work in us? Are we not members of heaven’s royal priesthood? For us, death has lost its terror, and we have a hope, a destiny, a glorious crown, and Paradise for ever!

Shelter ‒ The shield of your help.

The Lord is your weapon both of defence and of attack, in every circumstance, under every condition, so that no believer is ever merely a helpless victim. There is always some promise we can claim, just as Jesus did at Calvary, when even the demons thought he had become entirely a slave of the Romans.

Success ‒ The sword of your triumph.

You can have absolute confidence that whatever you set your hand to in the name of the Lord, and in harmony with his purpose, will succeed. God does not make losers, but only winners!

The verse ends ‒ Your enemies will come crawling to you, and you will stomp on their backs. (GW)

Prospered by the Lord

Happy are you who sow upon all waters, who let the feet of the ox and the donkey range free. (Is 32:20)

A headline in the Sydney Sun-Herald in October 2019, stated: Hungry Australians Turn to Charity to Feed Children. The article asserted that one in five Australians (21%) have been obliged to stay hungry during the past year. At least once a week, three in ten food insecure people go a whole day without eating anything at all. And across the past 12 months, the number of people seeking food assistance from a charity has increased by 22%. For a land as wealthy as Australia, those are startling, scary, and disgraceful statistics and there is a rising clamour for government to do something to solve the problem.

I’m not insensitive to the pain of those hungry men, women, and children, and I do not mean to sound glib, but perhaps our text, which is about rice, offers a solution. But first, a story –

A very poor Jew operated a small laundry next to a flourishing Kosher restaurant. Every day the poor man would take a small bowl of rice, place a chair as near as possible to the restaurant, and mingle the appetising smells with his rice as he ate. One day, his neighbour sent him a bill, charging him for the scent of the food. The poor man thought for a while, then went back into his laundry, picked up his meagre cash tin and carried it into the restaurant. He went up to the proprietor and rattled the tin in his ear, saying, I hereby pay for the smell of your food with the sound of my money!

I’ve no idea of the origin of that anecdote, but it is probably old. Nowadays, a laundry operator, or drycleaner, might expect to prosper at least as well as a restaurateur. Nonetheless, in our text, in which there is no pretence, Isaiah is telling what he knows to be true: there are happy people whose every need is being met by the Lord. He is thinking about a rice paddy, where the seed is cast upon the water. But before that, oxen and donkeys were turned loose on the flood plain, to wander around, stir up the mud, and break it down, ready to receive the seed. He is conveying a message (in the context of his oracle, vs. 15-18) that there are people of whom certain things will always be true –

they are blessed by God;

their foes are all defeated;

no terror of war or oppression threatens them;

they are free to sow their crops in peace and to reap a rich harvest.

Those people arrive at this happy state, because, being saved and living righteously, they reached out for the prosperity promised by God. Indeed, I myself am now like David: I have been young, and I am now old, but I have yet to see the righteous begging for bread or their children going hungry in the streets! (Ps 37:25) But never forget that those happy people had also laboured, and had laboured wisely. True, they trusted God. Yet they understood that the blessing of heaven would not just drop out of the sky. They had to make good use of the tools at their disposal (oxen and donkeys to break up the soil); they had to plant their seed industriously; and they had to plant it correctly, that is, in the wide waters.

Let us do the same. Let us work well, work wisely, and trust the Lord wholly. Then, even if we experience occasional times of drought, we may cheerfully expect him to fulfil his promise: we will be numbered amongst those who are happy!  

Corrected by the Lord

Behold, happy are those whom God reproves: therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. (Jb 5:17)

That seems to be a contradiction of what I have just said! Yet that man shows me a favour who prevents me from falling over a cliff, even if he must use violence to haul me back to safety; or if he rescues me from a fire; or if I am about to do something stupid, though he must wound me to stop me.

So, while the chastening itself may be most painful, yet we may be deemed happy, because the Father cares enough to bring us under discipline and protection.

Consider the child in Charles Burton Barber’s famous 1885 painting, In Disgrace. She is standing in a corner as punishment for some misdemeanour, probably for breaking the flower vase that lies in pieces around her feet. Yet there are many signs of her guardian’s love. The punishment is mild, she is plainly well cared for and prettily dressed in a lacy white gown. Her rich auburn hair shines from its meticulous care. Her puppy, too, is allowed to comfort her, and the rose of peace is lying on the floor beside her.

Even if her guardian is out of sight, plainly the child is not forgotten; she is still deeply loved, and she will soon be released, swept into a hug and a kiss and welcomed back into the life of the family.

Likewise, the Father’s discipline is tempered to our nature and need. It may take the form of allowing illness to strike us

– or failure in business

– or disappointment in some dream

– or bullying by ill-natured people

– or the withdrawal of a sense of his presence

– or persecution

‒ and the like.

But it will never be beyond our ability to face it and emerge with more maturity. And always the Father stays mindful of us, never relaxing his tender care, nor lessening his love.

It is no accident that the word rendered Almighty is Shaddai in Hebrew, which is closely linked with shadayim – a nursing mother’s sweet-flowing breasts. Thus, in Genesis 49:25 we read ‒

By the Almighty [El Shaddai] who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts [shadayim] and of the womb.

He is deemed Almighty because a mother seems so to her baby, and because a mother is wholly sufficient for her infant’s needs, and because, for God to be all-sufficient means that he must also be all-powerful.

And always the Father’s aim is to restore us to a new level of prosperity. For the next verses say ‒

God injures, but he bandages. He beats you up, but his hands make you well. He will keep you safe from six troubles, and when the seventh one comes, no harm will touch you! (Jb 5:18-19, GW)

Spoken to by the Lord

Then I would still have comfort. I would be happy despite my endless pain, because I have not rejected the words of the Holy One. (Jb 6:10, GW)

How striking! Despite endless pain, Job clung to the Word of God, and there found happiness until in the end it was fully granted him. This is indeed a mysterious quality of the Bible. It is a source of unquenchable comfort

to those who anchor their lives in it; and

to those who allow it to fill their minds and spirits.

Note, too, that the word translated happy here occurs nowhere else in scripture, and commentators are unsure of its meaning. It is related to a young horse, filled with exuberant energy and the sheer joy of life, leaping, prancing, stamping the earth with its hooves, eager to run like the wind. So, applied to people who trust the Word of God, it seems appropriate to see in it the idea of happiness.

But scripture cannot have such force if it is not opened and read ‒ and not just read, but deeply absorbed, and meditated upon (Ps 1:2-3).

Answered by the Lord

So far you haven’t asked for anything in my name. Ask then, and you will receive, so that you can enjoy true and full happiness. (Jn 16:24)

Here is a rare event! Something entirely new is introduced into the world and into human affairs! No one had ever before, across the entire span of human history, lodged a request with heaven in the name of Jesus !

Note, though, that asking in his name is much more than just mouthing a formula, or a useful way to end a prayer. Those who pray in the name of Jesus must have a sense of who Jesus is, of the meaning of his name, of his precious blood, of the righteousness the name conveys, and the like.

Note too that ask is present imperative, which in Greek has the sense of continuing ‒ that is, keep on asking. The Greeks had another tense, aorist imperative, to describe asking just once.

The promise of the Master is clear; yet a mystery remains ‒ enough prayer is answered to encourage faith, but not so much that faith is no longer needed! He tells us that with a firm command we can move inconvenient mountains (Mk 11:22-24; Mt 17:20; 21:21); yet, no one has ever done so – at least, not literally! It seems as if the Lord has cast his promises too high for any of us in this life to scale their peak; hence, the promises perpetually challenge us to keep climbing, reaching for an ever-richer fulfilment in daily life and ministry.

Wedded to the Lord

Let us rejoice, be happy, and give him glory, because it’s time for the marriage of the lamb. His bride has made herself ready. (Re 19:7)

The young couple had been dating each other for some time, and the girl was waiting with increasing impatience for a proposal of marriage. But the boy gave no indication of doing so. On one occasion he took her to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and while they were perusing the menu, he asked her, How would you like your rice ‒ steamed or fried? She looked him sternly in the eye, then answered in one word ‒ Thrown!

Like that hopeful maiden, we too earnestly strain toward that sweet coming day of the marriage of the Church to Christ, and the wedding feast of the Lamb!

However, we ought, as Scripture does, restrict the language of marriage-love to the Bride, the Church as a whole. We should not so speak as individuals about our union with Christ. Individually, believers are guests; collectively, they constitute the bride.

What does that mean? No one really knows, except that the metaphor is probably meant to express the ultimate pinnacle of happiness and unity in the world to come; for, just as in this world the day a young couple marry is a time of surpassing rapture, so will joy possess us then.

Conclusion

Putting all those things together, one soon realises that lasting happiness and enduring comfort do not arise out of an accumulation of things; rather, they are a state of mind, and belong innately to all true Christians. Happiness can’t be bought. Comfort has nothing to do with materialism. Happiness is the inner peace that only Christ can give; comfort lies in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Peter puts it this way ‒

You have never seen Jesus, yet you love him. And you don’t see him now, yet you trust him. Therefore, you rejoice with an indescribable joy that is full of glory! (1 Pe 1:8)

All of that lies in the passage at the head of this chapter, where Paul uses the word paraklesis (comfort) and its cognates no less than 10 times (2 Co 1:3-7) If discomfort is turned to comfort, then one may presume that happiness will also arise. Yet happiness is perhaps susceptible to a meaning that is too earthy, or perhaps too circumscribed. So, Paul chose paraklesis, which can be grasped in times of peace and of war, in plenty and in persecution, in poverty and prosperity, in weakness and in strength. Indeed, there is no circumstance anyone can face where divine paraklesis will be denied to those seek it. And in that heavenly comfort – which is true and eternal happiness – we may rejoice for ever!

Finale

It is said that the 18th century Russian general Alexander Suvorov usually slept at night in his daywear. When asked if he could sleep comfortably fully dressed, he replied that he was well able to do so if he removed one of his spurs. In our case, the solution is just as simple. Would you live with joy and sleep contented? Then cast aside all anxious care, clothe yourself in the love of God, and allow the peace of Christ to possess your heart and mind at all times. (Cl 3:15) That is happiness indeed! That is comfort beyond measure!

Chapter Four

Amen!

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As surely as God is faithful, so our word to you has not been ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you … was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, but in him it is always ‘Yes’. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are all ‘Yes’ to us in Christ. For that very reason we should boldly speak the ‘Amen’ so that God may gain glory through us. (2 Co 1:18-20)

Just before the First World War, the Canadian poet Robert Service, in his Ballads of a Bohemian, (5) tells the story of a neighbour of his, an artist, whose life’s work lay unsold and unwanted in his garret in the Bohemian quarter of Paris. (6) The young painter had

... burned to throw on canvas everything he saw,

Twilight on water, tenderness of trees,

Wet sands at sunset, and the smoking seas,

The peace of valleys, and the mountain’s awe.

But he had to accept the bitter truth that his talent was mediocre, and that no one else would ever see in his poor daubs the visions that had moved him so deeply. So, he resolved to end his life. But first he destroyed every one of his canvasses, and then, in his last moments, raised a wild, despairing lament –

Oh, why does God create such men as I? –

All pride, and passion, and divine desire,

Raw, quivering nerve-stuff, and devouring fire,

Foredoomed to failure, though they try and try;

Unfound, unfit to grapple with the world ...

We are all like that young painter — foredoomed to failure, though we try and try! Often our dreams of beauty and holiness, of achieving success and prosperity, of fulfilling our deepest aspirations become instead nightmares.

Mr Service himself probably felt some measure of the artist’s anguish. Although he was a wealthy man when he died in 1958 (his several anthologies of poetry and other works were all best-sellers), he acknowledged that he was at best a second or even third rate poet, albeit very popular during his lifetime. But he would never stand among the great bards.

One evening he was sitting alone in a Paris café, (7) which he called L’escargot D’or (The Golden Snail), and he wrote this assessment –

I have no illusions about myself. I am not fool enough to think I am a poet, but I have a knack of rhyme and I love to make verses. Mine is a tootling, tin-whistle music. Humbly and afar I follow in the footsteps of Praed and Lampson, of Field and Riley, hoping that in time my Muse may bring me bread and butter. So far, however, it has been all kicks and no coppers. And to-night I am at the end of my tether. I wish I knew where to-morrow’s breakfast was coming from. Well, since rhyming’s been my ruin, let me rhyme to the bitter end. (8)

He went on to write his dramatic poem It is Later Than You Think, which he followed with a prelude to his next poem, which he himself describes as a jingle! Then, in an anthology called Rhymes of a Rolling Stone (Ernest Benn Ltd, London, 1929) – he wrote Prelude –

I am no wordsmith dripping gems divine

Into the golden chalice of a sonnet;

If love songs witch you, close this book of mine,

Waste no time on it. (9)

In the distress of the painter chap, perhaps Mr Service was describing some of his own deeper feelings, his painful awareness that he was clever enough to know that he was not clever enough. It is a bitter frustration that most people who are gifted, but not highly gifted, must live with. They are skilful enough to play in the orchestra, but they will never be an acclaimed soloist. Proficient but not great. Talented but never a genius.

And in the realm