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DAY 6 – EXPERIENCES
(2 Corinthians 1:3-7)
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies and God of all comfort, 4 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. 5 For
as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share
abundantly in comfort too. 6 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.
7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our
sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 8 For we do not want
you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we
were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
On this final lesson of being
involved as a member of the church, we look at perhaps one of the most
comforting passages in the Scriptures, found in 2 Corinthians chapter 1. In
your own Bible, it is affirming to circle all of the times the word “comfort”
is used in this passage.
Some of the experiences you
may have gone through to help you be involved in the ministry may have been
positive, educational, even inspirational. One of my favorite truisms in life
is this:
Good judgment comes from
experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.
Whether your experience has
been good, bad, or neutral, God can use it for His glory. Romans 8:28 says that
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,
for those who are called according to his purpose.”
The passage from 2 Corinthians
goes on to say that the experience Paul went through was instructional to “make
us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”
Think back through your
life and see how God has brought you through the good and bad to make all
things work together for good. If you have not seen the final product yet,
remember that Christ promised that some revelations will not be made known in
this life, but in the one to come.
Today’s assignment is in
writing your personal salvation testimony. This may be familiar territory, or
it may be new. Our goal is to get involved in the lives of others to help your
experiences show them through your testimony how they too can be saved.
The following pages are for
you to take out of the notebook and share with the class, so be discreet and
discerning on how much information you wish to share.
First, write down a brief but
helpful story of how God has brought you to where you are today. Begin with a
description of how your life was before you were saved. The Bible says that every
one of us were born in a fallen nature and state, separated from God. None of
us were born “saved” or with no need for redemption and forgiveness by Christ. Romans
3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Even those who were raised in
a godly home and never knew a time when they did not know about God, even they
must come to saving relationship with God. God the Father only has children and
does not have spiritual grandchildren, so just because your parents were
Christians, that does not mean you are by nature or nurture automatically a
Christian. John 1:12-13 says it this way:
12 But to all who did
receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become
children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of
the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
The writer is speaking about
being spiritually born again (see also John 3). We cannot save ourselves and
our spiritual life comes not simply because we “believe” in God, but we also
have to “receive” Him into our lives.
Second, as you pray and reflect
on your “B.C.” (Before Christ) days, ask God to reveal what were some things
that made you realize that you were in need of salvation. This is what I call a
“life need”. Some examples include a fear of death, the loss of a loved one, an
overwhelming sense of sin and need of forgiveness, a trauma in your life, a
reflection of Christ in someone else’s life that may you want to have what they
have, a spiritual or emotional worship service, Vacation Bible School, someone
came and shared the plan of salvation.
It may not have been a
negative event but perhaps a positive appreciation of the goodness of God that
led you to salvation. Romans 2:4 says, “God's kindness is intended to lead
you to repentance.” This too is a “life need” to respond to the goodness
and mercy of God.
Third, write down what your “life
need” was that drove you to Christ. Your experience should include some
Biblical input of how Christ changed you. Remember, the goal of 2 Corinthians 1
is to use the comfort that comforted you to help in comforting others, and in
this case, lead others to a salvation relation with Christ.
You may need the assistance of
a Christian friend, or an online Bible study help to find verses that helped
you come to salvation with Christ. My favorite resources is found at “blueletterbible.org”,
but others use “biblehub.com”, “biblegateway.com”
or “biblestudytools.com”.
Last, write down how Christ has
met your life need. If you were afraid of death, tell how the Bible and Christ
help you overcome that fear and trust Him for your eternal life.
Your story at first may be
short, but please fill in all four sections and remember to find some verses
that have been meaningful to you or that you find in your search for this
assignment that accurately describe what you have experienced.
As you have seen in this
class, the Bible is a vital part of our message and it even stats that “faith
comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Elsewhere it says that “the
Word of God is powerful as a two-edged sword.” Therefore, your story, combined
with His Story, can help others receive Christ as a part of their story.
Part 1: My life before
Christ
Part 2: My life need that
led me to Christ
Part 3: My realization on
how Christ met my life need
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