2Corinthians 3-4 - Prayer Tents

2Corinthians 3

3Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not!G756G3825G4921G1438G1508G5535G5613G5100G1992G4956G4314G5209G2228G4956G1537G52162The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you.G5210G2075G2257G1992G1449G1722G2257G2588G1097G2532G314G5259G3956G4443Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.G5319G3754G2075G1992G5547G1247G5259G2257G1449G3756G3188G235G4151G2198G2316G3756G1722G4109G3035G235G1722G4560G4109G25884We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ.G1161G5108G4006G2192G1223G5547G4314G23165It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.G3756G3754G2070G2425G575G1438G3049G5100G5613G1537G1438G235G2257G2426G1537G23166He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.G3739G2532G2427G2248G2427G1249G2537G1242G3756G1121G235G4151G1063G1121G615G1161G4151G2227

The Glory of the New Covenant

7The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away.G1161G1487G1248G2288G1722G1121G1795G1722G3037G1096G1722G1391G5620G5207G2474G1410G3361G816G1519G4383G3475G1223G1391G846G4383G3588G26738Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?G4459G1248G3780G1248G4151G2071G3123G1722G13919If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God!G1063G1487G1248G2633G1391G4183G3123G1248G1343G4052G1722G139110In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way.G1063G2532G1392G3761G1392G1722G5129G3313G1752G1391G523511So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!G1063G1487G2673G1223G1391G4183G3123G3306G1722G139112Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.G3767G2192G5108G1680G5530G4183G395413We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away.G2532G3756G2509G3475G5087G2571G1909G1438G4383G4314G5207G2474G816G3361G816G1519G5056G267314But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.G235G846G3540G4456G1063G891G4594G3306G846G2571G3361G343G1909G320G3820G1242G3748G2673G1722G554715Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.G235G2193G4594G2259G3475G314G2571G2749G1909G846G258816But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.G1161G2259G302G1994G4314G2962G2571G401417For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.G1161G2962G2076G4151G1161G3757G4151G2962G1563G165718So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.G1161G2249G3956G343G4383G2734G1391G2962G3339G846G1504G575G1391G1519G1391G2509G575G4151G2962

2Corinthians 4

Treasure in Fragile Clay Jars

4Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.G1223G5124G2192G5026G1248G2531G1653G1573G3756 2We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.G235G550G2927G152G3361G4043G1722G3834G3366G1389G3056G2316G1389G235G5321G225G4921G1438G4314G3956G444G4893G1799G2316 3If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing.G1161G1499G2257G2098G2076G2572G2076G2572G1722G622 4Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.G1722G3739G2316G5127G165G5186G3540G571G1519G3361G5462G1391G2098G5547G3739G2076G1504G2316G826G846 5You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.G1063G2784G3756G1438G235G5547G2424G2962G1161G1438G5216G1401G1223G2424G1223 6For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.G3754G2316G3588G2036G5457G2989G1537G4655G3739G2989G1722G2257G2588G4314G5462G1108G1391G2316G1722G4383G2424G5547 7We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.G1161G2192G5126G2344G1722G3749G4632G2443G5236G1411G5600G2316G2532G3361G1537G2257 8We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.G2346G1722G3956G235G3756G4729G639G235G3756G1820 9We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.G1377G235G3756G1459G2598G235G3756G622 10Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.G3842G4064G1722G4983G3500G2962G2424G2443G2222G2532G2424G5319G1722G2257G4983 11Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.G2249G3588G2198G3860G104G1063G3860G1519G2288G1223G2424G1223G2443G2222G2532G2424G5319G1722G2257G2349G4561 12So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.G5620G3303G2288G1754G1722G2254G1161G2222G1722G5213 13But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”G1161G2192G846G4151G4102G2596G1125G4100G1352G2980G2249G2532G4100G2532G1352G2980 14We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.G1492G3754G1453G2962G2424G1453G2248G2532G1223G2424G2532G3936G4862G5213 15All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.G1063G3956G1223G5209G1223G2443G4121G5485G4052G1223G2169G4119G4052G1519G1391G2316 16That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.G1352G1573G3756G235G1499G2257G1854G444G1311G235G2081G341G2250G2532G2250 17For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!G1063G2257G1645G2347G3588G3910G2716G2254G2596G5236G1519G5236G166G922G1391 18So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.G4648G2257G4648G3361G4648G991G235G991G3361G991G1063G991G4340G1161G991G3361G991G166