Week Twenty
It seems obvious that Paul struggled immensely with the churches in Corinth and Galatia. They both had outside influences that were taking the church down the wrong path. While Paul wrote some incredible theology in both letters, his outright boldness can be difficult to read! Some of the things he says to the Galatians would be way too risky to have documented anywhere today! Imagine if your pastor told someone in an email that another person should be emasculated (Galatians 5:12)? That email would not survive the slaughter of instagram or any other social media outlet.
As much as we admire the apostle Paul, if he lived today cancel culture would have called him out and we would not hear from him again. Wouldn’t it be sad to miss out on 2/3rds of the New Testament! Thankfully, the culture and people of the time were not as sensitive as we are today and it was easy to see both letters as incredibly instructive and even inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit.
That’s really the key. All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Since we believe that, as you finish 2 Corinthians this week and read through Galatians and into Ephesians, take a moment each day to ask the Holy Spirit, ‘what do you want to teach me?’ Where do I need to be rebuked and corrected? Am I open to being trained in God’s definition of righteousness? These are questions we should continually ask ourselves. When the real answer is ‘no, I’m not feeling open to any of this today,’ take a moment. Take a breath. Close your eyes and listen to what your body and your spirit are saying. Spend time in silence and listen for God’s voice. He knows your current struggle! He will encourage you. He will provide the space in your heart to read on. This is not a race, it is a journey and we are on it together! Take heart! Jesus has overcome the world!
You can write a comment below, or reach me, Melissa, at mrightmire@crnaz.com . Thank you for traveling with me on this journey through the New Testament.
Below are the readings for week 20:
May 15, 2025 2 Cor 12–13 NIV, Ps 109:title–10 NIV
May 17, 2025 Gal 3:1–4:20 NIV, Ps 110 NIV
May 18, 2025 Gal 4:21–6:18 NIV, Ps 111 NIV
May 20, 2025 Eph 3:1–4:16 NIV, Ps 113–114 NIV
May 21, 2025 Eph 4:17–5:20 NIV, Ps 115 NIV
