Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

November 23
Saturday

*Rapture
LIVING LETTERS

READ:
2 corinthians 3:1-11
________________________________________________________________________

Clearly you are an
epistle of Christ...
written not with ink
but by the Spirit of the
living God.
__2 Corinthians 3:3
________________________________________________________________________

In November 1963, the same day that President John F. Kennedy was shot, another leader died__ Clive staples Lewis. This Oxford scholar, who had converted from atheism to Christianity, was a prolific writer. Intellectual books, science fiction, children's fantasies, and other works flowed from his pen with a strong Christian message. His books have been used by God in the conversion of many, including a politician and a Nobel Prize-winning scientist.

Some are called to tell others about Christ through their writing, but all believers are called to tell others about Christ through their writing but all believers are called to be "epistles," or letters of Christ, in the way we live. The apostle Paul tells us, "Clearly you are an epistle of Christ... written not with ink but by the Sprit of the living God" (2 Cor. 3:3).

Certainly Paul does not mean we are actually pieces of paper upon which God's message has been a written. But as living "letters" we can illustrate how Jesus Christ makes a differecne in how we treat others and strive to live with integrity.

Few will have the influence that C. S. Lewis did, but we are all called to bring glory to the One who loves us and has redeemed us! __Dennis Fisher

`````````````Dear Lord,You have called me to be a witness for You`````````````
`````````````wherever You have placed me. Every day my life is on````````````
````````````display. Help me to live in such a way that others will``````````````
```````````````want to know You and the abundant life You offer.```````````````
______________________________________________________________________________________
we are Christ' "letters of recommendation"
to all who read our lives.

**********************Today's Bible Reading __ 2 Corinthians 3:1-11***********************

1 Do we begin again to
commend ourselves? Or
do we need, as some others,
epistles of commendation
to you or letters of
commendation from you?

2 You are our epistle written
in our hearts, known and
read by all men; 3 clearly
you are an epistle of Christ,
ministered by us, written
not with ink by by the
Spirit of the living God, not
on tablets of stone but on
tablets of flesh, that is, of
the heart.

4 And we have such trust
through Christ toward God.

5 Not that we are sufficient
of oursleves to think of
anything as being from
ourselves to think of
anything as being from
ourselves, but our
sufficiency is from God,

6 who also made us
sufficient as ministers of the
new covenant, not of the
letter but of the Spirit; for
the letter kills, but the Spirit
gives life.

7 But if then ministry of
death, written and engraved
on stones, was glorious, so
that the children of Israel
cold not look steadily at
the face of Moses because
of the gory of his
countenance, which glory
was passing away, 8 how
will the ministry of the
Sprit not be more glorious?

9 For if the ministry of
condemnation had glory,
the ministry of
righteousness exceeds much
more in glory. 10 For even
what was made glorious
had no glory in this respect,
because of the glory that
excels. 11 For if what is
passing away was glorious,
what remains is much more
glorious.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In defending his apostleship, Paul argued that he did not need an
introductory or authorization letter from anyone. Instead, he said
that the changed lives of the Corinthian believers authenticated his
apostolic ministry (vv.2-3). Our changed lives are a testimony to
Christ's transforming power (Rom. 1:8; 16:19; 1 Thess. 1:8-9).