READINGS FOR NOVEMBER 27-DECEMBER 3

 NOVEMBER 27

Paul circumcises Timothy. This appears to be a contradiction. Paul had just established at the Jerusalem Conference the importance of not imposing circumcision upon the Gentile converts. He even had the decrees of the council at Jerusalem with him. Yet he circumcised Timothy. Possibly Paul thought that if Timothy remained uncircumcised he would be considered unclean by the Jews to which he would minister and that they might be prejudiced against him and his message. Paul was using circumcision in Timothy’s case, not as necessary to salvation, but conducive to the building up of the church. Timothy was to be Paul’s assistant and constant companion and might not be accepted if he were uncircumcised. (“to the Jews he became as a Jew, that he might gain the Jews”)

The slave girl in today’s passages was inhabited by a spirit. Paul commanded the spirit to leave the girl. Even though the things she was saying were true, they were not from God. Testimony about Jesus was to come from Believers and not from demonic spirits. This is an example of Satan’s deceit and craftiness. He will tell just a little bit of truth so that some will believe and be drawn to a particular person or group. That’s the hook. Then he will be able to teach falsehoods and so deceive people. He tells just enough truth so that people are easily fooled.

The owners of the slave girl were angry that Paul and Silas had stopped their intake of money from the girl fortune teller. That’s why they had Paul seized claiming he and Silas were advocating unlawful customs. The magistrate ordered them to be stripped and beaten. KJV says the magistrates rent off their clothes, ordering the lectors to tear them off, expressing the roughness done to prisoners, preparatory to whipping.

They were severely flogged and then placed in prison in stocks. This was the inner prison (pestilential cells) damp, dark, and cold where chains often  rusted on the prisoners. During the time of Paul’s journeys, many died from flogging. Many died from the stocks.

The stocks were instruments of torture, made of wood bound with iron, with holes for the feet, which were stretched apart according to the severity of the punishment or torture. Yet the response to this persecution??? Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God. The Greek words here mean “as they prayed they kept singing praises unto God”. The word for hymn is the one used for the Paschal hymn (Psalm 113 - 118) which might have been the hymn sung by Jesus and the disciples after their last supper together.

The prisoners kept listening to Paul and Silas instead of sleeping. They were awake and listening. A violent earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, the prison doors opened; all the prisoner’s chains were loosed. But no one escaped. What a great witness to the jailer! It was so great a witness that later the jailer and his whole household were saved because they all became believers in Jesus. When the magistrates sent for their release, Paul responded with. “No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.” WAY TO GO PAUL!!!

Paul and Silas went to Lydia’s house and encouraged the brothers. Interestingly it was Paul and Silas, the ones who were tortured and imprisoned that encouraged the brothers, not the other way around.

In Athens the people had many gods and objects of worship, even an altar “To An Unknown God” just in case they had missed one. KJV says the city was wholly given to idolatry (covered with idols).  Paul said they were very religious (not a good thing).  They were performing the acts of many particular religions.

Epicureans were a well-known school of atheistic materialists, who maintained that the universe is the product of chance, and that pleasure was the chief end of human existence. Sounds a bit like humanism among other false religions today.

The philosophers asked Paul what this new teaching was.  For them, they knew little about the prophecies of the Old Testament being fulfilled in Jesus.  To the Jews this was not a new teaching, They had heard all along about a Messiah to come.

When they called Paul a babbler they were insulting him. It was a general term of contempt for any pretend teacher.

When Paul came to Corinth he devoted himself exclusively to preaching to the Jews. After Paul left the synagogue he left the Jews and went to the Gentiles. Has Paul finally realized that his mission is to the Gentiles and not to the Jews?  Then the Lord spoke to him in a vision. He was told to stay in the area and to continue speaking and that he would be protected. “So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.” It’s as if God were giving Paul a much needed time of rest, relief, and rejuvenation. Preaching vs. teaching. Preaching is hard work - trying to convince people who may be resistant. Paul was preaching to the perishing, teaching to the believers.  Quite a different framework.

NOVEMBER 28

Thessalonica was the capital and largest city in Macedonia, a Roman province. It was one of the wealthiest and most flourishing trade centers, due mostly because of its location on the highway from Rome to the Orient. There was also a thriving seaport located there. The city was exempt from most restrictions placed by the Romans because they were allowed self rule there. It was the site of many pagan religions.

Paul tells us that faith comes first, and then works. From our faith we are motivated to do good works. Work produced by faith, labor prompted by love, endurance inspired by hope. Work is a deed or act, labor is work involving pain and/or sacrifice. We make a progression from a deed to real work that involves some sacrifice or pain, leading to endurance which is cheerful waiting.

“We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts…”
We can please men by saying what they want to hear and be a Christian, but we can’t be content to just please men, saying what they want to hear and be a servant of Christ. To be a servant of Christ we are compelled to bind or knit ourselves to Christ.

Paul mentions that he never used flattery or put on a mask to cover up greed when he was teaching and preaching.  This is a far cry from some religious establishments today.  Many rely on flattery and not the gospel to draw people in and wear a mask of religiosity to cover up their greed for money, power, and position.  It seems as if, so some, their main objective is to enhance their own desires and not to spread the gospel.

Paul mentions that the Thessalonians had suffered from the Jews. "They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they many be saved."

We couldn't help but think about the Messianic Jews in Israel, recipients of the hostility from the Orthodox Jews. The Messianic are not proselytizing the Jews but yet the Orthodox Jews don't want the Messianic to witness to the Gentiles or atheists either. Paul tells us how God feels about that. "they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last."
The same demons are at work today. The demons know the truth and want to stop it.

In 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Paul mentions the coming of Jesus with His holy ones.  These holy ones are the powerful angels written about in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10. They are not believers who have been raptured.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-19 and 5:1-11 Paul writes about the nature of the resurrection and the second coming of Jesus.  For a clearer picture of what Paul is writing about we must read Daniel 7:9-14, Revelation 6:9-11, Hebrews 12:1, 1 Corinthians 15:23-26, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.

“…let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet…”
Again we have the faith, love, and hope as Paul gave us at the beginning of this letter. The helmet and breastplate defend the two vital parts, the head and the heart respectively. The head needs to he kept from error, the heart from sin.  Work and labor paired with faith and love. Cheerful waiting paired with salvation – the hope of eternal rest.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Remember, God is the perfect parent! It’s appropriate for us to say, “This is God’s will so it must be good for me.” We may never know how we’ve witnessed to others simply by the way we react to difficult circumstances. Look at what happened with Paul and Silas and the jailer. The saved ones are the product of our witness – our glory and joy – great is our reward!

NOVEMBER 29

Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians was a bit different from his first one. The first was full of thanksgiving and exhortation. The second letter was a bit more somber. Apparently between the two letters, the church there had come under some persecution.

Paul wrote this second letter less than a year after writing the first one. There was some confusion among the people concerning the second coming. Many thought it was imminent and so were just waiting without doing much. He wrote this letter to clear up the confusion concerning Jesus’ second coming. Read I Thessalonians 4:16-17 and then read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. Paul made it very clear what things MUST take place BEFORE Jesus returns.

The events before the second coming include a “falling away” and the man of lawlessness revealed:
1. falling away
2. anti-Christ is revealed,
3. anti-Christ will declare he’s God (the Messiah) in a temple in Jerusalem not yet built.

Through satanic empowerment, the lawless one will display counterfeit signs, wonders, and miracles and deceive many people. People will perish because they do not love the truth. If we love the truth we will study and search for it. If we don’t know the truth we will be deceived.

“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
We should have no fear of the evil one or the powerful forces of evil because we will be protected from spiritual harm if we trust in Him. We do need to stand firm with all the armor of God in place. (see Ephesians  6)

We must understand that spiritual warfare is real. We must take spiritual attacks seriously. How do we know  when something is a spiritual attack? We must know our enemy the devil, his tactics and his style. How do we know our enemy? We must study, memorize, and apply scripture. We must be in communication with the  Lord through prayer. We must be in fellowship with other believers.

As humans we think of attacks as something that hurts. In reality the attacks from Satan may feel good. He "whispers" in the ear such things as, “you don’t really need to go to church or fellowship group today, or you’re too tired to read your Bible, or you’re running late this morning so you don’t have time to pray", etc. He helps us rationalize away spiritual disciplines, (devotions, prayer, Bible study, worship and praise, fellowship with other believers) things that draw us closer to God.

Some of the devil’s deadly “Ds”:
Doubt, when unchecked leads to disbelief. Disappointment leads to discouragement, which leads to despair. Distraction, delay, discord, deceit, all lead to division.

If the things that happen to us push us away from God, then it’s from Satan. If things pull us to God and give glory to Him, then it’s from God no matter how it feels to us, even if it’s painful.

What is Paul’s distinguishing mark? Could it be the large letters he uses as he writes because his vision is poor?

Apollos “was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.”

Apollos knew about Jesus but didn’t know Jesus. He, along with the Old Testament people believed in the Messiah, the Redeemer, in advance of His coming. Apollos was teaching about the Messiah.

A similar thing occurred with Paul and some followers in Ephesus. They received only the baptism of John, the baptism of repentance. Paul baptized them in the name of Jesus and they received Jesus as personal Lord and Savior and they received the Holy Spirit.

Why were the seven sons of Sceva not able to drive out the evil spirit? Could it be that they were just saying words and weren’t given the power or authority to drive out demons? Notice what happened when the people heard about it. They were seized with fear and openly confessed their sins. Many who practiced sorcery brought their scrolls and burned them publicly. These scrolls were very valuable, just for the paper itself, not to mention what was inscribed on them. The parchment itself was expensive. The scripture tells us that the scrolls were worth about 50,000 days wages. That’s the equivalent of about 137 years wages. Talk about selling out!

NOVEMBER 30

Corinth was a major seaport and trade center, the capital of Achaia (present day Greece). The city was very prosperous with great cultural and religious diversity. It was ripe for corruption, filled with immorality. Idolatry flourished with more than a dozen pagan temples employing more than a thousand prostitutes. The temple of the love goddess Aphrodite was there. Sex was a part of the worship ritual.

The church at Corinth had been established by Paul on his second missionary journey, made up largely of Gentiles. The Christians there were struggling with the corruption all around them and felt the pressure to adapt. Paul wrote this letter to offer solutions to the many concerns and to answer the questions that had been raised.

“Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift…”
The body of Christ as a whole does not lack any spiritual gift. In any body of Christ, truly seeking Him, there will be no lack of gifts. It may be that one spiritual gift may be enhanced over another if there is a need for that particular gift in that particular body.

Paul warns the church, then and now, regarding divisions within the body of Believers.  Any fellowship of Believers should be "perfectly united in mind and thought".  This is not necessarily an easy thing to do.  But there is ONE truth - not what a person may want the truth to be.

Paul didn’t seem all that too concerned about baptism. He said Christ didn’t send him to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with his own words. Be baptized (immersed) in the Holy Spirit.

Paul mentions the teachings about Jesus are as "foolishness to the Gentiles" . The Gentiles were coming from a pagan culture and mindset and didn't know the customs of the Old Testament laws and prophecies of the coming Messiah.  The Jews did know about them and Paul called it a "stumbling block" to them.

Paul tells the Corinthian church that he did not come to them with eloquence or superior wisdom, but with a personal testimony of the Spirit’s power. He was demonstrating a characteristic of the gift of evangelism. Paul was thoroughly educated in the scriptures and could have spoken with superior wisdom, yet he spoke from personal experience.  From these verses it seems that Paul did not coerce anyone to come forward to an "altar call".  He merely presented the gospel of Jesus.  It isn't the effectiveness of the deliverance of the message, but the message itself.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him…”
In our wildest imaginations, we can never imagine what God has prepared for us!

The Holy Spirit is not only our teacher, He reveals to us the deep things of God.  He teaches but the question is...are we listening?

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”
Paul told them of salvation through Jesus. Apollos nurtured, educated, and encouraged them. But when all is said and done, it is up to God to produce the growth. We can do what we have been gifted to do, then leave it in the Lord’s very capable hands.

If we are “servants of Christ” then as servants we must do what the Master tells us to do. We are servants who have been “entrusted with the secret things of God”. It is up to us to prove faithful and share those “secret” things with others. As we learn more and more about Him, through Bible study, prayer, devotions, we must witness for Him. We must be faithful to His word and be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  A very special quote for us is this one.  "If you know the way, light it for others."

1 Corinthians 4:5b
...At that time each will receive his praise from God.
WOW!  Imagine at Judgment - receiving praise from God! (see also Jude 24)

“Therefore I urge you to imitate me…”
This appears on the surface and taken out of context to be arrogant on the part of Paul. We must read the previous passages to understand what Paul is referring to in this instance. He just told the Corinthians that he and his companions in the gospel were hungry, thirsty, in rags, brutally treated, homeless, cursed, persecuted, and slandered. And that his response to this was to bless, endure, and answer kindly. In other words, Paul is saying that everything we do as Believers in Jesus is the opposite of human logic when it comes to dealing with the enemy.  Paul is saying to the people in the church at Corinth, "You are merely saying the words, I am living the words."

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”

DECEMBER 1

Paul addresses a specific incident concerning sexual immorality and tells them how to deal with the person.  “When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.”

There are parameters listed in this situation, the group must be spirit-led and assembled together for all the right reasons and within the will of God.  This person (with the sinful nature) has to “hit rock bottom”, be at the bottom of the pit and have no where to go but up. Paul's statements address sin within the Body of Believers. Those within the Body who are pure of heart and mind are obligated to point out the sin so that the person may be convicted of that sin.

Paul warns about the yeast of malice and wickedness (most of the time when yeast is mentioned it is not a good thing, in fact it is a symbol of sin) and encourages them with the bread of sincerity and truth.

“For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.”
Our sins are forgiven, obliterated, not just covered over temporarily as with the old covenant.

In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul writes "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?"  But then in Chapter 6:1-8 Paul writes about the saints judging the world.  This seems to be a contradiction.  In Chapter 5 Paul is saying that he has no authority or jurisdiction over the affairs of the world, but he does have authority among the Body of Believers, just as each of them have that same authority over each other.  They are to evaluate but not condemn.  Concerning judging the world, we as Believers are to evaluate what goes on in the world and are to discern right from wrong. There are several definitions for the word "judge", among those definitions are "to separate, to determine, to evaluate, to produce an opinion concerning right and wrong, to rule, to govern, to judge."  We understand which definition to use based on the context in which it is written, along with what we already know about other Scripture.

Paul lists a number of sins in chapter 6, verses 9-11.  He says that those people committing those sins will not inherit the kingdom of God.  This does not mean that these sinners are not saved. It means they will not inherit rewards.  The parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates this very well.  The prodigal squandered his inheritance.  He was still in the family, but didn't have an inheritance.

Chapter 6:12
Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial. 
An example of this may be eating certain foods.  Some foods may be delicious but are they really good for us?  Paul says that even though we have the free will we should not let that free will be a license to sin.
Paul separated sexual immorality from other sins. He says that the one who sins sexually sins against his own body and that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Our relationship with Jesus has been repeatedly compared to a marriage relationship. In Corinth as well as in today’s society, sex outside marriage was treated as a normal, even a desirable part of life, while marriage was seen as confining and joyless. Paul made it clear that Christians should take no part in sexual immorality (including homosexual relationships), even if it is accepted in society. It is a sin against God, it hurts all those involved.

“..You are not your own; you were bought with a price…”
Believers don’t belong to themselves.

Concerning marriage and singleness in chapter 7, it appears as if Paul is answering some specific questions concerning specific situations. Some of his answers may seem difficult to understand unless we put a specific question with Paul's answer and we don't know exactly what those questions were. For example when Paul addresses unbelieving spouses, he says, "I, not the Lord say..."  It may be that there were no specific commandments to which Paul could refer and from which he could answer the question.  He had to rely on his judgment based on what the Lord had given him.

Paul expresses that he doesn’t want to be distracted by a family. He believed if he had a family it would slow him down in his ministry.

“But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.”
While we may be tempted to trivialize this statement with "HA!", Paul is merely saying that he wanted to prevent conflict between spouses.

“…but there is one God, the Father…and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ…”
Paul makes a distinction here between God and Lord, identifying God as the Father and Jesus as the Lord. The word God means supreme deity. The word Lord means supreme authority.

“I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means, I might save some.”
Paul met them where they were without condemning them but he certainly didn't condone their sins. He presented the gospel to the perishing so that some may be saved.

“…for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”
No doubt here that it was the Son of God who interacted in the wilderness with Moses.

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.”
We must stand firm with the whole armor of God, not standing firm with our own confidence (the equivalent of standing on "thin ice").

“And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear…”
Good news for all believers when faced with temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:14
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.
Paul writes that we should run away (not just turn away) from anything pagan.  He associates the word pagan with demonic activity.  We should not combine the godly with the pagan.  Nothing pagan can ever be "baptized" into something godly.

In Acts 15:13-21 we read that James decides (and the others agree) to send a letter to the Gentile believers with some guidelines for them to follow.  Among those guidelines were for them to abstain from food sacrificed to idols.  In 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 Paul again brings up food sacrificed to idols. This is in reference to anything pagan, whether it be food, pagan traditions, or any activity designed to honor a false "god". Pagan traditions and pagan holidays do not bring us closer to God.  Honoring His holy days do bring us closer to Him.

Food sacrificed to idols was honoring a false god.  Contrast this with what Jesus said.
John 6:51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

Both Jesus and Paul were speaking about spiritual matters. God continually warns us against bringing anything pagan into our worship of Him.  

1 Corinthians 11:13-14
Now, I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 

This verse is an example of the Bible interpreting itself.  Paul clearly identified that the head of man is Christ, therefore if the man who prays or prophesies with Christ covered dishonors Christ.  A person who speaks without submission to the truth and authority of the word of Jesus, dishonors Jesus. It's as if that person hides the light of Jesus under a basket. For the remainder of that chapter, it is necessary to put it in the context of the culture of the day.  Women were under the authority of the husband.  Temple prostitutes shaved their heads to identify who they were.  With that cultural mindset, reading the verses again may give a better understanding.

DECEMBER 2

Paul speaks quite plainly concerning unity and fellowship within the body of Believers.  The problem was that the emphasis was on the physical food and fellowship rather than spiritual food and spiritual fellowship. They were greedy for the physical benefits. Paul tells them not to be so concerned with earthly, material things but to be concerned with spiritual matters.

“Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.”
Don't you just love the way Paul words things???  Wonder why he didn't just say, "Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I want you to be informed." ?

We are supposed to know and understand our spiritual gifts. The body of Christ, the church is diverse. Because of our different spiritual gifts we view things differently and we interpret things differently. We are motivated to do things differently. We are born with certain talents and natural abilities but when we are born again, we are given certain spiritual gifts. Talents are natural. Gifts are supernatural. Evidence of a spirit-filled church (or fellowship of Believers) is one in which the members exercise their gifts for one another. God has chosen to minister to his people through us!

Interestingly, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is used often during weddings, and rightly so, as it applies to the love between a man and a woman.  But since this passage is between Paul's writing about the use of spiritual gifts, try putting all the gifts through the filter of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

“…since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church…”

“Tongues, then, are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.”

It seems as if speaking in tongues falls into two categories:
1. known languages
2. spiritual language

There was a definite need for the apostles (and others) to be able to speak many different known languages such as they were able to do at Pentecost.  Also in traveling to different places where other languages are spoken it was necessary for God's people to speak the known language of the unbeliever so that the Believer may communicate with the unbeliever about salvation through Jesus.

There is also a time for spiritual language to be spoken.  This can be done while in private or in public if an interpreter is present.  Because speaking in tongues is so misunderstood, people tend to be fearful but Paul was clear in 1 Corinthians 14:40 when he said "...do not forbid speaking in tongues.  But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way."

“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.”

Paul explains that those who have the gift of prophecy speak to believers for edifying the church – for strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. He says that those who have an understanding of the Old Testament prophecies will be able to make connections with those prophecies being fulfilled in Jesus.

Those who speak in tongues edify themselves unless there is an interpreter present. To excel in a gift is to find out more about it, then exercise that gift and use it properly.

Paul warns about allowing women to lead in church. We have to remember that girls were not formally taught in the synagogues as the boys were. They did not have a formal  education nor knowledge of scripture. They didn’t have the foundation to speak with understanding. Many women were speaking and confusing others. This is why Paul warned about allowing women to lead. Paul suggests that the women be taught by their husbands first. The same warning applies to new believers. Many new believers are simply not equipped yet to teach with authority with that firm foundation of the knowledge of spiritual matters. However, Jesus made it clear that there is definitely a place for women in leadership. Whew! Glad He did!

DECEMBER 3

Paul reminds the brothers to "hold firmly to the word I preached to you.  Otherwise, you have believed in vain."
The word Paul spoke to them was salvation through Jesus alone.  Anything else is believing in vain.  It is of no account.  An example would be honoring Jesus as the bread of life as opposed to honoring food sacrificed to idols.

Speaking of Jesus,
“Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
This James is thought by most scholars to be the brother of Jesus who at first did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but later believed and became a leader of the church in Jerusalem.

Paul says that he was abnormally born. Not many of us have the spiritual birth that Paul did.

The resurrected Jesus appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at one time.  Does this mean Jesus only appeared to Believers after the resurrection?

1 Corinthians 15:22-24
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first-fruit, and afterward they who are Christ's at His coming; then is the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He makes to cease all rule and all authority and power. 

Quite a bit of time takes place between these verses.  Jesus rises first, which has already taken place. Then when He returns to establish His Millennial Kingdom on earth, those who will be with Him are the martyrs, patriarchs of the past, prophets, apostles, and whomever else Jesus chooses. (John 5:21)These will reign with Him on earth for 1,000 years.  After that when Jesus has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power, He will deliver the kingdom to God the Father, the Ancient of Days. (see Daniel 7:9-14). God will raise all the rest of the dead. (John 5:26-29) 

Concerning spiritual bodies…we have a natural body and a spiritual body. It’s hard for us to comprehend how our spiritual bodies will look. Imagine an apple seed. If we plant an apple seed, a seed doesn’t grow – ultimately a large beautiful apple tree with leafy branches, beautiful blossoms, and luscious fruit grows. The final result looks nothing like the seed. Our spiritual bodies will be far more beautiful than a “seed”.

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
What a statement this is! Death is not defeat. Believers are victors in death because we will have inherited eternal life.

“…because a great door for effective work has been opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.”
Just as Paul did, we may have opposition if we are doing effective work for the Lord. Has a great door been opened to us Believers for effective work? Do we have the courage to walk through that door, knowing we will be empowered by the Holy Spirit or are we weak because there are many who oppose us?

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

So even if we think we aren't making a difference, God says we are! What encouragement!