Hope Valley Church Weekly Study

Prevail: 2 Corinthians

Week 1

The Comfort of God: Can I Really Deal with the Hurt I Feel?

Focus: In a later letter to the church in Corinth, Paul humbly bares his heart and life as a follower and apostle of Jesus. Paul shares the sufferings, trials, difficulties, conflicts, and heartaches that have driven him ever closer to the comfort of his saviour, magnifying the power of Jesus as a witness to all.

Study by: Carol and Des Joyce
Sermons can be viewed on the Hope Valley Church YouTube Channel

Praise, Thanks and Reflection

Share from one or more of the questions below:

What are you thankful for since meeting together?
Where have you seen God at work in being comforted in a time of grief? (It may involve death, losing/changing jobs, moving house, moving to another country…)
How has God used you to comfort others in their grief?

Care and Prayer

In prayer capture the things you have shared above after also inviting people to share any personal needs for prayer or support.

2. Opening God’s Word

Setting the Scene

Asia in the New Testament was a region in what is now called Asia Minor, or present-day Turkey. At the time, it was part of the Roman world, well within the Greek cultural zone. It was located south of the Bosporus, west of Galatia. Several of the cities mentioned in Paul's missionary journeys are in or near Asia. It is the birthplace of the first churches of Christianity. Ignatius corresponded with these churches to keep them thriving in a time of persecution and strife. Asia Minor was conquered by Rome in the 2nd Century BCE and enjoyed a long period of peace until the Middle Ages.

The province of Asia, created around 133 B.C., is mentioned directly in the King James Bible twenty-one times (Acts 2:9, 6:9, 16:6, 19:10, Acts 20:14 - 15, etc.). It contains the Roman regions of Mysia (Acts 16:7 - 8) and Phrygia (a region shared with Galatia - Acts 2:10, 16:6, 18:23, 1 Timothy 6:21).

Read: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

G.S. Duncan suggests that, failing to get Paul convicted in a State court, the Jews of Asia Minor took the law into their own hands and, in a purely Jewish ecclesiastical court, administered the thirty-nine lashes (2 Cor 11:23). This brought him to the verge of death.

Share what you can recall of any other hardships that Paul endured in his missionary journeys.
What effects did these sufferings have on Paul?

Joyce Meyer says that no one can comfort us like God can—He is “the God of all comfort” (2 Cor 1:3). (You may like to listen to the 5-minute audio of what Joyce Meyer has to say. Ref #3 below.) When we’re discouraged, disappointed, grieving, or dealing with a painful situation of any kind, we can run to His Word for strength, healing, and support.

Read the following scriptures around the group: Hebrews 13:5, Jeremiah 29:11, Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 3:3, Matthew 5:4, Psalms 34:18.

Share how one of these verses has helped you to be comforted.
Why do you think that we are sometimes more open to God’s comfort when we are experiencing a painful situation?
Often our problems do not completely disappear, but our attitude and response can make all the difference. Share an example of this in your life or in someone you admire.

3. Living out the Heart of God

Memorise Romans 8:28 this coming week.
Paul found that intense pressures led him to depend on God all the more (v 9). How do you respond to pressures that seem beyond your ability to handle?
If you have someone on your heart who is under intense pressure now, commit to earnest prayer for them in the coming week (and maybe in the group if appropriate).

Song: Worthy of it All by CeCe Winans

Prayer for each other

As a group, get one person to read the prayer below.

Dear Father, great and gentle one,
When I am utterly, unbearably crushed so that I despair of life itself, when I feel as if I have received the sentence of death, remind me that I am to rely not on myself but on you, the God who raises the dead.
It is only you who can deliver from deadly peril. I have set my hope on you. You deliver me again and again and again. How faithful you are!
I pray for my many brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world, that they will experience relief from suffering, deliverance from peril, and comfort after grief and despair.
Grant bountiful blessings to your people, my God, in answer to many prayers. Please receive this one and make it count among the many others! Thank you, Father. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Spirit.
Jesus has taught us to besiege you with constant prayer. Here we are again, coming in his precious name. Amen.

Break into 2s or 3s to pray.
Pray for each other for any commitment you have made to live out what you have learned.
Praying for your 5 (from your Relational Map - See ‘The Heart of God’ Study - Week 1)

References:

Contacts
If you would like more information or further help please contact:
scott.button@hopevalleychurch.com.au