47) The Book of 2nd Corinthians

SECOND CORINTHIANS was not written long after the first epistle. The theme of this letter is the ministry. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah provide practical instruction for the ministry and the book of Ecclesiastes is an example of the delivery of a message, but the second letter to the Corinthians gives the negatives of an honest ministry. A proper ministry differs from a religious corporation that functions according to corporate regulations. A true ministry serves according to the words of God rightly divided doctrinally (Acts 24:14).

The ministry involves many tremendous sacrifices of an experienced soldier of Jesus Christ (Eph. 6:10-20; 2 Tim. 3:1-5). The true ministry is like carpentry, farming, fishing, husbandry, ranching, sheep herding, and the military. The Lord often chooses men from these professions for the ministry. The epistle describes the experiences of the Apostle Paul in the ministry. The letter contains 13 chapters and 257 verses.