Power in Weakness: 2 Corinthians. Part 1. Comfort, Hope and Being Burdened Beyond What You Can Bare.

Read: 2 Corinthians 1:1 – 1:11

• What do you notice?
• What stands out to you?
• What observations or questions does this passage raise?

Discuss:

The church in Corinth struggled with listening to and respecting Paul because of his sufferings, which did not sit easily with their definitions of strength and success.

• When have you noticed the temptation to edit your stories to look or sound better or more competent than you actually were?
• Why do you think it is so common to respond to people’s “How are you?” with some mild positive, rather than share our struggles?
• How does Paul’s free admission of his struggles challenge the expectations of the Corinthians – especially alongside his strong claims in v.1?
• What advantages does Paul identify in admitting our struggles in this passage? (This harks back to Matthew 5:4).
• What help does Paul acknowledge from the Corinthians themselves?
• What extra help can we be to other people if we have been open about struggles and needing help?
• What comfort have your experiences in life prepared you to be able to extend? Who could you offer support to because you are more able to empathise?

Pray: for courage to put aside our masks of success and competency and acknowledge our struggles, and for opportunity to be able to extend the comfort we have received to others so they can experience God’s gentleness and love for themselves.