New Year, New Bible Study!

​We’ve finished our Christmas series for the season and have rolled into yet another new year.  So now it’s time to start a new Bible study.  In 2017, we covered lots of ground traveling through the fields of Bethlehem in the story of Ruth, watching the unfolding drama of Hosea and Gomer’s love story, and learning from the mistakes and struggles of the Colossians.  Now as we start the new year of 2018, it’s time to jump back into an in-depth study of God’s Word.

But what book should we study?  There are so many options and great choices!  All of God’s Word is alive and applicable, so how do we choose?! 
 
Well, after much prayer and consideration, God led me to a powerful book.  It’s located in the New Testament and was penned by the Apostle Paul.  It is NOT one of Paul’s prison epistles but it does contain a number before its name.  Can you guess which book we’ll be studying?
 
II Corinthians!​

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​Have you ever wanted an up close and personal look at the Apostle Paul?  Did you ever ponder what passions, concerns, and apprehensions filled his heart and what drove his long and self-less ministry through the fiery trials of persecution and eventual martyrdom?  Outside of the role of scholar, doctrine creator, and church planter, what was Paul like?
 
We’re going to try and find answers for these questions in one of Paul’s most personal letters that are now canonized in Scripture:  II Corinthians.  Written to a young church located in one of the most immoral cities within the world at that time, II Corinthians contains so many snapshots of Paul and his heart for God’s people. 
 
It’s not a letter loaded with deep theological doctrine or heresy disputing advice, but it’s a personal letter from a spiritual father to his struggling spiritual children.  It’s a letter of comfort, encouragement, exhortation, and most of all love.  It’s a letter born out of many sleepless nights and worry on Paul’s end as he took full responsibility for the spiritual health of this young church.  So while II Corinthians may be the most scattered and least systematic of Paul’s letters, it contains a level of rawness, deep sincerity and urgency, and heart-to-heart openness not found in other letters. 
 
So join me in delving into this deeply personal book, and together let’s see what we can learn from taking a closer look and study at the great Apostle Paul’s caring heart.

“We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open.  You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections.  In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.”
~II Corinthians 6:11-13

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​For this Bible study we will continue with our usual posting schedule of every Wednesday and Saturday.  So join us for an amazing time through the pages of II Corinthians and be encouraged, exhorted, and challenged by Paul’s heart for these believers.  Some of my favorite passages and verses are found in this wonderful book, so I know that you’ll find at least a couple nuggets of truth that will resonate with you. 
 
Also, if you enjoyed last year’s Bible studies—Ruth, Hosea, and Colossians—stay tuned, because I have some exciting news about these studies that I will be sharing with you in the next month or so.
 
In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend, and I hope to see you over on the II Corinthians study!
 
(Note:  If you’re already subscribed to the “Bible Study” email list you’ll keep getting the emails for the new study.  But if you’re new to So I Fix My Eyes and would like to receive email updates as we go through II Corinthians, you can do so by subscribing to our email list and choosing the option “Bible Study.”)