preaching in the book of II Corinthians

Following in the same footsteps II Corinthians 12:17-18 - "...Did I take advantage of you because of one of those I sent to you? I called for Titus and sent a brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Do we not walk in the same spirit, in the same footsteps?..." INTRODUCTION God has proposed a safe path for us, which implies living according to the eternal plan that the Lord established in his eternity. DEVELOPMENT When Paul addressed the Church in Corinth, to demonstrate that those who had been sent to them, in this case Titus and another brother who the Bible does not mention by name here, he tried to make it clear that they shared the same understanding, the same feeling and the same attitude, since values had been placed in their hearts by the Holy Spirit, that they were part of the Faithful Church of Jesus (body). "...Have I taken advantage of you by any of those I sent to you?.. has Titus taken advantage of you? Paul asked the people in Corinth a few questions, since he had noticed a certain resistance to those who had been sent to them. His question? Did Titus make use of any material goods, or did he perhaps dispossess any of you? Did he extract any good from you for himself? The answer to these questions was: no. The nobility of the servant life is to live by what is spiritual, you can't bargain, much less barter as many have done. What is spiritual is not for sale, it cannot be negotiated. The word tells us: "Freely you have received, freely give". "... Do we not walk in the same spirit?" To walk in the same spirit is to walk, in other words, to walk in the direction of the Holy Spirit. We have decided to live a life of communion with our God. We don't walk according to the flesh, but with experiences with God. "...The same footsteps... Footsteps often leave marks, they allow the wayfarer to correct the path, to tread the same path that was trodden by those who came before him. Psalm 119:133 "... Order my steps in your word, and no iniquity has taken hold of me. CONCLUSION When Paul talks about his attitude and that of the servants who were sent to the brothers in Corinth, he once again demonstrates the fairness of their actions, bringing to everyone's attention the commitment they had made to the Lord. What was the commitment of Paul, Titus and the servant who had gone with Titus to Corinth? To walk in the same spirit and follow in the same footsteps. The Church's commitment lies in walking in the same spirit, being led by the Holy Spirit and following in the footsteps that the Lord Jesus left. We don't walk according to men or follow in their footsteps. We only follow Jesus who has eternal life for us. More Preaching Outlines HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE - TITUS 1:1-4 Were not our hearts burning? - Luke 24:32-33 The bright morning star - Revelation 22:16 The Gospel Transforming Man ORNAMENT OF DOCTRINE - TITUS 2:10-10