Welcome back to Daily Bread! Ready to share more of Paul’s letter? Great! Remember when we left off, Paul was answering some questions that the Corinthians had asked him in a letter or letters of their own.

          Just as in every society, there are those who will question the authority of the leaders and it seems that it’s been brought to Paul’s attention that some people were in doubt of some of his methods or teachings.

          Unfortunately, we only get to know Paul’s character through his writings, but as captivating as they are, you can only imagine what Paul’s personality was like when he was sharing the Word in person. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is only the second of fourteen letters that are included in the Bible with Paul’s own testimony and you’ve already experienced many different emotions of his. You’ve seen that his tactics are effective and most importantly, you can’t escape the TRUTH in what he says.

          Paul certainly didn’t care how he brought lost sheep to the Lord, as long as he brought them. If your own child was kidnapped and returned, you wouldn’t ask of he who brought the child home what the rescue plan was, you’d just be grateful that your precious child was home safe and out of harms way. It appears that the Lord didn’t question Paul’s manner because He continued providing His Holy Spirit to Paul which was visible not only in his words but in the miracles that were performed through Him by God..

          But, as I said before, there are doubters in every crowd, and there were bound to be those who would raise their eyebrows at Paul’s ways. You read in the Gospels how the Pharisees persistently and relentlessly questioned Jesus’ motives, so you must know that Paul expected the same treatment. In fact, if you’re a Christian, spreading the Word of God, you know first hand that people will examine whatever you say and question the authenticity of your every word. Our credibility is tested not only in our words, but by our actions as well. This is to be expected as all are to check the fruits ... Matthew 12:33 and to prove all things 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

Paul, you'll find was a tremendously patient man. Imagine, doing all you could for your flock, loving them, devoting your life to them. After all, Paul was a tentmaker, he could have been pretty well off one would think, if he hadn't surrendered all to follow Jesus. At that time, tents were peoples' homes. In today's world, he might be the equivalent of a homebuilder. It's probably a safe bet that he didn't answer to anyone in his profession, and he might have achieved an "upper class" income level financially speaking, if he were to pursue his career.

Now, imagine, you give all that up for the love of Jesus, you forfeit having a wife and children so you can devote all of your time effort and energy to serving the Lord, you go on journeys that take years to complete, you're persecuted verbally, stoned, whipped, mobbed, etc., etc., etc., by unbelieving Jews (your own people) and Greeks that had a separate god for every aspect of life, but now, to top that off, people of your own congregation are questioning whether or not you're a fraud because of rumors. These were false brethren within the church!

DOUBTERS IN THE BIBLE WARNINGS OF DOUBTERS IN THE BIBLE DANGERS AND DOUBTERS IN THE BIBLE CONCERNS

I must point out that though there were problems in Corinth, the church there was considered a huge success. To take a people from the blatant heathenism that they practiced there, introduce Christianity and start a church was not an easy task by any means whatsoever.

Not only did Paul surrender what most wouldn't, but to avoid feeling obligated to anyone, he practiced tent-making while he was sojourning. But really, what rights did the other apostles have that Paul shouldn't? Their faith alone ... Their conversion was a sign of his true apostleship.