2 Corinthians 11:16-12:10
Key Verse 12:9 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
* PAUL BOASTS ABOUT HIS SUFFERINGS (11:16-29)
1. Why did Paul begin to boast about himself even though it was out of his character? (16-21) What did the “super-apostles” boast about? (22-23a; cf. Philippians 3:4-6)
2. What sufferings did Paul boast about to prove himself as a servant of Christ? (23b-27; Note that persecution is part of Christian life. cf. 2 Timothy 3:12; John 15:18-20) In addition to external trials, what inner pressure did Paul face?
* PAUL BOASTS ABOUT HIS WEAKNESSES (11:30-12:10)
3. Why did Paul boast about his weakness? (11:30; 12:9b) How did this event in Damascus reveal his weakness? (32-33; Acts 9:25)
4. What did he go on to boast about (1-4) and why had he refrained from mentioning it? (6) How did God keep Paul from becoming conceited? (7)
5. What was God’s unexpected answer to Paul’s prayer? (8-9) What does it mean that Christ’s power is made perfect in our weakness? (9) In light of this, what attitude should we have toward our own weaknesses and sufferings? (10)