Paul is determined to show that his weaknesses and sufferings are all part of God's plan and strategy:
Hard work
Prison
Floggings
Exposure to death repeatedly
5 x 39 lashes from the Jews
3 x beatings with rods
1 x stoned
3 x ship-wrecked
Night & day in open sea
Constantly on the move
Danger:
From rivers
From bandits
From his own countrymen
From Gentiles
In the city
In the country
At sea
From false brothers
Laboured & toiled
Often gone without sleep
Know hunger
Thirst
Gone without food
Cold
Naked
Daily pressure of his own concern for all the churches
Paul believes he is given a thorn the flesh to return him to God and to realise that God's grace is sufficient for Him - His power is made perfect in weakness. He will therefore boast about His weaknesses so Christ's power may rest on Him.
12:11-21 Paul is facing accusations that He is not a 'super-apostle'
He answers by saying he has sought not to be a burden to them, but rather give generously to them. He has been committed to speaking in the sight of God, rather than in the sight of others - He is doing things to strengthen the Corinthians
Paul is concerned in v20-21 that he may not find the believers as he wants them to be and vice versa. He longs that those who have been sinning will have repented and turned from them.
Paul's attitude in ch 13 is gracious and loving, demanding more than one witness, but asking them to examine themselves. He wants to see the believers built up, not torn down.
Do I see myself as there to build the church up, or to tear it down?
v 14 sums up our Christian heritage - it comes from the grace of the Lord Jesus, is show in the love of God and demonstrated by the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Together, working together, they demonstrate Christian love, unity and witness.
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