The Painful Visit
- Okay, the real reason that Paul cancelled his visit to Corinth is because he didn't want to have another "painful visit." At least that's what happened the last time he stopped in Corinth. Ouch.
- Apparently, there was some kind of disagreement between Paul and a male member of the Corinthian congregation. Paul doesn't go into details (we're guessing the Corinthian gossip mill has already made this news known). He also doesn't name his opponent, so we'll just call him the Offending Brother.
- We don't know what happened, but we do know that what was really upsetting about the whole incident was that the Corinthians ended up siding with the Offending Brother instead of Paul. How rude!
- Paul cancelled his travel plans and did what he does best—he wrote a letter. This letter made him super sad though and he cried a ton while writing it.
The Tears Did It!
- But—good news—the letter worked. Paul hears that the Corinthians have kicked the Offending Brother out of the church.
- Okay, but now, Paul tells them they should work on bringing him back into the church (wait, what?). Oh, you know. Forgiveness and all that jazz.
- Paul heard all this news first hand from his friend, Titus (who had been to visit Corinth). Needless to say, this made Paul very, very happy.
- But really, this is all God's handiwork. He has led Paul and his fellow apostles on a victory march through the streets. God loves a parade, apparently.
- Paul and his cohorts aren't like some apostles who are really just "peddlers of God's word." They're sincere and truthful. They come from God. Now that's a solid resume.