9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong.
Paul’s ministry required him and his team to endure hardship; that is, their weakness. Their weakness made them strong (2 Co 12:8-10; 13:4). They were not concerned about whether they appeared weak to the Corinthians, but that the church was “strong” in the exercise of their faith. The apostles’ team had no desire to display their authority by discipling the church; they were willing to appear weak if discipline was unnecessary. This assumption rested on the church’s spiritual condition when Paul would arrive.
And this also we pray,
The apostle’s second prayer was for the welfare of the church at Corinth.
that you may be made complete [restored].
Paul prayed that the Corinthians would have a mature approach to the problem by being restored. His foundational desire was that the church would mature to the level necessary for a healthy assembly.
The Greek noun for “complete” appears only here in the New Testament. The verb form occurs many times for restoring something to its original condition, to make it fit for its purpose. For example, it was used for resetting a dislocated bone and for outfitting a boat. A similar noun appears in Ephesians 4:12 for equipping the saints for the work of ministry.
PRINCIPLE:
Christians need completion in the faith for a mature church.
APPLICATION:
The idea of being complete carries the concept of supplying what lacks in a church’s faith (1 Th 3:10). First Peter uses “complete” for restoring those who suffered persecution (1 Pe 5:10). Galatians uses the word for restoring a believer into fellowship (Ga 6:1). Many churches need reclamation to God’s dynamics for them. Even a church needs to mature, to build back to what they once were (He 13:20-21}.
