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Monthly Archives: September 2020

The In Crowd

In his second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul begins to talk about some of the “super-apostles” that were traveling around at that time. There were a number of them who associated together. They looked down on ministers like Paul who was not a trained speaker.

This is like the associational or denominational groups of our day. They have the temptation of thinking their group is the best. Paul gives us some insight into these people.

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.
2 Corinthians 10:12

The first word I want to look at in this verse is “classify.” That’s an interesting word. It literally means to judge in or to count among.

There’s a modern word that I think, best describes what Paul is saying here. That’s the word, label. Paul tells us that he doesn’t label himself as one of them.

We live in a society of labels. We label people in regards to everything from appearance (race) to gender identification to religion, and politics, just to name a few.

I believe that labels have no place in the body of Christ. As soon as you place a label on yourself, a barrier goes up that can begin to exclude people.

The next thing he says is that he doesn’t use that group as a standard of comparison. What these other ministries do or don’t do has no bearing on what Paul is called to accomplish.

This should apply to us as well. We have no business judging ourselves based upon what others are doing. Each of us has a unique set of gifts and callings in Christ Jesus.

One of the biggest problems with the “super-apostles” that Paul’s talking about is that they commend themselves. This means that they put themselves forward or display themselves. That’s never a good idea.

In the church, we need to let our praise come from the Lord or others. What I say about myself is immaterial. Only those who have been affected can say what they have received from my ministry.

According to Paul, the problem with these other ministries is that they’ve come up with their own method of comparison. It’s also a problem among church leaders today. It’s all wrapped up in the word, measure.

That word is all about size. How big is your church? How many people are on your e-mail list? How many subscribers to your blog?

Since when do these factors translate to your anointing? It’s more about maturity, obedience to God, and the eternal effects of your ministry.

We need to stay focused on what really matters. Don’t be looking at and comparing yourself to what others are doing. Walk your own path with Christ.

Question: What is the number one calling upon your life right now?

Using Authority

04 Sep

Some people use their authority as a weapon. They try and force others to do their will. Paul talks about what he sees as the correct use of the authority God gives to church leaders.

For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it.
2 Corinthians 10:8

Apparently, there were those who vilified Paul’s ministry. They looked at the fact that he didn’t force his authority on others as a weakness. They falsely claimed that this was proof that he had no authority.

Of course, Paul was not the type of person who cared what others said about him. He continued to walk in his calling before God.

He explained to the church that the reason God has given him authority was to build them up and not to tear them down. Paul boldly declares that he won’t be ashamed of not being a spiritual bully.

I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.
2 Corinthians 10:9-11

Even in his writings, Paul is not trying to force anyone to do his bidding. But there is a greater ministry at work here.

There are obviously people who are jealous of Paul’s ministry. So in order to feel better about themselves, they have to discredit Paul.

In their critique of Paul, they admit that his letters are powerful. The words they use show that they see the weightiness and the force behind what he’s saying.

There’s a reason for this. I don’t think that anyone knew it at the time, but God had anointed Paul to write New Covenant Scripture. Of course, these critics could see that Paul’s letters were important.

The letters had to be powerful. The Holy Spirit was empowering them to speak to the church for another couple of thousands of years. Without question, they had a force behind them.

But in person, Paul was speaking to a congregation that he had given birth to in the spirit. He wanted to nurture and love on them. That’s why some despised Paul, saying that his in-person ministry was of no comparison to his letters.

What these people didn’t realize is that Paul had the authority of God to “clean house”. He just preferred to use a gentler method. He wanted those under his ministry to desire the changes that were necessary.

This should speak to us. As church leaders, it should never be our goal to force those under us into submission. We should be seeking to lead by example. In that way, we’re portraying the true picture of Christ to those around us.

Question: What are your thoughts on leadership by example?

Looking Below the Surface

02 Sep

As we continue through Second Corinthians, Paul is talking about the authority we have in Christ. We’ve been given powerful spiritual weapons that everyone needs to know how to use.

He now talks about why this is the case.

And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
2 Corinthians 10:6

The way this verse is written in English makes it sound like we get spanked for our wrongdoings after we’ve already started obeying. That’s not really what it says.

In Greek, both the words disobedience and obedience have the root word of hearing. There is no word, act, in the original. This is about hearing and doing God’s will.

The disobedience that Paul is talking about could be either a misunderstanding or a willful ignoring of God’s will. Now that the church has received correction from the apostle in his first letter, this has been resolved.

So, in essence, Paul is telling them that there is vindication because they’re now walking in obedience to God’s plan for them. They listened to, and are now following Paul’s correction.

The key is, how well are they listening? It goes toward motive. When we know what God wants us to do, are we willing to obey?

This goes right along with something Paul wrote earlier in this epistle. He referred to the sorrow and repentance that his first letter caused.

See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
2 Corinthians 7:11

They had done some things that looked like they were ignoring God’s desire for them. It might have been done innocently or willfully. The point is that when Paul brought it to their attention, they repented and turned back to obedience.

That is what vindicated them. Now they need to examine their inner man.

You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he.
2 Corinthians 10:7

In this verse, Paul is simply talking about drawing logical conclusions. Looking on the surface it’s clear that the Corinthian people belonged to Christ. By that same line of reasoning, Paul and his ministry team belong to Christ as well.

We need to see through the eyes of Christ. Sometimes what believers do, doesn’t exactly line up with what the Lord wants them to do. However, that doesn’t make them any less a follower of Christ.

We need to give people the opportunity to grow and mature without judging and accusing them. Allow the Holy Spirit to work in His own way.

Question: What are some things that you’ve changed as you’ve matured in Christ?

The Spirit and the Word

Monthly Archives: September 2020

The In Crowd

Using Authority

Looking Below the Surface

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