Stand Strong in the Word
Stand Strong in the Word is a weekly bible study that teaches through the Bible verse by verse in chronological order. For more information, visit www.standstrongministries.org.
Stand Strong in the Word
#280 "From Suffering to Strength: A Ministry of Authenticity" (2 Corinthians 6:1-13)
What if the key to enduring ministry challenges lies not in our strengths but in embracing the power of the Holy Spirit? Join Jason as he teaches this profound shift in perspective through the lens of 2 Corinthians 6. By mirroring Paul's journey in ministry, we uncover how authenticity and faithfulness can transform our personal struggles and how we can effectively serve God and others.
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Have you ever felt overwhelmed or struggled while serving the Lord? You're not alone. Ministry can be tough, but there's hope. Today we'll discover how to shift our perspective and find strength, not in ourselves, but in the power of the Holy Spirit, just as Paul did. So I encourage you to turn to 2 Corinthians, chapter 6, and let's get into it. Well, hey there, my friends, welcome to Stand Strong in the Word podcast. Jason Heman is with you, as always, and blessed to be with you.
Speaker 1:Guys, as we continue our study here in the book of 2 Corinthians. We are now transitioning into chapter 6. And so, if you've missed any previous podcast, I encourage you to check those things out wherever you get your podcast, and please do us a huge favor, and I want to thank you guys in advance. Leave a review, let people know I'm bad at that as well. Leave a review let people know I'm bad at that as well, but, man, when I'm impacted by a movie or music or a podcast, I need to remind myself to leave a review, because I want people to know about it, to help those people who are putting out good content.
Speaker 1:So now, as we're in 2 Corinthians 6, the title is From Suffering to Strength we're gonna be talking about a ministry of authenticity. What does this actually look like Now? If you remember, if you've been with me in 2 Corinthians 5, the gist of that chapter is about the ministry of reconciliation, and we have been called to be God's ambassadors that he chooses to use us and in so doing he pleads and implores through us. It's a very personal connection that we have with God and God has with us, and through us we are able to share with others. And so, on the heels of that, paul now transitions into this appeal about receiving God's grace, and then talking about the opposition, talking about the challenges that he has faced in ministry, and then, once we finish this, we'll get into that famous and often controversial and debative passage where we see in verse 14, do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. And so we're going to save that particular passage for another episode. But today let's dive into verses one through 13, where Paul says working together with him, then we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says in a favorable time, I listened to you. In a day of salvation, I have helped you. Behold, now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
Speaker 1:We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry. But as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way by great endurance and afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, riots, labor, sleepless nights, hunger. By purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the holy spirit, genuine love, by truthful speech and the power of god, with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left, through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as imposters, and yet are true, as unknown and yet well-known, as dying. And behold, we live as punished and yet not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing everything. We have spoken freely to you, corinthians. Our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in our own affections. In return I speak as to children widen your hearts to us also.
Speaker 1:So if you do go back right here in verse one, when he says working together with him, see, that is a beautiful statement, my friends, with him. See, that is a beautiful statement, my friends, when you and I go back to what we talked about in chapter five, being ambassadors of Christ, knowing, as I said in verse 16, from now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. And then he jumps down in verse 18, as this is from God who, through Christ, reconciled us to himself and he gave us the ministry of reconciliation that is in Christ, god was reconciling the world to himself. Then we are ambassadors for Christ here in verse 20, that God makes an appeal through us, that we implore you on behalf of Christ and knowing that he who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God. And so, when we work together with him in this ministry of reconciliation, that you and I, if you're a born again believer, you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you believe that he died on the cross for your sins and rose again, that he is the son of God, that he is the second person in the Trinity. You're saved, and so you work together with God. And it says then we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
Speaker 1:So, when you follow this discussion based off of this ministry of reconciliation, in verses 18 through 21, paul is summarizing here now, in chapter six, what this looks like, and again, it's beautiful, it's transformative, it's impactful, but it's not easy. As I said in the opening, I often tell a group of leaders, in a leadership talk that I give, that ministry is tough and it's challenging, but it's the most rewarding. So, in my flesh, this isn't something that I want to do, that I want to freely give of myself, but, by the grace of God, in this ministry of reconciliation, as he's restored us to himself, we're able to be privileged in his grace that we're not to take in vain. So this Greek word that Paul uses, synergointes. It means working together, and we get the word synergy from that. We have synergy between us and God, and so we're not to take God's grace in vain. That's why we're saved. It's through his grace, his unconditional, unmerited favor that he has bestowed upon us. That's what Paul was just talking about in verses 14 through 19,. That God's grace is given through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And so it doesn't seem that what Paul is stating here is that the Corinthian salvation is in jeopardy, but rather he's teaching them as they're growing in their faith, not to. He's teaching them as they're growing in their faith not to compromise or to diminish God's grace.
Speaker 1:Now, what's also interesting is what Paul does here by referencing to the book of Isaiah. He uses this phrase in a favorable time, a day of salvation. He says I've helped you, the Lord speaking through Isaiah. Now, what Paul's stressing here in this term favorable time and applying it here to the Corinthians, or the day of salvation, this is a reference to Isaiah, chapter 49, verse eight, and it's underscoring the restoration of Israel that is promised if you go to chapter 52, verse seven. But another thing that Paul is doing here that I don't want us to miss is he's actually drawing into the element of Messiahship. What that means is he is also reflecting on the Messiah to come, who will bring not just salvation but restoration, in a ministry that will be sustainable because it is directed by God, the Father, and Jesus, who is God in the flesh and moved by the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, will accomplish that which he was set out to do. And this is important because this also feeds into Paul's ministry, because, remember, we have synergy with God and when Christ came and he took on the sin of the world and he's transferred us now into righteousness or the imputation that he's declared us, you know righteous that we've been declared righteous. That's justification. Right Now, when we are in ministry, we believe that to be true. But we cannot lose sight of the significance of this, spiritually and for all eternity.
Speaker 1:Because now, notice, in verse three, paul's going to get into some of the issues that he faces in ministry. People are going to be blaming him. People are going to say it's his fault. People are going to say he's an imposter. People say that he's committing of himself, that he's about greed. He's about, you know, trying to advance his status and all he cares about is his needs. He's also going to be persecuted. He's also going to be dragged in front of religious leaders. He's going to be dragged in front of Gentile rulers and he's going to be prosecuted. Eventually he's going to be beheaded.
Speaker 1:So to say that Paul's ministry was smooth sailing is not to understand the ministry of Paul. It's to lose sight of what actually Paul went through. And so I want us now to cover because this is one thing I appreciate about the Bible is its honesty with life. It doesn't just say follow God. Like Abram, when he came out of the land of Chaldeans, you know, he traveled thousands of miles at the end of his life to be obedient to the Lord to go usher in the promised land. That was not easy. Moses being delivered out of Egypt victory there, right, that's what they prayed for. But the challenges that awaited him, leading the millions of people that fled out of Egypt with him, the Hebrew people, and essentially raising up a whole new generation and handing it off to Joshua, that wasn't easy. That wasn't easy. But the bottom line is it was what God had called them to do and they were obedient and it was rewarding to them, despite all the challenges, despite all the issues they faced.
Speaker 1:What is the most important thing here? Honoring the Lord for all eternity. So that's the blessing. So when Paul, in verses three through 13, he's gonna give testimony of his ministry and how much he and his colleagues suffered on behalf of the gospel and for other churches, but it's worth it because he had an eternal perspective. So he says here in verse three, we put no obstacle in anyone's way so that no fault may be found with our ministry.
Speaker 1:Now what is Paul saying here? Well, a couple of things. As we saw in 1 Corinthians, there were accusations. We also see this in the book of Galatians, where they're leveling up against Paul. There's a lot of things. No matter where Paul goes, he has enemies.
Speaker 1:And yet Paul, emphatically, is stating in his defense I have not done anything to insult or to offend. I've given no offense of any sort, of any kind, and this kind of language that Paul is using is, in essence, referring to a misstep, meaning you can't see anything, any misstep, any mistake that I've done. That's run contrary to doctrine and to the calling that God has given me, and if one questions or scrutinize, you will find that to be true. That's basically the challenge that he puts out there and this is something that Paul has regularly done. And again, as I've told you guys repeatedly, as we cover these type of passages in scripture and it's such a great boost for me in ministry is it's okay at times when you have to give a defense and say, okay, you're accusing me, you're attacking me, because that has happened, sadly, quite a lot in the almost three decades of doing ministry full-time, where people have accused me or, wrongly, have slandered my name and at times, whether it be my wife, myself or colleagues have come to my aid, and that's what Paul's doing here.
Speaker 1:This points to Paul being very careful how he goes about speaking and interacting with people, and so we have to make sure that we're being above reproach. And he wants to make sure that he doesn't do anything that could be misconstrued or anything that could jeopardize his ministry. And so right now, I want you to stop and think. Whether you're a volunteer at your church or an organization, a charitable organization, or you are a full-time ordained pastor, you're the leader of your church or you're on staff as a pastor, an elder, you have to make sure, as Paul's saying here, that there's been no fault that I've done. And we're always hearing of these scandals and, to be honest, a big part of me doesn't want to talk about them, because they're sad, they're disheartening, but this is reality, and especially people who are in public ministry, we're at a stricter judgment James 3.1. And you have to speak out about these things so people are not being led astray.
Speaker 1:And then in verse 4, now what Paul's going to do is he's going to arrange his trials into three groups. Notice what he says. He says, but as servants of God. So remember he's talked about being ambassadors, that we have synergy between us and God, that God is using us and so we are servants of God. So when he's talking about in verse three that I'm not putting any obstacle in anyone's way. You can't find any fault, because I'm not abusing or misusing my position, I'm not taking advantage of people. Why? Because he says but as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way by great endurance in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labor, sleepless nights, hunger.
Speaker 1:I love this because when Paul categorizes these things in three areas, he's focusing first on these afflictions, the lipsis. This is something he talks about in 2 Corinthians 1, when he says the God of all mercies and the God of all comfort has comforted us in our afflictions. It's covering all the physical, mental and spiritual pressures and anxieties and problems that we have. So there's not one problem, sin that you have in your life that God can't comfort, that God can't fix, that God can't restore. There's not one sin in your life that God can't forgive. That's what Paul's pointing out here. So, in all of these things that he's faced as a servant of Christ again. And why is he being afflicted? Why is he going through hardships? Why are there calamities? Why is he being beaten? Because he's an apostle, he's an ambassador, he's being sent out into the world to proclaim the gospel.
Speaker 1:So these word hardships in the Greek is ananake. It means adversity. It's also pointing to physical pain and unavoidable challenges. You see, my friends, in ministry we will face hardships that we didn't plan. We can anticipate them, we know they're going to come, we just don't know when and how often and to what extent, and we have to trust the Lord. So, as a servant of God, we commend ourselves and have this endurance in afflictions, hardships. But he doesn't stop there.
Speaker 1:He also mentions in this third group calamities or distresses. This means to be in a tight corner where there seems to be no escape, and it brings on frustration. So you're like in these frustrating circumstances that cause us to be distracted or disoriented. You know when you get upset and so you add all these things together. It's painting the picture of real life when there are times we face physical pain, we get diagnosed with something or a loved one does, or we have mental issues or we've are filled with anxiety and stress, or there's certain adversity, there's unavoidable challenges that we have to try to figure out and we don't know what to do, and this can lead to doubt. Or, again, a distress or a calamity that is feeling like we're just claustrophobic and we don't know how this is gonna be resolved, and it can be very defeating to our spirit.
Speaker 1:I like what the IVP New Testament commentary says regarding this passage. It says, quote Paul starts with the nine kinds of sufferings that he experienced as a gospel minister. Of the nine, only riots does not appear elsewhere in his tribulation lists, and great endurance heads the list In chapter one. Endurance was the end result of divine encouragement received during trials. Here it denotes how one should go about handling adversity. Used positively, the term means to stand firm or to hold one's ground in the face of difficulties. This is in contrast to the Stoics, who taught that life's difficulties can and must be overcome. So here what we have to understand, based on what the commentator was talking about, is that Paul made sure he separated himself from the false teachers and also separated himself from the calamities or the things in the world that we can get. So, you know, become so insufferable that we can lose sight of what God is doing. And you know clearly, paul was not in the business of trying to copy and do whatever the other cynics or Stoics or people in the Greek culture or false teachers were doing. That was not his aim, that wasn't his goal.
Speaker 1:And here when he highlights his personal experiences and he talks about his sacrifices. He's not boasting about that, you know. He's. He's commending himself again as a servant of the Lord, saying this is what we've gone through Like. Right now, as I'm recording, I'm gonna be heading to Nepal and when I hear about how they serve there and how faithful and fervent they are, it blows my mind. They're not bragging about how sacrificial they are, it's just a way of life, it's a mindset, and I love this.
Speaker 1:And this is something we have to look at oftentimes is when you again you're not comparing your ministry to a false teacher, right, and say, well, I don't want to be like them and I'm going to go. No, you look at the scriptures and then, as you look to the scriptures and you're walking obedient before God and you're following the example of people like Paul, you're not gonna be a false teacher. And then, when you do see a false teacher or you call out a false teacher, yes, you're gonna say I don't commend myself like that. When have you ever seen me do that? Like when these people are begging for money and they're using you or they're taking things out of context, and so Paul undermined the credibility of the false teachers, while catch this affirming the truth of his own integrity in his ministry to the Corinthians. And that's what we should be able to do. You should be able to look to the people that God has called you to minister to and say when have I ever taken advantage of you? I've suffered alongside of you. I've come not because the money's good. I've come because I want to be obedient, because God has called me to be here in obedience. That's what's important.
Speaker 1:In fact, if you go back to 1 Corinthians, chapter 4, 9 through 13, remember Paul described some of the issues that he faced. Remember he said, for I think that God has exhibited us apostles as, last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. We are fools, for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we, in disrepute To the present hour, we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless. When persecuted, we endure. When slandered, we entreat. We have become and are still like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things". I mean, it's just. I look at this and I think of just ministry today and everything's so plush and so expansive and big and loud and noticeable and platform and likes and reposts and retweets. He says we're the scum of the world, we are poorly dressed, we don't even know where our next meal is going to come from. Wow, that is hardship. But notice what he says down in verse six.
Speaker 1:But purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love by truthful speech verse 7, and the power of God with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left. What Paul does is he enumerates the challenges and adversities in his life by recognizing again God's grace. He tells the Corinthians not to take in vain in verse 1. By God's grace he gives us the spiritual tools that we need to get the job done, and that's the primary focus, that's the eternal perspective. Yes, we acknowledge, we do recognize and we mourn and we will suffer and we will experience pain. That is real.
Speaker 1:But our focus is not on these external challenges, because oftentimes it's like I don't want to do that and immediately we disregard any inner qualities that have been given to us by the Holy Spirit. You know and when we have this tendency, god's not going to be able to use us as those ambassadors, he's not going to be able to use us to be his mouthpiece. We're not going to go where we know we ought to go and we have to know, despite the challenges, god will equip us, he's faithful and he will fulfill his purposes in our life to spread the gospel, even if those environments are challenging and hostile. Because this, my friends, is where the rubber meets the road. If you will in the ministry that, if God has transformed your life, if you believe that and you're indwelt with the power of the Holy Spirit he will give you, he will enable you to not only survive but to grow amid adversity. And what Paul points out here is purity and knowledge and patience that God has given us the moral character to endure. So again, when he says, I commend you as a servant of the Lord, I'm not trying to take advantage of anything.
Speaker 1:He wants to be a man of moral character, and I love this other phrase that he uses by truthful speech, it's literally translated in the word of truth. It's something that Paul said in Colossians 1, verse 5. He says because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel. So we don't just believe in the gospel, we are to walk in the gospel and its transformative power. So, paul, when you do that, paul's not promoting himself, he's not relying on his own work, he's not being his own anchor, he's not being his own guide. No, instead, paul's determination stemmed from the power of God, which enabled him to preach the word of truth even in the face of difficulties and opposition. Now, I love these two other phrases that he uses where he talks about the power of God and the weapons of righteousness. That, he says, is the right hand and the left.
Speaker 1:Now, I will say this, and I don't want to spend too much time in this, but there are so many different interpretations and commentaries about the language that Paul uses here, about the right hand and for the left. But what I want to point out and maintaining as closely as I can to the text, number one is we know that Paul's using another military metaphor. This is something he oftentimes will do. He does this in 1 Corinthians 2, verses 1-5. He does this in Ephesians 6, 10-11, 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 8, and obviously clearly here. So he's using a military metaphor, and this is something that he wants to do, because I think he's trying to convey to the Corinthians that God will give them strength. God will give them intelligence, not from themselves.
Speaker 1:Remember, paul's not trying to be his own guide or his own anchor and his own strength, his own experiences on an intellect. No, remember he said we're the scum of the world. God uses the foolish things of this world to shame the wise, but he's using this language to point to the demonstration of the spirit and of power that comes from God. That's something he pointed out in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 4 and 5. So this weapons of righteousness remember he just talked about purity, talked about moral character. So we know that we're ambassadors of Christ. We know that we're in a ministry of reconciliation, that we've been justified by faith, that we've been, that the righteousness of Christ has been imputed in us, that we have union with him, that we're one with him, that we're in Christ, and that's what he's speaking about is that not only are we living it, but there's power that comes as a result.
Speaker 1:In fact, one of the things he mentions in the armor of God is the breastplate of righteousness and we are to resist the devil and when he tries to get at us with his fury darts, the breastplate of righteousness protects us, the shield of faith protects us, the helmet of salvation protects us and we're also able to overcome temptation. Now, when you do think of the language right hand and left hand, it's probably referring to the sword, or which more of a dagger, and oftentimes in battle a soldier would have both in hand. And so when you think about him having either a dagger in one hand and a shield in the other, or two daggers, and he puts his shield aside to fight off the enemy, maybe that's what he's talking about. But if you go back in Ephesians 6, 16 through 17, it says in all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of spirit, which is the word of God. So maybe that's what he's talking about, with having in the right hand and for the left, that you are prepared, that you are going into battle in ministry, with all the challenges that come with it and all the hardships and all the afflictions and all the calamities, that you're trusting in the Lord. So now, in verse eight, he says through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise, we are treated as imposters and yet are true, as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and behold, we live as punished and yet not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich and having nothing yet possessing everything. Now, I love this because here Paul's outlining in verses 8 through 10, again these hardships, but also he's referencing to some of these attacks that people are using to try to harm him. And yet, during these challenges, what is he looking to? He's looking to God, because every time when he introduces or he presents a hardship, he counters it or outweighs it with God, with God's sustainability, and he uses this phrase possessing everything.
Speaker 1:See, this is an accurate measure of success or wealth. It's knowing that, despite the fact that, yes, in this world I don't have a lot of what my friends have, but I possess everything God has given me what I need. We don't measure success on worldly possessions. It's measured by how we live our life for the Lord. Jesus said remember that a person in Luke, chapter 12, verse 21, who stores up his treasure for himself on earth is a fool and they're not rich toward God. So we have to make sure, as Paul says here in verse 11, we have spoken freely to Corinthians. Our heart is wide open. What matters is that Paul openly expresses a level of sincerity with the Corinthians because he's fond of them. That's a measure of success. When we care about, like my wife and I, we say this we don't need a whole lot and we're so thankful. Please hear me. We're so thankful with what God has given us, but as long as we have each other and our family.
Speaker 1:But what happens if you lose that? Do we get mad at God? Do we blame God? No, I mean, that's our natural tendency in the flesh. But God is a good God. It's easy to sing, it's easy to believe. But what happens when you have lost someone you love, or you lose a job, or you are being slandered in the ministry? As I've talked to countless people in ministry and they tell me this was a great place to worship, this is a great place to raise my kids, this is where I work, this is where I fellowship, this is my friends. And then something bad happens to them and they deconstruct. It, hurt them so much emotionally and partly what happens is you see that they were allowing this to become an idol, something that they couldn't not have. This is something they didn't want to lose and so, emotionally, it was too hard for them, it was such a strain for them that it caused them to become disconnected from God.
Speaker 1:And so we have to make sure that when Paul like when Paul's saying that our hearts are wide open, that we in the ministry, my friends, are laying things bare, that we're being open, that we're being straightforward to encourage people that need to be encouraged and to connect with them, and when we're wrong, that we speak truth to them. Just like when Paul says here you are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return, I speak as children widen your hearts also. This is an adoration call. This is him saying hey guys, let's be real with each other. Remember back in 1 Corinthians 4, he says you guys have many guides, you have many instructors, but not many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. That's how intimate Paul was with him and that's how we have to be my friends in ministry.
Speaker 1:So when you go from suffering to strength, when you want to have a ministry of authenticity number one, don't take the grace of God in vain. Number two don't put any obstacle in people's way where they can find fault in you. Number three make sure that when you are serving the Lord, that you're commending yourself in the endurance that he's given you through afflictions, hardships and calamities, through afflictions, hardships and calamities. And lastly, number four is we have to ensure that we are well-equipped, that, though the outward afflictions and challenges are certainly there, we are never to lose sight that what God has done for us inwardly and for all eternity will prevail. Never lose sight of that, because obstacles will come, challenges will come, testings will come and we will have many difficult people along the path, along the way in ministry, but none of that should overtake the glorious joy that we have in serving the Lord. So, my friends, I pray this has been a blessing to you.
Speaker 1:If you have any prayer requests or you have any Bible questions, you can submit an email to us directly at info at stanstrongministriesorg. And if this ministry has been a blessing to you, wherever you listen, we wanna know about it. You can also submit an email at info at stanstrongministriesorg and let us know. But I also want to encourage you guys as we close out. We're coming to the end of this year as I'm recording this in 2024.
Speaker 1:And we want you guys to know that we want to continue to expand this ministry to reach more people, just like you. But that takes, obviously, staff, it takes resources, it takes money, and so we're asking many people who listen and we so appreciate it and we want you to know that. I don't want you to feel guilty If you, if that's all you can do, that's all you feel like you just listen and you're growing in your faith and you can just pray for us. Thank you for that. But if you can give, I encourage you guys to go to stanstrongministriesorg. We are a nonprofit organization that is able to do this type of ministry because of the generosity of people, just like you. We have safe and secure giving online or you can also check out where you can send a check if that's better for you. But let me just say in advance thank you guys for your prayers, you guys for your prayers, thank you for your support. Until next time, keep standing strong in the word of God.