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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots.
2 Corinthians 6:3-5a
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Before someone makes their choice to become a Christian, there is something they should know.
It’s not an easy life.
It certainly wasn’t for Jesus and by association, it isn’t for His followers either.
This shouldn’t come as any surprise because Jesus told His disciples this and it has applied to everyone who has been a disciple since then:
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also.” John 15:18-20a
Christians are in the world but no longer of it because of their commitment to Jesus. They become new creations when they are born again, dead to their former selves and committed to live anew as their Savior did. This rejection of the world goes both ways as the world now rejects anyone who fails to comply with its ways. You can see this first hand today as the world tries to establish principles that are non-biblical and definitely anti-Christ, and when Christians speak out, they are vilified. Satan is the ruler of the world and he opposes everything that is related to Jesus, rallying his minions (read non-Christ believers) to carry out his bidding. And therein is where the battle lines are drawn, non-believers guided by Satan against Christians directed by Christ. Jesus followers have to make sure they are equipped for the fight, donning the full spiritual armor of God discussed in Ephesians, chapter 6. Even though Jesus already has gained the ultimate victory, Satan will do everything he can to deter the advancing of the Gospel and thwart the saving of non-believers. This is his daily mission.
So believers face spiritual attacks but they also might face hardships as well. After all, Jesus commanded His followers to go and make disciples and go means go.
Where should we go?
Where ever Jesus leads us, that’s where.
This means we may need to leave our comfort zone and go places we’re unfamiliar with. We may need to rely and trust in God to provide for us as we carry out our Gospel work. Jesus showed His disciples this in what was a quasi-boot camp training for what was to come. Look at this excerpt from the Gospel of Luke:
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. Luke 9:1-6
The only thing the disciples were fully equipped with was the Gospel message to share and the power and authority to do heal the sick, curing diseases and driving out demons. They had to fully rely on the people they were going to, complete strangers, to provide shelter, food, and support. Their physical needs were met by the people they were sent to aid and they had to trust that Jesus wasn’t sending them out to perish.
And so they went in obedience and were successful in carrying out what Jesus called them to do. The scriptures don’t detail that they experienced any great hardship in doing so.
Fast forward to the Apostle Paul and we find someone that went where ever he was sent by the Lord Jesus to carry out His Gospel-sharing command to the ends of the earth, consistently having to rely on the provision of others to support his ministry. But unlike the Twelve in our Luke passage, Paul regularly faced danger and persecution. Hardship was an expectation for him but amazingly, he didn’t quit. Rather, he persevered for the cause of Christ and became an inspiration for all missionaries who would walk in his footsteps.
Indeed, Paul stayed the course of Gospel ministry and shares all the many things he persisted through in verses 3 through 10 of 2 Corinthians 6. Over the next several days, I will break down this passage to cover difficulties Paul faced because they are difficulties anyone could face today when setting out to bring God’s salvation offer through Jesus to others. Today, we’ll look at verses 3 through 5 and there Paul writes:
We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger. 2 Corinthians 6:3-5
Paul preached the Gospel with integrity and consistency. He never steered off course but stayed on track so his ministry wouldn’t be discredited and therefore become a stumbling block in a person’s spiritual path. The apostle showed great endurance across four missionary journeys as he faced a multitude of trouble, hardship, and distress.
We must remember that Christianity was a fledgling religion in first century A.D. and was in competition with far more established belief systems, both monotheistic (there were Jews everywhere who rejected Jesus) and polytheistic (most places Paul went had religions that worshiped multiple gods). It would have been surprising if Paul visited somewhere and didn’t face resistance. Often he and those working with him were beaten, imprisoned, or faced murderous riots, all meant to deter him from carrying out the work Christ called him to do. Paul never wavered, no matter how tough it became. He stayed the course despite the threats, the hard work, the sleepless nights, and the hunger.
Going all in for Jesus in regard to doing what He has called us to do isn’t for the faint of heart. But by studying the ministry of Paul, inspired by his unwavering dedication and devotion towards the Gospel cause, we can learn how to persevere and endure ministry trials ourselves as we stay the course for the sake of Christ.
Tomorrow, we’ll continue to look at how Paul exercised great endurance in his missionary work.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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