FREE AND UNBURDENSOME

Can I pray for you in any way?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.

Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

2 Corinthians 11:5-9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

From the very moment he regarding his sight in Damascus and saw his name change, Paul dedicated himself fully to the work of Christ. You’ll be hard pressed to identify anyone more dedicated to Jesus than him.

This total devotion to ministry meant that Paul wasn’t working a full time job somewhere, earning wages. Like Jesus, he relied on the support of others so he could have his basic needs met without compromising his work on behalf of the Gospel.

We get a sense in today’s passage that there were other apostles working in Corinth who weren’t providing ministry a gratis. These were the men Paul called the “super apostles” and he wasn’t using the term as a compliment. This is because the men he referred to were the false teachers in Corinth who may have spoke eloquently but did so with the intent of leading believers away from their Christian faith. And as a part of their playbook, they worked to discredit Paul so they might elevate themselves in the eyes of the Corinthian church.

Paul made it a point to remind the Corinthians that he preached the “gospel of God” at no charge. He didn’t need to rely on the church in Corinth for monetary support because the “brothers” who had come “from Macedonia” supplied what Paul needed. This allowed Paul to do his missionary work free of charge so he wouldn’t be viewed as a burden to the Corinthian Christians in any way.

Today, missionaries are following in the footsteps of Paul. Men and women choose to leave everything behind so they might offer all their time and talent to bring the Gospel to the unsaved. They provide the good news of Jesus free and unburdensome to those they minister to and they are able to do so because their needs are met through the generosity and support of other Christians.

Not everyone can break away from the normal life that most people live and go all in for Christ but everyone has the ability to provide support for the people who can, those who willingly choose to emulate Paul. I encourage you to consider doing so as we approach the holiday season and the celebration of our Savior’s coming.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com