THE PRICE OF EVANGELISM

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In Christ, Mark

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

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more.

I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

2 Corinthians 11:23-29

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

Have you ever felt forced to defend yourself?

I think most people have been painted into that corner and had to try and fight out.

As we see in our passage today, the Apostle Paul finds himself in this predicament. He had poured out his heart and soul to the Corinthian Christians, laboring hard for the cause of Jesus to bring them the Gospel and bring them to salvation. After doing so much, you would think the last thing Paul would need to do is validate his credentials as a dedicated and courageous missionary but as we see, this was the place he found himself in.

The false apostles that had infiltrated the church in Corinth were only interested in discrediting Paul so they would be the more trusted messengers. If they could just get Paul out of the way, they would have no resistance to mislead the Corinthian believers. Paul went on the offensive and highlighted what he had been willing to endure to answer Jesus’ call to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). Here was what he said to distinguish himself from the false apostles who tried to shame him:

First, no one worked harder than Paul for the cost of the Gospel. Although it was questionable as to whether the false prophets were actually “servants of Christ”, he wanted to first make this clear.

“I have worked much harder.”

Then Paul goes into the perils that came with that hard work, perils that included widespread persecution as he tried to share the good news of Jesus while always being on the move wherever he went. These trials included:

- In prison more frequently.

- Flogged more severely.

- Exposed to death again and again.

- Whipped with “forty lashes minus one” on five different occasions by the Jews.

- Beaten with rods three times.

- Pelted with stones.

Paul also wanted the Corinthian believers to remember he had also endured being shipwrecked three times and was in the open sea for a day and a night. He was in constant danger from natural elements and those who opposed him, whether in the city, country, or the sea.

- Rivers

- Bandits

- Fellow Jews

- The Gentiles

- False believers.

In his travels, Paul often found his most basic needs go unmet and still he was undeterred in his ministry work. He wanted his readers to know he had endured:

- Labor and toil, often without sleep

- Hunger as he often had to go without food.

- Thirst.

- Cold and nakedness as he had no shelter and had to brave the elements.

Couple all this with the pressure Paul felt as he held daily concern for all the Christian churches he had worked with and you can easily see how difficult Paul’s extensive effort had been as he brought the Gospel to others during four missionary journeys.

What do we learn from Paul’s testimony?

Evangelism is hard and can be made harder through being persecuted and unsupported.

The work Jesus calls us to do, to make disciples of all nations, isn’t an easy task. He labored hard to seal our salvation and all along the way during His ministry, he always seemed to work against constant criticism, resistance, and attack (verbal and physical). And eventually, the stakes reached their pinnacle as He was crucified and mocked by the very people he had come to save.

As we follow in Jesus’ footsteps and answer His call. We need to know that persecution and hardship in evangelism come with the territory. If Jesus endured it, so will we. We need to remember that.

We also need to remember this:

Jesus ultimately had the victory, conquering death and the grave, and so will anyone else who is obedient and faithful to His will and way.

There is a price to be paid for the cause of evangelism carried out in Jesus’ name but there is no better reward for those labors than to one day be abiding with our Savior forever.

Thanks be to God for the gift of His Son!

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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