Missions Paul

If you try to be free then this freedom you find will not make you truly free. This freedom doesn’t come from trying.

On your best day, when you have truly been that good Christian, you haven’t sinned (too much!) and you feel a sense of satisfaction that today was better than yesterday, why is it you still feel less than perfect? Why do you feel you could have done more? Maybe that’s just how it was meant to be if we were left to our own strength to become what only God could make us.

“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3 v 12-18)

The law of God, given to Moses was holy, just, good and spiritual.

But this law cannot change you. It is spiritual and we are fleshly. This godly lifestyle that you want to achieve will not make you godly because you are ungodly. 

The law of God cannot help you into freedom. Left to ourselves we cannot obey God’s laws and even God’s law cannot get us to obey them. Even though we know God wrote His law, even that doesn’t impact us enough to be able to keep it.

The law doesn’t make me free, rather it imprisons me.

So if it is pointless to try to keep a godly lifestyle; if the godly lifestyle only tells me I have failed; if I become even more trapped by this godly lifestyle: why bother? Who will rescue me?

It is always and only and all of Jesus who leads us into freedom and who through the Spirit of God lives, breathes and works through our lives. If we fail then the blood of Jesus continues to deliver us!

 

“Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, ⁸ will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? ⁹ If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! ¹⁰ For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. ¹¹ And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!” (2 Corinthians 3 v 7-11

This beautiful section reminds us that it is in the unveiled Christ that we see the glory of God, we see and know God!

The beauty is in the fact that you have experienced this individually. Obviously you have not seen Him in an outward physical form but however, you have seen Him in a greater way. For you have experienced His reality to change you. He has written upon your heart His life. His submission to the will of His Father is printed deep in you. This glory has taken hold of you and you now know that it is what He wants from you also. From manger to cross He carried the marks that indicated His life was not His own, He was here for others. This is what others see in you as you have seen this in Him.

Paul calls for us all to know this:-

• The ministry that brings the Spirit is more glorious than what brought death (which had glory within it).
• The ministry that brings righteousness is more glorious than what brought condemnation (which had glory in it).
• The ministry that does not fade is more glorious than that what does (which had glory in it).

These 3 things, life, righteousness and permanence is a better way for the glory never dies. Where is that glory? Yes in Christ but also in you! Now that is beautiful!

Most ministers have what are called credentials. They are usually a simple credit card shape with details of the governing body who ordained the person, their name and details etc. It means that when visiting places like hospitals and prisons there is proof they have been given authority to represent that group in being a minister.

It was the same in Paul’s time. The credentials were letters. To stop the lone-rangers and especially false apostles and prophets, reference letters were carried as these messengers went from city to city. Paul did the same thing.

But in writing to the Corinthians he veers away from external credentials and brings us to the core of authentic spiritual leadership.

“Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? ² You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. ³ You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. ⁴ Such confidence we have through Christ before God. ⁵ Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. ⁶ He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3 v 1-6)

Paul is saying to the Church, “I don’t need letters/credentials.”

Why?

“I have you.” Their transformed lives are the proof of his authenticity.

His use of the Old Testament law given by Moses on tablets of stone Paul moves us to see how because of Easter and then the outpouring of the Spirit, there is a New Covenant.

What can this mean for us?

• Are we the living letters? The world is reading us.
• What letters of recommendation do we rely on the most? Our experience of knowledge or of lives that have changed because God has used us?
• Authentic Credentials flow from hearts that are transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Today on Easter Sunday right across the world the gospel message of the power of Jesus Christ, that he died and rose again, will be told from under trees to major Cathedrals.

For some who will hear it then it will lead to life but for others it won’t. The gospel message is a huge responsibility. It is literally life and death.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.” (2 Corinthians 2 v 14-17)

Who is competent? Who is equal to such a task?

Someone has to preach Christ, but who can?

• No one is worthy or qualified to speak of this overwhelming act of God, the death and resurrection of Christ. We don’t speak from any level of status that we have earned or achieved.
• So the effectiveness of the gospel message that will be preached today does not come from some skilful orator or strategic communication.
• The task of representing Christ and the Easter story is beyond our ability.
• Therefore the results are not with us or because of us, they belong to God.
• So the preaching that is done today needs to happen when we are not in the way:-
  • We are not watering the gospel down for some kind of gain or acceptance (peddling)
  • We remember that the words we speak are done before God who knows the sincerity and transparency of our heart.
  • We acknowledge that no one calls us to speak the gospel except God. It is He who sends us all out with the gospel. It is all about Him.

‘Can you tell her to wear deodorant?’ Dart asked. ‘She’s smelling really bad.’ Comments that led the British tennis star to apologise to her French opponent the next day.

On this silent Saturday between the cross and the resurrection Paul introduces us to something very common to those who had witnessed Roman triumphal processions (see v14). During those parades incense was burned throughout the city and the beautiful fragrance was a symbol of the victory for Rome. But for those prisoners of war captured by the regime of Rome it signalled their impending doom.

“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.” (2 Corinthians 2 v 15-16)

The cross of Jesus Christ divides people into 2 responses: being saved and life; and perishing and death. The gospel isn’t neutral. It divides. Frees some but condemns others.

So how should we be?

• We acknowledge that our actions and words have influence, wherever we are.
• If we are rejected because of our message that doesn’t mean we have failed.
• The aroma is for God ultimately. Our audience is for One not the world.

Wherever you are today the prayer must be that people you meet experience the love of Christ and His grace. That when they are with you they are smelling something good.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.” (2 Corinthians 2 v 14)

All over the world at various time zones the cross of Christ will be the major focus of every worship service. It is Good Friday. It is not the day of defeat but it is the day of victory.

Into the context of the Corinthian Church saying Paul was unreliable because he said he would visit them but didn’t, comes the most amazing sentence!

Paul says:

• I am following God and so I thank Him. All that He has done in my life, I thank Him.

• I am in a grand parade of Jesus Christ who is the conquering leader. That’s how we live. We are walking in His victorious walk.

• However I am not leading the way alongside Christ. No. He has captured me. I am a captive. I am not the prominent one. He is.

• This parade of Christ (as what happened coming down from the Mount of Olives) led to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Victory is seen in the sacrifice. It is still demonstrated like that in our own lives.

• The sacrifice of Christ produced an aroma, it could have been bad, for many death is indeed bad, but for those following Christ, it is a sweet smelling fragrance (Phil 4:18) as we spread the gospel everywhere.

• For the crucifixion to be seen as a sacrifice and the news of it as an aroma would sound ludicrous, but for those who understand it then it becomes transformative as they, being captives of Christ, go to their own cross and die to Christ knowing that life is the next chapter!

Indeed today we do celebrate Christ’s Victory!

 

“I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.” (2 Corinthians 2 v 13)

He waited and waited but Titus never showed up. What life was like without the ability to text! He desperately wanted to hear an update on the Church in Corinth especially after his letter and he was becoming more and more restless. So he decided to catch the ship and hope Titus would turn up eventually (he did, see 7:6)

Paul couldn’t focus on this open door that the Lord had given him (v12), his mind was elsewhere. Isn’t that refreshingly human? When separated from those he cared about, the great Apostle, who sometimes looked untouchable, certainly incomparable to our lives, experiences anxiety. Titus was not just a co-worker, he was his ‘brother’ in Christ. Sometimes our lives are not just about being obedient to open doors but being faithful to people who God has led us to have heart connections with.

He had “no peace of mind”, he couldn’t relax (the Message), the worry for the Church was too much. Instead of panicking Paul took action. He said goodbye to Troas and moved on. If this isn’t surprising in itself, Paul tells the Church how he was feeling. This isn’t some powerful charismatic star who has everything together. He becomes vulnerable. He wants the Church to see his emotions. There are times when pastoral decisions are more important than evangelistic ones and vice versa, wisdom decides each time.

There are times when we just cannot keep doing what we are doing. Like Paul eager to mend any broken relationship with Corinth we have to put down what we are doing and do our best to fix things. To remain unburdened is not the way of Paul, nor for us either. Jesus told us to leave our gift at the altar and go and be reconciled with a fellow believer (Matthew 5: 23-24). Relationships matter.

If today you know a relationship is under strain or even broken, then perhaps you need to ask whether it needs time to heal or that you drop what you are doing because seeking the repair is far more important.

It won’t be until much later into the letter (7:4 that we find Paul picking up when he finally arrived into Macedonia. We therefore have over 4 chapters of somewhat of a digression but we will be thankful for that.

“ Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me” (2 Corinthians 2 v 12)

Troas was an ancient city on the north-west coast of modern-day Turkey. It was an important city situated between Europe and Asia for trade. Lots of people would travel through there. It became a special city to Paul and is mentioned several times in his missionary journeys and in his letters. He had received his call to Macedonia from there; Eutychus was raised from the dead in Troas; and it was where he had left his cloak and his scrolls in the city and instructed Timothy to fetch them. Importantly Troas was opened for the gospel by the Lord. The Lord still opens doors of opportunity.

Yesterday my son who is a Pastor was telling me how they are targeting towns around the city where the Church is and these will be gospel hubs. They are going there strategically “to preach the gospel of Christ” (v12) and my prayer is that as they do they will find the Lord has opened the door for them. There are times to simply scatter the farmers seed and there are times to be scattered strategically.

So from this verse alone what can we glean?

• Paul never took his focus off spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was not his only reason to go to Troas. We will read tomorrow that he wanted to meet Titus and in a few chapters we will see the reason, he was desperate to know the reaction of the Corinthian Church to his letter. Wherever you go today and for whatever reason make sure that you are ready with the good news, it might even end up being the primary reason that you went there.
• There was another reason for being in Troas. It was a place to catch a suitable ship to travel to Macedonia (Acts 20:1). Troas was on the way from Ephesus. He had to be there and had planned to meet Titus. It was a stop-over place. Even when he was in transit he was ready with the gospel so that it appeared that was the reason he was there.
• Remember these verses: “But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me” (1 Corinthians 16 v 8-9). In his other letters Paul wrote of an open door that the Lord had given for the gospel. It indicates that God has cleared the way for the gospel to be delivered. We need this today. It is a partnership with the Lord not just our own efforts. We make our plans but so does the Lord. Our task is to simply remain available and aligned to His purposes.

There are times when members within the Church have to be asked to step down from positions because they have been caught in a sin that is severe and has damaged the community. This is Biblical if it is done with grace and love. If it is done with the love that Christ has shown to every member then it can be the most powerful transformative process in bringing wholesome change to the individual. That is the case here with the Church and Paul.

“If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. ⁶ The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. ⁷ Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸ I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. ¹⁰ Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, ¹¹ in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” (2 Corinthians 2 v 5-11)

We don’t know who the man was but we do know his sin grieved the community not just Paul. It appears that the Church took Paul’s advice to discipline this man. It is a word that seems to have lost its way in the Church these days. However the whole point is not to be punitive but to be restorative. Paul calls for a period of forgiveness to commence now that the man seemingly has repented.

Healing within the community of the Church requires every member to contribute in order to bring full reconciliation. Satan seizes on every opportunity that he can within the Church either through permissiveness or unforgiveness. Both can cause irreparable damage in the Church.

The Church has a message to our world that we take sin seriously but forgiveness is also taken seriously too.

In our approach to Easter the Church’s willingness to forgive demonstrates that we have understood and received forgiveness in our own lives.

This isn’t about being soft but it is being wise.

Leaders who lead with compassion have self-awareness of the baggage that they carry which can make conflicts worse; they listen, creating atmospheres of genuine understanding so that their members know they are heard; foster environments where concerns can be raised without risk of being shamed or embarrassed and feedback is encouraged and not seen as rebellious.

 “I call God as my witness—and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. ²⁴ Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm. So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. ² For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? ³ I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. ⁴ For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.” ( 2 Cor 1 v 23-2 v4)

Two Church members were giving the Pastor cause for concern, in fact they were causing him pain. The tension between these members and him could be cut with a knife. He has met them. Others have met them. But they remain fixed with their list of what they do not like about him and the Church. He called me. Vulnerable. Yet firm in his ministerial decisions and needing help to navigate the consequences that he now faces. I helped him.

This is a similar scenario of Paul. He loved the Church but he was facing complaints. His decision to delay a return to Corinth even though he had said he would visit them was not because he was unreliable, the accusation against him. Though the details are sketchy it appears that a certain man (there is always one!) was causing problems for Paul (we will see this tomorrow from v5-9). It seems that Paul’s advice for them to deal with the man was unheeded and the correction that Paul brought hurt both himself and them.

It was because of compassionate leadership. We need more of it.

• It gives space and time for healing not more confrontation to the death.
• Sometimes to write is better than to speak for it gives time for a change of heart (we don’t have this missing letter).
• It doesn’t let go of convictions but delivers the truth with tears.
• It is authenticated by vulnerability.
• It does not hide. Either from the arrogance of office or a title. Transparency does not hide behind pain either.

This is compassionate leadership.