Month: October 2011

“When I came to Troas to proclaim the good news of Christ, a door was opened for me in the Lord; but my mind could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there.  So I said farewell to them and went to Macedonia.” (2 Corinthians 2:12-13)  Paul is reporting what every Pastor knows.  Disunity costs alot.  Tension takes a toll.  Sometimes the conflict in a church or with a church makes a Pastor so anxious and restless that he can’t serve effectively.  He has to “walk away” from doors of opportunity rather than “walk through” them.  Until Titus came with the report that the Corinthians had “held together”, Paul was too stressed and concerned to start anything new.  We rarely estimate the  huge impact that disunity has on a church and its ability to accomplish its mission in the world.  And no one feels this impact  more deeply than the Pastor.

“Indeed, this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience: we have behaved in the world with frankness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God–and all the more toward you.”  (2 Corinthians 1:12)  Looking back over his contentious years with the Corinthians, Paul may have been tempted to regret.  There were certainly people who blamed him for the conflict and confusion.  He found consolation, however, in his conscience that the Spirit of God had led him to be frank and sincere.  Not fun  conversation, but necessary.  Not worldy wise, but heavenly.  I am recovering the confidence that my value to Christ will not be measured by whether people were always happy with me.  Jesus is proof that the critics are not always correct.  The real standard of success for all of us will be whether or not our relationships were guided and shaped by the grace of God, the Spirit of God.

“I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.” (2 Corinthians 2:9)  When repentance comes, love may be reaffirmed.  It must be.  It is the correct and beautiful “end of the story”.  In 2 Corinthians 2 the majority stand with Paul against a man who had challenged his authority.  Paul does not enjoy the confrontation.  “I wrote out of much distress and anguish of heart” (vs 4)  He does not, however, regret the necessary confrontation.   He affirms the church for having the fortitude to stand with him against this man.  Thus challenged, the man seems to have apologized and stopped his campaign of opposition.  When this happens, and without any trace of resentment Paul leads the church to reaffirm their love so that he would not be overwhelmed. We must be careful that we do not punish harder than necessary nor allow it to continue longer than required.  When repentance comes and love is reaffirmed then the circle of spiritual healing is complete.  May God give us such wisdom.

“The punishment of the majority is enough for such a person.”  (2 Corinthians 2:7)  It is a painful read.  Profitable, but painful nonetheless.  2 Corinthians 2 recalls a time in Corinth when an opponent “stands up” to challenge Paul’s integrity and the rest of the congregation comes to Paul’s defense by disciplining the brother who is spreading discord.  Not a happy moment!  Some scholars think this is the same brother who was sleeping with his father’s wife in 1 Corinthians 5.  True or not, the context of chapters 1 and 2 implies a personal challenge to Paul and the courage required of the church to stand with him.  Thank God for such a majority!  Pastors (as all believers) are “jars of clay”.  Apart from the steady and courageous support of the members, no pastor can stand against the constant and overwhelming criticism that comes.  Strange thought!  Pastors protect sheep.  Sheep also protect pastors.  We have to stand together or the outcomes are unfortunate for everyone concerned.

The Mission Statement of FBC reads, “FBC exists to follow our Lord Jesus Christ and to lead all other to a joyful life with Him.”  As we follow Christ (our first priority), we lead others (0ur second) and the desired outcome in joy!  Nehemiah says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10)  Nothing is more necessary in this dark and depressing day than joy.  Nothing is more persuasive.  The church needs joy like a body needs oxygen.  I appreciate the reminder from Paul.  In 2 Corinthians 1:23 he says of himself and his church-planting team “we are workers with you for your joy.”  What a beautiful statement of his objective in ministry.  May the hallways of this dear church ring out with the laughter of those who know the Lord!  “For the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace and patience. . .Maybe it is something we should work on as the Spirit of God shows us the way.  Bless you, friends!  Don

“Just as our sufferings are abundant in Christ, so is our comfort!” (2 Corinthians 1:5)  When Jesus promised to give us abundant life, did anyone consider that He would give us sufferings AND strength in large measure?  I was risk-averse before it was a word.  My tendency is to protect myself from pain and disappointment.  Jesus has a different life in mind for me.  Daily, He calls me into the daring adventure of Life in the Spirit.  He guarantees that I will be hurt, rejected and misunderstood.  He also guarantees that I will be abundantly strengthened!  I will be encouraged when I pray. . .inspired when I meet with a friend. . . instructed when I read the scripture.  Anyone hungry for abundant life?  Will you stop and pray right now for those in the First Baptist Family who need strength/wisdom at the present time?  His promise is that the comfort will be huge!  I am looking forward to seeing you in a few hours.  Don

“We had received the sentence of death so that we would not rely on ourselves but on God.” (2 Corinthians 1:9)  “To keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me–to keep me from exalting myself.”  (2 Corinthians 12:7)  I don’t trust easily or naturally.  I don’t know anyone who does.  Like Paul, most of us tend to trust only ourselves, listen only to our own counsel until God makes life “complicated” and forces a new approach.  Apart from problems/pains/pressures, many of us would never “drop our nets and follow Him”.  “Before I was afflicted,  I went astray.  Now I obey your word” (Psalm 119:67) The greek word for “problem” is a combination of two.  Pro + balein  literally means “to throw forward”.  Perhaps God never loves us more than when He makes us uncomfortable–uncomfortable enough to consider (need) a brand new way to live–a life of trust.  By throwing us forward, He is teaching us to trust.

“Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:9) Part of God’s purpose in moments of great pain is to teach us to rely on Him.  Pain is an effective tool for this purpose.  It strips us of all other confidences, persuades us that neither Drs, nor drugs, nor friends, nor self effort are sufficient solutions for our need.  Pain turns us to God .  It puts us on our knees.  See the story of Job.  Strange.  When my body is suffering, my soul may be “getting well’ in a way that I have always needed, but could not learn apart from suffering. Is this too harsh?  Not in God’s eternal economy!  When Jesus is all we have, we learn that He is all we need.  Pray today for those who are presently walking through the “valley of the shadow of death.” Someday, and this by God’s grace, we will all travel this helpful, painful road.

Arthur S. Way’s translation of 2 Corinthians1:4 is, “Blessed be he who in all my affliction comforts me so perfectly that I have comfort to spare.”  Beautiful!  Part of God’s purpose for letting us experience the crushing circumstances of life is to prepare us for ministry to others.  Help from heaven does not arrive via angelic messenger.  Not normally.  It is delivered to a broken heart via the voice of a person prepared for such ministry by the experience of similar heartbreak.  “Comfort one another with these words” says the Bible in 1 Thessalonians 4:18.  No one is more qualified to do this task than the person who KNOWS through personal experience both the affliction and the help that is available in Christ.  When we suffer with Christ (dealing with our anger and doubts, turning again and again to trust God) our hearts are changed and prepared for ministry in a broken world.  He gives us comfort to spare.

What does it feel like to be on death row?  What fills the mind and heart of a prisoner waiting for execution?  Paul says he knows.  In 2 Corinthians 1:9 he says, “we felt that we had received the sentence of death”.  What a picture of hopelessness!  We can only speculate on what caused a man like Paul to come to such a state.  Some say it was the constant opposition he faced.  Others think it was physical illness.  Perhaps it was a combination of things that finally became so overwhelming that Paul just lost hope.  The good news is that God raised him from the dead!  His hope and strength returned.  Resurrection is not just something that happens someday in heaven.  It is the work of God now.   “The God who raises the dead!” (vs 9)is His name.  One of the ways we learn to rely on Him is to go through times when we feel as hopeless and powerless as a prisoner on death row.