week of 06/15/11 4th recorded HighQuest 2 Corinthians 4:1-12

The passage I read was 2 Corinthians 4:1-12

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+4%3A1-12&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

As I reflect:

Our response to the mercy of our calling

Paul starts here again setting a great example for the follower of Christ in that we should have at all times the mindset that this commission upon our lives to spread the gospel is in fact our commission by His mercy alone. We are to be mindful of and have our hearts in this same humble space where we realize that our very calling to do the Lord’s will is in fact His mercy in our own lives. It is better to serve God than to be served by Satan. In recognition of the merciful position that God granted Paul to preach the gospel, he responded properly in not only humbly doing so, but also doing so in an honorable manner being sure not to pollute or change in any way that which is a perfect message from God. We also should be sure not to pollute the gospel with our own “twist” or change its meaning in anyway, but rather be sure to share the message as it was written and for that same purpose as well. There are many preachers handling the word of God in a deceitful manner. May we be always mindful not to make this same mistake. I believe that Paul’s reminder that we preach/witness/share with others in the presence of God, will certainly help us to stay honest and humble in our approach to sharing.

The heart of the matter

As a side note, I find it delightful to see that Paul also preached to the conscience of every man. He didn’t preach to their intellect but to the heart of the matter. This is much the same way that “way of the master” as well as others choose to witness and preach today. It is always better to go for the conscience of a person so that they themselves will confess their need for Jesus rather than us confessing their need for them and thus also taking the foundation of that decision from them. Let the heart of man stir on the words that we share that the heart of man may be changed from within.

It’s not the gospel’s fault

Paul goes on to explain the perfection of the Gospel he preaches in that when it is not received or accepted, it is in no way the gospel’s fault, nor is it his fault (knowing that he preached it honestly to the conscience of men in the sight of God). Instead he describes those that do not receive or accept the gospel as perishing and says that they are blind to the gospel truths. Calvin describes a great analogy of this by saying, “the sun is no less resplendent because the blind do not perceive its light.” And who has blinded them? “The god of this age”, which we know is satan. And it’s not as though satan is blinding people without their participation. For we know that John 3:19 says men chose darkness rather than light. Satan helps them in this choice and then continues to do his best to keep them from receiving the gospel. Men still have free will to make this choice on their own though.

Directing people to Jesus…Not me.

Paul goes on to say that it’s not himself that he preaches but it is Christ Jesus the Lord. Again a wonderful example for us. As believers and followers of Christ, we are all called to be ministers. We are ministers at the grocery store, at work, at the corner store, to our neighbors, etc. Paul is saying here that we are not preaching ourselves… in other words, if the focus of all of our jokes and our stories about the passages in the word are always about us and always point others to how great we are, then we have missed the point of sharing. It’s ok to put a little “here’s how this applied to me” into your witness and can in fact be a useful tool, but don’t make it about you in the process when it should be and is in fact all about Jesus and directing people to Him.

Then Paul gets to his all famous analogy of “jars of clay”. He says, “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” Think of it this way: if I have a jar made out of clay, it’s not of high value first off. But if I then tell you that there is a million dollars in the jar, will your focus now be on the jar or on the treasure within it? Much in this same way we are simple vessels (jars of clay) designed to share and spread God’s word (the treasure) that the focus may be on Jesus and not us. Make since?

The price; how does it affect us?

Paul says he is hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down for the sake of the gospel. And yet his response to those things is that he is not crushed, not in despair, not abandoned, and not destroyed. What an encouragement to those of us receiving far less persecution than Paul. I mean if he for the sake of the gospel can go through so much more than we do, and yet respond because of Jesus so much better than we do, can we not be encouraged that; first off we could be far more persecuted than we are. And second off, we should respond far better because of Jesus than we often do.

Even greater a witness during the trials of our lives.

In the last 3 verses Paul is talking about a dynamic which many people want nothing to do with. Many people say they want the power of Jesus’ resurrection in them, but they don’t want to take part in the sufferings of Jesus and certainly not of the death of Jesus. Paul is in fact suffering a great deal and is hard pressed on all sides. He is counting this as a good thing not only because he is partaking in the suffering of Christ and thus (similar to fasting) he is more empowered and feels closer to Christ, but also, because in his great sufferings he has been made an even more effective witness to those whom he reaches with his letters and his visits. We likewise have an opportunity to share the gospel with others in our life. And when in our lives we come across trials and tribulations and even worse sufferings for the sake of the gospel, we have an even greater opportunity to be a witness to others because it is in fact in the most horrible of conditions; seemingly the most inopportune moments that we are actually given the greatest opportunity to shine the Lords light. How easy it is to speak of the joy of the Lord when all is well… How much greater a witness to show the joy of the Lord is real even when all is seemingly at a loss?

My response to the Lord:

My Father, I thank you sincerely for the privilege it is to share your gospel with others. I thank you for this because I know that to share the gospel means that I have received the gospel and am saved through faith in grace and mercy. I know that I am only responsible to share it and that I am not responsible for whether or not it is received by those I share with. I pray that you help me to share honestly and properly and that you would give me words to say. I pray that when I share, that (because you have given words to say) those who hear would have their hearts molded and changed that they may receive the message. I pray that you would prepare them before I even meet them that they would not be blind to your truths. I pray Lord that when I share your word, I would direct people to you and not make the message about me. And when I received persecution; when I am hard pressed by those around me for the sake of the gospel, may I rejoice and be a good witness. May I not lose the joy that only you can give. May others see your light in my life that they may be directed to seek after you for themselves. In Jesus name.