Eager to Preach the Gospel

Reading:  Romans 1:1-15
    
    Paul begins his letter to the church at Rome by focusing on their common allegiance to Jesus.  He is the subject of the promises of the prophets (Rom 1:2), the heir of David (Rom 1:3), and his resurrection emphatically identifies him as the Son of God (Rom 1:4).  Paul himself has been blessed by Jesus:  “through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ”(Rom 1:5-6).  Paul has not only received grace to forgive his sins, but also apostleship to help others find that forgiveness.  Even though Paul has not met the Romans in the flesh, his goal as an apostle is to produce “the obedience of faith” in them as well.

    He is encouraged that their “faith is proclaimed in all the world”(Rom 1:8) and wants to come see them “that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you”(Rom 1:11).  He explains that he has long been intending to travel to them “in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles”(Rom 1:13).  What explains Paul’s passion here?  “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.  So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome”(Rom 1:14-15).  While Paul certainly feels obligation to preach to all people, his eagerness springs from knowing the great power of the gospel to change lives (Rom 1:16-17).

    We may not be apostles, but we can share Paul’s eagerness to preach the gospel.  We know what Jesus has done in our lives and we know what he can do for others.  The deeper our conviction, the more eager we become to talk about him—even without being prompted.  We feel compassion for those around us who have wrecked their lives or been harmed by others; we know that Jesus can help them.  We are confident in what God can do even for people we do not yet know.  We become “eager to preach the gospel.”

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One Thing to Think About:  Am I eager or reluctant to tell others about Jesus?

One Thing to Pray For:  Eagerness to tell others what I have found in Jesus
 

Examine Yourselves

Reading:  2 Corinthians 13:5-14
    
    The Corinthians, agitated by some who deny Paul’s apostolic authority, have been examining his credentials (2 Cor 13:3).  Paul turns the tables:  “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves.  Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”(2 Cor 13:5).  Rather than focusing on Paul, they should take an introspective look at themselves.  Is Jesus alive in them?  Are they following Jesus’ words?  Now, assuming that they would affirm that they are, Paul makes his point:  “I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.  But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed”(2 Cor 13:6-7).  If Jesus is alive in the Corinthians, then Paul and his apostolic companions (who preached the gospel to them) must be in the faith too!  How could they have effectively taught the Corinthians about Jesus if they are not in the faith?  

    In closing the letter, Paul reaffirms that he loves them and is willing to lower himself to bless them.  “For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong.  Your restoration is what we pray for”(2 Cor 13:9).  Paul wants them to follow Jesus more closely, correcting the errors in judgment and relationships that this letter has addressed.  This is his prayer.  He closes his letter with a greeting that reaffirms that despite their differences, everyone involved is still a follower of Jesus:  “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”(2 Cor 13:14).

    The Corinthian problem persists in our time.  We tend to spend a lot of time examining and correcting others, often bypassing self-examination.  There is value in scrutinizing our own relationships with God—individually and as a congregation.  Is Jesus Christ in me?  Am I following his word?  Before I criticize others, have I examined myself?

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One Thing to Think About:  In what ways do I try to avoid self-examination?

One Thing to Pray For:  The honesty to apply the truth to myself first 
 

All for Your Upbuilding

Reading:  2 Corinthians 12:19-13:4
    
    Paul reflects on this long section of arguing with his opponents in Corinth:  “Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you?  It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved”(2 Cor 12:19).  He insists that this is not personal, but about his obligation before God to care for Jesus’ people.  Then, amidst this highly charged situation, Paul shockingly lets down his guard and reveals his heart and fears.  “For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish” and “I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented”(2 Cor 12:20, 21).   Paul reveals his fear that his return to Corinth will also be a “painful visit”(2 Cor 2:1) because there will be sin to rebuke and hard hearts to confront.  Their deep spiritual relationship may be tested by even more sharp words and actions.

    The Corinthians seem to have confused Paul’s unimpressive physical appearance for an unwillingness to deal with problems.  “I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them—since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me.  He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you.  For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God.  For we are also weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God”(2 Cor 13:2-4).  The Corinthians keep seeking proof of Paul’s apostolic commission, yet Paul insists that the proof will be in his strong response to their sin.  Just as in Jesus’ crucifixion, seeming weakness is not the last word.

    Many modern scholars view passages like these as typical organizational power dynamics.  Paul is fighting to bend the churches to his will.  Yet Paul protests that his defense is not personal, but “all for your upbuilding.”  Paul is continually concerned with the growth and stability of God’s people, so his every word is calculated to bring them closer to God (rather than himself).  What about us? 

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One Thing to Think About:  How much do I think about the “upbuilding” of my brothers and sisters?

One Thing to Pray For:  The courage to deal with sin—in my own life and others’ 
 

I Will Spend and Be Spent

Reading:  2 Corinthians 12:11-18
    
    Paul has finished his sarcastic boasting about his credentials as an apostle.  “I have been a fool!  You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you.  For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing”(2 Cor 12:11).  He is frustrated that after all that he and the Corinthians have been through, they have not defended him and he has had to defend himself.  “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.  For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you?  Forgive me this wrong!”(2 Cor 12:12-13).  He has shown them his authentic apostleship.  The only thing he has not done is insist that they pay him; he sarcastically asks their forgiveness for this.

    Paul sees the Corinthians as his children and he refuses to take pay for them even when he plans a future visit.  “And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you.  For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children”(2 Cor 12:14).  Parents understand that they will be disadvantaged to benefit their children and willfully choose it.  “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.  If I love you more, am I to be loved less?”(2 Cor 12:15).  Paul is willing to put his money where his mouth is.  He sincerely believes that receiving money from them will damage the impact of the gospel.  He will have to spend.  But he declares that he will happily spend and be spent for his brothers.

    “I will most gladly spend and be spent.”  It is one thing to offer others money.  It is quite another to offer them ourselves—to “be spent” for others.  This speaks to the emotional, physical, and financial toll that Christian service takes on us.  Paul “most gladly” accepts this burden because of his great love. 

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One Thing to Think About:  Do I ever resent serving others?  What might Paul say to this feeling?

One Thing to Pray For:  A spirit to “spend and be spent” even when others are ungrateful
 

Celebrating Weakness

Reading:  2 Corinthians 12:1-10
    
    Since the Corinthians are enthralled with boastful pretenders to spiritual authority, Paul feels compelled to answer them in kind, with one exception:   “if I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness”(2 Cor 11:30).   His “boasting” highlights how inadequate he is for the task Jesus has given him.  “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven”(2 Cor 12:2).  Paul is unwilling to even admit that this happened to him, preferring to call himself a nameless “man in Christ”(see also v. 5, 7).  Yet he has received a tremendous vision of the domain of God and “heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter”(2 Cor 12:5).   Paul receives a life-altering vision and revelation.

    Yet even as this sounds like a sincere boasting, Paul adds a fascinating wrinkle.  “So to keep me from being conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited”(2 Cor 12:7).  Paul is weak; there is potential that he will grow proud because of what he has seen.  Satan sends him a thorn in his flesh—some physical ailment to torment him—and Jesus refuses to remove it (2 Cor 12:8).  Why?  “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is make perfect in weakness’”(2 Cor 12:9).  Jesus’ power shines most where our power fails.  So Paul is “content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong”(2 Cor 12:10).  If weakness gets me closer to Jesus, bring on the weakness.

    We tend to despise weakness.  We ridicule it in others and downplay it in ourselves.  Paul teaches us a different perspective.  When we feel strong, we feel little need for Jesus.  As humiliating and frustrating as it is, our weakness connects us more strongly to the power of Christ.  Christians celebrate weakness and allow it to drive us to the throne of Christ for strength and help.

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One Thing to Think About:  Is there a difference between celebrating weakness and refusing to grow?

One Thing to Pray For:  The courage to embrace my weakness and dependence on Jesus