Memory Text:
“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:8–10, ESV).
Introduction
If Paul were applying to pastor a church today, what would we probably ask for?
His résumé. His degree. His experience. Maybe a few recommendation letters. Perhaps links to sermons he has preached.
Apparently, people in Corinth cared about credentials too.
2 Corinthians 3:1–2 ESV
“Do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation.”
Paul basically says, You want my recommendation letter? Look at the people whose lives the gospel has changed.
There is nothing wrong with education, credentials, or improving our skills for ministry. But you can have the résumé and still not have authentic ministry.
In 2 Corinthians 3–7, Paul shows us what genuine ministry looks like: transformed lives, weakness dependent on God, Christ-centered reconciliation, holiness, and genuine repentance.Letters
2 Corinthians 3:2–3 ESV
“You yourselves are our letter of recommendation . . . written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God . . . on tablets of human hearts.”
Paul’s greatest evidence was not a piece of paper. It was changed people.
Ellen White uses almost the same picture:
“If you are Christ’s follower, He sends in you a letter to the family, the village, the street, where you live.”1
Your life is somebody’s letter about Jesus.
Some people may never read a theological book. Some may never listen to a sermon. But they will meet Christians. They will meet you!
What are they reading? What are they seeing?
It is not enough to tell about Jesus. We must taste Him for ourselves.
Ellen White writes:
“The gospel we present for the saving of souls must be the gospel by which our own souls are saved.”2
Before the gospel becomes something we preach, it must become something we experience.Jars
Paul then employs another analogy—jars.
2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV
“We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
Treasure. That’s something for the rich. Clay. That’s something for people who can’t afford something better.
Why put something expensive in something cheap? For a reason. For a certain lesson.
God places an extraordinary treasure inside ordinary people so nobody confuses the container with the treasure.
Jesus can still be glorified even in our weakest moments.
People in ministry are not elites. Often, they are the most broken and miserable.
They are not the ones who always have the answers. But they are willing to continue on uncertain paths because they have a sure God.
Ministry can hurt. We will grow tired. Sometimes we do not know what to do next. Sometimes we work faithfully and still do not see the results we hoped for.
But the weakness of the jar does not mean the treasure is weak.
Paul David Tripp writes:
“In ministry, success and failure are not a matter of results but are defined by faithfulness.”3
We cannot change hearts. God can.
We might be weak. But Jesus is priceless.
Ministry is not about how good we are, but how good He is!
Love
As we have seen in previous lessons, Paul faced many, many, many (how I wish I could use the word many a hundred times, but you get the point) hard times. What kept him going?
2 Corinthians 5:14–15 NKJV
“For the love of Christ compels us . . . that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them.”
There it is. That’s the engine of Paul’s ministry.
The love of Christ.
Ministry can slowly become about us.
How well did I preach?
Did people appreciate me?
How many attended?
Did anyone notice what I did?
Evaluation is not wrong. But something is wrong when ministry that should point to Christ begins pointing to the minister.
Authentic ministry is not about making ourselves visible.
It is about making Christ visible.
Ministry is not about our sacrifice, but Jesus’ sacrifice.
Reconciliation
Another subtopic is reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:18–20 NKJV
“God . . . has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. . . . We are ambassadors for Christ.”
Sin separates. Christ reconciles.
At the cross, God acted in Christ to bring sinful humanity back to Himself. Those who have experienced reconciliation are then sent to carry that message to others.
An ambassador does not invent his own message. He represents someone else. We represent Christ.
And people reconciled to God should become people who seek reconciliation with one another.
A church cannot convincingly preach reconciliation to the world while refusing reconciliation within itself.
A divided church cannot preach the gospel!
Holiness
2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.”
We commonly apply this text to marriage, but Paul’s concern here is broader: allegiance.
Paul is not saying Christians must avoid unbelievers. How could we be ambassadors for Christ if we never interacted with those He sends us to reach?
Separation is not isolation.
It means refusing to allow anything to compete with our allegiance to God.Conclusion
The world asks for impressive credentials. Paul points to transformed lives.
The world celebrates strength. Paul carries treasure in a jar of clay.
The world builds personalities. Paul points to Christ.
The world protects itself from broken relationships. Paul seeks reconciliation.
The world regrets consequences. The gospel produces repentance.
Authentic Christian ministry is not about convincing people that we are great ministers.
It is about showing people that we have a great Savior.
Discussion Questions
- If people knew Jesus only through the “letter” of your life, what kind of Jesus would they see?
- How can we distinguish ministry success from faithfulness?
- How can Christians practice separation from compromise without isolating themselves from unbelievers?
Notes
- Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, 115. ↩︎
- Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, 469. ↩︎
- Paul David Tripp, Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 41. ↩︎
Paul’s letters to the Corinthians are a powerful study of Christian life and witness. As we look at the message of the Cross, the power of the resurrection, and the grace that forms God’s people in love and fellowship, may our lives be drawn closer to Christ and His mission.