CONFIDENT IN GOD: the Basis of Real
Ministry
The Best Testimony is Changed Lives
2 Corinthians 3:1-11
Jerry A Collins
SCC
v How do we know if the spirit is at work in our ministry?
v Why is the Law ineffective for the gospel?
v What is a ministry of death and a ministry of righteousness?
INTRODUCTION
Ministry can
be defined as ‘service to people with eternal values in mind’. But how do you
know if you are having ministry? What is the evidence for this? What is the
outcome of ministry? This is a relevant question because ministry is something
we all do on this side of the grave. You have a certain amount of time, given
to you by God, to have ministry. Some of your ministry is seasonal—like with
your children, then teenagers and then adults. Some of that
ministry ages—like what ministry you give in your teens, thirties, when you are
55 and then 70. Your kind of ministry, the quality of ministry changes
over time. Then the duration of your ministry in a lifetime fluctuates—like
when I was in
IT’S OUTCOME IS CHANGED LIVES 1-3
1.
Competition for ministry vs 1
It seems that
the apostle had to present himself for approval before, meaning that there had
been competition for the Corinthians support or allegiance before. Apparently,
this is alluding to the issue of competing with false teachers again in
2. Evidence
of his ministry vs 2
In contrast
to these ‘lettered’ competitors, (letters that were unavailable for public
scrutiny), Paul’s letters can be examined by everyone. The Corinthian believers
themselves were those letters of commendation. The Corinthian’s changed lives
are evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel he had brought to
them. Anyone, anywhere, could read it for himself or herself. This was not a
badge competition but a heart change. There was evidence of a real life-change
because of his ministry in the city of
3. The nature
of this ministry vs 3
This ministry
is revealing. It is demonstrating something—that the Corinthian believers are
Paul’s credentials. They are letters of Christ authored by Christ. Every believer
is a living letter walking around all day continually making Christ known. You
have his signature. Not that we should be but that we are like it or not. And
the apostle and his associates care for these believers. This was the calling
of God in his life—to minister to the Gentiles—even though he often desires to
minister to the Jews. He followed God’s revelation to him. Make sure you
fulfill God’s calling upon your life. You may have desires to do many good
things but do not let that get in the way of fulfill Gods calling in your life.
That calling is to your salvation and the working out of the same. That is,
that you walk worthy of God. That you walk in the direction, which conforms you to the image of Christ. That
you bloom where God plants you and how you can best use this for His kingdom
and His glory. Notice the contrasts here between the spiritual covenant
and the physical one given to Moses.
|
INK |
HOLY
SPIRIT |
|
TABLETS
STONE |
TABLETS
HEARTS |
|
COVT OF
LAW |
NEW
COVT |
The outcome
is changed lives within by the Spirit not conformed lives without to the Law.
IT’S ADEQUACY IS FROM GOD NOT US 4-11
Here is the
theme of the book—Confident in God: the basis of real ministry. He states that
his confidence is in through Christ toward God vs
4-5. Here again is the contrast between human weakness and divine power or
sufficiency. From God’s perspective, we are weak, not qualified to serve Him (1
Cor 15:9). But we find our adequacy he says is from
God—an answer to the question posited in
1. One is so
we can make the claim that God has changed believers through our ministry. We can be confident of that. We did not change anyone. We only served
them. God changed them. Notice the emphasis on being a ‘letter of Christ’ our
adequacy ‘being from God’ and it is the ‘Spirit (who) gives life’. So the
privilege for us is not that we are doing something for God when serving people
but that God allows us to participate with Him in our ministry to others.
2. A second
way we can be confident that our adequacy for ministry is from God is that God
has made us servants of a new covenant. Here is the
contrast: The old one kills but the new one gives life. Moses was a servant of
the Law and Paul’s competitors were probably Jewish advocating obedience to the
Law. There are two things that make the Law deficient to give life:
A. The Law
set the standard but offered no power to reach it 7-9.
In vs 6 it is a letter that kills and here in vs 7 it’s a ministry of death. I’m glad I’m not promoting
that. In vs 9 it produces condemnation. So the Law
set the perfect standard but men and women who are sinfully weak were unable to
reach that standard. When Moses received it from God (Ex 34:29f)
B. The Law
had an honorable purpose but it was only temporary.
The Law had
glory because God vs 10 gave it but now there is a
new brighter enduring glory, which makes Moses’ glory, look like no glory at
all. At nite the moon has radiance a point of lite in the dark. But when the sun returns the moon has no
radiance because the suns radiance surpasses it—the brightness of the sun
actually turns the whole sky into brightness. The radiance of Moses’ face would
fade until he went back in to God’s presence. Then his face would radiate once
again vs 11. But the righteousness we possess from
the shed blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit living in us, it remains! The Law
then was a temporary covenant but the new covenant we promote and God enables
us to serve is a permanent one full of glory!
So What?
1. People
need to be permanently changed so they are fit for heaven. The ministry of the
gospel has the power to make that change as a payment for their sin and an
imputing of Christ’s righteousness.
2. We do not
do this ministry for God. He does not need us. But we participate with Him in
this ministry of the gospel and discipleship because it is what he is doing
today!