It was 1848 when Andrew Murray was ordained into the Dutch Reformed Church. With a remarkable 60-year ministry, he was one of the first Dutch Reformed pastors in South Africa following France’s colonial exit. He pastored four churches, wrote over 250 books, and established what is now today the largest mission agency in Africa -Serving In Mission. Through decades of war and peace, feast and famine, Gospel seed planting and harvest, he experienced all the emotional highs and lows you could imagine. Reflecting on his experiences, and why he didn’t just give up he wrote,
“Feeling always seeks something in itself; but faith keeps itself occupied with what Jesus is.… When feeling says, In myself, I am sinful; I am dark; I am weak; I am poor; I am sad, let faith say, In Christ, I am holy; I am light; I am strong; I am rich; I am joyful.”
Over 125 years later, those words still speak to us today. Faith has a way of binding us to Christ in a way that emotions do not. Emotions do tend to be driven by what we see with our own eyes running cold and hot and all levels in between as our circumstances change. At the same time, we don’t want to go back to the decades when Reformed folk were nicknamed the frozen chosen who showed little emotion. Faith should not be absent of feeling as the Psalmist reveals through many a varied Psalm. Faith at least is not a fleeting emotion that comes and goes. We can have a faith as firm as can be regardless of whether we are happy or sad, grateful or grieving or whatever emotion we experience…
In our text, we do not find a happy go lucky Paul but he is full of faith nonetheless. His ministry to the Corinthians in jeopardy - Competitors and critics have come on stage in Corinth. Among them were the Judaizers who pushed back against the Gospel. Corinth was also a city of philosophers and debaters who built their own reputations by character attacks. His critics thought it a weakness that Paul was not enriching himself off the people he ministered too. Paul also spoke to impossible things like resurrection, miracles and more highlighting a crucified criminal Jesus with no trace of him to be found. Clearly Paul is not happy about these issues – How could things get so off track? He is disappointed, hurt, and perhaps even a bit angry—and justifiably so.
Today we have similar concerns for the church at times. We grow anxious for loved ones who once did but no longer appear to have a relationship with Jesus. Others still cite their faith but in growing numbers feel they can no longer be part of a church congregation. We lament that the youngest of our generations alive right now see little relevance or importance for faith or worship. How could faith formation get so off track? Though we see God’s hand of blessing frequently in our midst, and we feel the love of God in this place and among each other -- other times we are concerned, hurt and worried – sort of a helpless feeling as to what our response should be. But thankfully faith still binds us to Christ and to each other in a way that emotions alone do not.
The answer is not to go Stoic – to keep a straight face as if nothing is bothering us so as not to show emotions or pain. In faith, we can be sincere about our concerns and cares for our families and our neighbors and our church. If anything – this congregation has modeled on more than one occasion the stronghold that it is – where it is safe to be transparent - bound in the confidence God will see to it faith will prevail.
That’s what Paul through the inspiration of the Spirit demonstrates so marvelously in this text highlighting the importance of remaining Christ-Centered by tying together Ministry, Truth, Gospel and Treasure.
Paul at this point had every reason to lose heart and give on the Corinthian ministry just as it seems at times we are ready to throw in the towel unable to keep up with life’s challenges. From the get-go, verse one is the anchor we need to ground us as Christians and as congregations in this world today. Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, WE DO NOT LOSE HEART. Oppositions, disappointments, Paul had plenty of reason to lose heart and give up. But it is God’s ministry. It is God’s mercy and not a check list of result driven boxes that drives Paul to persevere. That’s true for us as well. God continues to advance the already here Kingdom of Christ. His church is the agent with a two fold ministry – journeying alongside existing believers to full maturity and also adding to that number by relaying the Gospel. Both parts of the ministry are important.
Last week’s text was a favorite - Jesus healing miracle of the man paralyzed and lowered by his friends to Jesus as they sought his healing. One way to become more appealing in the eyes of others is to be so healing focused or attraction driven. The honest truth is that does work in the short term – spark an interest by adding some gimmicks or outlandish attractions. But in that amazing story Jesus did something else first before healing this man – Jesus offered grace and forgiveness first - the reason for which he came.
Paul also takes this to heart – he speaks to his critics – no he’s not flashy – their ministry might not have the pizazz that attracts the crowds – but of even greater importance to Paul, his conscience is clear that the truth is being proclaimed and not twisted to appeal. we do not use plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. There is such a wonderful nugget of truth in this. To be a faithful Christian and to be a faithful congregation is to be faithful with the truth of God’s Word. So long as that is done faithfully we have nothing to be ashamed of even if the results don’t appeal to the eyes.
Just as Paul was encouraged by his critics to reverse course and do whatever was necessary -- the Christian faith or church for that matter was never blueprinted by Christ to be a business model with consumer sentiment and a constantly changing product line to aligns with the fickle demands of the consumer in any particular moment. We continue with the truth – using the whole of Scripture - recognizing at the same time that not only is their earthly opposition in play at times – but at its heart there is an underlying spiritual opposition to the ministry of the church. Verses 3-4 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Something we tend to minimize, but Paul does not – there is another Kingdom in conflict with the Kingdom of Jesus Christ – and hours alone could be spent on this one verse as I pondered how election and other aspects of theology fit in with this conflict. Some accuse Paul of being so matter of fact that he is going stoic and is absent of any emotion here. Sort of a shoulder shrug that well if they reject the truth of the Gospel – it’s the Kingdom conflict to blame not him. But that’s not what he is saying. He’s not posing an excuse. Nor is it a feel good solution to our dilemma when someone we deeply love has rejected the Gospel. It’s heart breaking and terribly sad and we continue hoping that one day repentance may come. At the same time – perhaps even for a time they are being tragically blinded – the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ remains a burned out wick – but there is no indications that Paul here throws in the towel – just as Christ did not throw in the towel with him as persecuting Saul – where it took the full gleaming light of Christ before him to change his ways on the Damascus Road.
All of this and more is why Paul goes on to say – Verse 5 - For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. Every Christian ministry is susceptible to forgetting this whether church, school, or parachurch agency. When a Christian ministry takes its eyes off Christ, disaster awaits – For example, so many of our country’s institutes of great learning were originally great for their grounding in Jesus Christ. Harvard and Yale were first Puritan schools. Princeton was a Presbyterian college, Rutgers came from the Dutch Reformed Church. Long abandoning those roots - they have become a bastion for new truths and anti-Gospel rhetoric. Similarly whether church, school, or parachurch we don’t cease to hold up Christ as Lord for the sake of earthly measures, gaining numbers, or success.
For Paul demonstrates his contentment by grounding himself in the basics – He didn’t forget his faith origins, his conversion experience, or where he came from – His hope and faith are grounded in God’s activity through their ministry rather than putting ultimate faith in themselves – He goes back to the beginning – Paul goes back to Genesis 1 - For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”a made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
When emotions and what we see drive us to the point of despair – When we are fearful for the future and what it holds for our own lives or for the church of Jesus Christ – if ever there was reason not to lose heart – here it is. For God has made his light to shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Amongst all our worries and concerns for everything happening around us – oh to be brought back to a sense of contentness and joy that God the primary actor removed the veil of darkness from our eyes so that we could see the great exchange as it took place.
Do not lose heart - Jesus took the punishment so that we would receive the peace. Jesus became the undeserved wounded one so that we would be healed. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
