To Encourage You

2 Corinthians 6:3-5 “We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger . . .”

The gospel is the greatest news that the world has ever known.  It’s the most awesome story that has ever been told.  It’s a message that God has ordained be preached by believers whom He has called His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).  What an awesome privilege and responsibility this is – and one in which the integrity of the messenger has so much to do with how that message is received.  In other words, Christians better live like they believe the gospel they talk about or their words might fall on deaf ears.  That was one of Paul’s primary concerns as he carried God’s truth from place to place. 

In the verses above Paul tells us that he strove to put no obstacle in anyone’s way with respect to his own behavior.  He gives a list of the things he endured and the life he lived as proof of that.  He begins with the fact of how his faith had endured in the face of hardship.  He wasn’t a person who believed the Word of God only when things were going well and life was good.  In fact, Paul, perhaps more than any other person in the New Testament, lived a life of hardship as he preached and taught, primarily because he preached and taught. He was so convinced of the truth of the gospel, he was so sure of what God had done in his life, he was so compelled to share the message that had saved his own soul, that he continued to share the its message come what may.  And Paul knew to “not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). He suffered “afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, and riots” simply because he shared God’s Truth. Any one of these things could be enough to discourage a person and tempt them to throw in the towel, yet Paul persevered. He went all out, exerting himself to the very limits by his labors that sometimes involved sleepless nights, hunger, and other means of deprivation.  His was a life lived all-in for Christ, as he went all-out to serve his Master, and his example was evident to all.  

What about you and what about me?  If we call ourselves Christians, are we making any effort to share the gospel message that has given us life?  Are we passionate about serving the Lord, even if it means others think we’re strange, perhaps even avoiding us, mocking us, or otherwise treating us poorly?  Or do we avoid sharing the gospel because we are so concerned about what people might think or say? Are we involved in ministry at all?  Is serving God with the gifts, possessions, and time that He has given us something that is on our radar?   Is it something we’re working at, if not to the limits of commitment shown by the apostle Paul, to some extent that we can point to?  Is the church we attend a place that would be lacking in ministry in some very significant ways if we weren’t there, or wouldn’t anyone notice if we failed to show up? 

May God help us to put no obstacles in anyone’s way when it comes to hearing the message of the gospel, especially obstacles that are solely the result of our negligence to expend ourselves in significant ways to serve the God Who expended His all for us.