It should come as no surprise that those whom Paul describes as “Peddlers of God’s Word” would be involved in a fair amount of shameless self-promotion.  The power-leaders had come to Corinth armed to the hilt with impressive “letters of recommendation”.  Those letters were the ancient equivalent of being listed in Who’s Who, a way of distinguishing those people of notable or prominent standing.  They were a sure ticket into the circles of the influential and cultural elites.  And in flashing their fancy credentials, they were taking a back door shot at Paul’s lack of any such notoriety.  At one time Paul himself had belonged to those very same circles, but any access or letters of standing had suddenly dried up the day he met the risen Christ on the Damascus road.  As we’ll see this Sunday in 2 Corinthians 3:1-6, Paul takes sharp aim at this core aspect of their ministry, and instead identifies “The Only Recommendation that Matters”.

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In many ways 2 Corinthians is a tale of two leaderships.  Paul’s and the Super-Apostles, each of whom were vying for the hearts and minds of the Corinthian church.  Though both considered themselves to be Christian leaders, desiring to give pastoral oversight to a Christian congregation, their understanding of the nature and practice of Christian ministry could not have been further apart.  In beginning to draw that distinction, Paul makes use of a powerful metaphor, that of the Roman triumphal procession, to introduce one of the principal themes of his letter, power in weakness.  Through 2 Corinthians 1:12-17, “Sharpening Your Image of the Christian Leader”, we’ll have the opportunity this week to reconsider some of our conceptions, and possible misconceptions, about the true nature of spiritual leadership.

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The exercise of love and compassion can sometimes require decisions and actions on our part that are quite difficult and painful, for us as well as for those we care about.  Rarely are they understood or appreciated at the time, and almost never are we given any assurance or guarantee of a positive outcome. That is simply the nature of tough love.  The evolving crisis in the church at Corinth had forced Paul to make a difficult change of plans and take painful actions, that had opened the door to both harsh criticism from his opponents and misunderstanding from those he cared for.  In 2 Corinthians 2:1-13, Paul defends that change of plans as being what can only be described as “A Severe Mercy”, as he shares the difficult but redemptive reason and purpose for why God had clearly and specifically redirected him.

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The power leaders, angling for control of the Corinthian church, had taken direct aim at Paul. In a concerted effort to undermine his spiritual authority, they had raised a number of serious questions and concerns about his credibility and the legitimacy of his calling. One of which had zeroed in on Paul’s change of itinerary regarding his long-anticipated return trip to Corinth, which they suggested was clear evidence of his duplicity and insincerity. In responding to their criticism, Paul gives us a rare, inside glimpse into his personal life and ministry, motives and purposes. 2 Corinthians 1:12-24 is an up-close and personal look at “A Profile in Integrity”. Read ahead and come prepared to worship together.

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We began our study of 2 Corinthians last Sunday with an introduction and overview of the letter.  As we saw, the occasion and purpose of the letter centers on the emergence, within the congregation, of an opposing leadership, whom Paul will later refer to, rather tongue in cheek, as “super-apostles”.   High-powered ministers who flaunted their image, impressive credentials, giftedness, and abilities, offering a ministry much more appealing to the Corinthians secular notions of successful leadership.  These opposing leaders, in addition to promoting themselves, had launched a concerted campaign to undermine Paul, both in terms of his credibility and calling as an apostle.  And one of their principal criticisms had focused specifically on the degree and extent of his personal sufferings.  Instead of downplaying those sufferings, or trying to explain them away, Paul made use of the introduction of his letter to respond to their criticism, right out of the gate, by fully embracing those sufferings, not as a disqualifying mark against his ministry, but as fundamental to the very nature of ministry itself.  We’ll consider that introduction together, in a message entitled, “Taking the Shame Out of Suffering”, from 2 Corinthians 1:1-11.

Scripture Reading – 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

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In his preface to one of the great puritan classics, The Reformed Pastor, William Brown wrote, “There is no class of the community on which the prosperity of the church of Christ so much depends as on its ministers”. In other words, as goes the ministry, so goes the church. Given that, each of us should have a personal, vested interest in the state and condition of that ministry, since it so directly impacts not only the care and feeding of our own souls, but also the souls of those whom we love and care about most deeply. John Stott has wisely written, “The ministry you get is the ministry you deserve, and the ministry you deserve is the ministry you demand!”. Yet few seem to know, or be able to explain, what exactly constitutes a good minister, or the kind of ministry that we ought to expect. Nowhere is the heart and soul of pastoral ministry more clearly articulated or more passionately defended than in this important letter. We begin this week with an introduction and overview of the letter entitled, “A Church that had Lost its Way”, looking at selected scriptures from the Corinthian correspondence.

Scripture Reading – 2 Corinthians 6:3-13, 11:1-15

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