2 Corinthians 3 - 2006.02.25

"…Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." II Cor. 3:5-6

The greatest single need in Christian ministry is the Holy Spirit. When that principle is recognized, it completely changes the spirit and character of the ministry. Conversely, it may be said that the greatest danger in ministry is the fact that it can be "taught," learned and carried on by natural resources, talent and personality. That is, the form may be reproduced by the flesh; the substance cannot.

Except for the subject matter, there may be no fundamental difference between a business seminar and an ecclesiastical one. A sermon, by itself, may be no different than a lecture or a political speech. Many today approach the ministry in much the same way a talented actor approaches his role, and with similar results.

It is not until the Spirit of God comes on the scene that the Christian ministry is properly validated. When He does, a number of important things follow, several of which are discernible in our text for today.

Observe first of all that the spirit-filled minister is marked by humility. He recognizes his own impotence, as far as the task before him, and to which he is called. Think of it: a well trained (or even poorly trained) man can select a topic, study it, develop a sermon and preach it. All that is needed is a text, a brain and a tongue. A trained orator may do it better. One with acting ability may do it more charismatically, but it doesn't take much to be a preacher. Adolph Hitler drew a crowd, politicians can sway a multitude and TV pitchmen convince some people every day to try all kinds of products and procedures of little or no value.

What the preacher brings to the ministry is merely a voice. John the Baptist recognized it when he characterized himself as simply, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness." Jesus said of natural talent, "the flesh profiteth nothing," and "without Me ye can do nothing." Paul said in another place, "We…worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh [Phil. 3:3]," recognizing that "in me (that is to say, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing… [Rom. 7:18]." The lesson one needs first to learn if he would become a man of God, is that man is never more than an instrument. If you take God out of the equation the result will always be zero!

The second thing that naturally follows is that the spirit-filled minister is characterized by a profound sense of dependency. If one truly knows, as an acquaintance of mine said years ago, that "it takes God to be godly," he will recognize his need for the infusion of divine life in his person and performance if he is to accomplish anything that will have God's endorsement. A Christ honoring ministry is never a do-it-yourself enterprise. A dear lady of my acquaintance who has had a rich ministry with children once sent a little motto which says simply, "I can't, but God can." It is a reflection of the humility wrought by recognizing the bankruptcy of the flesh and the spiritual affluence of God, into which human poverty can tap by faith. As Paul put it, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me [Phil 4:13]." And here he says, "Our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament."

A third thing that marks a sprit-filled ministry is the awareness that it is neither the servant nor the subject, but the spirit of God Himself that accounts for "success" in ministry. Paul recognized that the scriptures themselves were not sufficient to produce the desired results. Behind the printed page, or its public proclamation, there must be power from on high which comes from the third person of the trinity. "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." I read the remark of a man known worldwide who said he had taught the whole bible verse by verse four times, and yet gave no evidence of being a saved man. It is the Spirit that gives life!

This is the reason why, with the message in hand and the lost world surrounding them, the apostles were first commanded by the risen Lord not to "go," but to "tarry." His word was, "Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high [Luke 24:49]."

The greatest need in the church today is not for better facilities or equipment. It is not for greater orthodoxy, or even for better preachers. It is for men so conscious of their utter inability for the task to which they are called that they rely on nothing in themselves but the Holy Spirit to confront the daunting task of the gospel ministry. Men may reach minds; only God can reach the heart. Men may convince; only the Spirit of God can convict. Men may secure a following; only God can make a new creature! And when it happens, the spirit-filled minister does not boast—he worships!

Yours for HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

2 Corinthians 2 - 2006.02.18

"Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him." II Cor. 2:6-8

Faced with irrefutable evidence of sin within the ranks, churches and individual believers are often guilty of one of two extremes; heedlessness or harshness. Either is erroneous and needs correction.

A member of the congregation at Corinth was guilty of gross misconduct, and the church had failed to address the problem. It was a sin the nature of which even the heathen would have abhorred. Paul, as a faithful apostle and spiritual overseer, had reproved the church sharply. Happily, for the public testimony of Christ, the church had received his rebuke, taken it seriously and removed the offender from its fellowship.

Happy is the church that has a pastor who has the discernment, devotion and discipline to confront sin when it raises its ugly head within the ranks of believers. And, happy is the pastor who has a congregation that will awaken and respond appropriately to biblically grounded reproof when such a situation arises.

It is the duty of faithful church leaders and a faithful church to confront sin and maintain purity within the ranks. Addressing the Jews in his epistle to the Romans, Paul cites their hypocrisy and charges, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you [Rom. 2:24]." That is a tragic condition, and if it was indicted by the Holy
Spirit under the law, it will be no less so under grace. The church of Christ should deal with sin in its ranks forthrightly and swiftly. But, it should deal with it appropriately.

The ultimate aim of the church when confronting sin in the life of one of its members ought not to be radical surgery, but redemptive restoration. It would appear that the Corinthian church had acted with reference to the case in point, but had, perhaps, overreacted. Paul sets about to introduce corrective action. It would seem that the offending individual had repented of his transgression, but was still rejected by the church. The apostle counsels, "Sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many," and urges forgiveness. God is a god of grace, and all of us are forgiven sinners. Were it not for grace, none of us descendants of Adam would ever populate heaven or stand at rest in the presence of a holy God. And there are none who have not had to be forgiven more than once—even, sometimes, for the same sin!

As careful as we ought to be to purge sin from the church, we ought to be just as ready to forgive the penitent offender. The apostle writes in another place, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted [Gal. 6:1]." As ourselves forgiven sinners, it ill behooves us to hold others at arms length when they falter, if they repent. "But," someone will say, "how will we know if they have truly repented?" Paul's position here seems to be, take him at his word. That is in line with the Savior, Who said, "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him [Luke 17:3-4]." Again it is written, "Then came Peter to Him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times, but, Until seventy times seven [Matt. 18:21-22]." That really raises the bar!

The underlying principle, as the last sentence in our selected text indicates, is love. For the sake of the transgressor, love must reprove sin, but it must do so with tears, and with a passion to see the brother corrected and restored, not merely excommunicated. "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you [Eph. 4:32]."

It is the believer's duty to reprove sin; it should be his design to effect restoration; and his governing disposition must be love.

Yours for a pure church and productive fellowship,

"Pastor" Frasier

2 Corinthains 1 - 2006.02.11

"For we would not brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in Whom we trust that He will yet deliver us." II Cor. 1:7-10

Job said - that is, the Holy Spirit through Job said, "Man that is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble [Job 14:1]." The Savior said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation… [Jn. 16:33a]." Paul said, "We would not…have you ignorant of our trouble…" The inference is that trouble is as much a part of life as life itself.

The reason for that is obvious, from a scriptural standpoint. Sin has thrown everything out of balance, and life does not function the way God designed it. The apostle indicates in Romans 8:22 that not only man and his relationships were marred by sin, but that Adam's transgression disrupted the very fabric of nature itself, so that the whole creation "groaneth and travaileth" as a result. Sickness, social disorder and natural disaster are all fallout from Adam's disobedience to the word of God, and conversion does not remove us nor exempt us from its tragic consequences. Hence the righteous suffer as well as the wicked in this present dispensation.

The fundamental difference between the saved and the lost, with reference to trouble is the Resource of the righteous in time of trouble. In the opening of this chapter the apostle denominates God as "the God of all comfort." As believers in the living God we have a relationship with Him which enables us to view trouble differently and relate to it on a higher plane.

To illustrate the point Paul makes reference to one of his own seasons of trouble so profound that he "despaired even of life," and in which he had experienced the sufficiency of God's grace. He declares that God "delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in Whom we trust that He will yet deliver us." Note the three tenses: in the past, He delivered us; in the present He continues to deliver us; and with respect to the future, we trust that He will deliver us."

The key word in the book of Deuteronomy is "remember." Moses rehearsed the history of Israel in the wilderness as a reminder of God's sufficiency and goodness in the past, to encourage them in facing the challenges of the present and the uncertainties of the future in a world where trouble comes almost as naturally as sunshine. If God has delivered us from trials in the past, we do well to keep that deliverance in mind. It will be an encouragement to trust His overshadowing care in the problems confronting us in the present.

But what of tomorrow? When the apostle says, "we had the sentence of death in ourselves," he is simply saying, 'we took our lives out of our own hands and placed them in His.' "We should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead." We can never be sure of tomorrow. "We [are to] walk by faith and not by sight." Some day there will come a "trouble" from which God will not deliver us - here. It will be the launching pad for our transport to glory. 'Til then, we should recall His deliverance in the past, recognize His sustaining power and grace for the present and trust Him as "the God who raises the dead" for the uncertainties of tomorrow. Let it be noted, however, that a merely theoretical God will not do. If we are to have courage for the present and confidence for the future, we will need a personal relationship with the living God. That relationship comes through a genuine faith in Christ alone. It is to such that God gives His word,

"Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in t trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation ."
[Psalm 91:14-16]

"I don't know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine, For its skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future, For I know what Jesus said.
And today I'll walk beside Him, For He knows what is ahead.
Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand;
CHO.: But I know Who holds tomorrow, And I know Who holds my hand.
(Ira Stanphil)

Yours for victory in alien territory,

"Pastor" Frasier

1 Corinthians 16 - 2006.02.04

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity." I Cor. 16:13-14

The church at Corinth was like a garden plagued with weeds. It is a wonderful testimony to the grace and power of God that there was a church there at all, given the native moral and spiritual condition of the city. But, wherever God is at work planting or growing His church, there the adversary will be at work to corrupt and destroy it.

Pride, strife and division, moral degeneration, disorder in worship (specifically at the Lord's table,) abuse of spiritual gifts and serious doctrinal error were all manifest in the congregation, not unlike many a 21st century church. Specific remedies for these ills are proposed along the way, as the holy Spirit addresses them through the apostle's teaching, but our text today offers a kind of summary defense against the invasion of the body of Christ by the power of darkness.

The first admonition is "watch." The word used here means to stay awake. The Savior used the same word when He said to His disciples, "The Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh…lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch (Mk. 13:34-37)." (See also Mt. 23:42-44) We have a familiar idiom that expresses the idea: "Don't fall asleep on the job." Careless, casual Christianity is not equipped for the battle we are called to face.

It follows, of course, that if we need to be awake and alert, we also need to know what to watch for. Error, as a rule, does not enter the church in a frontal assault, but like the proverbial "thief in the night." We need to know the scriptures and keep them ever before us if we are to guard against it. More than ever, in these days of creeping apostasy, Christians need to be biblically informed and spiritually alert.

The second exhortation is to spiritual steadfastness. "Stand fast in the faith." It is of little use to remain on the alert if we are not prepared to resist the enemy when he makes his appearance. There is, however, an important modifier: "in the faith." There are those in some churches who "stand," but who stand in the way of spiritual progress. They lack the ability to recognize the difference between the "tradition of the elders," for instance, and real essentials of the faith. Stubbornness and steadfastness may on the surface look the same, but they are from different roots. We must stand firmly against all compromise of that faith revealed in the New Testament scriptures, but clearly distinguish it from the cultural accretions sometimes added to it, like barnacles clinging to the hull a great ship, and threatening to hinder the cause of Christ or bring reproach upon His name.

The third challenge issued here is, "Quit ye like men, be strong." It is a call to a mature and courageous disposition. Many a church has decayed because there was no one willing to "stand up and be counted," when the situation required it. This is a call to strong spiritual initiative, and it is noteworthy that it is addressed to "The church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.… (I Cor. 1:2)." This call to maturity and courage in spiritual matters, along with the command to be alert and stedfast, is not addressed to an elite group within the church, but to the whole congregation. It is every believer's responsibility, if the church is to withstand the onslaught of "spiritual wickedness in high places."

With all of that , however, there is a "bottom line" of paramount importance. "Let all your things be done with charity." Here that divine love comes into play again. Sometimes the methods and manner of those who perceive threats to the testimony of Christ, which need to be addressed, only compound the problem by the way they confront the issues. Through this same apostle the Holy Spirit counsels in another place, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted (Gal. 6:1)." Being mature and strong in our stand for the truth of God does not mean throwing our weight around or heavy handed harshness in dealing with those who err. It means being on the alert, standing firm, exercising our strength in a mature and loving way, seeking the preservation of the faith, the purity of the gospel and the welfare of every believer, including those who may be at "fault."

Love—for God, for the faith, for our fellow believers—is the bottom line, without which the right thing may be done in the wrong way and only further compound the problem. "Let all your things be done with charity!"

In and for Him,

"Pastor" Frasier