2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 6:3-10,
“Endurance In Ministry Despite Difficulties, Hardships And A Lack Of Earthly
Rewards”
By
1.
INTRO
1.1.
In our last study, we looked at Paul continuing to defend himself
to the Corinthians as he began to implore them that they needed to be
reconciled to God for they were in danger of falling completely away
1.1.1. Paul told the Corinthians
that he and those with him were ambassadors of Christ, and thus as he was
speaking on Christ’s behalf the Corinthians had the responsibility of
responding to Paul and heeding his exhortation for them to get right with the
Lord
1.1.2. What was at the heart of the
Corinthian’s being reconciled to God was for them to again recognize Paul as
their apostle, accept his authority over them, and give the boot to these
‘super apostles’ who were leading them astray from the truth
1.1.3. We looked at the fact that
each of us is called to proclaim the ‘word of reconciliation’ and to reconcile
men to God through the finished work of Christ wherein God has reconciled
Himself to mankind
1.1.4. We looked at:
1.1.4.1.Who needs to be reconciled
to God
1.1.4.2.Why men need to be
reconciled to God
1.1.4.3.What is that ‘word of
reconciliation’
1.2.
In our study today, we are going to see Paul again defending himself to
the Corinthians for his apostleship, his calling to preach the gospel to the
Gentiles, and for his own personal integrity for the decisions he made for his
life. Here, Paul begins to do what he
told them that he did not need to do and in fact didn’t do, “commend himself,”
but he does so only by describing to the Corinthians how that his ministry has
great credibility because of how he endured in it despite the tremendous
difficulties and trials which he constantly faced in it
1.2.1. Those who are ‘false
apostles’ and ‘false teachers’ get out when the going gets tough and when it
means real sacrifice for them, for they are doing ministry only for personal
and material gain. However, the apostle
Paul’s credibility really is most clearly seen by his enduring in his ministry
and pouring out his life for others in spite of the difficulties and sufferings
he experienced as well as receiving no earthly reward for his work
1.2.2. This section that we are
going to look at is poetic in its arrangement of matching clauses and word
groups as Paul intends his use of contrasts to accurately point out the things
that he did in ministry, as well as his true character
1.2.3. Through his description of
his endurance in ministry despite all of the hardships and suffering that he
experienced Paul’s portrait of himself matches the portrait of God’s ‘ideal’
and ‘suffering’ servant prophesied by Isaiah, the Lord Jesus Christ who poured
out his life unto death for us.
1.2.4. We will see how that Paul is
a tremendous example for us Christians to follow of being one who was always
willing to enrich, edify, and build up others in their faith regardless of the
difficulties which doing that entailed as well as the lack of earthly rewards
to be gained
1.2.4.1.Paul truly lived his life in
such a way that when he went to be with Jesus and gave account of his life
after being saved that the Lord would say to him, “Well done thou good and
faithful servant!”
2.
VS 6:3 - “3 giving no cause
for offense in anything, in order that the ministry be not discredited,” - Paul tells the Corinthians that he and those
with him were giving no cause for offense in anything so that their ministry of
reconciliation would not be discredited
2.1.
From the context of our last study, we see that this message comes on
the heals of Paul telling the Corinthians that the Lord had appointed him to be
his ambassador and that having been reconciled to God through the message of
the gospel (what he had written about in the previous section of scripture as
the “word of reconciliation”) that he had been called to the ‘ministry of
reconciliation.’
2.2.
Having been called to the ministry of reconciling people to God through
the preaching of the gospel, Paul did not want to be discredited in anyone’s
life. We might say that he did not want
to offend anyone or cause them to be repulsed by him so that he could not be
used in their life as God’s agent of reconciliation.
2.3.
All of us as Christians have to earn the right to speak to people about
the Lord since normally they are very suspicious of anyone who would speak to
them about God, and they normally take with a grain of salt someone’s opinion
whom they judge to be of suspect or defamed character.
2.4.
Once we have by our consistent actions and attitudes earned the right
to speak to people about the Lord, then incredible doors to share the gospel
can open up for us.
2.5.
Paul knew that the pureness his integrity before God and man were a
major source of the power behind his ministry and preaching, and without it his
ministry would be completely fruitless.
For we know that for anyone and especially an apostle to say, “Do as I
say not as I do,” would not provide anyone much impetus to heed their preaching
and admonitions.
3.
VS 6:4 - “4 but in everything
commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in
hardships, in distresses,” - Paul describes how his
ministry was one of enduring in afflictions, hardships, and distresses
3.1.
Paul is attempting to demonstrate to the Corinthians in this verse how
that his life and ministry had great credibility because of the fact that he
‘endured’ in the calling that God had for him in spite of manifold difficulties
and trials which were constantly coming upon him.
3.2.
Not only did Paul endure in his ministries and calling, he endured
as a ‘servant of God.’ Paul’s
ministry was for others and as such he was a ‘servant’ in all that he did. He did not expect or desire to be served by
others, but instead he went out to serve all of those whom the Lord brought
across his path.
3.2.1. His leadership style was
simply that of serving, as should be the case for all of us as Christians. If a person wants to be used of God he simply
ought to look for ways in which he can simply and menially serve others, and
serve the body of Christ.
3.3.
We will see in our study that Paul’s description of the things that
he endured as a servant of God caused him to resemble God’s ‘ideal’ or
‘suffering’ servant whom Isaiah prophesied concerning, the Lord Jesus
Christ who came to earth to pour out His life unto death that He might serve us
and become the one who saves us from our sins.
3.3.1. The ‘super-apostles’ in the
church in Corinth had criticized Paul because of all the calamity and
sufferings which he was constantly enduring saying that this showed that Paul
was not a “capital A’ Apostle like the 12, but rather just one of many who were
serving the Lord. However, this
picture of Paul resembling God’s ‘ideal’ or ‘suffering’ servant should have
squelched any criticisms that the church in Corinth could have leveled
against him as an apostles, since the Lord Jesus shared the same qualifications
as a servant and minister.
3.4.
Those who are false prophets and teachers do not truly serve others
in the first place, they want to be served.
Secondly, they do not endure difficulties, trials, and sufferings
while attempting to serve God and man.
If there is not a good financial gain and resultant power and prestige
that accompany their so-called ministry for God, then the false prophets and
teachers are quick to bail and go somewhere else where they can make a
profit. Theirs is not a ministry for
anyone but themselves in reality, you see, because they are really seeking
their own benefit and gain.
3.4.1. In 2 Peter 2:14,
Peter tells us that the false teachers that will come into the church have a
heart that is trained in greed, “14 having eyes full of adultery and that
never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed,
accursed children.”
3.4.2. In 2 Peter 2:15,
Peter tells us that the false teachers that will come into the church follow in
the way of Balaam, the man who because of the money that Balak the Moabite king
promised to pay him if he would curse Israel tried on several occasions to
prophesy against Israel and then when that failed told Balak that the way to
subvert the Israelites was to get them involved in sexual immorality, “15 forsaking
the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son
of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.”
3.5.
Paul writes here a triplet of words that describe in general terms the
difficulties and trials that Paul experienced as a result of the ministry that
the Lord had called him to: afflictions,
hardships, distresses.
3.6.
Paul is writing here that he had endured in his ministry despite the
fact of the many experiences of afflictions, hardships, and distresses that he
experienced.
3.7.
Many good men have lost heart in ministry as missionaries because of
the difficulties and hardships, and thus when we think of the incredible
degree of hardships and difficulties that the apostle Paul experienced as a
result of his ministry, how could anyone question either his sincerity or his
calling from God? The Corinthians
surely must have had their minds stirred by this statement of Paul’s.
4.
VS 6:5 - “5 in
beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,” - Paul describes his endurance in ministry
despite beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, sleeplessness, and hunger
4.1.
Paul had been being vague in describing his hardships and difficulties
that he faced because of his ministry, however in this verse he specifically
lists some of those difficulties, trials, and hardships which he faced because
of fulfilling his ministry.
4.2.
In this verse, Paul writes about the ‘beatings’ that he had
endured as a result of fulfilling the ministry that the Lord had called him to,
and in 2 Cor. 11:23-25 Paul describes more specifically some of the
‘beatings’ that he had experienced:
4.2.1. beaten times without number.
4.2.2. five times he received from
the Jews thirty-nine lashes
4.2.3. three times he was beaten
with rods
4.2.4. once he was stoned.
4.3.
Paul experienced ‘imprisonments’ in many of the cities where he
went to plant churches.
4.4.
Paul seemed to eventually experience a ‘tumult’ or ‘riot’
against him in every city that he went to.
If the Jews didn’t incite a mob against him, then the Gentiles
would. He would leave only when he was
being chased or run out of town. Not
only so, but whenever he went to a new city he would go to the Jewish synagogue
where he was poorly received after a short while and then persecuted and/or run
out. Very few of the Jews would come to
Christ none-the-less Paul continued on in his ministry this way from city to
city.
4.5.
Paul writes in his letters about how that everywhere he went he
provided for his own support through his tent-making, and so surely his work to
support himself accounted for much of the ‘labors’ that he mentions in
this verse. However, he also ‘labored’
in his preaching and teaching the churches and in all of the other personal
contact and ministry that he performed amongst the peoples wherever he went.
4.6.
Paul probably experienced ‘sleeplessness’ when he would sow
tents at night after preaching the gospel and teaching throughout the day. There may have been many other factors that
caused him ‘sleeplessness’ though such as the stress that he experienced
over the churches that he had oversight, the places that he found himself
having to lay down his head at night, etc.
4.7.
In his travels, there were times that Paul found himself having no food
and thus experiencing ‘hunger’ as a result of being faithful to the
ministry that the Lord had called him to.
5.
VS 6:6 - “6 in purity,
in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,” - Paul describes his endurance in allowing the
Lord to control his character and temperament everywhere that he went in
fulfilling the ministry and calling that God gave him
5.1.
All of the character traits mentioned in this verse by Paul came about
in his heart and life as a result of the Lord working through his life. They were not expressions of any innate
goodness in Paul’s life, but rather the out-workings and fruit of the Holy
Spirit.
5.2.
Paul is showing his endurance here in always trying to keep his
heart and his thoughts ‘pure’ of sinful thoughts since he took every
thought captive to the obedience of Christ as he explains and exhorts
concerning in 2 Cor. 10:5, “5 We are destroying speculations and
every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking
every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
5.3.
True ‘purity’ in a person’s life involves having the Lord
through the Holy Spirit produce a childlike innocence concerning those things
which are evil. Jesus said that we are
to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves!”
5.4.
Paul writes about his endurance in this verse in being a student of
the word of God so that he could be an effective teacher of the churches as
a result of the Biblical ‘knowledge’ that he was always attaining.
5.4.1. Those who would want to be
teachers of God’s people must first learn to be students of God’s word. Thus must continually read, study, memorize,
and meditate upon the scriptures in order to be adequately equipped for this
ministry.
5.5.
Paul writes about his endurance in having ‘patience’ in
waiting upon the Lord as he stayed the course in fulfilling the ministry
that the Lord had called him to. He had
learned to be content in whatever circumstances that he found himself in he
told the Philippians in Phil. 4:11, and thus he could be patient with people
and in waiting upon the Lord.
5.5.1. ‘Patience’ is a fruit
of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life.
5.6.
Paul writes about his endurance in displaying ‘kindness’
to people while he was fulfilling his ministry wherever the Lord placed him.
5.6.1. ‘Kindness’ is another
fruit of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life.
5.7.
Paul writes about his endurance in displaying ‘genuine love’
or ‘genuine agape’ in his life.
He truly had the heart of God for people and loved people
unconditionally just as the Lord had shown his love to him.
5.7.1. The ‘genuine love’
that Paul demonstrated in his life was really the truest evidence or fruit of
the Holy Spirit working in him. In
listing the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Gal. 5:22-23, the first fruit
mentioned is ‘love’ because it is out of ‘love’ that all of the other
fruits of the Holy Spirit come.
6.
VS 6:7 - “7 in the
word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the
right hand and the left,” - Paul describes his endurance
in continuing in the proper use of weapons for waging spiritual warfare
6.1.
Paul writes about his endurance in ‘the word of truth’ as a
weapon of warfare.
6.1.1. In the gospels we read of
how that Jesus dealt with the temptations that the Devil gave him at the start
of his ministry. In each case, Jesus
fended off the temptations of the enemy by quoting of the word of God.
6.1.2. In the list of the weaponry
for spiritual warfare in Ephesians chapter 6 we read of ‘the sword of the
Spirit.’ In that list, the ‘sword
of the Spirit’ has been called the only offensive weapon listed. The rest are for defense only, to protect
against the attack of the enemy. It is
important for Christians to learn to use the word of God as a weapon of
warfare.
6.1.3. In Heb. 4:12 we read
about the effectiveness and power of the word of God, “12 For the word of
God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
6.2.
Paul writes about his endurance in ‘the power of God’ as
a weapon of his spiritual warfare.
God’s power must be what we as Christians pray for in order to be used
mightily in ministry for in and of ourselves we do not have the power to impact
people’s lives.
6.3.
Paul writes here finally about his endurance in using ‘the
weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left.’ There has been speculation about what in
specific Paul is referring to in this.
6.3.1. Some have thought that since
a warrior carries a shield for defense in one hand and a sword for offense in
the other hand that this is what Paul is referring to.
6.3.2. Some have thought that he is
simply referring to using a any and all kinds of weapons of righteousness in
our spiritual warfare that we wage.
7.
VS 6:8 - “8 by glory
and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet
true;”
- Paul describes his endurance in his
ministry despite accurate as well as false impressions of his work
7.1.
Paul had supporters in his day who consisted primarily of the men and
women whom he had brought to salvation through the grace of God and the covenant of grace
procured through the blood of Christ shed on
7.2.
Paul had critics and detractors who were comprised of the Judaisers and Jewish
and pagan religious leaders of his day.
7.3.
This group of descriptions of Paul’s ministry consists of a triplet of
accurate vs erroneous impressions of his ministry as held by his critics and
detractors, and his supporters:
7.3.1. Paul’s supporters accurately saw his ministry
as being one of ‘glory’ or ‘glorious,’ for they saw that it was a
ministry that it came from the very throne of heaven, had the very sanction and
blessing of heaven, and was one which also brought ‘glory’ to God.
7.3.1.1.Paul’s critics and detractors erroneously
saw his ministry as being one of ‘dishonor.’
7.3.1.1.1.The Jewish leaders thought that Paul was
either mad, a deceiver, or a blasphemer of the greatest degree because he was
teaching believers in Christ that they could set aside the law of Moses because
of the new covenant of grace which Jesus brought.
7.3.1.1.2.The pagan religious leaders thought that Paul was
much too narrow-minded by preaching salvation by one way only, plus they were
incensed by the loss of followers and respective revenue due to Paul.
7.3.2. Paul’s supporters accurately saw his ministry
as being one of ‘good report,’ for they saw that God was truly doing a
good thing in reaching Jew and Gentile alike with the “good news” of what
Christ accomplished upon the cross of Calvary in procuring salvation for all
mankind through Christ.
7.3.2.1.Paul’s critics and detractors erroneously
saw his ministry as being one of ‘bad report.’
7.3.2.1.1.The Jewish leaders saw Paul as blaspheming
God by not keeping the law of Moses to the letter as a good Pharisee, and
they were appalled that Paul would go and seek to bring despicable and unclean
Gentiles into God’s kingdom.
7.3.2.1.2.The pagan religious leaders were disappointed whenever
Paul’s ministry succeeded because it took away from their sacred religious
heritage in the people’s minds.
7.3.3. Paul’s supporters accurately saw his ministry
as being ‘true’ and not only having the sanction of heaven, but as
having been already foretold and explained in the Old Testament scriptures.
7.3.3.1.Paul’s critics and detractors erroneously
saw his ministry as being that of ‘deceivers.’
7.3.3.1.1.The Jewish leaders saw Paul as misrepresenting
the Lord, misrepresenting the scriptures of the Old Testament, and leading
people astray much in the same way today that a person might be looked upon
who was leading people into a cult.
7.3.3.1.2.The pagan religious leaders just saw Paul as stealing
away their people, committing sacrilege against their religious institutions,
and hurting the precious and valuable pagan culture.
8.
VS 6:9 - “9 as unknown
yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death,” - Paul describes his endurance in his ministry
in spite of various receptions and understandings of him by people
8.1.
This group of descriptions of Paul’s ministry simply explains perhaps
that, though there was much confusion amongst people about the ministry that
Paul had been called to and was performing in the Gentile world during the
era of the early church, that none-the-less Paul did not let those things
distract him from fulfilling his calling and ministry, and this lent
credibility to him.
8.2.
Paul writes here that to many, in the Gentile world anyway, and
amongst the churches that he had established there, he was very ‘well
known’ and even venerated. He
was the apostle who had taken on basically the entire non-Jewish world with the
gospel and had seen the world turned upside down, or more correctly
“right-side-up,” for Christ.
8.2.1. To many Jews in his day and
even amongst much of the non-Jewish world Paul remained an ‘unknown.’ However, this fact did not deter him from
fulfilling his calling as a preacher of the gospel of Christ.
8.3.
Paul writes here that he was always being persecuted severely,
should have died many times, and thus he was always ‘dying.’
8.3.1. The Lord was always raising
up Paul, healing him, and encouraging him to keep on going in his ministry, and
because he was always being healed and raised up by the Lord he could write, ‘behold
we live.’
8.4.
Paul writes here that as a result of his ministry that he was
always facing some kind of punishment from either the Jews or the Gentiles, and
thus he was always being ‘punished.’
8.4.1. Though Paul had received so
much corporeal punishment in his persecutions from both Jews and Gentiles, still
no one at the point in time that he wrote this letter had yet caused him
to be ‘put to death.’
9.
VS 6:10 - “10 as
sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing
yet possessing all things.” - Paul describes his endurance
in ministry as always ministering and building up others and recognizing that
from the perspective of eternity that he wasn’t losing anything but rather
gaining all things
9.1.
Though this grouping is just another triad of descriptions of
what Paul did in his ministry, it is really a crescendo of his argument. What he is saying in essence in this group is
that in spite of the overwhelming difficulties and trials that he constantly
faced in carrying out his ministry, that none-the-less none of these things
he experienced were allowed by him to deter him having a proper eternal
perspective upon his life nor from thinking of others first and seeking in any
way that he could to enrich, edify, and encourage others through his ministry.
9.2.
Paul’s endurance in laying his life down for the sake of others, in spite of all that he
had to endure and suffer, then placed him in the similar category as Jesus
Himself, God’s ‘ideal’ and ‘suffering servant’ in the book of Isaiah. This characteristic of Paul proved to be the overwhelming
proof of the validity of his ministry, the authority and genuineness of his
apostleship, and the approval of his personal integrity in all of the decisions
that he made.
9.3.
Paul writes here that as a result of his ministry that he was always
being persecuted and suffering and thus just like Jesus whom Isaiah described
as, “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” Paul was
constantly ‘sorrowful’ because of what he had to endure.
9.3.1. Though Paul was constantly
being persecuted and suffering greatly because of his calling and ministry,
none-the-less he refused to consider his circumstances, since he had learned
to be content in whatever circumstance he found himself in (Phil. 4:11),
and thus he was ‘always rejoicing’ in the Lord and “counting it all joy,”
whenever he experienced various trials (James 1:2).
9.4.
Paul writes here that as a result of his ministry that he was always
finding himself without money and resources and thus ‘poor.’
9.4.1. Though Paul was constantly
having to live by faith for his provisions for each day of his life, and often even
going hungry, none-the-less he was never controlled by his circumstances and
thus he was always ministering to others in the preaching of the gospel and
in doing so ‘making many rich’ in the things that will have true value
for eternity.
9.5.
Paul writes here that as a result of his ministry that in terms of
this world’s wealth and goods that he was ‘having nothing.’
9.5.1. After coming to Christ, Paul
had a proper eternal perspective for his life on this earth. He knew that everything on this earth was
one day just going to burn. However,
because he knew Christ he knew that being the meek that he would
“inherit the earth.” Thus, Paul knew
that as he stayed on course living for the souls of men through the preaching
of the gospel that he was in fact losing nothing but rather ‘possessing
all things.’
10.
CONCLUSION:
10.1.
As we look at the apostle Paul and how that his life was a reflection
of God’s ‘ideal’ or ‘suffering’ servant, the Lord Jesus Christ who poured out
His life for the sake of our faith, and that the apostle Paul endured in his
calling and ministry of serving as he preached the gospel wherever he went, we
Christians today ought to ask ourselves whether we are enduring in the
fulfilling of our calling that God has for us, or not?
10.1.1. Are you discouraged in your
Christian walk and perhaps thus hold back from serving the Lord in all of the
ways that He wants you to serve Him?
10.1.2. Are you truly a ‘faithful
servant’ of the Lord’s, or do you hold back from giving your all to Him and being
obedient in all of your life? We have
already seen that our life is not our own but rather belongs to Christ and thus
we cannot do the things that WE please…
10.1.3. When you stand before the
Lord and give account of your life to Him, do you want Him to say to you, “Well
done thou good and faithful servant!”?
10.1.3.1.If so, what does it mean to
be a ‘servant?’
10.1.3.1.1.Is your life truly that of a
servant? Do you spend your time serving
others for the
10.1.3.2.What does it mean to be
‘good and faithful?’
10.1.3.2.1.You are a servant, but are
you always doing good for the
10.1.3.2.2.Or, are you really not
serving as Christ would have you to serve?
10.1.3.3.What does ‘well done’ mean?
10.1.3.3.1.Is your serving of the Lord
done ‘well,’ or is it done half-heartedly or in a helter-skelter fashion?
10.1.3.3.2.Are you in control of your
life and ordering it as the Lord would have you or is your life really just out
of control?
10.2.
I want to say something here to you speaking to you as your pastor at
this church. God wants each of you to
realize that this is a body life and a body ministry that we have here in the
church. Realizing that your life doesn’t
belong to yourself and that you want to be found a good and faithful servant
when the Lord returns, you need to realize that you need to be a part of
everything that the church does.
10.2.1. I believe that everyone
should be committed to coming to every service of the church, as much as is
possible.
10.2.2. In the early church, as we
read from Acts 2:46, the church was meeting every day, and the whole body was
coming together. The people couldn’t
spend enough time worshipping the Lord and being taught His word. There was no problem in getting people to
come, there was a problem in getting them to leave. This has likewise always been the case when
the Lord’s people have been on-fire for Him and He was working in their midst
in a great way. Every night the people
came to hear the preaching of John Knox, Martin Luther, and many others. However, it is a telling thing when a
Christian doesn’t even want to go to a couple of services in a week, or when he
feels that it is a burden to go to a service.
It almost makes one wonder if that man has even been saved if the Lord
has so little priority or interest in his life…
10.2.3. In the Old Testament, the Israelites
were given the law of Sabbath observance, and each of them was taught to order
or arrange their lives around the Sabbath observance. In fact, to violate the Sabbath and do any
work or not meet together for the festivities was punishable by death. I really believe that God likewise expects
each of us as Christians to arrange our weekly schedules around the services of
the church, and not visa versa. Thus,
Paul wrote to the Hebrews in Heb. 10:25 that they were not to forsake the
gathering of themselves together, “25 not forsaking our own assembling
together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the
more, as you see the day drawing near.”
10.2.4. Each of you have a gift and
a ministry here in this body and when your not here the body suffers. Your presence is needed in the body. Your ministry that God uses you in when we
meet may be as simple as smiling at someone or greeting someone, but the body
is hurting when you aren’t here in fellowship when the body meets.
10.2.5. When you miss Sunday service
or the mid-week study you never know when you might miss something that is
really incredible that the Lord is going to do.
You miss out and you miss important things that the Lord is wanting to
teach and show you when you miss studies.
10.2.6. Also, there is a power in
sheer numbers. “A crowd draws a crowd,”
as they say. When visitors come and
there is a good group meeting with us here, then they will get excited that God
is doing something that is really cool, and they will want to be a part of
it. That’s why we all need to be here
for the services.
10.2.6.1.We have had several
instances just even in the last six months when we had visitors come to our
Sunday or mid-week service, but because there was just a meager handful of the
body present when they came they were not impressed with what God was doing in
our midst and they did not stay with us.
10.2.6.2.I know that we all need a
vacation now and again, however there are many times that some miss church and
really have what I would call a poor excuse.
10.2.6.3.I do not believe that this
church is really going to grow and come alive as a witness for Christ in this
community until we as a body come to grips with dying to self and our own plans
for our lives, and we start realizing that we need to function in such a way
that we are a part of all that the church is doing here in this body and thus
need to support every aspect of it.