As we’ve read through 2 Corinthians, we’ve seen how difficult the apostle Paul’s ministry was. In spite of everything, though, he kept going. Nothing stopped him from continuing his ministry as an apostle.
The question for us is: how did Paul keep going in ministry when things were so difficult? What was his motivation and purpose? This is what we find in 2 Corinthians 4:13-15.
What Motivated Paul to Keep Ministering?
Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak …
– 2 Corinthians 4:13 (ESV)
In other words, Paul kept ministering because he believed something. He had “the same spirit of faith” as the psalmist he quoted from (Psalm 116) – he believed and so he spoke. To put it a different way, his belief motivated his behavior.
This is the way it works in all of life. If you believe that COVID-19 is dangerous, then you’ll follow recommendations like staying home and washing your hands a lot. If you believe that COVID-19 is not dangerous, then you’ll probably not follow such recommendations. What you believe motivates your behavior.
What Did Paul Believe?
If belief was what motivated Paul to keep ministering, then what was it that he believed? Throughout 2 Corinthians, there are quite a few – but here, it’s one specific thing:
[We also believe, and so we also speak] knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.
– v. 14
Paul believed in Jesus’s resurrection and the future resurrection of God’s people. That belief motivated him to continue ministering even when it got difficult.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the core of all our beliefs as Christians. That’s where everything starts. And the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead springboards us to the fact that Christians will be raised from the dead too.
This is a major statement that has tremendous implications. If you clear-headedly think that Jesus was resurrected and all His followers will be resurrected too, it’s going to have an impact on your behavior.
Let’s say you believe that death is the end of your existence. Then how would you live? You would just seek as much pleasure as you can in life because it’s the only one you have. You would do whatever you could to avoid affliction, perplexity and persecution.
On the other hand, let’s assume that we know Jesus is going to return this Easter Sunday at sunrise. How would it change your behavior up to that point? What would you do this week if you knew Jesus was coming back on the weekend?
This is how Paul lived. He believed that Jesus was going to raise him and other Christians from the dead, and so lived in light of it.
How Did Paul Live in Light of the Resurrection?
Paul kept ministering because he believed that Jesus was going to raise the dead. So he wanted to extend as much grace as possible in order to create as much thanksgiving as possible in order to glorify God as much as possible.
For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
– 2 Corinthians 4:15
Grounded in the deepest truth of the resurrection, Paul reached for the highest goal of glorifying God. That’s what he wanted to be found doing up until his death or Jesus’s return.
To wrap things up . . .
Even though we’re not apostles like Paul, we are still all ministers. The Holy Spirit has given each of us gifts to help us extend as much grace as possible to people in order to glorify God as much as possible.
Whatever your personality, spiritual gifts or life situation might be, you can do what the apostle Paul did. You can show people grace, resulting in thanksgiving, resulting in God being glorified. There are so many different ways to do that right now.
So ask yourself, “If Jesus were to come back on Easter Sunday morning, how would I spend my week?” How will you extend grace to others and glorify God this week?
Devotional streamed on Facebook Live – Monday, Apr. 6 @ 3:00 PM
