‘The Significance Of A New Creation’--XVII—2Corinthians 5:9--6:10...
14. The PRACTICAL REALITIES Of MINISTRY-B—2Corinthians 6:3-10...
Part B of point 14 in the series.
Attention:
No matter what we do for a living or how we worship together corporately, much more is required to bring about the actuality than may be considered/grasped by the receivers of such.
A true Christian receives a new nature.
Need:
*The key to our verses is 2Cor. 5:17—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Paul clarified the significance of being a new creation in Christ to the Corinthian church.
There is great significance to being a new creation in Christ.
14 significations/signifiers of being a new creation in Christ.
Previously we have found that A new creation is significant in its New...
1. PLEASUREs(5:9)
2. RECEPTION(5:10)
3. PERSUASION(5:11)
4. OPPORTUNITY(5:12)
5. SOUND INSANITY(5:13)Risk
6. LOVE(5:14-15)
7. CONSIDERATIONS(5:16)
8. NEWNESS/Creativeness(5:17)
9. RELATIONSHIP--Reconciliation(5:18-19)
10. INSTRUMENTATION/Mediation(5:20)
11. RIGHTEOUSNESS(5:21)
12. VIEW Of VANITY(6:1)
13. URGENCY(6:2)
We will see that Paul & Timothy commended apostolic ministry to the Corinthian church thru a list of Practical Realities within which they operated.
The significance of how being a new creation in Christ is played out in the Practical Realities of Ministry.
We are going to examine the significance of these Practical Realities one-by-one in their manifestation as Commendors of God-ordained Ministry.
14—A new creation is significant in the...
PRACTICAL REALITIES Of MINISTRY-B(6:3-10)
So far we have looked at the role of...
A. OFFENSE & BLAME(6:3)...as well as...
B. MINISTRY COMMENDATIONS(6:4ff.)(CONT...)
i. Patience(6:4)—cheerful endurance & constancy
ii. Tribulations—pressures
iii. Needs—forced subsistence
iv. Distresses—narrowed circumstances
v. Stripes(6:5)—officially sanctioned punishment
vi. Imprisonments—officially sanctioned
vii. Tumults(6:5)—chaotic/unstable lifestyle
viii. Labors—physically/mentally taxing work
ix. Sleeplessness
Continuing our look at MINISTRY COMMENDATIONS we find a 10th commendation....
B. MINISTRY COMMENDATIONS(CONT...)
A 10th Commendation as ministers of God...
“in fastings”
Comes by means of “fastings/hunger.” i.e., A Commendable Ministry is delivered in the package of “fastings/hunger.”
a. These MAY ‘possibly’ be the “fastings/hungers” of insecure living in dependence upon the generosity( or lack thereof) of others. Such is the involuntary hunger resulting from having no steady income or set place of their own. These “fastings” result from not knowing where one’s next meal will come from & often does not arrive at all.
*The more common(23X) word translated “hunger” is peinaw which is a more general term.
b. These ‘more probably’ MAY also be the voluntary “fastings” secured thru hours of prayer, &/or study, &/or labor...i.e., commitments of devotion to God in Christ! Chosen “fasting” in anticipation of the movement of God!(direction/intervention/involvement). “Fasting” is employed to bring an intensified focus upon a specific matter of prayer. “Fasting” is ALWAYS coupled with prayer!
Jn. 4:34-36—“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, & to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months & then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes & look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, & gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows & he who reaps may rejoice together.”
?Do your FASTINGS commend your ministry as born/borne of God...
...OR do they negate it?
“Fastings/Hunger”—nhsteia—Noun Dative Plural Fem.—1) A fasting, fast—1a) A voluntary, as a religious exercise—1a1) Of private fasting, 1a2) The public fast as prescribed by the Mosaic Law & kept yearly on the great day of atonement, the tenth of the month of Tisri(the month Tisri comprises a part of our September & October); The fast accordingly, occurred in the autumn when navigation was usually dangerous on account of storms, 1b) A fasting caused by want or poverty. Strong—Abstinence(from lack of food, or voluntary & religious); specifically--The fast of the Day of Atonement. Used 8X.
14—A new creation is significant in the...
PRACTICAL REALITIES Of MINISTRY--B(6:3-10)
B. MINISTRY COMMENDATIONS(CONT...)
6:6—“by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,”
Paul & Timothy now continue to “commend” their ministry, thru contrast with the above 10 negative means(:4-5). They present 9 positive(6 in :6 & 3 in :7) aspects regarding the same commendation.
An 11th Commendation as ministers of God...
“by purity”
Comes in/“by” “purity.” i.e., A Commendable Ministry is delivered in/by the package of “purity.”
The minister(in whatever capacity) maintains a spiritually moral “purity” before God so as to elucidate the God-ordained ministry to which he/she has been called. His/her life is lived within the confines of spiritual cleanliness & blamelessness before God.
1Tim. 4:12—“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity[agneia].”
Titus 2:6-8—“Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.”
1Tim. 5:21-22—“I charge you before God & the Lord Jesus Christ & the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure[agnov].”
Mat. 5:8—“Blessed are the pure[kayarov] in heart, For they shall see God.”
1Tim. 1:5—“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure[kayarov] heart, from a good conscience, & from sincere faith,”
Rom. 14:14-22—“I know & am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating & drinking, but righteousness & peace & joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God & approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace & the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.”
1Jn. 3:2-3—“Beloved, now we are children of God; & it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies[agnizw] himself, just as He is pure[agnov].”
?Does your PURITY commend your ministry as born/borne of God...
...OR does it negate it?
“By”6X(See 6:7, 8)—en—Preposition—1) In, by, with etc.. Strong—a primary preposition denoting (fixed)position(in place, time or state), & by implication--Instrumentality(medially or constructively), i.e. A relation of rest(intermediate between eiv[into, unto, to, towards, for, among] & ek/ex[out of, from, by, away from]).
“Purity/Pureness”—agnothv—Noun Fem.—1) Purity, chastity, uprightness of life. Strong—Cleanness(the state), i.e. figuratively--Blamelessness. Used 1X.
The word from which the Greek word translated as ‘saint’ is derived.
14—A new creation is significant in the...
PRACTICAL REALITIES Of MINISTRY--B(6:3-10)
B. MINISTRY COMMENDATIONS(CONT...)
A 12th Commendation as ministers of God...
“by knowledge”
Comes in/“by” “knowledge.” i.e., A Commendable Ministry is delivered in/by the package of “knowledge.”
Likewise, true “knowledge” is offered by these Christian ‘dregs of society’(1Cor. 4:13). The minister of God offers even those who do & will not comprehend God’s will(Jn. 1:5), as well as those who will &/or do, the true “knowledge” regarding salvation by grace thru faith in Christ.
1Cor. 2:1-2—“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ & Him crucified.”
2Cor. 4:5-7—“For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, & ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God & not of us.”
1Cor. 2:16—“For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?”[the implication is ‘no one!] But we have the mind of Christ.”
Col. 1:3-12—“We give thanks to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus & of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, & is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard & knew the grace of God in truth; as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
?Does your KNOWLEDGE commend your ministry as born/borne of God...
...OR does it negate it?
“Knowledge/Understanding”—gnwsiv—Noun Fem.—1) Knowledge signifies in general intelligence, understanding—1a) The general knowledge of Christian religion, 1b) The deeper more perfect & enlarged knowledge of this religion, such as belongs to the more advanced, 1c) Especially of things lawful & unlawful for Christians, 1d) Moral wisdom, such as is seen in right living. Gnwsiv denotes knowledge by itself & applies chiefly to the apprehension of truths, sofia adds the power of reasoning about them & tracing their relationships. Strong—Knowing(the act), i.e. by implication--Knowledge.
14—A new creation is significant in the...
PRACTICAL REALITIES Of MINISTRY--B(6:3-10)
B. MINISTRY COMMENDATIONS(6:4ff.)(CONT...)
A 13th Commendation as ministers of God...
“by longsuffering”
Comes in/“by” “longsuffering.” i.e., A Commendable Ministry is delivered in/by the package of “longsuffering.”
“Longsuffering,” similarly to patience(:4), describes the self restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong. “Longsuffering” is absolutely necessary in fully relating & teaching God’s truth to those ignorant of its reality in concept & practice. He is the opposite of someone with a ‘short fuse.’
How is this different from “patience” in :4?...
A “longsuffering” minister is not easily angered regarding personal things, maintaining Christian composure. But these may become entirely rattled over malicious violations of spiritual significance. “Longsuffering” does not seek retaliation or vengeance, but rather a recovery of God’s truth.
Upomonh[“patience”—:4a] is the temper which does not easily succumb under suffering, makroyumia is the self restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong. The one[upomonh] is opposed to cowardice or despondency, the other[makroyumia] to wrath & revenge.
These ministers are not so concerned over ‘getting their way,’ but are very concerned about God’s having His way. Therefore they ‘suffer long’(not retaliating), under the duress of legalism, liberalism, spiritualism, humanism, etc. & selfishness from their brothers & sisters in Christ.
Jn. 2:13-17—“Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, & Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen & sheep & doves, & the moneychangers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep & the oxen, & poured out the changers’ money & overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”
Lk. 23:32-34—“There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, & the criminals, one on the right hand & the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments & cast lots.”
1Cor. 6:5-8—“I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, & that before unbelievers! Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong & cheat, & you do these things to your brethren!”
1Cor. 13:4-8—“Love suffers long[makroyumia] & is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”
Gal. 5:22-25—“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering[makroyumia], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions & desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Col. 3:12-14—“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy & beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering[makroyumia]; bearing with one another, & forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”
2Tim. 4:1-4—“I charge you therefore before God & the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living & the dead at His appearing & His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season & out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering[makroyumia] & teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; & they will turn their ears away from the truth, & be turned aside to fables.”
?Does your LONGSUFFERING commend your ministry as born/borne of God...
...OR does it negate it?
“Longsuffering/Patience”—makroyumia—Noun Fem.—1) Patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance; 2) Patience, forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs. Makroyumia is the self restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong. It is opposed to wrath & revenge. Strong—Longanimity, i.e. objectively--Forbearance or subjectively--Fortitude.
From—makrov—Long—&—yumov—Passion/Temper. Illustration:
An oyster shucker is needed at one of the oyster houses in Eastpoint, FL/You know how to shuck oysters. You were raised here & have shucked oysters at home since you were little/BUT you have never done it commercially/You’ve never done it by the hour—for an extended period of time until the horn blows & with a never ending line of oysters/Will you leave when you stab your hand with the oyster knife...or complain about the smell as the discarded shells bake in the sun...or when the oysters some too fast for you to process, etc.../PRACTICAL REALITIES Of MINISTRY are seen in your MINISTRY COMMENDATIONS(Your commitment, bravery, tenacity, passion, etc.)
*!?Is it possible that your ministry is one which YOU have chosen,...
...Rather than one which GOD has chosen for you?!
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
*Obviously some ministries are more fraught with difficulty than others, but they are all tied to spiritual relationships with other people & the physical hardships of sharing the Good News.
Action:
14. A new creation is significant in the...
PRACTICAL REALITIES Of MINISTRY-B(6:3-10)
B. MINISTRY COMMENDATIONS(6:4ff.)(CONT...)
x. Fastings—prayer & fasting
xi. Purity—living uprightly
xii. Knowledge—personal, of God & His way
xiii. Longsuffering—refrain from wrath/revenge/vengeance
i. Patience(6:4)
ii. Tribulations
iii. Needs
iv. Distresses
v. Stripes(6:5)
vi. Imprisonments
vii. Tumults
viii. Labors
ix. Sleeplessness
Part ‘B’- subpoints x-xiii of point 14 presented 06/19/2016pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
