AN INEVITABLE CHALLENGE: Ministry is uncertain.
- 2 Corinthians 2:12-13.
- We don’t know all the details, but these verses indicate some good and some bad.
A HOPEFUL TRUTH: The Kingdom is always advancing.
- 2 Corinthians 2:14a – “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ . . .”
- “Triumphal procession” would be a common image in the Roman era. When a great war had been won, there was a great procession.
ONLY RESULTS MATTER? Is God pleased only when people receive Christ or simply by Christ being proclaimed?
- 2 Corinthians 2:14b-15 – “. . . and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”
- It’s important here that sharing the knowledge about God is a “fragrance” to Him. Our lives are that “aroma.”
A SHUT DOOR: This is encouraging because some people think the gospel stinks.
- 2 Corinthians 2:16a – “To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.”
- If you’ve witnessed, you’ve almost certainly had it go badly sometimes. There are many who think the gospel stinks. It has the “smell of death” to them.
- This response doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ve done a poor job sharing the Good News. It often just means they don’t like what God is offering.
WHO IS PRESENT? This is a hard job, but we do it knowing we are in the presence of God.
- 2 Corinthians 2:16b-17 – “And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.”
- Verse 16b asks a question that indicates how challenging this task is. It can be discouraging and depressing.
- But we are encouraged in verse 17 by the reminder when we witness that God is present there with us.
