What Ministry Is All About – Part 1
In our message, THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT (2 Cor. 1:1-11), we started a new book in the Bible- Second Corinthians. Both First and Second Corinthians deal thematically with the church and church life. While First Corinthians focuses on several specific problems in a local church and how God says we are to approach those issues, Second Corinthians deals primarily with what ministry is all about and defending the Word of God. All Christians, no matter where we are at, are called to believe in and defend and hold up the Bible with the unsaved and even wayward brothers and sisters…
Ministry, and living for the Lord, however, does bring its share of challenges and suffering (John 16:33; 2 Cor. 2:14-16; 4:3-4; 5:17-20; Eph. 6:10-12, etc.). Apostle Paul experienced this as he defended his apostleship which was from “Jesus Christ by the will of God”, and the Bible says we will too as/if we seek to live for the Lord (2 Cor. 1:1-2, 5; 1 Pet. 4:12-14, etc.). It is important for us to know and understand our heavenly “Father” is the source of all compassion, and He has pity and mercy on us in all our circumstances (1 Cor. 2:3). God likewise can empathize with us because Jesus “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 2:15-16). Ten times in this short passage God’s Word declares to us and reminds us that we, as Christians, have eternal consolation, encouragement, and comfort from the Lord Almighty (2 Cor. 2:3-7, etc.). This is something we constantly need to be reminded of as we likewise encourage one another in the truth (Heb. 10:23-25; John 14:6; 1 John 4:4; 2 Cor. 1:21-22, etc.).
Paul then, in this passage, shared a specific example from his life (and the lives of his immediate companions) on how God, through intercessory prayer, miraculously delivered him from a situation he did not think he would live through (2 Cor. 2:8-11). We also should seek God’s face to find grace to help in time of need- praying for one another fervently (2 Cor. 1:11; Heb. 2:16, etc.). *For more information on this message, please see SBFC’s February 2, 2025 sermon above.