2nd Corinthians 2:12-17 | The Marks of the Ministry
We are in 2nd Corinthians 2. Of course on Wednesday nights we’ve been going through the book of 2nd Corinthians verse by verse. This is our 2nd week in 2nd Corinthians 2. If you remember from last week, we went over the first 11 verses. The Apostle Paul he began to explain to the Church at Corinth there about a little bit about the heart of the man of God. It showed how he was concerned for them and worried about them. He also talked about the hurt of Church discipline. And we dealt with that in the first 11 verses. In the 2nd part of this chapter in verses 12 through 17, the Apostle Paul kind of continues with this idea of ministry. We see these four characteristics or these distinguishing factors to ministry. So tonight I’m preaching a sermon called “The marks of ministry”.
I realize that the vast majority of the people in this room are not in full-time ministry. I understand that. I’m preaching the sermon because it’s what’s before us. It’s in the text. The Apostle Paul felt the need to write about it. The Holy Spirit felt the need to write about it so we’re going to preach about it. Even though most of you are not in full time ministry as an ordained Pastor or Deacon or on staff, we’re all to some extent in ministry. So it should help you. Not only that but we have a lot of young men in our Church that maybe one day the Lord would use in ministry to start Churches. I think these types of sermons are good to help them because sometimes young men in training have the wrong idea of what ministry is and what is actually done in ministry. They think all of your time is going to conferences but those are few and far between. There are lots of other things that happen within ministry. The Apostle Paul kind of highlights these for us.
2nd Corinthians 2:12 “12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,”. Here we see the very first mark of the ministry and really what allows us to kind of be in ministry. A mark of biblical ministry is motivating and mobilizing others to take advantage of the great opportunity to preach the gospel. That is the goal of Verity Baptist Church. That was the goal of Paul the Apostle. Why start a Church? Why plant a Church? The purpose is motivating and mobilizing others to take advantage of the great opportunity to preach the gospel. The Apostle Paul showed up to Troas in order to get the gospel out. Our first goal is to motivate and mobilize soul winners.
I want to look at a very familiar passage that you’re probably very familiar with but I think it’s good for us to be reminded of these things from time to time. While you go to Matthew 28, let me just give you a definition of the Church. What is a Church? Obviously we could preach a whole sermon on what is a Church and what makes something a biblical Church and I’ve preached sermons like that. But in a quick summary, a Church is a local assembly of believers who have banded together under the leadership of a Pastor for the purpose of the fulfillment of the great commission. When you look at the local Church in the New Testament and you ask yourself what exactly is a local Church or what exactly is a Church, it is a local assembly. There’s no such thing as a universal Church where we’re all just kind of the believers and we’re all just united together under this umbrella of the universal Church. That concept is not found in the Bible. The Bible is clear that it is a local assembly of believers who have banded together under the leadership of a Pastor.
If a group meets within a house but there is no Pastors, that’s not a Church. A Church is a local assembly that is banded together under the leadership of a Pastor. For what purpose? For the fulfillment of the great commission. We come together to fulfill the great commission. Matthew 28:18 is probably the most famous passage of the great commission in the Bible. Matthew 28:18 “18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”. This is going out soulwinning and then baptizing the converts. Verse 20 “20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”. That’s what we would call discipleship. And honestly that’s what we’re doing tonight. That’s what we do every time we get together.
What is it that a Church is trying to do? We’re trying to reach people, baptize them and then help them grow, help them learn, help them understand, help them to observe. Jesus said “whatsoever I have commanded you:”. What about all of the other things we do like the Harvest Party? That is fellowship. Fellowship is part of discipleship. Everything we do around here is motivated with this idea of fulfilling the great commission. Everything we do has that end in mind. Some things we do as part of outreach like sending soulwinners to preach the gospel, sending out mailers, putting sermons on YouTube and different social media sites. Those are outreach events. We also have fellowship events to try to get people connected. What is the mark of a biblical Church? It is a Church that is attempting to motivate and mobilize others to take advantage of the great opportunity to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are banding a group together, a local assembly under the leadership of a Pastor for the fulfillment of the great commission. Go to 1st Corinthians 16.
The whole purpose of a Church is to bring people together and ban them together in a local assembly under the leadership of a Pastor for the fulfillment of the great commission. It is not to go feed the homeless or just have fellowship time or make friends. We want fellowship but everything we do is to push forward the great commission. Why do we have a homeschool group and PE class and field trips? In order to invest in the next generation of young people so that they might grow up and be the future leaders of soul-winning Churches that are needed in this country. Everything has a goal of reaching people and motivating people and mobilizing people to fulfill the great commission. The Apostle Paul said a great door was open unto him and there is a great door open unto us today.
1st Corinthians 16:9 “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.”. I’m not one of these people who thinks that the 80’s was the height of fundamentalism. I believe there is a great opportunity today for us to do a great work for God. God is no respecter of persons. The Holy Spirit of God is just as powerful today as he’s ever been. Obviously our culture has changed and circumstances change. But we can still do something great for God today.
The Apostle highlights the great opportunity but also says there are many adversaries. There are going to be obstacles and issues. Today we have the transgender issues, sodomy and all kinds of things. Maybe in other generations they dealt with other things. But the truth is that people can still get saved today. You can still reach people. You can still knock doors. You can still have converts come to Church. You can still get people baptized. You can still help people grow. We are doing it. There is a great door and effectual open unto us. There’s a great opportunity for us. If we would stop complaining about how hard it is and the culture and the Governor and President and realize God is powerful then we would realize the great opportunity and walk through it and accomplish something great for God. That’s the mark of a biblical ministry. Not to sit there and complain. Not to march the capitol or protest in the streets but march down the street preaching the gospel.
Revelation 3:7 “7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;”. Today there is a great opportunity to reach people with the gospel. Here’s what I’m telling you. A mark of a biblical Church, a biblical ministry will be that they will motivate and mobilize others to take advantage of the great opportunity to preach the gospel. If you ever move away from here for any reason, make sure you find a Church that has a soulwinning program, trying to reach their community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. If they don’t then what are they doing? The purpose of a Church is to bring a called-out assembly, a local assembly of believers and ban them together under the authority of a Pastor for the purpose of fulfilling the great commission. If you’re not doing that then you’re not doing anything.
Mark 1 – motivating and mobilizing others to take advantage of the opportunity to preach the gospel. Mark 2 is found in 2nd Corinthians 2:13 “13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother:”. See, the Apostle Paul showed up in Troas to do ministry. He said when he got there he saw this opportunity to preach Christ’s gospel and a door was opened unto him. But another mark of biblical ministry we can see here is caring about the well-being of Church members, especially when they are absent. Paul said that he had no rest because he didn’t find Titus his brother.
I’ll be honest with you. When you’re not in Church, when you’re not in your place, we worry. We’re concerned. Sometimes when people are gone, others text them or call them to see how they are doing. Why do they do that? Because they’re worried about you. The Apostle Paul said that when he showed up to soulwinning time at Troas, he had no rest in his spirit because Titus was not there. Let me tell you something. In ministry, for those of you that maybe one day would like to go into ministry, it’s not getting up and preaching sermons. That’s the easy part. The hard part about ministry is the fact that you’re constantly worrying for people.
Let me let you in on a little secret to ministry. Ministry is this emotional rollercoaster. Our Church was a few months old and my wife and I had reached a new family that started coming to Church and were faithful. Then we reached another family with several ladies. After one of the services, one of them told us that they were getting rid of their pants. They were growing and learning and making changes. They started reading their Bibles and going soulwinning. Then the other group that we had reached was doing the opposite and quitting the Church. I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or not. What I realized is that you are both rejoicing and mourning always at the same time for different things.
Sometimes I wish you could look at my text messages that I get throughout the day. I will get messages for praise reports of answered prayers. Then you have messages from other people who are going through real trials. What I’ve learned in 11 years of ministry is that you just worry. There’s nothing to do. You just worry about people because that’s the job, that’s our job. Paul said he had no rest in his spirit. Paul is worried about Titus because he hasn’t heard from him at Church or soulwinning. See, another mark of the ministry is that you actually care about the well-being of your members.
1st Thessalonians 5:14 deals with this concept of worrying but look at verse 11 for the context. “11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”. He tells them that they need to comfort and edify one another. Verse 14 “14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.”. It’s all the same context but in between in verses 12 & 13. “12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.”.
Why would God put a verse in there 11 about comforting and edifying one another? Then in verse 14 about warning the unruly and supporting the weak. Then verses 12 and 13 are well known verses about spiritual leadership. Because in ministry, there is always someone at the Church who is on the verge of destroying their lives. There’s always somebody who’s just on the verge of having some major catastrophe in their lives. What do my wife and I do about it? We worry. We don’t rest in our spirit. What spiritual leadership does with members they are concerned about that have problems is that they worry.
There comes a point where you realize that there’s only so much you can do. There’s only so many meetings you could have. There’s only so many flowers you can send. There’s only so many text messages you can send. There’s only so many visits you can give. There’s only so much you can do. Sometimes you realize in ministry that you get to the point that all you can do is to pray for someone. 1st Thessalonians 1:2 “2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;”. The truth is sometimes there is nothing else you can do. You’re preached about it and already taught them everything but you still worry. This is why the Bible says casting all your care upon him for he careth for you. I don’t know how many times my wife and I have passed each other during the day. I’m working and she’s working and we kind of cross paths. Then we will ask if the other one knows about how the situation is updating and we just decide to pray about it. Why? Because sometimes that is all that you can do. This is what ministry is. You’re constantly concerned.
Recently I preached on habit stacking in the habit’s series. Often I tell people I will pray for them about various situations for the next several weeks and I don’t want to lie to you. I decided to try the habit stacking to make sure that I committed to it. I added some of the prayers for the time when I’m brushing my teeth. But it got to the point where there were so many things that I was praying for. What is my point? The point is that our job is to worry for you, to be available for you, to care about what you care about, to be here for you. My wife and I have had so many of these conversations over the years. Just let me give you some verses really quickly.
Colossians 1:3 “3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,”. Paul is bringing up how much he cares for and prays for them. Look at verse 9 of the same chapter “9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;”. Go back to Philippians “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you always and every prayer of mine for you all notice making requests with joy”. Ephesians 1:16 “16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;”.
When you look at the Apostle Paul, almost every letter he’s telling Church people that he is praying for them. Sometimes I wonder if God allows problems in our lives because it causes us to cast all of our care upon him. I think that God allows problems into our lives because it’s the only thing that drives us to prayer. The Apostle Paul said that he was always praying for them. There is a mark of ministry of worrying about the well-being of Church members especially when they’re absent. I’ll be honest with you. When you talk to people in ministry, you’ll find that there’s all sorts of different styles of leadership. There’s a style of leadership where the Pastor and his wife are like rock stars and you never really talk to them. To be honest with you, I understand why some people do that. It’s just easier to just not get connected, not be so connected to the people. If you don’t care then you don’t worry. That isn’t my style though. Sometimes you can spend so much time with people that they starting getting too comfortable with you. They start acting like you aren’t a Pastor. Then you have to kind of pull back and establish more of an authority relationship.
The point is this. We’ve always tried to be available because that’s the mark of a healthy Church. The Apostle Paul got there and realized Titus wasn’t there and he was worried. He has not rest in his spirit. So the mark of biblical ministry is worrying about the well-being of Church members especially when they are absent. Then you teach people to worry and care and notice others. Even within our Church, we’ve developed groups and plans and different leaders and things that help us follow up with people when they’re missing and make sure that everybody’s okay. We want this Church to be the kind where if someone is missing, someone will notice it. Obviously people get sick and things come up but if someone is backsliding then we want someone to be able to come up beside them and re motivate them. We want to catch you before you fall.
Go back to 2nd Corinthians 2:14. “14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”. Ge gives us a third mark for the ministry when he says “maketh manifest”. The word manifest means readily perceived. The word savor means a taste or smell. The point is that our mark is to make manifest Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento. Do you realize that there are some things about the Bible that this community has found out that were in the Bible because of our presence and our influence?
Back in 2016, we had this major event with protests and we were all over the news. But a lot of people learned what the Bible really said. The 3rd mark of the ministry is to make manifest the reality of the truth of God’s Word. How is this done? Verse 15 “15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:”. See, we are a sweet savor. We bring the knowledge of us in every place. But we do it to two categories. One is to those that are saved and one is to them that perish. Now let’s look at verse 16 as he brings up these 2 categories.
Verse 16 “16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death;”. Now most people when they bring this up, they assume the savour of death unto death is unto those that perish. But I want you to notice that in verse 15 he gave an order of how we are a savor. First we are to them that are saved. Secondly to them that perish. Here he talks about the fact that in verse 16 to the one we are the savior of death unto death and then he says and to the other the savor of life unto life. Now some people would assume that death to death corresponds to the unsaved and life to life corresponds to the saved. However, that’s not the order it’s in. Do you understand what I’m saying?
Here’s what he’s saying. It goes back to the first point of motivating and mobilizing soul winners. John 5:24 “24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”. You say what is it that we do? What is the mark of a biblical Church? Here’s the mark. We go to them that are perishing, to them that perish, to them that are dead spiritually and we go to them and we say live. We say there’s life. We say “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life.”. We come and bring life. We come and bring salvation.
Galatians 5:24 “24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”. Galatians 2:20 “20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”. What’s the mark of a biblical Church? Here’s the mark of a biblical Church. They go out in the community. They find people that are perishing and they say to them live. Then once they’re saved, they start walking with God. We bring them in here and then we tell them that they need to die to self. “If any man shall follow me let him take up his cross and deny himself.”. On this Earth we are called to die to self and live for Christ. So we are the savor of life unto life and we’re a savor of death unto death.
A famous old preacher named Dr. Lee Roberson preached a sermon called “When Did You Die?”. That’s quite a question that you have to answer. When did you die? When have you died? When have you chosen? The Apostle Paul said “I die daily.”. We have to choose every day to die to self. So here’s a mark of biblical ministry, may we make manifest the reality of truth of God to the saved and to the unsaved. To the unsaved we say live and to the saved we say die.
Let me give you the 4th one really quickly. 2nd Corinthians 2:17 “17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”. Mark 1 – We must motivate and mobilize soul winners. Mark 2 – We must worry about the well-being of the Church members. By the way, I think that’s the underlying difference between from what we would call a Pastor’s sermon vs. a man who gets up to preach and just has all of these catchy sound bites. You can tell a Pastor’s heart because they actually care. They aren’t just worried about getting views on YouTube. They want to help you and invest in you and teach you. Mark 3 – Making the manifest of the reality of God’s truth.
Mark 4 – Speaking the truth of the word of God. He said “17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”. How do people corrupt the word of God? Different ways obviously. I think it’s worth noting that the Apostle Paul is living in the first century. He’s writing to the Church at Corinth and he is telling them that there are many that corrupt the word of God. The New Testament has not yet been completed and there are already those who are corrupting the word of God. There’s other books, other epistles where the Apostle Paul says that he signed with his own signature. Why? Because there were already those corrupting the Word of God.
People try to tell us that older manuscripts are better so the modern versions are better. But even in the 1st Century there were those corrupting the Word of God. An old manuscript shouldn’t be impressive to us. How do we know it’s the Word of God? If you put a diamond beside a cubic zirconium, you’re going to tell the difference.
I’m not preaching on the King James issue tonight but let me show you a few quick errors in the modern versions. How do we know which version is right? There are ways obviously to look at how they were translated and all of that. However, if you are saved, the easiest way is to compare them. The Holy Spirit will tell you. 1st Corinthians 1:18 “18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”. When you hear that verse, doesn’t the Holy Spirit inside of you just want to say amen?
Here is what the NIV says “for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved…”. You don’t need to be a Greek scholar. The Holy Spirit right there will tell us the problem. This makes salvation a process. It is not a process where you go from death to life. You get born again in a moment. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”. In the ESV “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. New American Standard Version “But the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved…”. How about the New King James “for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”. So which one is the Word of God? Any saved person can tell that these modern versions are preaching a works salvation.
John 3:36 “36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”. When you read this, doesn’t the Holy Spirit just kind of tell you that’s the word of God? You can just tell. The English Standard Version “whosoever believeth in the son has eternal life whosoever does not obey.”. That doesn’t even make sense. The King James is contrasting believing with unbelieving. Those are opposites. Believing and not obeying are not contrasting ideas. The New American Standard “he who believes in the son has eternal life but he who does not obey the son will not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him.”.
What the people who made these changes will say is that the manuscripts for these modern versions are older. But again, the Apostle Paul said we are not as many which corrupt the word of God. The Devil has been attacking the Word of God, not just from the 1st Century but from the Garden of Eden. He shows up in Genesis 3 and begins to question the word of God. The devil has been attacking the word of God from the beginning. But here Paul tells us “for we are not as many which corrupt the word of God.”. So obviously one way that the word of God gets corrupted is by actually changing the text, changing the letters of what Paul wrote and those things.
Another way that people corrupt the word of God is just by preaching lies from the Bible. You find this all throughout the Bible as well. The prophets are constantly warning about the fact that there are prophets of God that are saying “Peace peace when there is no peace.”. They are just lying and saying things that the Bible doesn’t actually say.
2nd Timothy 4:2 “2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”. When Paul said that they are not as many which corrupt the Word of God, that’s a mark of a biblical Church.
I can say that for our Church and likeminded Churches and Pastors, we are not as many which corrupt the word of God. Because there are a lot of preachers today who just take the word of God and twist it and make lies and fables out of it. Our job is to stand up and preach the truth.
2nd Corinthians 2:17 “17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”. Ephesians 4:15 “15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”. Why? Because we speak the truth in love. Sometimes that means telling the truth even though it may hurt. Obviously we never want to be rude or crude or all those things. But speaking the truth in love means that sometimes you just tell the truth. It would be easier to avoid the truth speaking. The truth in love means you stand up and you say it anyway. You confront it anyway. You tell the truth anyway because it’s what’s needed.
What are the marks of a Biblical Church? Mark 1 – Motivating and mobilizing soulwinners to fulfill the great commission. Mark 2 – Worrying about the well-being of Church members. Mark 3 – Making the truth manifest. Mark 4 – Speaking the truth in love. The truth is that you can be as nice as possible and still people get offended when the truth is preached. Why do we preach the truth then if it offends people? Number 1 we love you. Number 2 is found in 2nd Corinthians 2:17 “17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”.
Why do I stand up and preach? Is it because of reaching people on YouTube or because of the 150+ people here tonight? The truth is that I do it for God. Every biblical preacher must come to the pulpit with the realization that they are not preaching to impress anybody. I hope you like the sermons and the deliveries and we appreciate encouragement you give us. But at the end of the day we need to know as men of God that we are preaching in the sight of God. If we walk out and everybody says “No that was terrible. No I didn’t like it. No I’m not coming back.”. But God thinks it was a good sermon then that is all I need. Because it is in the sight of God speak we in Christ. We preach for God. We speak for God. We preach on the behalf of God. And our goal is that God will be pleased because it’s done in the sight of God. So he says but as of sincerity but as of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
Let’s pray.