2nd Corinthians 6:1-3 | Service, Salvation and Social Skills
We are in 2nd Corinthians 6 and we will only look at 3 verses tonight. 2nd Corinthians 6:1 “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:”.
What we find in these verses are 3 powerful verses with 3 powerful lessons.
Lesson 1 – Service (Found in verse 1)
Lesson 2 – Salvation (Found in verse 2)
Lesson 3 – Social Skills (Found in verse 3)
I want to speak to you tonight about these 3 lessons from these 3 verses. 2nd Corinthians 6:1 “We then,…”. You see that those words are connecting together with the previous chapter about the responsibility of preaching the gospel. “We then, as workers together with him,…”. The first thing he talks about is the fact that we are workers with him.
There is this idea throughout the Bible that we are workers together with God. You and I get the privilege of partnering together and working with God. When it comes to working with God, there are 3 things to consider. Number 1 – God is working on you and you are a work in progress. Ephesians 2:10 “10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”. As soulwinners we often go to verses 8 and 9 to show salvation. However, when you got saved, God did save you to work. We aren’t saved by our works but God wants us to work after we do get saved.
That should be a little humbling to us. We should remember that we are a work in progress. If you come to a Church like this, you must realize that you will hear preaching asking you to make changes. You are a work in progress. You aren’t God. God is at work in our lives to cause us to do his will and do good works.
Not only is God working on you but God is working in you. Philippians 1:6 “6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”. We get to labor together with God. Throughout 2nd Corinthians it talks about this theme of the ministry but all of us should be working in God’s ministry in some way. God is working on you but he is also working in you. He will work in you until the day of Jesus Christ. No matter how long you’ve been saved or how much you’ve grown, God is at work in your life.
God is working on you and God is working in you. However, what’s really exciting is that God is working with us. 1st Corinthians 3:9 “9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”. One of the greatest thoughts is that God would labor with us. The main application we are making is in regards to soulwinning. The presence of God is with us when we go soulwinning. We are laborers together with God.
Matthew 11:29 “29 Take my yoke upon you,…”. A yoke is a tool used to connect 2 beasts of burden or 2 animals together. Why? 2 animals working together can accomplish more than 2 animals working separately. When the Bible is talking about “yoking”, it is talking about combining 2 animals together to accomplish more. Jesus is saying that I am getting in to the harness to do the work and I want you to come along with me. Then in verse 30 it says “30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”.
I always think it is interesting that people look at us having difficult lives because we are Independent Fundamental Baptists. Do you know what is difficult? Being a drunk. Being a drug addict. Having multiple children with different women. Being married to the same woman is easy and it’s light. Having children raised in your home for the glory of God is easy and it’s light. We see this lesson on service. God is working in you, on you and with you. Jesus wants us to get in the yoke and partner our lives with him.
Not only is there is a lesson on work but there is also a lesson on worth. 2nd Corinthians 6:1 “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.”. The word “grace” means unmerited favor. It means getting something that you don’t deserve. In a very simple way, the word “grace” means free. Salvation is not something we earn or work for but something that we get for free. Whenever we see these verses that talk about salvation being free, it’s often coupled with the idea that we should do good works after we are saved. What if we don’t work but believe? We are still saved. However, God’s expectation is that you will work.
2nd Corinthians 6:1 “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.”. God tells us that he doesn’t want us to receive God’s grace in vain. The word “vain” means empty or shallow of fruitless. It’s like the expression “Make it worth my while”. Even though salvation is by grace, don’t allow that life to be vain. The attitude of a Christian should be that even though we are not saved by works and though I could never pay God back, I want to make it worth God’s while. I want to do something with my salvation. Why should we want to labor together with God? Here is why. So you will actually be worth something.
We live in a society today where there is “No child left behind”. I played Little League and we lost every game. However, we still got a trophy. They tell us to never fail anyone or make people feel bad. You got that from Communism. You didn’t get that from the Bible. Here is the truth. Some Christians are good for nothing. This is what Jesus said. Matthew 5:13 “13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”.
What is the point of salt? When we use salt in a meal, it is for the flavor or the taste of the food. Here is what he is saying. If the salt isn’t used then it is useless. You might as well just throw the salt away if we don’t use it for what it is supposed to do. Please understand this. Not all Christians are created equal. Not in the eyes of God. Some Christians God looks done on and he thinks “They made it worth my while.”. Others he thinks “They are good for nothing”. They received the grace of God in vain. It’s empty or fruitless. They didn’t accomplish anything after getting saved. However, they are saved since salvation is not by works.
Luke 13:6 “6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.”. By the way, that is always an application of reproducing yourself. This is a reference to getting people saved. Luke 13:7 “7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?”. Notice what he says. It says “why cumbereth it the ground”. The word “cumber” means to inconvenience. Jesus says that this true is sucking up a lot of nutrients and resources but it is not producing anything. He is saying that this tree is like a leech in the field without producing anything. Jesus says to cut it down. This is not teaching that you can lose your salvation. It is just talking about the work of the Christian.
Luke 13:8 “8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:”. The idea is not giving up on this tree even though it isn’t producing anything yet. Verse 9 “9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”. Let me tell you something. Not every Christian is created equal. You should have a desire to make it worth God’s while. Don’t receive the grace of God in vain. Don’t just get saved and then live for yourself. With service we see that God is working in us, on us and with us. We see a lesson on worth.
We saw a lesson on service. Let us see a lesson on salvation. 2nd Corinthians 6:2 “2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”. The word “succoured” means to help. We see the urgency of salvation. The Bible says that it is appointed unto men once to die and after this it is over.
James 4:14 “14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”. The truth is that we don’t know when we will die. There is a day when I will die and there is a day that you will die. The problem with the appointment is that we don’t know when it is. For that reason, the Bible tells us “now is the day of salvation”. Get saved today because you don’t know what shall be on the morrow. We don’t have another day promised to us. We could get hit on the road driving tonight. There is an urgency to salvation because we don’t know how long we have. The problem is that most people which aren’t saved don’t understand that urgency. The urgency of salvation ought to create an urgency from soulwinners to get them saved.
Whenever you see this idea of teaching or reaching people with the gospel, there is always this sense of urgency. 2nd Corinthians 5:11 “11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”. When you are a soulwinner, you always get this sense of urgency. Why? Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation.
Acts 17:2 “2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,”. Acts 18:4 “4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.”. Why did Paul do this? Because now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Acts 19:8 “8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.”. People don’t always get saved when we preach the gospel but they deserve an opportunity to get saved. Acts 26:28 “28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”. There is an urgency for salvation. That ought to create an urgency for soulwinners.
I grew up in an Independent Fundamental Baptist home. I have been soulwinning since I can remember. When I got really serious about soulwinning, I was just a young teenage boy. My dad would allow me to have friends come over to our house to hang out but his rule was that he would sit them down and give them the gospel. My dad did that because he wanted to get them saved. My dad always encouraged us to give the gospel to our friends. He would always say “If they don’t want anything to do with Jesus then we don’t want to have anything to do with them.”.
When I was 13 years old, we moved to San Leandro. My Brother and I joined the baseball team. Our team was really good and we became good friends with 2 of the boys that lived just down the street from us. The boy’s name was Joey. His brother’s name was Jesse. I remember as a 13-year-old kid, God was working on my heart to become a soulwinner. However, I kept fighting it. I would just hold off on it and do it later and give the gospel another day. One particular day we got off from school early on a Wednesday and we walked back home with Joey and Jesse. We played basketball with them. I remember having this feeling that my dad was coming home and my dad would give them the gospel if they were there. I remember not wanting that to happen because I would be embarrassed. We made sure that they left before my dad got there.
A few hours after that, Jesse was in a tragic accident and died. I didn’t know that at that time. I remember going to school the next day. I walked in the front entrance and walked down the hallway. All of these teachers were meeting together and were crying. I thought it was strange. I didn’t know what was going on. I saw groups of kids huddled together and they were crying and embracing. I thought it was strange. I got to where I would normally wait for class to start. One of my friends walked up and said “Have you heard?”. I said “Heard what?”. He said “Jesse died.”.
I remember being in shock. It was really odd to me because I did not cry. I went to my first class and there were announcements about it and I was in shock. I went to my 2nd class and there were announcements and I still did not cry. In my 3rd class, the teacher came out and made announcements. She said it would be nice to make notes that we can give to their family. I remember sitting in a desk and there was this other girl sitting there. She handed me the card and asked me to deliver it to Joey’s mom. I said “Sure.”. The card said “One day, we will all be reunited in heaven.”. I remember weeping almost uncontrollably. The teacher comforted me. The problem was that I had heard the gospel every week and I knew that most people don’t go to heaven. I knew that you had to place your faith on Jesus and call on him for salvation. I understood at that moment that I had failed to give my friend the gospel. It was that day that I decided that I will no longer just go soulwinning but be a soulwinner. I’m just trying to help us understand “Now is the accepted time.”. We must have an urgency. We don’t know what a day will bring forth.
The first lesson was on service. The 2nd lesson was on salvation. The third lesson is on social skills. 2nd Corinthians 6:3 “3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:”. Those of us that preach for a living, our job gives us a vast array of opportunity to offend people. James 3:1 “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. 2 For in many things we offend all…”. Since it is my job to stand up and preach for an hour 3 times a week, there will be ample opportunity for me to offend you. One reason why liberal preachers don’t say much when they preach is to avoid offending people. The Bible says about preachers that we shall receive the greater condemnation. However, Paul said “Give not offence in any thing that the ministry be not blamed.”.
Ephesians 4:15 “15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”. My job is to speak the truth in love. What does that mean? That means that I speak the truth. Sometimes the truth offends people. If you have a problem with the Bible then there is nothing that I can do about that. What I’ve learned over the years is that there are different reasons why people get offended. The first reason is because they are offended by the word of God and I can’t do anything about that. If I preach that salvation is not by repenting of our sins or works and that offends you then that is between you and God. If I preach against drunkenness and you get mad because you are a drunk then that is between you and God. I am not going to apologize for God.
However, let me say this. Sometimes people get offended at our disposition and not so much our position. Sometimes it is not just what we say but how we say it. We say things that we ought not say. In those cases, we as God’s people need to take heed to that. Our job is to speak the truth in love. By the way, your job is not to get on Facebook and insult everyone. You won’t get a Catholic saved by insulting them. You won’t get a liberal NIV reader to switch over by insulting the NIV. Should we preach against it? Absolutely. Should we speak the truth to them? Absolutely. However, we should do it in love. Sometimes it’s not your position but your disposition that offends people.
Matthew 18:15 “15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”. It doesn’t say to go and tell Facebook or go and make a YouTube video exposing him. The Bible tells us to talk to them individually. Isn’t that the goal? If you try to cut people out of your life then you will end up very lonely. The Bible tells us in times of offence to tell him his fault between him and him alone. Sometimes people get offended by sincere misunderstanding.
I remember that Pastor Anderson wrote this sermon about smoking. After he got done with the sermon, he wondered why he preached it because he didn’t think anybody at the Church smoked. After the sermon, 4 different people walked up to him and said that he preached it because he knew that they smoked. Sometimes people get offended because of misunderstandings.
However, some people get offended when they are backslidden. I remember there was a family that we had a sense was getting backslidden. We took them out to eat in hopes of trying to motivate them and get them back involved. The first thing he says when we sat down to eat was “Is this where you kick me out of Church for being covetous?”. I was thinking that the Holy Spirit was really working on him. I was trying to get him back involved in Church. When he quit, they wrote a bunch of people and told them all of the things that me and my wife did and why they left. Instead of saying that they were backslidden, they made a lot of excuses. This is often what happens when people leave Church. Be careful believing everything you hear when people leave Church. Often times people are making excuses.
Let me apply this to you soulwinners. When you are out knocking doors, be kind. Speak the truth in love. We don’t want the ministry to be blamed because of your attitude. We will probably knock that door again. When you speak to your unsaved co-workers or neighbors or family, don’t be rude to them. Love them with the goal of getting them saved. When I was 13 years old I made a decision I would never get close to anyone without giving them the gospel. After that day, I had many coworkers and people I knew get saved and come to Church and get baptized. The most notable was my wife.
When I was a teenager, I worked with my wife. She was not saved at the time. I had Sundays off and my wife had to work every Sunday. She was a little bitter about that as I was the new guy and I didn’t work on Sundays. The first words my wife ever spoke to me were “I don’t believe in God.”. However, we got partnered together at work and we became friends. I started giving her the gospel over and over and eventually she got saved. Before she got saved, when she was still not saved after I had tried many times, she told me that if she believed what I did then she would spend the rest of her life walking up and down the streets telling people how to be saved. To her credit, she has done that.
My question is, how about you? Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. There are people that are going to die and go to hell if we don’t give them the gospel. Let God work in you and on you and with him. Understand the urgency of salvation. Work on your social skills. Maybe we need a little more patience and grace and love. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation.
Let’s pray.