“Share and
Share Alike!”
This
review is brought to you by the Kentucky First Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ Sunday
School Department.
LESSON
AIM: By the end of the lesson, we will; consider Paul's position in
seeing himself as a slave for Christ's sake; contemplate goodness in relation
to God and community; and count on God's power to work through us to do His
will ministry to others.
BIBLE
TRUTH: God gives believers the power in the midst of hardship.
2
Corinthians 4:2-15 | King James Version (KJV)
2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not
walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by
manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in
the sight of God.
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and
ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the
excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are
perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus,
that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11 For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus'
sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is
written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and
therefore speak;
14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up
us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
15
For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the
thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
Almost
in the fashion of “Ministry 101”, Paul is speaking to the Church at Corinth about
preaching the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ, which changes lives!
(Listen to Bishop Spencer sing about this here). As Anointed
Change Agents of Christ, we are to persevere and remain patient as GOD provides
the transformation and revelation to those who hear and receive the Gospel.
In
verse 2, Paul is defending himself, as some of the folks at Corinth were
accusing him of using shady ministry tactics to trick folks into becoming
disciples. Paul says, “I don’t need tricks and I don’t water down what God has
placed in these scriptures!” It is truly the Holy Ghost that allows words
preached to a man’s ears, to register with his mind, convict his heart, and
cause him to be enlightened and CHANGED! If the Gospel seems too complex, unbelievable,
or “over the head” it’s because the person is spiritually lost. LOST here is referring to the fact that
Satan is involved in blinding minds and keeping the unbeliever in a situation
where they are unaware of the treasures God has in store for them. So, as an Anointed
Change Agent of Christ, it’s important to cut Satan off at the pass by
preaching, until the Holy Ghost comes to loose their understanding and allow
the scales to fall off of their eyes towards understanding.
Paul
says in verse 5, “It’s not about us, but it’s about Jesus”. We’re not preaching
for man to give us attaboys and attagirls, or to toot our own horns. This is so
very serious, no man should ever receive glory from what is meant to be for the
sake of Christ. So, it’s true. When we preach, we become bondservants of Jesus
Christ. Being a bondservant means taking responsibility of your own walk with
God through personal study of his word, and personal and corporate prayer. It means the Word of God is your foundation
with Christ Himself as the Cornerstone of your life. It’s having faith in the best and worst of
times knowing that in the end you belong to God. Being a bondservant means
knowing only you can stand in the way of a deep and meaningful walk with God.
It means you accept responsibility for your walk and bring everything you learn
to God’s word and prayer to determine its truth against God’s word.
Testimony
service is taking place in Verse 6. Paul is sharing how he came to salvation on
his way to Damascus (The
Full Story), when God knocked him off his beast and shined the light of
Glory on his heart, which in turn brought enlightenment.
SIDE NOTE: Did
God have to knock you off your “high horse” to get your attention? Were you
moving so fast in life, thinking you were on the right path, only for something
so shocking and devastating to happen that made you reprioritize your goals and
walk in a different direction? THIS IS YOUR TESTIMONY! Share it with others to
draw them to Christ!
Verse
7 was pivotal for Paul to really get this message across to the Church @
Corinth. He refers to earthen vessels. These are simply clay jars. Clay jars
were pretty cheap to buy in Corinth and weren’t viewed to have much of any
worth. Paul shared that the value of the jar isn’t important here, it’s the
value of what’s IN the jar, which matters.
SIDE NOTE: God
take us, people who are made from the dust of the earth, in all of our messy
human STUFF, and places something SO valuable inside of us, when He anoints us
to share the Gospel (The Good News) with others. Think about it, jars of clay!
God can take a person who used to lie, cheat, and steal – convert them – and place
the knowledge of the Glory of God within them to share with others! It’s
genius! (But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.)
Paul
continues his testimony in verses 9-10. Paul has escaped death on many
occasions, so he was the perfect person to write about these things! Paul
declares that we’ll be faced with many opportunities to die. Not a physical
death, but constantly submitting to the will of God. Our flesh is our worse
enemy, it should die daily (Romans 8:13). But, no matter what we do, those who
live for Christ will always be Satan’s target, as was evident in Paul’s life.
Paul was hunted and beaten for naming the name of Christ, but he pressed on! It
was worth it to Paul and this is necessary for spiritual prosperity (verse 12).
Paul concludes with affirming that even when he is dead and gone, the Gospel
will never die. Someone else will yet be preaching it (Paul was right! We’re yet sharing God’s
Word in 2014) and the Holy Ghost will raise him up, just like He raised up
Jesus from the grave! The Kentucky First COGIC Women’s Department theme is “Each
one, Reach one!” As Paul concludes, he bids them all the grace of God so that
they can extend it to others and grow God’s family of believers.
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