God’s Work Through You

Introduction

Being a vocational minister comes with certain perceived privileges:

direct line to God

only work one day a week

get out of most jury duty

Also has some perceived expectations:

designated “prayer” in every group and for every meal

• Being expected to offer a deep, eloquent, and moving prayer at every gathering. Sometimes I’m too hangry to offer more than “rub a dub, thanks for the grub”

That I possess the “omnis” of God

I have a perfect family.

marriage is a perpetual rom-com, dogs never bark, and children are perfect.

Most importantly, has meaningful responsibilities (sacred realities)

The Front-Row Seat to Redemption: Getting to witness the exact moment a dead marriage comes back to life, or seeing someone completely break free from a generational addiction that everyone else gave up on.

Guarding the Final Threshold: The bittersweet honor of sitting by a bedside, holding a hand, and whispering the promises of God to someone as they take their very last breath on earth.

Carrying the Quiet Burdens: Being the one person a struggling soul trusts enough to reveal their deepest, darkest shame to—and getting to look them in the eye and declare the absolute forgiveness of Jesus.

Anchoring the Drifting: Standing on the stage or sitting across a desk and anchoring people with truth when their world has just been leveled by a tragic diagnosis, a sudden loss, or a broken heart.

Reality is, seeing God work through what He has called me to do is the coolest thing and the most meaningful thing in the world. Thank you for that privilege.

How would you like that experience? to see God work through you?

How do you know if God is working through you or you are just trying to make things happen?

How can you prepare yourself for God to work through you?

At first glance, this passage may seem like an issue internal to the church at Corinth and a relational problem between Paul, the church, and these false apostles 

(And who of us likes to get involved with other people’s relational mess? Not me!)

However, as we listen to Paul’s arguments to the Corinthians about identifying true and false ministers / ministry, we will see they are rooted in fundamental truths that apply to you and I. 

False ministers:

Follow their own call instead of God’s

10:13

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 10

In contrast to his opponents, Paul does not boast beyond limits (i.e., beyond the sphere of his apostolic authority, which God himself has established) because his apostolic authority in Corinth (the area of influence God assigned to us) was based on the fact that God had sent Paul to establish the church in Corinth (to reach … you).

Commend themselves

2 Corinthians 10:18 “18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”

Measure success by worldly standards

2 Corinthians 11:18 “18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.”

Compare themselves to others in attempt to gain superiority (10:12)

2 Corinthians 10:12 “12 Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.”

Concerned with their own status and gain (10:13, 11:7?)

2 Corinthians 10:13 “13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.”

2 Corinthians 11:7 “7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge?”

False ministry:

Is concerned with methods more than the message (11:5-6)

2 Corinthians 11:5–6 “5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.”

Furthers the work of Satan

2 Corinthians 11:13–15 “13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

As we start:

Define minister / ministry

Ministry = Jesus + people

While God does call some to a vocational ministry, all of us are ministers and each of us has a ministry 

Priesthood of all believers.

1 Peter 2:5–9 “5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. . . . 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

If you hear nothing else. ..

Your ministry is God’s work through you in the spaces He’s placed you for the gospel and His glory.

If you want to know how to prepare for God’s work through you and how to identify His work, lean in.

Paul is able to challenge the false apostles because they have worked through their own efforts whereas Paul has seen God working through his ministry.

How many of you would love to see God work through you?

Is this not why we still remain on earth?

What would could our church accomplish if thought less about inviting people to the ministry or the vocational minister of the church and more about being ministers for Christ in every place God has called you?

Prepare for God to work through you:

Seek and see the places God calls you as places of ministry.

2 Corinthians 10:13–15 “13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged,”

2 errors:

Seeing some places as sacred and some as secular.

This is where God works, and this is where I work.

Examples: Work place, Home, Routines, chance meetings

ILLUST - I can think of 3 or more examples from this past week where our people positively affected (for the glory of Jesus) the lives of those outside the church but inside their sphere of influence — their places of work, life, play - aka, their place of ministry opportunity

Attempting to do God’s work beyond where he’s called you.

Uzziah was a remarkably successful and powerful king of Judah who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

The Violation of Calling: Uzziah entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. In the Old Testament covenant, God had explicitly and exclusively called and consecrated the Aaronite priests for this specific task.

2 Chronicles 26:18 ESV

18 and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the Lord God.”

The Warning: Azariah the priest and 80 other courageous priests confronted the king, explicitly telling him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests..." (2 Chronicles 26:18). They warned him that he was being unfaithful and acting outside his boundary.

The Fallout: Instead of humbling himself, Uzziah became angry. While he was raging at the priests with the censer still in his hand, God struck him with leprosy right there in the temple. He was immediately rushed out and lived the rest of his days excluded from the temple and isolated from his people.

King Saul (1 Samuel 13:8-14):

The Seven Sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-16 ): In the New Testament, these Jewish exorcists tried to drive out evil spirits "by the Jesus whom Paul preaches." They attempted to operate in spiritual authority and ministry that they were never called or authorized by God to handle. The evil spirit essentially replied, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" and the possessed man beat them so badly they fled the house naked and wounded.

Acts 19:13–16 ESV

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Define success as faithfulness to the work God has called you.

2 Corinthians 11:16–17 “16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool.”

Paul will go on to describe what he calls “foolish boasting” and was the very things the “super-apostles” looked to give themselves validation and define their success.

How do you measure success in the places God has called you? Who’s metric are you using?

World says success as a parent is children who obey, excel, and don’t cause problems.

Faithfulness to the work God has called you as a parent is to provide a safe and loving home where Jesus is lived and the gospel is taught.

Different metric.

World says success in a career is attaining the American Dream

Faithfulness to God’s work through you is seeing how you can use your career to foster Kingdom advancement personal advancement.

Recognize and find joy in God’s work through you

2 Corinthians 10:17 “17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.””

The false apostles boasted in their work and in their work over Paul’s work.

Your metric will measure your joy.

If your metric for success is money, then a dip in the stock market will bring a dip in your mood.

If your metric for success is career advancement and you’re working at a job you that won’t raise you up, you may find yourself in depression.

ILLUST - working at Masano - I had to work through what my measure of success was - leading a church with school, teaching at a Christian university. When I realized I was called to minister exactly where i was, I began to see how God was working.

They knew I was a minister so it all became my ministry

Let God commend the work; don’t compare your work to others.

2 Corinthians 10:18 “18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”

The Message of 2 Corinthians 3. Missionary Comparisons (10:12–18)

Paul regards the whole exercise of comparison as futile. Comparison as a rhetorical device was widely practised among the Greeks.10 We also see an example among Jews in the Pharisee’s favourable comparison of himself to the publican, in the parable told by Jesus.11 Since the newcomers were ‘Hebrews’ (11:22), it is likely that their comparisons arose from Jewish rather than Greek practice. Paul’s references to it (verse 12), however, were in Greek categories in accordance with the understanding of his readers.

In Paul’s view it is pointless to authenticate or disqualify ministries on the basis of comparison of self-commendation

Comparison either digs a grave for our joy or a ladder for our pride.

I wish I could write well.

At least i’m not like THAT guy.

Always compare to what God is doing in and through you, not what you PERCEIVE is happening in and with others.

2 Corinthians 3:1–3 ESV

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Keep your heart focused on God’s direction and your eyes won’t wander with worldly comparison.

Trust God to provide for His work through you.

2 Corinthians 11:7–11 “7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!”

The false apostles did ministry to gain a reputation and a bank account.

Identify God’s work:

True and faithful knowledge of God

2 Corinthians 11:6 “6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.”

1 Corinthians 1:17 ESV

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

False apostles were teaching another gospel

2 Cor 11:3 - we don’t know exactly what the false teaching of the false teachers was, but we do know it was as far from the gospel that Paul preached as Satan’s lie was God’s truth in the Garden

2 Corinthians 11:3 ESV

3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

The teaching was enough to lead people away from Christ (11:3b)

Paul understands and teaches there is only one true gospel / Spirit / faith (11:4) - Gal 1:6-7

Galatians 1:6–7 ESV

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

(do you know the gospel (faith) well enough to spot the counterfeit?)

This is why Christian education is so important. By Christian education I am not referring only to a Christian school

Parents are the primary disciple-makers - no one method of education is better than another. 

The world is offering MANY counterfeits to the true gospel and painting it as a positive idea, but it is NOT the true gospel.

Evidence of the Spirit’s transforming power

2 Corinthians 11:12–15 ESV

12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

false ministry mimics true ministry but lacks it’s transforming power. (2 Tim 3:5

2 Timothy 3:5 ESV

5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

Saving power

11:23-33 - Paul should not have been able to do ANY ministry but God saved him for ministry

True ministry can involve suffering, and true ministers willingly bear it. 

Sanctifying power

True ministry changes people. 

Have you been changed?

My goal is to preach the truth of the gospel and I trust the transforming power of the Spirit to do the actual work in your heart. 

Conclusion

Write down your place of ministry

Are you seeking a place for God to call you so He can work through you?

Are you seeing the place He has you now as a place where He wants to work through you?

Are you teaching the gospel where God has placed you or are you reaching beyond the place where God has called you? Because you think it more beneficial or boastful?

How much does comparison drive your emotions or decision-making?

Do you do what you do so that others will see you or so that others will see God?

John 3:30 ESV

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Where is YOUR ministry??

Will you prepare for God to work through you?