ARTICLE – 12 June 2016

What is your response to criticisms on your good efforts? Most of us will take offence. And we can get so upset, we might even throw in the towel and walk away. It is easy to cave in, mainly because we tend to be forgetful of some fundamentals.

However, the Apostle Paul did not forget but fought back against his vindictive accusers. He was not going to let these false and negative comments against him mislead the Christians in Corinth. Some people went as far as saying he was unfit to be their Church leader:

• that he hadn’t walked and talked with Jesus.
• that he was meek when speaking face to face but bold in his letters
• that his boasting of God working in his life was unbecoming
• what’s more, he was hardly impressive in his manner of speech.

But Paul was clear about his place as the Apostle to the Corinthian Church. The basis of his authority was in his close living relationship with Jesus. In no uncertain terms, he says: “even so we are Christ’s” (2 Corinthians 10:7). The awareness and emphasis of our role begins and centres on our relationship with Jesus.

Poor speaking skills? Paul’s emphasis was that the Word taught is of greater value than the delivery. “The Lord gave us (the authority) for your edification” (2 Corinthians 10:8). The purpose of the ministry of the Word is focussed on the building up the faith of the believers. Paul’s humility holds lessons on responding to other’s unforgiving remarks concerning his leadership. Too much emphasis of credentials makes people bathe in their own limelight. To him, to serve in the ministry is to fulfil the responsibility that God assigned and empowered to do so. Needless to say, humility stems from whose perspective we view the role(s) we have – God, people or self.

What does having authority mean to you? To Paul’s opponents, the Word meant power to command others. Paul’s choice of the Word reflects not only the delegated right as an Apostle sent by God, but also having the privilege and choice of caring for them. For Paul, he chose to minister the Word in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit for the believers’ growth. God’s delegated authority is to be only for edification of believers. At the end of the day, can our service stand up to scrutiny in genuine service to God? Paul’s life was an open book. Those who tried to find inconsistency were made to realise that a life surrendered to the Word in humble obedience need not fear wild accusations. In everything, God gets the glory – always! “But “he who glories, let him glory in the LORD”” (2 Corinthians 10:17 NKJV).