I’m rereading John MacArthur’s book Hard to Believe with a few ministry leader friends. The following is found in chapter three and is a great summary of the apostle Paul’s ministry strategy from 2 Corinthians 4.
The gospel is hard to believe, and the people who bring it to the world are nobodies. The plan is still the same for all who are God’s clay pots. To summarize, here is Paul’s humble, five-point strategy: We will not lose heart. We will not alter the message. We will not manipulate the results, because we understand that a profound spiritual reality is at work in those who do not believe. We will not expect popularity, and therefore, we will not be disappointed. And we will not be concerned with visible and earthly success but devote our efforts toward that which is unseen and eternal. p.51
Of course, our problem is five-fold as well: we are likely to get very discouraged in ministry, which pushes us to tweak the message and then embellish our results. We’re also desperate to be admired and supported by many people and get even more depressed when we’re not. Finally, we are too often stuck looking only at what we can see under sun, devoting our energies to things passing away. Maybe we need to get back to being better nobodies instead of trying to be somebodies.
UPDATE [3:51PM September 22]: Pulpit (Blog)azine poignantly points out that trying to be a ministry somebody not only disregards God’s strategy but causes one to miss true joy as well.
So good, so true. Thanks for posting that. Lately, I’ve been reminded so much that God is most glorified in our ministry (and in everything else) when we realize that we are completely incapable, in and of ourselves, and that His plan is amazing — including us? Who would have thought? I am thankful that, though I am “completely incomplete” on my own, He fills every need and uses me despite myself. He is so incredible!
I may mess up, but He will never mess up. That’s a good thing to remember. God will never fail, and His plan will be accomplished.
Sorry, I think my marinade spilled.
I have loved my Pastor’s zeal for this text. It is remarkable how much this text (and he) has ministered to me.
I like your points SK.
What a good reminder. We ought to be nobodies. “Nobodies”… hmm… sounds like a song a-brewin’…
A wonderful reminder of how God’s influence should be prevalent in our lives, and that we should just be instruments for Him to use.
Hey, I changed the layout of my site. As per the request of some readers, it is now more IE friendly (I know, I should have resisted!). Any feedback would be appreciated (as well as some clicks on the Google ads I have on there now — click-by-click revenue is where it’s at! :) )
Could you email me your phone #. I want to ask you guys a couple of questions. Thanks