"Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses…"
2 Corinthians 6:3-4
Part 2
Yesterday:
“Giving no offense in anything.”
Godly pastors do God’s bidding with great care. They obey God, and they are lovingly careful with people.
“That the ministry be not blamed.”
God’s ministry is higher than any pastor. Godly men honor God’s calling in their lives.
“But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God.”
God’s men are looking for His approval.
Today:
“In much patience.”
“The idea is, that a minister of God, in order to do good and to commend his ministry, should set an example of patience. He preaches this as a duty to others; and if, when he is poor, persecuted, oppressed, calumniated [spoke about falsely, defamed], or imprisoned, he should complain, or be insubmissive, the consequence would be that he would do little good by all his preaching….Ministers often do a great deal more good by their example in suffering than they do in their preaching”[1] (Barnes).
“In afflictions.”
These could be the various persecutions, and the general distresses that the Church was going through in those days.
“In necessities.”
These have to do with the hardship that existed because of the physical poverty of the Church. There was not a lot of money in the Church in those days.
“In distresses.”
This word describes well what it was like for the Children of Israel as they had escaped Egypt. They were in a tight place next to the Red Sea. Cliffs around behind them and Pharaoh’s army behind them. In front of them, just water! They were hemmed in on every side and could do nothing to help themselves. Their condition was hopeless! All human help would fail them. Only God alone can get them out of this fix. This is what being in “distress” means.
Believers let me encourage you to make a study of the rest of Paul’s list in 2 Corinthians 6:4-10. This list of ways for a pastor to be commended is also of great benefit to all believers if we will practice them!
This should challenge us to pray for our pastors more. And also challenge our hearts to realize when we go through our own times of personal suffering, we, too, need to have a testimony during the hardships of life.
[1] Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.