Post by Cindy on May 20, 2017 9:41:50 GMT -5
“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man’s territory. But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10:12–18)
I suppose more problems have been caused by people “measuring the ministry” than by any other activity in the church. If the work of the church is the work of God, and if the work of God is a miracle, how do we go about measuring a miracle? In His personal examination of the seven churches named in Revelation 2–3, the Lord Jesus measured them far differently than they measured themselves. The church that thought it was poor, He considered to be rich; and the church that boasted of its wealth, He declared to be poor (Rev. 2:8–11; 3:14–22).
Some people measure ministry only by statistics. While it is true that the early church did take note of numbers (Acts 2:41; 4:4), it is also true that uniting with the church at that time was a much more difficult (and dangerous) thing (see Acts 5:13). Some years ago, one of America’s large denominations had as its theme, “A Million More in ’64, and Every One a Tither!” I heard one of their leading preachers comment, “If we get a million more like the last million, God help us!” Quantity is no guarantee of quality.
False measurement (v. 12). The Judaizers were great on measuring their ministry, because a religion of external activities is much easier to measure than one of internal transformation. The legalist can measure what he does and what he does not do, but the Lord is the only One who can see spiritual growth in a believer’s heart. Sometimes those who are growing the most feel like they are less than the least.
In a sense, the Judaizers belonged to a “mutual admiration society” that set up its own standards and measured everybody by them. Of course, those inside the group were successful; those outside were failures. Paul was one of the outsiders, so he was considered a failure. Unfortunately, they did not measure themselves by Jesus Christ (see Eph. 4:12–16). If they had, it would have made a difference.
True measurement (vv. 13–18). Paul suggests three questions we may ask ourselves as we seek to measure our ministries by the will of God.
Am I where God wants me to be? (vv. 13–14) God “assigned a field” in which Paul was to work: he was the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; 22:21; Eph. 3). He was also to go where no other apostle had ministered; he was to be a “pioneer preacher” to the Gentiles.
Paul used a bit of sanctified sarcasm in his defense. “The area God assigned to me included even you Corinthians!” (see 2 Cor. 10:13) It was not the Judaizers who had come to Corinth with the Gospel. They, like the cultists today, arrived on the scene only after the church had already been established (see Rom. 15:15–22).
Churches and ministers are not competing with each other; they are competing with themselves. God is not going to measure us on the basis of the gifts and opportunities that He gave to Charles Spurgeon or Billy Sunday. He will measure my work by what He assigned to me. God requires faithfulness above everything else (1 Cor. 4:2).
There is something intimidating about attending a pastors’ conference or a denominational convention, because the people on the program are usually the “front-runners” with the best records. Young pastors and older men in narrow places often go home carrying feelings of guilt because their faithful work does not seem to produce as much fruit. Some of these discouraged men then try all kinds of programs and promotions, only to have more disappointment; and then they contemplate leaving the ministry. If only they would realize that God measures their ministries on the basis of where He has put them, and not on the basis of what is going on in some other city, it would encourage them to stay on the job and keep being faithful.
Is God glorified by my ministry? (vv. 15–17) This is another jibe at the Judaizers who stole other men’s converts and claimed them as their own. Paul would not boast about another man’s work, nor would he invade another man’s territory. Whatever work he did, God did through him, and God alone should receive the glory.
I once listened to a man give a lecture on how to build a large Sunday School. Everything in the lecture was correct and certainly had worked in some of the large ministries in the United States. The only problem was, the man had never built a large Sunday School himself! He had visited many of the large ministries, interviewed the pastors and staff members, and developed his lecture. After he finished his lecture, people flocked to his side to ask questions and get autographs. I happened to be standing next to a pastor who had built one of the finest churches—and one of the largest—in America.
“Those people ought to be talking to you,” I said to him. “You’ve done it and you know more about Sunday School work than he does!”
“Let him enjoy himself,” said my friend with a kind smile. “We’re all doing the same work, and all that counts is that God is glorified.”
Paul added another bit of “holy irony” when he told the Corinthians that the only thing that had kept him from going to “the regions beyond” them was their own lack of faith. Had they been submissive to his leadership and obedient to the Word, he could have reached other lost souls; but they created so many problems for him, that he had to take time from missionary evangelism to solve the problems in the church. “I would have better statistics to report,” he was saying, “but you hindered me.”
Paul quoted Jeremiah 9:24 in 2 Corinthians 10:17, a statement he had also quoted in 1 Corinthians 1:31. The Corinthians were prone to glory in men, especially now that the Judaizers had taken over in the church. When the Corinthians heard the “reports” of what these teachers had done, and when they saw the “letters of recommendation” that they carried, the church was quite carried away with them. As a result, Paul and his ministry looked small and unsuccessful.
But the final test is not when the reports are published for the annual meeting. The final test comes at the Judgment Seat of Christ, “and then shall every man have praise of God” (1 Cor. 4:5). If men get the glory, then God cannot be glorified. “I am the Lord: that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another” (Isa. 42:8).
This is not to suggest that well-known ministers with flourishing works are robbing God of glory. As we grow and bear “much fruit,” we bring glory to the Father (John 15:1–8). But we must be careful that it is “fruit” that comes from spiritual life and not “results” that appear when we manipulate people and manufacture statistics.
Can the Lord commend my work? (v. 18) We may commend ourselves or be commended by others, and still not deserve the commendation of God. How does God approve our work? By testing it. The word approved in 2 Corinthians 10:18 means “to approve by testing.” There is a future testing at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:10ff), but there is also a present testing of the work that we do. God permits difficulties to come to local churches in order that the work might be tested and approved.
Over the years, I have seen ministries tested by financial losses, the invasion of false doctrine, the emergence of proud leaders who want to “run the church,” and the challenge of change. Some of the churches have fallen apart and almost died, because the work was not spiritual. Other ministries have grown because of the trials and have become purer and stronger; and, through it all, God was glorified.
Certainly our ministries must keep records and issue reports, but we must not fall into the “snare of statistics” and think that numbers are the only measurement of ministry. Each situation is unique, and no ministry can honestly be evaluated on the basis of some other ministry. The important thing is that we are where God wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do so that He might be glorified. Motive is as much a part of God’s measurement of our work as is growth. If we are seeking to glorify and please God alone, and if we are not afraid of His evaluation of our hearts and lives, then we need not fear the estimates of men or their criticisms.
“But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (2 Cor. 10:17).
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary
“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man’s territory. But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10:12–18)
I suppose more problems have been caused by people “measuring the ministry” than by any other activity in the church. If the work of the church is the work of God, and if the work of God is a miracle, how do we go about measuring a miracle? In His personal examination of the seven churches named in Revelation 2–3, the Lord Jesus measured them far differently than they measured themselves. The church that thought it was poor, He considered to be rich; and the church that boasted of its wealth, He declared to be poor (Rev. 2:8–11; 3:14–22).
Some people measure ministry only by statistics. While it is true that the early church did take note of numbers (Acts 2:41; 4:4), it is also true that uniting with the church at that time was a much more difficult (and dangerous) thing (see Acts 5:13). Some years ago, one of America’s large denominations had as its theme, “A Million More in ’64, and Every One a Tither!” I heard one of their leading preachers comment, “If we get a million more like the last million, God help us!” Quantity is no guarantee of quality.
False measurement (v. 12). The Judaizers were great on measuring their ministry, because a religion of external activities is much easier to measure than one of internal transformation. The legalist can measure what he does and what he does not do, but the Lord is the only One who can see spiritual growth in a believer’s heart. Sometimes those who are growing the most feel like they are less than the least.
In a sense, the Judaizers belonged to a “mutual admiration society” that set up its own standards and measured everybody by them. Of course, those inside the group were successful; those outside were failures. Paul was one of the outsiders, so he was considered a failure. Unfortunately, they did not measure themselves by Jesus Christ (see Eph. 4:12–16). If they had, it would have made a difference.
True measurement (vv. 13–18). Paul suggests three questions we may ask ourselves as we seek to measure our ministries by the will of God.
Am I where God wants me to be? (vv. 13–14) God “assigned a field” in which Paul was to work: he was the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; 22:21; Eph. 3). He was also to go where no other apostle had ministered; he was to be a “pioneer preacher” to the Gentiles.
Paul used a bit of sanctified sarcasm in his defense. “The area God assigned to me included even you Corinthians!” (see 2 Cor. 10:13) It was not the Judaizers who had come to Corinth with the Gospel. They, like the cultists today, arrived on the scene only after the church had already been established (see Rom. 15:15–22).
Churches and ministers are not competing with each other; they are competing with themselves. God is not going to measure us on the basis of the gifts and opportunities that He gave to Charles Spurgeon or Billy Sunday. He will measure my work by what He assigned to me. God requires faithfulness above everything else (1 Cor. 4:2).
There is something intimidating about attending a pastors’ conference or a denominational convention, because the people on the program are usually the “front-runners” with the best records. Young pastors and older men in narrow places often go home carrying feelings of guilt because their faithful work does not seem to produce as much fruit. Some of these discouraged men then try all kinds of programs and promotions, only to have more disappointment; and then they contemplate leaving the ministry. If only they would realize that God measures their ministries on the basis of where He has put them, and not on the basis of what is going on in some other city, it would encourage them to stay on the job and keep being faithful.
Is God glorified by my ministry? (vv. 15–17) This is another jibe at the Judaizers who stole other men’s converts and claimed them as their own. Paul would not boast about another man’s work, nor would he invade another man’s territory. Whatever work he did, God did through him, and God alone should receive the glory.
I once listened to a man give a lecture on how to build a large Sunday School. Everything in the lecture was correct and certainly had worked in some of the large ministries in the United States. The only problem was, the man had never built a large Sunday School himself! He had visited many of the large ministries, interviewed the pastors and staff members, and developed his lecture. After he finished his lecture, people flocked to his side to ask questions and get autographs. I happened to be standing next to a pastor who had built one of the finest churches—and one of the largest—in America.
“Those people ought to be talking to you,” I said to him. “You’ve done it and you know more about Sunday School work than he does!”
“Let him enjoy himself,” said my friend with a kind smile. “We’re all doing the same work, and all that counts is that God is glorified.”
Paul added another bit of “holy irony” when he told the Corinthians that the only thing that had kept him from going to “the regions beyond” them was their own lack of faith. Had they been submissive to his leadership and obedient to the Word, he could have reached other lost souls; but they created so many problems for him, that he had to take time from missionary evangelism to solve the problems in the church. “I would have better statistics to report,” he was saying, “but you hindered me.”
Paul quoted Jeremiah 9:24 in 2 Corinthians 10:17, a statement he had also quoted in 1 Corinthians 1:31. The Corinthians were prone to glory in men, especially now that the Judaizers had taken over in the church. When the Corinthians heard the “reports” of what these teachers had done, and when they saw the “letters of recommendation” that they carried, the church was quite carried away with them. As a result, Paul and his ministry looked small and unsuccessful.
But the final test is not when the reports are published for the annual meeting. The final test comes at the Judgment Seat of Christ, “and then shall every man have praise of God” (1 Cor. 4:5). If men get the glory, then God cannot be glorified. “I am the Lord: that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another” (Isa. 42:8).
This is not to suggest that well-known ministers with flourishing works are robbing God of glory. As we grow and bear “much fruit,” we bring glory to the Father (John 15:1–8). But we must be careful that it is “fruit” that comes from spiritual life and not “results” that appear when we manipulate people and manufacture statistics.
Can the Lord commend my work? (v. 18) We may commend ourselves or be commended by others, and still not deserve the commendation of God. How does God approve our work? By testing it. The word approved in 2 Corinthians 10:18 means “to approve by testing.” There is a future testing at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:10ff), but there is also a present testing of the work that we do. God permits difficulties to come to local churches in order that the work might be tested and approved.
Over the years, I have seen ministries tested by financial losses, the invasion of false doctrine, the emergence of proud leaders who want to “run the church,” and the challenge of change. Some of the churches have fallen apart and almost died, because the work was not spiritual. Other ministries have grown because of the trials and have become purer and stronger; and, through it all, God was glorified.
Certainly our ministries must keep records and issue reports, but we must not fall into the “snare of statistics” and think that numbers are the only measurement of ministry. Each situation is unique, and no ministry can honestly be evaluated on the basis of some other ministry. The important thing is that we are where God wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do so that He might be glorified. Motive is as much a part of God’s measurement of our work as is growth. If we are seeking to glorify and please God alone, and if we are not afraid of His evaluation of our hearts and lives, then we need not fear the estimates of men or their criticisms.
“But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (2 Cor. 10:17).
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary
“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man’s territory. But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10:12–18)
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