Ministry Can Be Very Difficult

Paul’s letter was coming to an end.

Paul was hoping to see two responses from his letter.

• • • Repentance (involving obedience to God) for wrong. (Getting right with God.)
    • An affirmation of loyalty to himself and his associates as authentic servants of Christ. (Getting right with Paul.)

This letter is not ending on a high note.

There are still issues in the church that need to be dealt with.

Paul is not the “bad guy”.

Paul is not the problem.

Paul’s intentions are right.

The letter (not including the benediction) ends with a warning from Paul.

2 Corinthians 12:11-20 NLT
Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians
Ministry Can Be Very Difficult
¹¹ You have made me act like a fool. You ought to be writing commendations for me, for I am not at all inferior to these “super apostles,” even though I am nothing at all. ¹² When I was with you, I certainly gave you proof that I am an apostle. For I patiently did many signs and wonders and miracles among you. ¹³ The only thing I failed to do, which I do in the other churches, was to become a financial burden to you. Please forgive me for this wrong!
¹⁴ Now I am coming to you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you. I don’t want what you have—I want you. After all, children don’t provide for their parents. Rather, parents provide for their children. ¹⁵ I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me.
¹⁶ Some of you admit I was not a burden to you. But others still think I was sneaky and took advantage of you by trickery. ¹⁷ But how? Did any of the men I sent to you take advantage of you? ¹⁸ When I urged Titus to visit you and sent our other brother with him, did Titus take advantage of you? No! For we have the same spirit and walk in each other’s steps, doing things the same way.
¹⁹ Perhaps you think we’re saying these things just to defend ourselves. No, we tell you this as Christ’s servants, and with God as our witness. Everything we do, dear friends, is to strengthen you. ²⁰ For I am afraid that when I come I won’t like what I find, and you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior.

Examine the scriptures:

2 Corinthians 12:11-20 NLT
Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians
Ministry Can Be Very Difficult

¹¹ You have made me act like a fool.

… listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little. ¹⁷ Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool. ¹⁸ And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too.  (2 Corinthians 11:16-18 NLT)

¹¹ You (the Corinthian church) have made me act like a fool.

You ought to be writing commendations for me,

• The Corinthian church had not come to Paul’s defense against the innuendos (a remark that suggests something but does not refer to it directly) of the false apostles.

for I am not at all inferior to these “super apostles,” 

• Paul knows that he is not inferior to the “super apostles”. 

even though I am nothing at all. 

1 Corinthians 15:10 NLT
¹⁰ But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 NLT
⁴ We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. ⁵ It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. ⁶ He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. 

• Paul always credits God for his accomplishments. 

¹² When I was with you, I certainly gave you proof that I am an apostle.

• Paul was able to give proof of his apostleship.

First and foremost:

2 Corinthians 3:1-3 NLT
¹ Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! ² The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. ³ Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

• The conversion and gifting of the Corinthians are proof of Paul’s apostleship.

Secondly: 

For I patiently did

• Paul was able to deal patiently with difficult people.

many signs and wonders and miracles among you. 

All these are the evidence that mark an apostle.

Acts 2:22 NLT
²² “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.

Acts 14:3
³ But the apostles stayed there (Iconium) a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders.

Romans 15:18-19 NLT
¹⁸ Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. ¹⁹ They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.

 Hebrews 2:4 NLT
⁴ And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose. 

• The many signs and wonders and miracles Paul did among the Corinthians are proof of Paul’s apostleship.

 ¹³ The only thing I failed to do, which I do in the other churches, was to become a financial burden to you. Please forgive me for this wrong!

Tongue in cheek – a touch of irony

¹⁴ Now I am coming to you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you. 

Paul is planning a third visit with the Corinthian Church. 

I don’t want what you have—I want you.

• Paul’s concern was for the Corinthian people, not their money.

After all, children don’t provide for their parents. Rather, parents provide for their children.  

¹⁵ I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you,

• Paul was willing to sacrificially serve the church.

even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me. 

¹⁶ Some of you admit I was not a burden to you. 

But others still think I was sneaky and took advantage of you by trickery. 

Paul’s opponents circulated a vicious rumor that he was using craftiness and cunning to deceive the Corinthian church.

• Apparently the false apostles were suggesting that Paul was planning to take from the funds the Corinthian Church had collected for the church in Jerusalem.

¹⁷ But how? Did any of the men I sent to you take advantage of you?  

¹⁸ When I urged Titus to visit you and sent our other brother with him, did Titus take advantage of you? No!

2 Corinthians 8:16-22 NLT
Titus and His Companions
¹⁶ But thank God! He has given Titus the same enthusiasm for you that I have. ¹⁷ Titus welcomed our request that he visit you again. In fact, he himself was very eager to go and see you. ¹⁸ We are also sending another brother with Titus. All the churches praise him as a preacher of the Good News. ¹⁹ He was appointed by the churches to accompany us as we take the offering to Jerusalem—a service that glorifies the Lord and shows our eagerness to help.
²⁰ We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. ²¹ We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.
²² We are also sending with them another of our brothers who has proven himself many times and has shown on many occasions how eager he is. He is now even more enthusiastic because of his great confidence in you.

• Paul rejects the idea that he used the collection to take money from the Corinthians.

For we have the same spirit and walk in each other’s steps, doing things the same way. 

• The credentials of all of Paul’s coworkers were good. 

¹⁹ Perhaps you think we’re saying these things just to defend ourselves. 

No, we tell you this as Christ’s servants, and with God as our witness.

• Paul understood that he was accountable to God, not to the Corinthian church.

Everything we do, dear friends, is to strengthen you. 

• Paul’s goal was to strengthen the Corinthian church, not exonerate himself.

• Paul loved the Corinthians and was looking out for the well-being of the church.

²⁰ For I am afraid that when I come I won’t like what I find, and you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior. 

• Ministry Can Be Difficult