Jump Start # 3286

2 Corinthians 11:28 “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.”

Our verse today concludes a long list of the trials, troubles and tribulations that Paul endured. Against his nature, he was forced to defend himself against some who were taking pot shots at his preaching and his role as an apostle. It’s easy to coach from the stands. The backseat driver always knows what to do, so it seems.

I know of no Christian who could stand beside Paul and say, I’ve had similar things in my life. No one. Whipped. Beaten with rods. Stoned. Shipwrecked. Verse 26 lists eight different dangers that Paul experienced. Hungry. Cold. This grand soldier of Christ kept going.

In our verse today, Paul makes a contrast from the external trials to the internal concern he had for all the churches. The mental, emotional and deep spiritual concerns can hurt us more than all the other things. Just walk through the N.T. churches and you’ll see this.

The Corinthians were divided, carnal, jealous and some even denied the resurrection of Jesus.

The Galatians were leaning back to parts of the Law of Moses.

In the joyous Philippian church, there were two sisters who were not getting along.

In Ephesus, there were shepherds drawing people away from Christ.

In Colossae, would Philemon treat the run-a-way slave as a brother in Christ?

Later on, Laodicea, would become stagnate.

The Romans were fighting about eating meats.

In Thessalonica, some stopped working and were not following the example of the apostles.

Then there were the individuals, such as Mark who deserted Paul. Demas who went back to the world. Alexander who was causing a lot of trouble. Peter was acting like a hypocrite.

The daily pressure of concern for all the churches.

Some thoughts for us:

First, the concern for all the churches surrounded the spiritual wellbeing of the people. We know that from what Paul wrote in his letters to this churches. It wasn’t about budgets. It wasn’t about padding pews. It wasn’t about parking lots. It wasn’t about where to order toner for the copy machine. It was about the spiritual strength of the brethren. Were they growing in the Lord? Was false teaching making a way among them? Paul’s concern was the internal wellbeing of the brethren.

We can be so consumed with the things that do not matter that we miss what really matters. It’s not filling the church house every Sunday, it’s filling hearts with Jesus Christ. That’s the key. That comes from faith. That comes from consistently teaching God’s word.

Second, the concern for all the churches was the responsibility of the apostles. It is not ours. Minding our own business, even congregationally, is hard for some. Some want to be the watchman for the brotherhood. Some want to be involved in every skirmish found everywhere. Our focus needs to be upon the congregation we are a part of.

One of the aspects of pure Biblical study is to understand that Paul wore three different hats. He was an apostle. He was a preacher. He was a Christian. And, when we read Scriptures, we must figure out which hat Paul is wearing. What he does as an apostle, only apostles could do. The concern for all the churches was something that was the work of the apostles. The keys of the kingdom were given to them, not us. They had the authority from Heaven to declare in every church what God’s will was. We do not carry that authority. We cannot butt our way into another place and make demands.

Keeping track of what is going on in every place not only is a waste of time, it’s not our job. What goes on down the road in another congregation is their business. I may like it or I may think they’ve gone nuts, but it’s not my business. I can talk about them. I can blackball them. I can thrown mud at them. And, sadly that’s the choices many make. You don’t find Paul telling the Ephesians about how mixed up the Corinthians were. You don’t read in Romans about the fighting sisters of Philippi. It wasn’t the concern of these other places. Nosey minds want to know all the dirt that goes on in the brotherhood. That kind of information doesn’t build faith and it doesn’t help folks get to Heaven. In major cities, where there are many congregations, knowing too much about others and getting in each other’s business can be a real problem. Often judgments are made without knowing all the facts and the backstory. Some are accused of accepting wrong or doing wrong without knowing what’s going on behind the scenes.

Third, our concern needs to be focused upon the congregation I’m a part of, my family and myself. Daily pressure is what our verse says. Daily. When one reads the opening of nearly every letter Paul wrote, he states that he prays for them. All those churches. All those people. Yet, do you, do I, even pray for one congregation, the one I am a member at? Daily, Paul was concerned. Daily, Paul was thinking about them. Daily, Paul was wanting and praying for their spiritual success. How about us?

I get the impression that some are not content nor happy unless there is some smoke in the air somewhere. They love to dig up the dirt, hear about the scandals, learn about trouble, see what preachers got fired. And, when none of that is going on, they just can’t stand it. Such should not be the mindset of God’s people.

Every church has problems and issues from time to time. Every person could be doing more and doing better. But rather than focusing upon what’s not right, we need to turn our attention to the blessings of God and how rich we are spiritually. God’s family is wonderful, caring and supportive.

The daily pressure of concern for all the churches. What a powerful statement. What a great responsibility.

Roger

Jump Start # 1584

2 Corinthians 11:28 “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.”

  Our verse today is found at the end of a list of things that Paul had endured since he took up preaching Christ. He is telling these things not to brag, but to counter criticism from some Corinthians who did not feel that he was a true apostle. They were chipping away at some of the things he had said. It was not his reputation at stake, but his authority as an apostle. God had granted him the right to not just preach and teach but to bind and loose the commands of Heaven. Paul had said some tough things to the Corinthians. Typical of human nature, they attacked the messenger rather than looking deeply within themselves. This is what the Jewish audience did to Stephen.

Paul contrasts his journey and walk with the Lord to those loud mouth critics. He says that he was in far more labors, far more imprisonments, often in danger of death. Then he pulls back the curtain and shows us what he experienced. It wasn’t pretty. Apostles were not esteemed. In other places Paul says, “we are the scum of the earth,” and so they were. Beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, dangers from all sorts of people, hungry, thirsty, sleepless, cold—most of us would wonder, “why do this?” Because Christ went to the cross. Why not quit? Because Jesus never did.

We look at this list and then we must hang our heads. Whining preachers complain if they don’t have the latest gadget. We sigh because services are a bit long one Sunday. We nearly explode if the air conditioner goes out during services. It’s so hard being a Christian, we tell ourselves. It’s embarrassing to think that, when we see what this apostle endured. Without this chapter, we wouldn’t know much about this. He never brags about these things. He never uses these things as a “I’m better than you are,” spirit. He did what he could for the Lord. He was willing to be worn out in service to the Lord. He would not let others stop him.

Then comes our verse. Aside from all of these external things, there were internal things. I tend to think these things bothered Paul more than the externals. The externals were unbelievable. But the internals were the things that were dearest to Paul’s heart. The external things were attacks upon Paul’s body. The internal things were the wellbeing of the brethren and the churches. He truly loved those young churches. He wanted them to do well. In so many places, they struggled.

• The Galatians nearly devoured each other with Jewish and Gentile issues over the law.
• The Romans struggled with pointing fingers at each other over eating meats
• The Philippians had some who were not in harmony
• The Ephesians had coming trouble through false teachers
• The Corinthians sued each other. They were divided. They misused the Lord’s Supper. The looked the other way concerning a serious moral failure among them.

Would these churches make it? Would they destroy each other from within? Paul had serious concerns about these places. His prayers were for these brethren.

The daily concern of the churches was on Paul’s mind. Here are some thoughts for us:

1. I wonder if we have a concern about the congregation we are with. Not just a daily concern, any concern. Do we ever think about the people? Do we pray for them? Do we know what is going on? Do we care? Even among leaders, this question must be asked. It must be asked because there too often is little evidence that they care. A caring heart will try to make things better. A caring heart will be involved. Are our prayers only for our self and our friends? Do we pray for the congregation? If no one cares, the place will far apart.

2. Our interest must primarily be among the people we worship with. We do not have the burdens of all the churches. This is not our responsibility nor our work. Some seem to want to know what is going on everywhere. They are more nosey than anything else. They don’t do anything with that information other than tell others. We must be careful about sticking our noses in places that we do not belong. Paul had that authority and right. We do not. Our interests must focus upon where we worship, labor and fellowship.

3. Churches change. Some get stronger, others become weaker. It’s not a cycle that all go through. It’s based upon the energy, the interests, the commitment and the closeness to the Lord. Churches that seem stuck can become “unstuck” and moving in the right direction, if they put that desire before them and make the right choices. We don’t have to accept status quo. We don’t have to just continue to coast along. We can make a difference in this generation and the next by stepping things up. Excellence in worship, leaders who shepherd, preachers who are passionate, members who care—that’s the key. That will bring about real changes that are Biblical, positive and pleasing to the Lord.

Paul was concerned about the churches. We may be more concerned about a scratch on our car than a soul that is not doing well. Start taking interest in where you worship. Spit shine the place. Have folks over in your home. Encourage the preacher to teach some classes during the day and then go to those classes. Do more. Do better. Don’t wait for others, it may never happen.

Daily concern for the churches—leads to daily prayers and daily actions.

Paul went through a lot. I think the internal concern for those churches ate him up the most.

Roger

Jump Start # 1450

2 Corinthians 11:28 “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.”

  Our verse today is found in a very unique section of 2 Corinthians. I expect the apostle had a hard time writing this. Criticisms about his worthiness and credibility compelled him to reveal some personal things about his life. Paul didn’t share much about his personal life. He wanted to talk about Christ. He was humble and the attacks upon his apostleship forced him to defend himself and to talk about himself.

In the context of our passage, Paul lists the struggles and difficulties he has endured as an apostle. It reads like a police report. It is amazing what that man went through. Most, if not all of us, myself very much included, would have stopped, thrown in the towel or been defeated by the constant attacks upon him. He lists such things as: being jailed; beaten so many times he couldn’t count; in danger of death often; scourged by the Jews on five different times; beaten with rods on three different occasions; stoned; shipwrecked; spent a night in the water; dangers from robbers, countrymen, false brethren, hungry, thirsty, sleepless nights and cold. The apostles were mistreated. They were hunted down. They did not have cities named after them. They were not given parades. He would say in other places that they were considered the “scum of the earth.”

But on top of all of those wearisome and hard things he endured, comes our verse. It deals with the insides. Sometimes the insides can be harder on a person than what is happening on the outsides. Paul states, “daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.” Concern. Pressure. Daily. Do you see those internal mental and emotional battles that Paul was facing?

Just consider a few things that we know.

• Corinth: division, abuse of the Lord’s Supper, lawsuits, false teaching
• Galatians: biting and devouring one another; wanting to go back to the old law
• Ephesus: coming trouble arising from the eldership, eventually lose their first love
• Colossae: would Philemon treat the returning slave as a Christian?
• Philippi: two sisters are identified as not getting along
• Thessalonica: some would not work

These are just the things that we know on the surface. Paul knew so much more. Daily pressure. Daily concern for the churches. Let’s talk about that.

First, there are some who are never concerned about their congregation. They don’t give it any thought whatsoever. They show up Sunday and just assume everything is just fine. No prayers for the leaders. No engagement on their part. Some are more concerned about their favorite sports team winning than what is going on down at the church house. Little thought is given to those who are struggling. Little thought is given to those who are discouraged. And those who have dropped out, they are simply forgotten. I’ve seen even among a few leaders of a congregation very little interest or concern about what is going on.

Second, we do not carry the responsibility nor the work that Paul did. We cannot be involved with all the congregations everywhere. That is not ours to be involved in. Our attention ought to be where we are. It seems some like to know what is going on everywhere, but it seems that they are nosey and that’s about it.

Third, there is a huge difference between being “Concerned” and worrying. Sometimes we use the word concern when we are actually worrying. We know Jesus tells us multiple times to not worry. Worry is a lack of faith. So, some disguise worry by simply saying that they are concerned. Worry tears us up on the inside. Worry doesn’t do anything positive. It steals our sleep, ruins our appetite, and nearly stops us. Worry is like starting your car, and while the car is in park, you push the accelerator. You burn a lot of energy, make a lot of noise, but you don’t go anywhere. That’s worry.

Concern does something. Concern gets involved. Concern looks for solutions. Concern is action. Paul was concerned about the welfare of those congregations. What did he do? He visited them. The taught them. He wrote letters to them. He prayed for them. Worry upsets us and doesn’t do anything. Concern gets us off the sidelines and into action.

Fourth, there is enough daily pressure and concern for the congregation each of us is a part of to keep us busy. Are we growing? Are folks connecting to the Lord? Are we getting stronger? Are we reaching others? Are we developing new leaders? Are we teaching what is most necessary? Are we giving God our very best? Some congregations right now are trying to decide whether to add on or build a new place. Some congregations right now are looking to appoint new elders. Some are looking for a new preacher. Some are facing the reality of whether it’s time to lock the doors and move in with another congregation. There is enough to keep all of us busy in our congregation. There are plenty of folks that need prayers. There’s many that need some air blown into their soul. That’s encouragement. There are those who need a helping hand. There are those who need to be mentored.

Parents will be concerned about their children. It’s not enough that they are well and growing. Once they start making friends, heading to school, driving, dating, going off to college, get married—my oh my, there is a lot there for parents. I’ve woken up many a night, thoughts about the kids racing through my mind and wondering if I was doing the right thing. I can’t tell you how many prayers I shot to up to Heaven as they were growing up. Each stage, each crisis, each situation brought new concerns, new pressures and more involvement and prayers. There was a daily concern. I wonder if that’s why most of us who are empty nesters now have grey hair.

It’s the same with the church. You just love those people. You want them to do so well. You lose sleep thinking about them. You want the best for them spiritually. You think. You pray. You do what you can. Just imagine what the place would be like if every member had that same love and concern for the congregation. Imagine the connections. Imagine the help. Imagine the strength. Concerned about one another.

Growing up I was a fan of Gilligan’s Island. Loved that silly show. I remember the big skipper on many episodes hugging the little Gilligan and saying, “I’m worried about my little buddy.” That’s the way our fellowship ought to be. The big guy looking out for the little guy. The old guy looking out for the young guy. There for each other. This all starts when we appreciate one another and have daily concern for each other.

Give some thought today to those in your congregation. Throw a prayer up to Heaven for someone you haven’t prayed for in a long time. You’ll be glad you did and it may be the very thing that opens a door for them. They may need Heaven’s help today and you may be the highway to get that going.

Daily concern for the church…what a great thought that is.

Roger