How To Be A Cracked Pot Religion Essay

Hello and welcome to Word Alive coming to you from the studios of Good News Broadcasting in the small town of Ranskill, Nottinghamshire. I ‘m Brenda Critchley, and it ‘s my privilege to welcome you to our personal Bible survey in God ‘s Word.

You know, since 1939 Good News Broadcasting has been utilizing the airwaves as a vehicle to learn God ‘s Word, to assist you acquire to cognize God better and to happen out what programs and intents He has for your life. Dr Derek Stringer has been our Bible Teacher for the past few old ages. But what you may non cognize is that there are other voices around the universe talking the words of truth from Good News Broadcasting. In fact, we broadcast in approximately 25 linguistic communications ; and we do something unique.

We do n’t interpret messages into other linguistic communications. We have well-qualified Bible instructors making their ain surveies in Hindi, in Mandarin, in Spanish and Russian and more.

It ‘s my joy to hold Derek Stringer, in the studio. My hubby Phil and I have known him for many old ages and he ‘s our friend.

I want you to hear his message today as he explores some really practical topics from God ‘s Word. We ‘re naming this series The ‘How To ‘ Of Christianity.

We ‘ve looked at topics like How To Find God ‘s Will and now an intriguing rubric – How To Be A Cracked Pot.

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And Brenda did state CRACKED POT non CRACK POT!

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Okay – Derek, welcome once more to the mike of Good News Broadcasting.

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Thank you – and I appreciate all that you do for Word Alive – and the times when you bit in with a remark or cite a Bible for me. It all helps to maintain us from the humdrum of listening to one voice traveling on a spot. At least – I hope it does.

There ‘s a programme on telecasting that I ‘ve watched now and once more called “ Antique Roadshow. ” In virtually every programme person discovers that a piece of furniture picked up at an estate sale for a few lbs turns out to be worth a whole batch more – in fact – it could hold been deserving even more if the proprietor had n’t scraped the old pigment off ) .

Person else is given a vase by their grandma and it turns out non to be from the Ming dynasty, and they are able to retire wealthy.

I do n’t of all time anticipate to be on that programme. I ‘m a batch more likely to be the hapless adult male who sold the priceless heirloom in the first topographic point, non gaining its value.

But the fact is, it ‘s non that unusual for hoarded wealth to be found in unusual topographic points, even in clay pots.

In 1947 a small Bedouin male child was throwing stones into a cave up on a rugged drop within sight of the Dead Sea when he heard the sounds of interrupting clayware. That led to the find of the greatest literary hoarded wealth ever-the Dead Sea Scrolls, which finally were found to include transcripts of every Old Testament book except Esther-all dated more than a thousand old ages earlier than any transcript antecedently available.

The Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of hoarded wealth in clay pots in our Bible text today.

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He says, “ We have this hoarded wealth in jars of clay to demo that this all-surpassing power is from God and non from us. ”

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What is the hoarded wealth, and what are the jars of clay he is speaking about? Well, we ‘ll acquire to that, but Lashkar-e-Taiba ‘s start at the beginning of the chapter and work our manner at that place.

Check out 2 Corinthians 4:1 to 12:

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Therefore, since through God ‘s clemency we have this ministry, we do non lose bosom. Rather, we have renounced secret and black ways ; we do non utilize misrepresentation, nor do we falsify the word of God.

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On the contrary, by puting forth the truth obviously we commend ourselves to every adult male ‘s scruples in the sight of God. And even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are diing. The God of this age has blinded the heads of disbelievers, so that they can non see the visible radiation of the Gospel of the glorification of Christ, who is the image of God.

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For we do non prophesy ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your retainers for Jesus ‘ interest. For God, who said, “ Let light reflect out of darkness, ” made his light radiance in our Black Marias to give us the visible radiation of the cognition of the glorification of God in the face of Christ.

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But we have this hoarded wealth in jars of clay to demo that this all-surpassing power is from God and non from us. We are difficult pressed on every side, but non crushed ; perplexed, but non in desperation ; persecuted, but non abandoned ; struck down, but non destroyed. We ever carry around in our organic structure the decease of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may besides be revealed in our organic structure.

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For we who are alive are ever being given over to decease for Jesus ‘ interest, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal organic structure. So so, decease is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

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The overall subject of this transition seems to be the life style of servant leaders. Servant leaders seem to be a quickly disappearing strain today. Churches, by and big, are looking for dynamic visionaries, first communicators, C.E.O. types, instead than shepherds or retainers.

You ‘d be amazed at how the place descriptions developed by churches seeking Senior Curates have changed over the old ages, even in evangelical churches. Whereas 30 old ages ago the cardinal assets churches were looking for were a adult male of unity, a adult male of supplication, one who would analyze and learn good and love people, now the focal point is much more on leading issues-coaching, mentoring, teamwork, motivational accomplishments, articulation of vision, and direction ability, etc. Of class, it does n’t hold to be either/or ; it should be both/and, but there ‘s merely so much clip in a hebdomad, and the clip that a curate spends on disposal and direction can non be spent in the Word. In the procedure of this alteration, non surprisingly, I believe something has been lost in many of these churches when it comes to scriptural literacy and holy life.

Even in the early church retainer leaders were n’t ever held in high regard. The church at Corinth is a instance in point. They were on Paul ‘s instance big-time because he was n’t a really impressive leader for person who claimed to be an Apostle.

Though he had founded the church and personally led many of them to Christ, now that he had been gone for a piece and they had become accustomed to a new manner of leading, they were going rather critical of Paul because, among other things, he was n’t really good looking, he was n’t sufficiently facile, he did n’t hold the sterling certificates they were looking for, he did n’t bear down for his services ( deducing they were n’t deserving much ) , and he was invariably confronting persecution and agony ( which did n’t suit their health-wealth divinity ) .

In this transition Paul once more defends himself and his ministry, but in the procedure he uses the first individual plural pronoun, “ we, ” instead than “ I. ” I think he wants to promote all of us to go servant leaders like he is.

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Let ‘s expression at the CHARACTER OF THE SERVANT LEADER.

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To get down with, he is spiritually brave.

Paul says in poetry 1, “ We do non lose bosom. ” Ministry is tough and it ‘s so easy to give up. I suppose everyone of us has at some point been prepared to throw in the towel.

Possibly we have said, “ Who needs this? I ‘m merely a voluntary ; I ‘m non acquiring paid ; and no 1 seems to appreciate my attempt. I ‘m out of here! ” But Paul says there is something that should halt us in our paths: “ since through God ‘s clemency we have this ministry, we do non lose bosom. ”

He ‘s speaking about the ministry of the New Covenant. Possibly if we were under the public presentation criterions of the Old Covenant he could understand giving up, because failure was so common and the consequences so detering. But the New Covenant offers so much more hope ; it provides forgiveness, power, and triumph. It consequences in transformed lives! Therefore, he says, “ we do non lose bosom. ”

We hang in at that place. We remain faithful. But Paul does n’t take any recognition for the ministry he has. It was n’t his thought ; he did n’t gain the right through difficult work or exceeding glare ; instead it was his through the clemency of God. The fact that any of us are able to function the life God is a privilege beyond description.

Another thing about the character of the servant leader, he is morally sound.

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Verse 2 says: “ We have renounced secret and black ways. ”

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Sadly, some people use faith for black intents. We have been inundated with tonss of histories of priests who have used their places to feed on kids. And we are all cognizant of Television sermonizers who have got foul rich through self-promotion.

They about ever conceal their fiscal traffics because they do n’t desire to be accountable.

But it ‘s non merely professional clergy who are guilty of secret and black behavior. What about the young person leader who feeds on Internet erotica in the privateness of his place? What about the Sunday School instructor who spends hours reading love affair novels or watching rubbishy soap operas? The servant leader is a individual of unity, unfastened and transparent ; he or she is the same in public as in private.

Let me state you another thing about him. He is intellectually honorable.

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Paul goes on, “ We do non utilize misrepresentation, nor do we falsify the word of God. ”

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There is a whole new forte that has sprung up in recent old ages known as “ spin physicians, ” but they ‘ve ne’er studied medical specialty. They are given that name because it is their occupation to set a positive spin on whatever a certain politician or political party says or does.

We about ne’er hear a leader today say, “ I blew it, ” or “ I ‘m regretful. ” Alternatively the spin physicians get busy executing surgery on the truth in order to show stupidity or downright condemnable activity in a favorable visible radiation.

Well, the profession of “ spin physician ” has besides entered the ministry. There are those who can whirl about anything to do it sound religious, even if it ‘s straight opposed to Scripture. How else do we stop up with openly immoral curates in churches, claiming that the Bible supports their life style?

Of class, the Bible can be distorted in less elusive ways every bit good. I find evangelicals rub downing it all the clip to protect their favorite philosophies.

But Paul would n’t make that. “ On the contrary, ” he continues, “ by puting forth the truth obviously we commend ourselves to every adult male ‘s scruples in the sight of God. ” This is the antonym of whirling the truth. The church should be the true no-spin zone. We should ne’er be guilty of embroidering the truth or dressing it up in academic linguistic communication in order to do ourselves look more scholarly.

Truth is non ever easy to hold on, but our end should ever be to do it every bit field as possible.

How else are people ‘s scrupless traveling to be challenged? How else is the truth traveling to perforate their Black Marias?

However, no affair how spiritually brave, morally sound, and intellectually honest a servant leader is, there is no warrant that his message will be received good.

An highly of import truth is shared here, and that is that our success in ministry can ne’er be judged entirely by the response of people. Why?

He recognises there is a Demonic sightlessness that prevents some people from seeing the truth of the Gospel.

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Here ‘s how Paul puts it: “ And even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are diing. The God of this age has blinded the heads of disbelievers, so that they can non see the visible radiation of the Gospel of the glorification of Christ, who is the image of God. ”

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Did you of all time halt and inquire, “ Why make some people refuse to believe despite holding heard the truth once more and once more? ” They may be moral people and they may hold model households, but they live their lives apparently unmindful to the fact that a opinion is coming and they will be required to stand before God and give an history of their lives. I have known persons who have sat under the instruction of God ‘s Word for decennaries but ne’er give any grounds of absorbing the truth or reacting to it. You possibly hold had the experience of sharing your religion with a household member for old ages and yet nil seems to acquire through.

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How do we explicate this phenomenon?

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Well, Paul attributes it to religious sightlessness. If you look back over what Paul has written you ‘ll see that he spoke of the head covering that covers the Black Marias of those who are followings of the Old Covenant. But now he takes it beyond the Judaic people and claims that disbelievers in general suffer from a religious sightlessness that really has Demonic beginnings. “ The God of this universe ” is clearly a mention to Satan. He is non a existent God, but he is treated as such by his ain minions ; he is really a defeated enemy, but he is still active and we have to be cognizant of his scheme.

Satan does a figure on the heads and Black Marias of disbelievers to the extent that. . . “ they can non see the visible radiation of the Gospel of the glorification of Christ, who is the image of God. ” He hides from them the truth of who Jesus truly is. He ‘s all right with them paying lip service to Jesus as a great instructor, a lover of the hapless, even a sufferer ; but he does n’t desire them to see His beauty, His grace, His clemency, His love, and particularly His forgiveness.

This is basically the same thing taught in 1 Corinthians 2:14, 15: “ The adult male without the Spirit does non accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he can non understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. ” Does this mean that disbelievers can non understand the words we use? No, of class non. Does it intend they can non larn religious constructs and even spurt them back? No, in fact, disbelievers have enormous rational capacity, even in respect to scriptural surveies.

But if they can non see the visible radiation of the Gospel because of Satanic sightlessness, does this mean they are non responsible?

The reply is that they are “ without alibi ” says Paul in Romans, because they see adequate and cognize plenty to do them responsible.

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In that transition Paul says that “ since the creative activity of the universe God ‘s unseeable qualities-his ageless power and godly nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made ”

Furthermore, “ Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thought became ineffectual and their foolish Black Marias were darkened. ”

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The disbeliever is held accountable because he has co-operated with Satan in his ain religious sightlessness by interchanging the glorification of God for graven images and by interchanging the truth of God for a prevarication. So, in consequence, disbelievers have made determinations along the manner that give Satan a bridgehead. They have volitionally allowed their heads to be tampered with.

The wise servant leader will recognize this restriction on the success of his ministry and will accept that his ultimate duty is faithfulness. He will recognize that he is non merely viing in the market place of human thoughts ; he is in a religious conflict that involves supernatural forces.

But I want to offer an of import cautiousness: He refuses to utilize this as an alibi for non sharing the Gospel.

It would be easy to state, “ If disbelievers are enduring from supernatural sightlessness, what ‘s the point in witnessing to them? ” But such an attitude ignores other possible factors that contribute to a lost individual ‘s status. It could be that some people around us have non believed, non merely because of Satanic sightlessness but besides because no 1 has bothered to explicate the Gospel to them. Or possibly it has been explained but non lived out.

We can chalk up the fact that our neighbors are unchurched to Satanic sightlessness, but if we do n’t ask for them to an outreach event when we have the chance, how can we merely fault Satan for their lost status?

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Ezekiel 3 is where the Word of the Lord came to the prophesier stating, “ Son of adult male, I have made you a watcher for the house of Israel ; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.

When I say to a wicked adult male, ‘You will certainly decease, ‘ and you do non warn him or talk out to deter him from his evil ways in order to salvage his life, that wicked adult male will decease for his wickedness, and I will keep you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked adult male and he does non turn from his evil or from his evil ways, he will decease for his wickedness ; but you will hold saved yourself. ”

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God does n’t keep Satan accountable for the lost status of disbelievers, or at least non merely Satan ; he besides holds us accountable.

The wise servant leader will recognize the restrictions that Satanic sightlessness puts on his ministry, but he will non utilize that as an alibi for neglecting to portion the Gospel. On the contrary, Paul moves instantly to our duty to portion the truth with disbelievers, because that is the chief counterpoison God has established to cover with religious sightlessness.

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So, what are the RESPONSIBILITIES of the servant leader?

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The response of some to the job of Satanic sightlessness is to concentrate on new techniques and new methodological analysiss, better selling, new paradigms of worship, or a new attack to the civilization. These things may increase the audience, and that ‘s valuable and deserving making, but since Satanic sightlessness is supernatural, merely a supernatural power can take it, and that power is in Jesus Christ. That is why Paul says we much preach Christ, non ourselves.

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Verse 5: “ For we do non prophesy ( proclaim ) ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your retainers for Jesus ‘ interest. ”

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What does it intend to prophesy ourselves?

Have you of all time heard a curate who was invariably stating narratives about himself and his household. His kids ever say the cutest things ; he and his married woman have the perfect matrimony and their relationship seems to be the perfect illustration of about any religious truth.

Or hold you known people who are so self-focused that they merely invariably talk about themselves. There is no room for Jesus in a conversation because they are so full of themselves.

Paul refuses to be like that. The words most on his lips are, “ Jesus is Lord. ”

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In 1 Corinthians 2:2 he said, “ For I resolved to cognize nil while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ”

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He does n’t intend that literally ; as a affair of fact, he taught them much more than merely truth about Jesus. But what he means is that the Cross was cardinal and every other subject finally led at that place.

And if Jesus is Lord, so Paul is His retainer. He ‘s non into affecting others but instead functioning them.

He trusts God to reflect visible radiation into the darkness.

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Paul goes right back to Genesis 1 and claims that the same God who at the morning of creative activity dispelled the primeval darkness is the One who causes religious visible radiation to drive back the darkness of wickedness and disbelief from the Black Marias of work forces.

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It took a miracle or creative activity to divide visible radiation from darkness, and it takes a miracle to convey an single out of religious darkness into the visible radiation.

Will you detect something with me here? There are three forces at work whenever anyone comes to faith in Christ. They are non equal forces by any agencies, but they are all active:

Satan blinds.

We proclaim.

God turns on the visible radiation.

We are non responsible for turning on the visible radiation, merely for sharing the truth.

So far we are likely stating to Paul, “ right on. ” We appreciate his altruistic attitude and we agree with his doctrine of ministry.

But so he comes to a subject that we do n’t associate to about every bit good: The humbleness of the servant leader.

Paul stresses the low place of the true servant leader, as opposed to the strong, dynamic, CEO theoretical account of leading the Corinthians were looking for.

He is merely a clay pot, guaranting that God gets all the recognition.

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Verse 7: “ But we have this hoarded wealth in jars of clay. ”

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What hoarded wealth? The nearest we can acquire to it is “ the visible radiation of the cognition of the glorification of God in the face of Christ. ” That ‘s a hoarded wealth alright! And God has n’t deposited that cognition in the brilliant and baronial and powerful heads of our civilization. Alternatively He has placed it in jars of clay, ordinary earthen vass symbolic of ordinary, weak, foolish, and unequal human existences.

Why has God put something so of import into such delicate, easy broken vass? Well, he tells us specifically why- ” to demo that this all-surpassing power is from God and non from us. ”

So frequently, in our clip, power is used to rupture things apart, to blare, or explode, or crush. But this surpassing power unites, gathers, harmonises. It breaks down walls of divider and removes barriers. It does non do superficial, external accommodations, but works from within, bring forthing lasting transmutations. Do you cognize any other power like that? It ‘s perfectly matchless.

And this power is mediated, surprisingly, through ordinary clay pots.

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This is the really same point Paul makes in 1 Playboies 1:27 to 29: “ God chose the foolish things of the universe to dishonor the wise ; God chose the weak things of the universe to dishonor the strong. He chose the humble things of this universe and the detested things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no 1 may tout before him. ”

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Paul ‘s disparagers at Corinth thought, “ How can you hope to do an feeling with the Gospel unless the spokesman himself is impressive? ” But Paul saw God ‘s clay pot program as far superior, for it would guard against the danger that recognition due to God would travel to one of His human instruments. Whenever we start believing we ‘re pretty of import, peculiarly gifted, eminently successful, it would be wise to come back to this poetry. We ‘re all truly merely jars of clay.

Paul is here concerned to demo how the grace of God is magnified when His human instruments are at their weakest.

You ‘re likely familiar with the words of poetry 8 and 9: “ We are difficult pressed on every side, but non crushed ; perplexed, but non in desperation ; persecuted, but non abandoned ; struck down, but non destroyed. ”

Please note that these are non paradoxes that show Paul ‘s doggedness and bravery ; instead they are paradoxes that display God ‘s power and Providence. God allows force per unit area and test and persecution in Paul ‘s life, but He puts bounds on them.

Consider God ‘s ways with His servant Job. Toward the terminal of his awful ordeal Job, who has endured the philosophical efforts of his alleged friends to explicate his agony, but who has besides engaged in some personal justification, is challenged by God to set up or close up.

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Listen to Job 38:1-11:

Who is this that darkens my advocate with words without cognition? Brace yourself like a adult male ; I will oppugn you, and you shall reply me.

Where were you when I laid the Earth ‘s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! ( Sarcasm ) Who stretched a measurement line across it? On what were its termss set, or who laid its cornerstone-while the forenoon stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst Forth from the uterus, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed bounds for it and put its doors and bars in topographic point, when I said, “ This far you may come and no farther ; here is where your proud waves arrest ‘ ?

It is that last sentence I want to pull to your attending. We have seen the tremendous power of Hurricane Katrina, and the implosion therapy of a major metropolis. The H2O seemed out of control, but it was n’t. God has fixed bounds for the moving ridges of the sea, and He says sing any test that faces His kids. “ This far you may come and no farther. ”

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Nothing can touch us that has non passed through the custodies of the heavenly Father.

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Does God let His retainers to be distressed?

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You bet!

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Does He let them to be crushed?

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No manner.

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Does He let them to be perplexed?

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Yes, frequently.

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Despairing?

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No ; desperation does non come from Him.

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Persecuted?

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Certain!

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Abandoned?

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Never!

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Struck down?

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Yes.

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Destroyed.

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No.

Taken together, these four images tell us that Paul was a hard-headed realist with no romantic semblances about his service for God.

Far from picturing himself as a religious superhero blazing a trail of success like a comet across the first-century sky, Paul portrayed himself as a dazed combatant staggering from a sequence of near-lethal blows, surprised to happen himself still on his pess and sure that if he was still standing, it was merely by the grace of God.

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So, what is the ultimate IMPACT of the faithful servant leader?

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That impact is best expressed this manner: As he experiences “ the decease of Jesus ” ( enduring ) , he reveals the life of Jesus to disbelievers.

Paul expresses the same thought in three back-to-back sentences in poetries 10 through 12.

Each begins with decease and ends with life.

One: Poetry 10:

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“ We ever carry around in our organic structure the decease of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may besides be revealed in our organic structure. ”

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Two: Verse 11:

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“ For we who are alive are ever being given over to decease for Jesus ‘ interest, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal organic structure. ”

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And Three: Verse 12:

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“ So so, decease is at work in us, but life is at work in you. ”

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The indispensable point Paul is doing in each of these statements is that the servant leader is destined to undergo decay and decease. Not merely will we endure the normal effects of the ageing procedure, but in add-on we can anticipate agony, persecution, and even decease for the interest of the Gospel.

These tests, nevertheless, can be spiritually productive in the lives of others. As we accept enduring and respond to it in godly ways, those around us see Jesus and are drawn to Him. That makes the difficult times worthwhile.

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We ‘ll be back in a minute with more from Dr. Derek Stringer here on Word Alive.

Well, if you like Dr. Stringer ‘s instruction, I have some good intelligence. He ‘s written books and we have is learning on programmes like this recorded and available on Cadmium. And we would love to direct you information.

This current series The ‘How To ‘ Of Christianity will be a immense aid to you if you merely necessitate to hold some following stairss to assist you turn in your religion. The series is full of practical thoughts and suggestions for how to use Scripture to your day-to-day life. And we both know we need that. So, I do n’t desire you to lose out on this offer.

I ‘ll give you reach inside informations in merely a minute. Here ‘s Derek to wrap today ‘s programme up.

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Let me inquire you something: Do you of all time complain to God that He has n’t given you a better clay pot?

Word Alive is a Good News Broadcasting Association production with Derek Stringer and I ‘m Brenda Critchley.

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And we ‘re back once more with more about The ‘How To ‘ Of Christianity ‘ in the following edition of Word Alive.

We appreciate our contact with you. God bless you and good pass for now.