Four Motivations for Ministry

Motivations for Ministry

2 Corinthians 4:1-14

To understand the concepts of this section it is helpful to get the big picture of 2 Corinthians.  In Second Corinthians, Paul is both describing his apostolic ministry to the Corinthian church and defending it against false apostles.  The book is divided into three primary sections: 

Paul’s apostleship and apostolic authority had been undermined and attacked by someone and or a group of false apostles in the church at Corinth.  They attacked his motives, his message and his credentials.  This of course troubled Paul and was greatly concerned about the welfare of the church plant.  In this letter he opens up his heart in a remarkable and transparent way for all the Corinthians to see his great love and godly concern for them, not for himself.  In this letter, he models what it means to be a true servant-leader of Jesus Christ. 

In chapters one and two, he explains his motives and in chapters three through five.  he describes his ministry.  In chapter three, Paul contrasts the Old Covenant with the New Covenant.  This can be seen as “in the face of Moses” contrasted with “in the face of Jesus Christ”.  He explains that the Old Covenant though it came in glory, it was a fading glory, (italics mine, 2 Corinthians 3:7).   Whereas, the New Covenant is seen in the face of Christ which remains in glory, (italics mine, 2 Corinthians 3:11, 14).  The major point that the Apostle Paul makes is that the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant and that he is a servant of the New Covenant.  

In the New Covenant those who behold the glory of the Lord are being transformed  from glory to glory through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, (2 Corinthians 3:18).  However, this does not mean that everything in life and ministry will alway be glorious or smooth sailing!  In fact the opposite is true.  This is why Paul shares his struggles with the Corinthian church in chapters 1, 4, 6, 11-12.  He models for them what a true servant of Christ is like and what a servant of Christ may go through.  As Helen Keller said, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.  Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”  

It is the fourth chapter that Paul unpacks the motivation for his apostolic ministry.  Here he describes four motivations for not losing heart in being a servant of God. 

First he says, “Therefore since we have this ministry, as we received mercy we do not lose heart”, (2 Corinthians 4:1).  Paul does not lose heart in ministry because the New Covenant is ministry of life, glory, righteousness and transformation, (2Corinthians 3:6, 8, 9, 18)! In the New Covenant the Christian has been given the indwelling Holy Spirit who is at work in each one to transform them from glory to glory into the image of Christ!  So, Paul does not through in the towel when things get rough instead he remains motivated to keep pressing on toward the upward call of God.  .

Secondly, Paul stays motivated because he understands that he is in a spiritual war.  He writes to the Corinthians, “and even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of the age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, ( 2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

The implication of these verses is that Paul’s antagonists claim that Paul’s gospel message is veiled or obscure.  Yet, he understands that even if the hearers don’t get it, it is because of the spiritual blinders the god of the age has established.  Later in this letter Paul refers to weapons that are divinely powerful Christians have to do battle with the evil one.  One such weapon is prayer.  

A third motivation for staying motivated in ministry is because of the indescribable treasure that is entrusted to each believer.  Paul says, “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness”, is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ”, (2 Corinthians 4:6).  

Paul realizes that he is carrying a divine treasure — the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He has a responsibility to reveal or to share the knowledge of this treasure and point people to Christ, not to himself.  Then Paul explains how God gets this awesome treasure to shine through our lives.  He says we have this treasure in “earthen vessels”.  And just as Gideon had his army break the “clay pots” for the torches to shine against the enemy when they attacked the Midiantes, (Judges 7) even so, trials and difficulties that the Christian goes through is not intended by God to wipe him out but to cause the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God” to shine out.  God intends this so that “the surpassing greatness of power displayed may be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7). 

And lastly, the final reason for staying motivated in ministry is seeing life through an eternal lens versus a temporal lens.   Paul writes, 

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day for momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

The Apostle Paul went through unbelievable and excruciating difficulties but it was these very difficulties that gave Paul the opportunity to show the glory of the Gospel.  Paul was not living for comfort; or promoting himself as his antagonists were. He was living in the New Covenant and with the sure hope of eternal glory!  Notice how he views the personal crucifixions of this life from and eternal perspective: momentary contrasted with eternal; light contrasted with weight and affliction contrasted with glory.

These are some of the motivations that kept Paul on course so that at the end of his life he could confidently say, “ I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing”, (2 Timothy 4:7-8).