Glorious nonentities

 ³ We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴ Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵ in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶ in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷ in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸ through glory and dishonour, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹ known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians 6:3-10

I have to admit that I always find myself smiling when I read this passage. When we read Paul we usually expect the building-up of a cool, logical argument: Paul the theologian, in fact. But these verses aren’t like that. They are more like an outburst, quite emotional, where he piles one phrase on another almost as if at random – if you read it out loud you are likely to be quite breathless by the time you get to the end (why not try it?).

What’s it all about?

The key is the first part of verse 4: “… as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way”.

Paul wasn’t liked by everyone, and in the Corinth church in particular there were people who tried to discredit him. “Well”, he is saying, “you can criticise me as much as you like, but I won’t tolerate you discrediting my ministry” (verse 3). He wants them to be in no doubt that he is doing his work as an apostle in a truly Christlike spirit. So he hits them right between the eyes with this catalogue of nearly thirty punchy expressions.

They aren’t, in fact, as random as they might seem…

He starts in verses 4-5 with a list of negative things, things to do with outward circumstances: troubles, hardships, distresses; beatings, imprisonments, riots; hard work, sleepless nights, hunger.

Obviously for Paul the service of God wasn’t exactly a bundle of laughs! On the contrary, it involved suffering, and serious suffering at that.

But then in verses 6-7 he suddenly switches to all manner of positive, beautiful things, things to do with inner character: purity, understanding, patience, kindness; the Holy Spirit (that could be translated “a spirit of holiness”), sincere love, truthful speech, the power of God; weapons of righteousness.

And then in verses 8-10, as if despairing of making logical sense of these clashing opposites, he frankly gives up the attempt and puts them side by side: glory and dishonour, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as imposters… (I’ll leave you to go back and read the rest).

It’s all contradictory, of course; but the point Paul is making is that it’s also true. This, he says, is exactly what Christian service is like – and you don’t need to be an apostle like him to be able to say, “Yes, that’s pretty much my experience too; that’s how it is for me as a youth worker, or church leader, or small-group leader, or food-bank organiser, or night-shelter manager, or…” well, you name it.

Anyone involved in any kind of true Christian ministry soon discovers that it’s thrilling – and depressing; exhilarating – and exhausting; joyful – and tearful. Beware of people who only talk enthusiastically about “the sheer joy of Christian service”! – because (whisper it very gently) they, ahem, don’t know what they’re talking about. This wasn’t how Paul found it, was it?

And, far more to the point, this wasn’t how Jesus found his ministry. Wonderful miracles – and squabbling disciples. Adoring listeners – and vicious opponents. Intimacy with his Father – and satanic attacks. Not to mention crucifixion.

Some years ago my wife and I were chatting about the state of our finances. Please be assured, this wasn’t an entirely serious conversation. But things were, shall we say, a bit tight; and perhaps it was also during one of those phases of ministry when things really weren’t very encouraging.

We found ourselves ruminating vaguely on the question: How different might things have been for us if we had never become Christians at all, but lived a completely “worldly” life? Or if, having become Christians, we hadn’t ended up as a minister and his wife?

Our financial giving to our own church and to different areas of Christian work has never been anything very remarkable – please don’t think that – but, well, it all builds up over the years, doesn’t it? And so we couldn’t help reflecting how much trouble and trial we might have been saved, even how much fatter our bank balance might have been. The holidays we might have had… the cars we might have been able to afford… the little treats we might have been able to enjoy…

At this point we smiled and asked: But would we want it to have been any different? To which, of course, there could only be one answer…

I feel slightly ashamed to talk about our tiny difficulties in the same breath as the things Paul is talking about – “light and momentary troubles” (2 Corinthians 4:17) indeed! But in our sinful humanity I would hazard a guess that everyone who genuinely aims to live a life in the service of God is tempted occasionally to feel, well, resentful, let’s put it no stronger than that. Could that be you?

The lesson of Paul’s dramatic catalogue is as simple as it could be… When things are going well, when your work seems satisfying and fruitful – great! But don’t take it for granted; it won’t always be that way; there will be troubles and pressures, disappointments and frustrations.

And when things are hard, a slog rather than soaring on wings, tiring, demanding and seemingly unrewarding – don’t lose heart! So it was for Paul. So it was for Jesus himself. Why not also for you and me?

As Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain”.

Father God, thank you for the privilege of knowing you and, even more, of serving you. Please help me to rejoice in the good times and to hold fast in the hard ones, knowing that you have in store for me something wonderful beyond description. Amen.